The Rivercity Pilates team consists of a group of inspiring, highly knowledge professionals who are beyond passionate about helping others empower their body with healthy habits. Our movement teachers all come from diverse backgrounds and share a common vision of creating a welcoming space that encourages people to add more healthy movement into their life.
Owner / Instructor
Carey Sadler is the owner and an instructor at Rivercity Pilates. Carey grew up in Evansdale, Iowa and is a Hawkeye graduating from the University of Iowa with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Carey originally thought she was going to go to PT school and then found Pilates and fell in love with the method and getting to share it with others. 23 years later and she is always grateful to get to spend her days teaching others to use the Pilates method in their life.
Carey loves working with clients of all levels and abilities. She is passionate about teaching the Pilates Method of exercise and truly believes that any body at any level can benefit from learning the method in their body.
Carey can help you create a fun, effective Pilates Practice through any combination of private sessions, group classes and a at home practice
Pilates Instructor
Brenda started her Pilates love around 2001 and began her practice with the Windsor Pilates DVD’s at home as she was getting tired of just walking on her treadmill. When she moved to Iowa in 2008 she won a gift certificate from Rivercity Pilates. After doing private sessions with Carey she realized how much she missed doing Pilates and how it helped with managing stress. Brenda is a graduate from Iowa State University with a degree in Animal Science. She has worked for Cargill for over 22 years and currently is a Risk & Trading Origination Manager for the Corn Plants in Eddyville & Cedar Rapids Iowa.
Pilates Instructor
Barre Instructor
Donny is originally from North Liberty and was involved in dance throughout her life up until college.
When she is not at the studio you can find her wrangling her two dogs. She enjoys taking early morning walks and SHOPPING!
Physical Therapist / Yoga Instructor
Physical Therapist / Yoga Instructor
As a physical therapist, I’ve had a lifelong love of movement and exercise. A self proclaimed anatomy nerd, I’ve always been searching for a way to connect my professional background with my personal interest in health and fitness, and I have found exactly that with yoga. I completed my 200 hr certification in Vinyasa Yoga through Downward Dog Yoga and Fitness in Coralville, IA in 2017. I practice yoga as a way to keep my body healthy and injury free, calm my mind amid my daily bustle, and connect with my kids by sharing guided meditations at the end of the day. Yoga is truly for everyone…from the most gentle meditation practice to a powerful yoga class.
Pilates Instructor
Kimberly has a degree in Communications, with minors in English and Art and is certified as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.
Kimberly discovered Rivercity Pilates in March 2012 as part of her lifelong search for exercise that worked & avoided injuries, while still being able to hold her attention. (Not an easy task!)
After exploring several locations, Kimberly was impressed by Rivercity’s dedication to individual attention and its small class sizes. The warm and cheerful nature of the studio then won her over completely.
Kimberly decided to deepen her Pilates experience by training to be a Pilates instructor.
Ask her questions! Give her feedback! If she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll have a blast seeking it out!
Pilates & Barre Instructor
Nancy discovered Rivercity Pilates in March of 2013. She remembers Cassie at the front desk with her welcoming smile when she walked in. Nancy told her that she needed to get back in shape, she had danced for many years, knew about Pilates and the rest is history. She has been coming ever since and loving it!
Nancy joined our front desk staff in 2015 and soon after joined our teacher training programs. Nancy loves to teach a combination of Barre and Pilates Mat as a fun way to improve your strength, increase mobility and to just plain have fun!
Pilates Instructor
Kathryn has been incorporating Pilates into her lifestyle since high school. She later went on to attend the University of Iowa and graduated with degrees in elementary education and dance. She decided to become certified in Pilates so she could see others succeed within their own journeys, and watch them get the same enjoyment out of it that she does.
Kathryn is currently a fifth-grade teacher at Clear Creek Elementary in Oxford, and loves every second of it! In addition to teaching, she is currently working towards her Masters Degree in Teaching Leadership and Cultural Competency through the University of Iowa, and appreciates Pilates even more as an outlet to clear her mind and focus on her body and health.
Yoga Instructor
Pilates Instructor
Rachel strives to help others find joy in movement while feeling included within the community. She works towards creating space for people who might not think they have a place in Pilates whether it’s because of gender identity, race, size or shape, physical state, or being neurodiverse.
Massage Therapist
Sara has a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology and is a licensed massage therapist. She spent 18 years working in biomedical research at the University of Iowa. During that time, she developed an interest in muscular pain and enrolled in East-West School of Integrated Healing Arts.
After graduation from East-West’s 1000 hour massage therapy program, Sara went on to be trained and master certified in Neural Reset Therapy®. Sara specializes in using massage for pain reduction and elimination. Whether you have acute or chronic pain, Sara uses different tools and techniques to get to the root of the problem.
Sara offers: Neural Reset Therapy®, Trigger Point Therapy, Deep Tissue Massage, Swedish Massage, Relaxation Massage, Sports Massage, Hot Stone and Prenatal Massage. Sara focuses on what you have going on. She can help with a recent or old injury, a joint replacement, fix a thrown-out back, migraines, tennis or golfers elbow, chronic neck or back pain, a neurological disorder, poor posture, small aches and pains, plantar fasciitis, or even just sleeping on your neck wrong. Sara works with healthcare providers to offer a great compliment to Western medicine.
Pilates Instructor
Shannon began taking Pilates mat classes in 2001 after reading about the exercise method. She immediately fell in love with the Pilates mat work and found that 3 classes a week, over a few months’ time, changed her body, how she related to her body, and how she breathed. Shannon felt Pilates enhanced everything from her posture to her running and decided to share its tremendous benefits with others through teaching.
Health and fitness have been a life-long interest for Shannon. She began teaching fitness classes and personal training in 2002 at the North Liberty Rec Center. Shannon Ottoson completed her instructor training to teach mat Pilates in 2005 and Reformer Pilates in 2008.
Shannon has been a psychiatric RN for 15 years and currently works out of her home for a company that manages Title XIX benefits for Iowans.
Physical Therapist & Pilates Instructor
Shelley began taking Pilates classes at Rivercity Pilates in 2013. She quickly developed a passion for Pilates and began the comprehensive teacher training program at Rivercity Pilates in 2014. Shelley enjoys learning about and sharing the Pilates method with clients of all ages and abilities. She especially enjoys working with children and adults with health concerns.
Shelley began studying health, science, and rehabilitation at Luther College (Go Norse!), where she majored in biology and minored in athletic training. She went on to study physical therapy at the University of Iowa (Go Hawks!) and recently completed a post-professional degree in rehabilitation science at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (Boomer Sooner!).
Shelley has practiced physical therapy for 17 years. She currently specializes in working with children and adults with developmental disabilities and progressive neuromuscular conditions.
Shelley lives in Tiffin with her husband, Ron. When she is not at the studio, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cheering on her favorite sports teams, and traveling. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, including biking, hiking, and her newest interest, paddleboarding.
Pilates Instructor
Shelley noticed the Rivercity Pilates studio in 2012 and booked her first session with Carey Sadler. She knew she had rediscovered her love for Pilates. The welcoming environment of the studio and the kindness and patience of the instructors continue to encourage her to improve her health and strength. She is a dedicated client and started teaching Pilates Mat Classes in 2016.
Shelley has a BA in Education from the University of Iowa and completed the Pilates Mat Teacher Training Program at Rivercity Pilates. Since then she has continued the teacher training program at Rivercity Pilates and also teaches utilizing the Pilates equipment.
Pilates Instructor
Shiho Fechhelm was born in Japan in 1975. She moved to Cedar Rapids from Tokyo for schooling in 2001. She met her future husband in 2002 and decided to stay in Iowa. Shiho and her husband Noel have a family – a daughter and siberian husky.
She is a certified Mat Pilates instructor through Rivercity Pilates. She is also a certified ACSM personal trainer. She has been teaching group fitness classes such as SilverSneakers, Zumba, and Yoga. Shiho believes Pilates allows people to find a great balance between calmness and strength in their lives so they can keep their healthy and active lifestyle.
Yoga Instructor
Shuva Rahim first learned about yoga in 2004 during her Peace Corps service in the South American country of Suriname. Shortly thereafter she found a book about yoga, which she used to teach impromptu lessons to villagers in the jungle. In the years since, her yoga practice slowly, but gradually evolved – eventually leading to her 200 RYT in 2022 from Muddy Feet Yoga.
Shuva’s goal is to empower people of all shapes to incorporate yoga in their lives, and use their practice as a way to stay grounded while tackling challenges on and off the mat. Outside yoga, Shuva works as a software trainer for a higher-ed tech company, and is usually training for a long-distance race. She and her husband have two cats, and live in Iowa City.
Pilates Instructor
Mary is a retired physical therapist previously working with people with orthopedic problems. She began practicing Pilates around 2006 and went on to complete the Stott Pilates training program in 2009.
Mary is a firm believer in the need to “keep moving and finds Pilates and its principles very helpful for maintaining flexibility and strength. She feels it is an essential form of exercise to manage aches and pains while maintaining functional mobility.