Our Team

Northshore Pilates has been training and empowering practitioners in our Evanston location since 2009. Our instructors are dedicated to teaching the visionary method of Joseph Pilates. We provide an intimate approach by creating an atmosphere of warmth, communication, and collaboration. Our small class sizes offer a personalized experience for each participant regardless of fitness level. We take great pride in empowering our clients with control over their minds and bodies with an ultimate goal of uniform development of the muscular system.


Janis Luby

Janis Parisi Luby

Janis Parisi Luby

Pilates Instructor, Owner

A certified personal trainer, triathlon coach and Pilates instructor, Janis Parisi Luby apprenticed under Master Pilates instructor, David Englund. Before realizing her dream of opening her own studio in 2008, she was an elementary school teacher and coached tri-athletes at Northwestern University. Janis values teaching, learning, and the transformative benefits Pilates offers. She loves seeing her clients succeed, no matter what their individual challenges and goals are. Sometimes, just showing up is the greatest task! With her sharp eye for detail, Janis adjusts workouts according to her clients’ needs by strengthening backs, recomposing gaits, and ironing out posture - all delivered with compassion, enthusiasm and precision - much in the spirit of Joseph Pilates himself. Janis is nationally recognized by the Pilates Method Alliance.


Elsa Gould

Elsa Gould

Elsa Gould

Physical Therapist, Pilates Instructor

Elsa Gould is a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) with a 15-year practice in the field of orthopedics. She is a 2005 graduate of Northwestern’s Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences program within the Feinberg School of Medicine. Northshore Pilates is excited to offer Elsa’s Physical Therapy services in our intimate space, for more information please click here.

Endlessly fascinated by the study of how our bodies move, and by what can hinder normal motion, Elsa is currently completing the Pilates Instructor training through Balanced Body. This unique combination of Physical Therapy and Pilates sessions empower her clients to care for their bodies by providing accurate and accessible information and guidance. Her studies inspired the blog, The Movement Mama. Elsa designs her Pilates and Physical Therapy sessions to address each client’s specific abilities and weaknesses. She thrives on developing exercise programs for clients with complicated medical histories, for newcomers who may be apprehensive about joining exercise classes, and for those who require continuing PT from a skilled professional. In addition to her extensive work with the average Joes and Janes of the world, Elsa is a former dancer and enjoys collaborating with a variety of performing artists.


Iryna Piatnochka

Iryna Piatnochka

Iryna Piatnochka

Pilates Instructor

Iryna is a NASM certified personal trainer, Balanced Body Pilates instructor, and ISSA Nutrition Coach. With many years of experience, she is passionate about helping others — from pre-/post-natal training, to injury, trauma, and surgery recovery — plus anyone in between who may need special attention, gentle modifications, or extra care.

Learning about and exploring the mechanics of how bodies function and move has always fascinated Iryna. So naturally, while on her own fitness journey, she gravitated towards Pilates. Through Pilates, she developed a deeper understanding and connection to the body—the way it feels, moves, and grows. Our bodies are not simple machines. There are many aspects to consider when helping them grow or heal, which Iryna finds to be both the most challenging and the most exciting part of her work.

For her, Pilates is the mind-body connection through strength training and physical therapy that leads to a stronger foundation, able to carry us throughout our lives. Through her work, Iryna considers herself blessed to witness her client’s bodies and minds transforming, positively affecting other spheres of their lives as well.


Katharine Coombes

Katharine Coombes

Physical Therapist, Pilates Instructor

Katharine is a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) with 5 years of experience treating patients with issues including pain, post-surgical recovery, and neurologic dysfunction. She graduated from Northwestern University’s DPT program in the Feinberg School of Medicine in 2018. She is currently completing her Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training with Balanced Body. 

Knowing that exercise is medicine, Katharine was drawn to Pilates as an effective and enjoyable method of physical conditioning. Katharine believes cultivating the mind and body connection, which is a central principle of the Pilates method, is essential for experiencing the deepest benefits of exercise. Katharine’s Pilates journey taught her that moving with ease and strength cultivates wellbeing. After her second child, Katharine’s Pilates practice provided her physical rehabilitation, mental fortitude and an opportunity for invigorating self-care. Katharine strives to share these benefits. The emphasis on precise movement, proper alignment, and deep strength naturally align Pilates with Katharine’s goal of fostering wellbeing and functional strength in her clients and patients.

Katharine’s approach is warm and welcoming. She enjoys learning each person’s unique physical needs, preferences, and goals in order to customize her sessions and provide the inspirational challenge that motivates inner strength and produces real physical transformation. 


Deanna Nord

Deanna Nord

Pilates Instructor

Deanna is a Pilates Method Alliance Certified Pilates Instructor with over twenty years teaching experience. She studied under David England who studied under Romana Kryzanowska, a Joseph Pilates protégé. Using Pilates principles such as concentration, centering, fluidity, imagination, intuition, breath and integration, Deanna will guide you through ideas and movements for embracing every day and the changes life brings. Deanna’s classes are attuned to your needs and abilities, improving your natural rhythm and coordination to feel and look your best.

Deanna is also a published writer, speaker, creative and marketing strategist and principal of Nord Strategy Group. She is also president of the SDG Health Alliance, an organization that advocates for improving global health, climate, and agriculture.