Merri is a bachelor-prepared registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical experience and a passion for the transformative power of active flexibility. Combining her medical knowledge with a lifelong love of movement, she helps students build sustainable mobility rooted in body awareness, strength, and alignment.

 

Her movement journey began in her teens through skateboarding, taekwondo, and snowboarding - early pursuits that sparked an appreciation for flexibility as both restorative and health-preserving. In 2010, she expanded into dance and became obsessed with pole, eventually discovering contortion in 2012. After training with Kintortion in 2016, Merri recognized it as the most complete and transparent method for developing lasting mobility. Merri is now committed to giving back to the movement community that has shaped her journey.

 

Merri’s teaching emphasizes building strength from within, engaging opposing muscle groups to minimize injury risk, and fostering mindfulness through breath and body feedback. She encourages students to enjoy the process, setting realistic, long-term goals, and celebrating incremental progress. Drawing on her nursing expertise, she adapts training for individuals with medical or structural limitations, brings a higher level of safety and responsiveness, and a deep knowledge of anatomy to her students. 

 

When she is not bending with friends, Merri enjoys morphing into characters, inventing costumes and props, creating acrobatic duo sequences, and performing as part of a pole dance theater group. She finds joy in nature, whether hiking, surfing, snowboarding, or exploring on her motorcycle. Through all her pursuits, Merri inspires others to connect deeply with their bodies and honor movement as a lifelong practice.