About Us

Jan Thorne, proprietor of Premier Pilates, has been an avid Pilates fan since the mid- 90s, when her good friend and mentor, Jan Wessman introduced her to it.  After moving to Cookeville from Phoenix, Jan practiced Pilates with Petti Groth at Synergy Studio from 2008 through 2013.  In 2013 she began training to obtain her Pilates certification, and completed her 488 hour certification process with Balanced Body  in 2015.  Jan taught Pilates at Synergy from May, 2014 through November, 2016. She opened her own studio on December 1st, 2016.

Jan has a Bachelor of Education degree from Arizona State University, and a Master’s degree in Human Resources from Ottawa University.  She has over 20 years of classroom teaching experience.

“Opening my own studio has been a dream come true! I’ve had great mentors in Jan and Petti, – both successful studio owners and inspiring women. Taking this leap of faith is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done! I look forward to serving the community of Cookeville by offering  health and fitness opportunities for many age groups and body types.”

Premier Pilates would like to welcome Toni Evans to its staff! Toni is the marketing coordinator at American Bank & Trust. She is an East Tennessee girl with a love for football and adventure! She is a Tennessee Tech graduate and a proud mother of 3. She has an extensive background in retail management and visual display. For 7.5 years, she worked as the director for CityScape, a local non-profit involved with downtown revitalization. She also worked as a Project Manager for MMA Creative. She has been involved with TTU as a mentor for Governor’s School for many years as well.

Toni began taking Pilates in the early 2000’s. She decided to get her certification as a classic Pilates certified instructor from the Willows Studio in Nashville in 2019 and has been teaching at Premier since. She currently teaches a beginner mat class on Thur. evenings at 5:45 but hopes to expand her class offerings soon! It is a great class for people new to Pilates or for those who need a refresher on basic mat work. She invites anyone interested to hop on the Mind Body app and sign up for her class!