The Moving Spirit Team

Susannah Steers
Founder, Moving Spirit Pilates
Pilates & Integrated Movement Specialist

A former modern dancer, Susannah first discovered Pilates while recovering from chronic knee pain. What began as a personal journey of healing became a lifelong passion for helping others build strength, freedom, and joy in movement, and in life.

Since completing her certification at the Dianne Miller Pilates Centre in 1996, Susannah  continued to study with Pilates elders and master teachers, and with leading educators in movement, medicine, and rehabilitation. Advanced mentorship in the Integrated Systems Model with physiotherapist Diane Lee deepened her ability to uncover the root causes of dysfunction, guiding people toward healthy, well integrated movement that lasts.

At Moving Spirit Pilates in North Vancouver, Susannah creates a welcoming space for connection and discovery. Whether helping someone recover from injury, explore athletic performance, or simply feel more at home in their body, she brings curiosity, compassion, and deep respect for the body’s intelligence to her work. She believes movement changes everything; it builds resilience, shapes awareness, and opens the door to greater freedom and possibility in life.

Susannah in Conversation

Allison Birt
PMA Certified Pilates Teacher
Franklin Method Educator

After a series of injuries prompted her to reconsider a career in dance, Allison Birt transformed her passion for movement as an art into a passion for movement as medicine. In 2001, she began learning to teach Pilates from Dianne Miller, teaching in her studio (Vancouver Pilates Centre) until 2016. A perennial student, Allison has learned from and studied the repertoire of multiple first generation Pilates teachers including Ron Fletcher, Kathleen Stanford Grant, and Mary Bowen. Allison is also a Franklin Method Educator, adept at applying mental imagery techniques to embodied anatomy to create lasting positive change in the mind and body. She loves to collaborate with students to help them discover movement resolutions that will maximize their physical potential so that they can move through their lives with as much ease and joy as possible.

For more about Allison, check out  “A Conversation with Allison Birt.” 

Sarah Moore
Pilates Teacher
ELDOA Trainer

Sarah danced from the age of seven in Vancouver. She received professional ballet training from Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. A foot injury concluded this pursuit. After working in various administrative roles a spinal injury prompted a return to Pilates. Inspired by her recovery, she graduated from the Dianne Miller Teacher Training in 2004 and has been teaching ever since.

Her continued studies include Franklin Method Level 1, Neuromuscular Movement Patterns Level 1, ELDOA 1-4 and Myofascial Stretching. Sarah has extensive experience working with spinal dysfunction, pelvic floor health pre/post orthopaedic and joint replacement surgery, Parkinsons, MS, Stroke, sports injury and pre/post natal fitness.

Sarah is compassionate by nature. She works intuitively with creative curiosity and embraces the belief of infinite movement possibilities regardless of circumstance.  She is particularly interested in neuroplasticity, the complex interweaving of fascia and how physical and/or emotional trauma affects the nervous system.

Laura Collings
Administrative Assistant

Laura Collings is our in-house admin wizard at Moving Spirit. She's a passionate Pilates fan, with a background in teaching on the mat and a deep respect for the practice. Laura brings heart and insight to her role (plus an eye for detail). She considers Pilates a centering form of movement that offers space for self-awareness and care, helping her stay grounded amid a busy life. 

When she's not helping to keep things running smoothly at the studio (or enjoying a class herself), Laura can be found exploring her fave hobbies - from pottery and reading to cycling and trail running. As a Mum to three, she values community and connection, always searching for ways to balance family life, wellness and fun!