Gretchen Soechting

Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher
Physical Therapist Assistant

B.F.A Dance, Columbia College Chicago
A.A.S. Physical Therapist Assistant, Baker College
NCPT Certified Instructor
Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, IL

Gretchen dabbled in mat Pilates for years as an adjunct to dance training, but a chance encounter with Steven Winterstein and a deep desire for greater somatic clarity led her to pursue an apprenticeship through Kinetic Axis in 2015. She received her Pilates Method Alliance certification in 2018 and taught under Steven at KA and later through the newly merged LightSpace.

In 2020, she relocated to Grand Rapids, MI where she taught at BodyMind Pilates while pursuing a degree as a Physical Therapist Assistant. Gretchen returned to Chicago in 2023 to complete her clinical education and board licensure, and spent the last year and a half as an outpatient clinician at Athletico Physical Therapy. During this time, she also welcomed her first child! She credits Pilates as instrumental in managing the breadth of perinatal changes she has since experienced.

Gretchen’s teaching is informed by years of experience as a dancer and mover, knowledge of clinical therapeutic application on a range of conditions and populations, and a deepened appreciation for the immense capacity the body holds through every season of life.