About Denise
Years of Wellnes Experience
Hours of yoga taught
Patreon Members
yoga teachers certified
From Leg Warmers to My Life's Work
My story didn’t start in a sleek boutique studio. It started in 1981, in shiny tights, leg warmers, and Reebok High Tops. I started teaching high-impact aerobics on green shag carpeting. Back then, fitness was all about “the burn.” Over the past four decades, my mission has grown into something much deeper. I’ve ridden every wave of this industry, from step classes and indoor cycling to my real heart-work, yoga and public health.
What began as a love of movement turned into a lifelong calling, helping people find the “Soft Edge of the Hard Place.” From owning and operating fun and fabulous fitness centers in Utah or earning my Masters of Public Health from the University of Utah, my goal has always been the same. I want to bridge physical fitness and emotional resilience. Not just help people look better, but help them live better, stronger, and more on purpose.
That same mission has carried me from the bright lights of the Today Show to the quiet halls of the Utah State Correctional Facility. My roots are firmly planted right here in Salt Lake City, where I’ve spent forty plus years building a community that values authenticity over perfection. The most powerful transformations rarely happen when life is easy. They happen when we decide to keep moving through the hard parts.
The Elevator Philosophy
At the heart of everything I do is one simple idea. I am an Elevator. If you’re in my world, whether that’s through my Patreon community, a keynote event, or a yoga mat, my job is to take you up to the next floor. Wellness isn’t a destination, and it isn’t a “perfect” body. It’s a tool we use to build the strength to serve others and find joy right in the middle of our own struggles.
This is why I teach the “Soft Edge.” Life is full of hard places… a health crisis, a career shift, the simple reality of aging. My work is about finding the place where you can be strong yet flexible, resilient yet kind to yourself. I value transparency and real talk over the polished, unreachable standards the wellness industry too often sells. I’m not here to tell you it’s easy. I’m here to show you that you can handle the hard stuff with grace and gratitude.
This philosophy also drives my non-profit work with Yoga Forward. We take yoga where it isn’t. We believe everyone deserves the tools to breathe, heal, and start over, no matter their past or where they’re standing right now. Whether I’m speaking to a room of 6,000 or teaching a class inside a correctional facility, the values stay the same. Everyone has the capacity to stand on higher ground, and no one has to do it alone.
Get to Know Denise
I’m a Salt Lake City native, and I’ve spent my entire career serving the Wasatch Front and beyond. My academic background is rooted in science, with a BS in Health Education and a Master of Public Health. But my real “street cred” comes from over forty years of hands-on work. I’m a Yoga Alliance E-RYT500, a Certified Yoga Therapist, and an IDEA World Inspiration Award recipient, the highlight of my career.
My resume includes being a Lululemon Legacy Ambassador and a featured trainer in SELF Magazine. But the most important “certifications” have come from life itself. For several years now, I’ve been thriving with a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis. I lovingly call cancer my “best teacher,” because it stripped away anything superficial and forced me to live every day with absolute honesty. That experience has deepened everything I bring to a stage or a studio. It lets me speak honestly about pain, and just as honestly about purpose, and possibility.
When I’m not teaching or training yoga teachers, you’ll find me living the empty-nester life in Salt Lake City with my hubby, Michael. We share our home with a sweet chocolate lab Bella, and Miss Peach, an adorable (and slightly bossy) orange kitty. I’m a neighbor, a friend, and a local who believes Salt Lake City is one of the best places on earth to grow, heal, and move together.
Why People Keep Coming Back
Students, professionals, event planners, and yoga practitioners trust me because I don’t just talk about wellness. I live it. I’ve built businesses around it, and used it to walk through the unthinkable. After 40+ years in this industry, I bring a depth of experience you simply can’t pick-up in a weekend certification. I’ve trained over 1,600 amazing yoga teachers through Yoga Assets, voted Best Yoga Teacher Training in Utah. Our legacy of quality and safety is exactly why people come to me when they want real results without false promises, fads and fluff.
Maybe you’re an event planner looking for a keynote speaker who can actually elevate a room full of people. Maybe you’re someone over 40 looking for a wellness space where you finally feel like you belong. Either way, I’ve been where you are. I understand the fears that come with aging, the anxiety of a tough diagnosis, and the deep desire to feel strong in your body again. My credentials (MPH, E-RYT500, C-IAYT) provide the clinical foundation. My four decades of repeat students and community work provide the proof.
I don’t sell quick fixes. I offer a lifetime of wisdom and large dose of kindness and empathy. People come back to my classes and book me for their stages year after year because they know they’ll get a rare blend of high energy and grounded peace. When you work with me, you aren’t just getting a trainer or a speaker. You’re getting a partner and a cheerleader who’s invested in your elevation.
Let's Punch a Higher Floor
If you’re ready to move, breathe, and elevate your life or your organization, I’d love to walk alongside you. Whether you need a speaker who can light up a corporate retreat or a community to help you reclaim your health after 40, there’s a place for you here. Let’s stop settling for the “hard place” and start finding the “soft edge” together.
Reach out today. Ask a question, inquire about my availability, or join my Patreon family and see what it feels like to have an Elevator in your corner every single week. You’ve already got desire and the strength. Now let’s find the right floor together.