About

Unha Engels Founder • Pilates Instructor • Holistic Wellness Coach

Unha is a movement educator, designer, and creative who came to Pilates through the subtle but undeniable shifts of midlife.

After nearly 30 years working in healthcare technology, user experience research, and human-centered design, she began noticing changes in her energy, focus, recovery, and body that required a different kind of attention — one rooted less in pushing and optimizing, and more in listening, adapting, and supporting what was actually happening.

A first half marathon marked her return to strength. Pilates brought her home. And her wellness journey in midlife started.

A design-thinking approach to midlife wellness

Unha’s work today integrates her background in design thinking with her movement and wellness training. She approaches wellbeing as a creative, iterative process — one where curiosity replaces perfectionism, and where women are invited to experiment, adjust, and build practices that fit who they are now.

Her years in healthcare technology and user experience research shaped how she works: observing patterns, asking thoughtful questions, and understanding how real people navigate real challenges in their bodies, environments, and daily lives. That perspective now informs her coaching and teaching — practical, compassionate, and grounded in lived experience.

Movement that respects changing bodies

Certified in Comprehensive Pilates across classical and contemporary lineages, Unha teaches with precision, warmth, and deep respect for real, changing bodies. She specializes in midlife-aware movement, supporting women through menopause and beyond with practices that build strength without strain and resilience without rigidity.

Her work blends:

• core reconnection, strength, and stability

• bone health and longevity-focused movement

• hormonal and energy awareness

• breathwork and nervous system regulation

Rather than prescribing rigid routines, Unha helps clients develop awareness, confidence, and sustainable habits that support the realities of midlife — physically, emotionally, and energetically.

Whole-person wellness for women in midlife

Unha’s approach to wellness extends beyond exercise alone. She works with women navigating caregiving roles, career transitions, changing identities, creative renewal, and the desire to feel grounded and strong in their lives again.

Her wellness philosophy integrates:

• movement and strength

• bone health and longevity practices

• sleep and energy rhythms

• nutrition foundations

• mindful drinking and sober-curious support

• nervous system regulation and stress support

• compassionate habit-building rooted in real life

This is whole-person wellness for women in their 40s through later life — honoring body, mind, identity, and agency.

How Unha works

Unha works with clients 1:1, in duets, small groups, and educational programs. Across all formats, her goal is the same: to create a supportive space for strength, curiosity, and reinvention at every stage of life.

It’s not about perfect habits. It’s about building a life that feels strong, grounded, and aligned — from the inside out.

Certifications

Comprehensive Pilates Certification
(Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Barrel — classical and contemporary)

NASM Certifications
Women’s Fitness
Nutrition Coaching
Wellness Coaching

Buff Bones® Certified
A medically endorsed bone health system integrating Pilates, somatic movement, strength training, and therapeutic exercise for osteoporosis and osteopenia

NASM Specializations
Weight Loss
Weight Loss Medications
Mindful Drinking

Continuing Education
Somatic therapy, trauma-aware movement, nervous system integration, and midlife wellness research

Looking ahead

Unha plans to expand her work into neuroscience-informed movement through The Neuro Studio and intends to pursue end-of-life coaching/doula training in Spring 2026. These future studies reflect her ongoing commitment to supporting women through the full spectrum of midlife transitions — physical, emotional, neurological, and existential.