Meet the Praxis Team | Praxis Performance + Wellness

Management Team

  • PJ O’Clair

    Founder

    PJ is a sought after, internationally award-winning health and fitness icon. She has published numerous fitness and therapeutic programs spanning many disciplines including Pilates for Breast Cancer Rehabilitation, Fascia & Movement and Athletic Performance for Cyclists. In addition to being a leader in the movement field since the 1980’s, PJ is a native of Beverly and has successfully trained generations of North Shore residents and their families for decades. She is well known in both the consumer and professional markets as a movement innovator inspiring her local clients and fitness professionals from around the world. PJ specializes in TRX® and STOTT PILATES® and has appeared in well over 80 fitness DVDs and digital platforms. She is highly driven, extremely passionate and committed to all aspects of health and wellness. In her spare time, PJ, along with her husband, is an avid cyclist and participates in many charitable events.

  • Caroline Cruz

    General Manager

    Caroline has been an integral member of the management team at Praxis and Northeast Pilates since 2010. She holds a BA in Psychology and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Certified STOTT PILATES® Instructor, and Merrithew Fascial Movement Instructor Trainer.  Compassion for her students and quick wit are the trademarks of Caroline’s teaching style in both group classes and private sessions.  She inspires her clients to improve their lives through movement regardless of age or physical condition.  She enjoys cycling, photography, pets and spending time with friends and family.

  • Karen Elwell

    Education Coordinator Northeast Pilates

    Karen is the Education Coordinator for Northeast Pilates. She is the first person aspiring Pilates instructors meet and she guides them through the education process with clarity and efficiency. Karen is also an instructor, specializing in Group Cycle and IndoRow. Prior to her work with Northeast Pilates and Praxis, Karen studied at Salve Regina University and spent several years in Boston as a commercial real estate agent. She lives in Manchester with her husband, 3 children and 2 dogs.

Our Excellence Begins with Our Team

  • Sheri Aggarwal

    Instructor

    Sheri is a Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES®, Total Barre™ and CORE™ Athletic Performance. Her first career was as a college professor after earning a Ph.D. from Harvard University. She loved teaching, but her passion was in sports and wellness rather than in economics. She began training in Pilates in 2002, and although her interest in sports shifted, she loved how it improved her performance in all sports. Pilates proved invaluable when rehab was required for running injuries. Sheri shares her expertise and love of fitness with a diverse population including instructors, clients and athletes. She also holds ACE certifications in Personal Training and Health Coaching and is a running coach for USA Track & Field.

  • Sue McLane

    Instructor

    Sue McLane is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. She began teaching fitness in college while studying Mechanical Engineering.  She loved teaching so much that she continued to pursue teaching after college, starting with Step Aerobics and Hi/Low certifications in the 90s before discovering passions for indoor cycling, TRX and Barre.  Sue was a high school gymnast before becoming a runner.  She has completed one marathon and two half-marathons. When she is not teaching or running, Sue enjoys cycling with her husband and watching her kids play sports. Sue lives in Beverly with her husband and two children.

  • Mara Coleman

    Instructor

    Mara completed her STOTT PILATES® Mat and Reformer training with Northeast Pilates after joining the Clubxcel team in 2016. She fell in love with Pilates because it reconnected her to dance, which she studied at Loyola University in New Orleans. Mara’s classes are fun and upbeat – so much so that they often have a wait list!

  • Judy DiRubio

    Instructor

    Judy has been teaching Group Cycling classes since 2005. Since then, she has added TRX Suspension Training, TRX Rip Training, IndoRow and ShockWave to her list of credentials. Teaching is natural for Judy. She studied Education at Merrimack College. Early in her career, Judy was a secondary school teacher of French and Spanish. She later went into the banking and mortgage industries. As an avid cyclist, Judy has ridden in the Pan Mass Challenge since 2004 and has raised over $90,000 to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When she is not riding her bike, Judy spends time in her vegetable garden and with her husband and two Boston Terriers.

  • Karina Singh

    Instructor

    Karina Singh is a seasoned fitness instructor with over a decade of experience in the industry. Her passion for fitness has been a driving force in her career, which has taken her from aerobics to spinning, yoga, and now Pilates. Karina is a STOTT PILATES® mat and Reformer instructor. She has worked with numerous studios, as well as running her own studio. During the pandemic, she went the extra mile to provide virtual classes to clients worldwide, helping them stay mentally and physically fit. With her expertise in posture correction and her commitment to ensuring her clients get the most out of their workouts, Karina is a force to be reckoned with.

  • Carol Earle

    Instructor

    Carol Earle is a Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer. She has traveled worldwide, training instructors in STOTT PILATES®, Total Barre™, CORE™ Athletic Performance, ZEN•GA™ and Fascial Movement. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer and is 200 RYT Yoga certified. She has worked with PJ for over 17 years and has taught most Group Fitness formats including SPINNING®, TRX® and ZUMBA®. Carol’s background includes dance training at the New York School of Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Martha Graham School and the Cunningham Center. She holds a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase and directed the Windover Dance Company in Rockport, MA for over a decade. Early in her career she was a music publicist in LA, working with clients such as Prince, James Brown and Smashing Pumpkins. Carol brings her creativity, strong knowledge of movement and a keen eye for form to her work with clients as she helps them achieve their individual training goals. Her hobbies include cycling around the North Shore, gardening and farm-to-table cooking.

  • Josie Gardiner

    Instructor

    Josie is a world renowned Master Trainer and International Presenter who has worked with PJ for decades on the North Shore.   She is co-developer of Zumba Gold Training Program with Beto Perez and Joy Prouty.  She is also co-author of The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fitness Plan and The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Guide to Fitness DVD. She collaborated with Joy Prouty and Francesca Coltrera to create six Harvard Medical School Special Health Reports: Workout Workbook, Core Training, Balance Training, Stretch, Gentle Core, and Joint Pain Relief Workbook.

    Josie received the ACE Instructor of the Year award in 2005 and the IDEA Health and Fitness Association Instructor of the Year in 2002. She also collaborated with Joy Prouty in creating eight “Fit Over Fifty” videos, which were produced by Healthy Learning and endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine, two “Fitime: Lite and Easy Workouts to Lift Your Spirits” and Flexible Seniors DVDs.  She has been featured on Chronicle and appeared on The Today Show as well as in interviews for many other media outlets.

    Josie’s program, Core Centergy, has been one of the most popular programs at Praxis, as well as at Equinox Fitness Clubs, ClubXcel, and The Beacon Hill Hill House.

  • Freddy Cicerchia

    Instructor

    In his early years, Freddy attended Tabor Academy where he played football, lacrosse and took 3rd in New England for the Tabor wrestling team. Freddy continued his athletic endeavors on the UPenn Lacrosse team while getting his degree in economics and finance from the Wharton School of Business. Once back in Massachusetts he played for the Boston Rugby Football Club from 1974 – 1980 and started his 40+ years of training in martial arts. Currently Freddy is an 8th degree black belt in Okinawan Karate. He is an avid cyclist for 20+ years and has raced in the master’s division for multiple races including the Mount Washington Hill Climb race. Professionally he has spent 48 years in the wine and spirits industry as a Vice President and Senior Manager of the Martignetti Companies Fine Wines Division. Now retired Freddy spends his time with his loving wife, daughter, and grandson. Freddy brings a wealth of personal experience from his decades of athletic training, martial arts, and sports to his strength and conditioning coaching. His programs will help you build a solid foundation in strength and mobility and enable you to meet any fitness goals.

  • Emily Shawn

    Instructor

    Emily practiced competitive synchronized swimming for many years, and was drawn to yoga as a complement to her swimming experience. She completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training with Willa Worsforld at Solstice Power Yoga. After falling in love with aerial trapeze yoga while living in Ecuador, she completed the Yoga Trapeze Teacher training with YogaBody in 2018 and has devoted herself to being upside-down ever since.

    Before teaching yoga and aerial yoga, Emily graduated from Boston University with a degree in Anthropology and Religion, and holds an additional graduate certificate from Salem State University. She teaches a practice based on balancing strength and flexibility with a healthy dose of mindfulness.