Jen McWalters Studio, Pawtucket

When a car accident broke Jen McWalter’s back, she didn’t know it. She only discovered it years later, when she had a sudden back spasm during a dance class. Healing such an old injury was challenging, but with a Pilates-infused physical-therapy routine, Jen’s spine gradually returned to working order.

Since then, Jen has not just practiced Pilates—she also earned her Gold Certification from the Pilates Method Alliance, and founded her own 3,000-square-foot Pilate studio. For the past decade, she and her team have led equipment and mat sessions there, teaching techniques from basic breath work to the one-armed planks needed to work out while tweeting a tribute to Joseph Pilates.