Donna Oliver is not only an incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated Pilates practitioner and Exercise Physiologist but she down right cares about you as an individual and your goals! The service and education offered at Wollongong Pilates Studio is exceptional and my body has never felt better. - Lauren Whitfield
- Awarded 2022-2023 Allied Health Professional of the Year by the Australian Patients Association
- Accredited Exercise Physiologist (ESSA)
- 10567NAT Diploma of Pilates Movement Therapy
- 10568NAT Advanced Diploma of Pilates Movement Therapy
- Graduate Certificate in Pilates Method (University of Technology, Sydney)
- APMA Level 2 Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training
- Pre and Post Natal Pilates Specialist. Centre for Women's Fitness (USA)
- Nationally Accredited Deliverer of the Diploma (10567NAT) and Advanced Diploma (10568 NAT) of Pilates Movement Therapy
- Consultant to the Australian Pilates Method Association
- Sought after national and international presenter of Pilates Method
Donna trained in classical ballet with The Australia Ballet School, Melbourne where she was first exposed to Pilates Method in the early 1980's. Since that time she has taught many styles of dance in Sydney and Wollongong and worked with many of the pioneers of Pilates in Australia and around the world.
In 1995, she co-founded the first dedicated equipment based Pilates centre in the northern suburbs of the Illawarra and worked with acute and chronically injured spinal patients as well as pre and post surgical clients with musculo-skeletal rehabilitative needs.
Donna has completed the Graduate Certification in Pilates Method at the University of Technology Sydney where she remained as part of the teaching faculty for 5 years. She is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who specialises in education and mentoring of the future generation of practitioners.
Donna has served a successful term as President (2003-2008) of the Australian Pilates Method Association and returned in later year in the roles of Vice President, Advisory Consultant and Acting CEO for the Education and Training arm of the Pilates industry's not-for-profit association. As part of her ~20 year relationship with the organisation, she has been a consistent leader of a successful team effort in creating and editing much of the current education curriculum for the Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Pilates Movement Therapy.
With her parallel business arm Insight Movement Training Centre, she has been training and mentoring students of Pilates and Exercise Science for more than 15 years, having a guiding hand in the education of most of the practising Pilates teachers throughout Wollongong, surrounding areas and from the Tweed Valley, Dubbo and the far South Coast.
Donna stayed involved with the dance community by supporting the Austinmer Dance Theatre as resident Exercise Physiologist and providing strength and conditioning to their contracted dancers. She runs dance medicine workshops for teachers of various dance genres and liaises with parents and young dancers on best practice for their health and well-being.
She runs bespoke teacher training courses for allied health professionals wanting more that just a token lesson in the exercises.
Her bodywork techniques and training protocols have been sought from the spectrum of the very unwell with diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's Disease to the ongoing service to elite athletes such as Olympic level swimmers and professional rugby league players. She currently enjoys working with the St George Illawarra Dragons NRL team.
In 2019, Donna's world was rocked when her husband suffered a massive Stroke leaving him hemiplegic and aphasic. She took on the role of carer for her husband after 7 months in a rehab hospital around the same time as taking the same role for her elderly father with advancing vascular dementia. Donna has a special place in her heart for carer's in our community. "These are the unsung hero's amongst us and they must be cared for as a priority!" says Donna.
She passionately continues to extend her knowledge base of exercise science with a particular interest in musculo-skeletal and neurological conditions, injury rehabilitation and safe dance techniques and enjoys drawing on her extensive experience to provide safe, effective and functional exercise to clients of the Pilates Method.