The Instructors Who Made Us

Bronté Terrell
Les Mills Trainer and Presenter
UK

I have to give a shoutout to the one and only Vicki Banks!

My mom used to take me to spin classes… and I hated them. I just couldn’t get the hang of it. I was a mess! Then someone said to me: “You need to find an Instructor you click with – and whose music you love.” Mom said: “Vicki’s amazing – you’ve got to give her class a try.”

Vicki wore purple harem pants, always a headband or bandana, had this huge, cool tattoo on her back, and was full of life and energy. Her spin classes were a journey – mostly through trance music. Shoutout to the spin classes in the trance days!

I was totally hooked. While I was earning my degree, I would drive two hours through traffic and cancel meetings to make Vicki’s Monday night spin class.

Vicki Banks is now one of my longest-standing friends, and I truly owe my fitness journey to her. Thank you, Vicki!

Jérôme Fournier
Trainer & Assessor Les Mills Euromed
France

For me, it all started thanks to Paul Tomassian, a former fitness Instructor. He introduced me to Les Mills and supported me through my first classes.

Romain Prevedello (@romainprevedello) was the international Presenter who inspired me to climb the ladder. His charisma and authenticity have always motivated me. I even had the opportunity to share the stage with him a few years ago!

Dan was a diamond setter.  Kylie was a dancer - until that tap on the shoulder.
Watch their stories here.

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Eileen Post
Les Mills Trainer and Presenter
Germany

I took my very first BODYBALANCE™ class in 2015 with an Instructor named Swetlana.

She captivated me immediately, and I instantly fell in love with the program. I remember how challenging it was to hold poses for long periods – something I wasn’t used to from ballet! She also supported me on my journey to becoming an Instructor myself. I was able to practice in her classes, team-teach with her, and eventually film my certification video alongside her.

(Fun fact: I still teach in the same studio, and participants from those early days still come to my classes 10 years later!)

I have felt nothing but support and warmth from her – something I deeply appreciate to this day. And I will never forget the Tai Chi warm-up from my very first BODYBALANCE class!

Thank you, Swetlana!

Jake Pesquira
Les Mills Trainer and Presenter
United States

For me, it was meeting two incredible women: Rachael Newsham and Jaime Terrill.

I walked into my very first SH’BAM™ class with Rach at a Workout for Water event, not even knowing that Les Mills had dance programs. Coming from a professional commercial dance background, my eyes were opened to a whole new world – not performing for people, but dancing with them.

I didn’t know the choreography at all, but my body could naturally pick up the patterns and live in the moment… and somehow, Rach invited me up on stage. She simply said: “You should be with us.” That was the seed.

Not long after, I met Jaime Terrill, who taught the first BODYJAM™ class I ever took. And in a full-circle moment, she later became my Initial Module Trainer.

Jaime gave me the fire for excellence. Her words: “Why be good when you can be great?” still guide how I show up today.

Maxime Vigeant
Les Mills Ambassador
France

Everything started with my father, @christophevigeant. He has been a Les Mills Instructor since the beginning, and I took some of his classes 14 years ago. That was the moment I knew this was what I wanted to do. It was a BODYPUMP™ class, and it was absolutely amazing. So I decided to join him on stage.

My first release performing with him was BODYPUMP 80 – some of the best memories of my life!

Lu Lunar
Les Mills Ambassador
China

I still remember my very first classes – BODYPUMP with Instructor Robin Yu. He was tall, strong, and precise. I really enjoyed the music, even though I felt exhausted during and immediately after the workout. At the time, I thought it would be difficult for me to stay consistent with teaching. But it turns out that once you fall in love with what you do, it becomes natural.

It has been a 19-year happy journey, and it is still going strong!

Matt Uchop
Les Mills Trainer and Presenter
Malaysia

One of the Instructors I still remember from when I first started trying BODYJAM classes in 2007 was Su Lin. She was a cute, petite lady – small in size but big on energy. Friendly, bubbly, and bursting with positive vibes, she was also such a cool dancer and Instructor.

Her classes were always packed with people, and she gave me the confidence to start my journey as a BODYJAM Instructor!

Melroy Oostra
Les Mills Trainer and Presenter
Netherlands

When I first started teaching LES MILLS GRIT™, I had zero experience standing in front of a group. Seriously – I had no idea what to say or how to say it. Then came the module training, and that’s where Bas Hollander (@bashollander) stepped in. He helped me feel comfortable as an Instructor by taking on a true coaching role.

Here’s the funny part: he told me to imagine I was just talking to a group of friends. That simple piece of advice completely changed everything. Who would have guessed that just a year later, I would make the team – and get to share so many amazing experiences with him, not just as a mentor, but as a friend!

Danny Raynor
Les Mills Trainer and Presenter
UK

My first-ever experience with LES MILLS GRIT was with a local Instructor named Ross. He had such infectious energy and always gave everything on the floor – often thrashing out a few reps beside you before moving on to the next person and shouting: “Who wants it?!”

The energy, laughs, and level of challenge were second to none. I left Ross’s class completely broken – but excited for more! From that moment, I was determined to become a LES MILLS GRIT Instructor.

Sebastian Jaramillo
Les Mills Trainer and Presenter
Germany / Colombia

For me, everything started with my mentor, Francisco Ospina. Watching him give everything he had on stage completely inspired me. From that moment on, I attended every one of his classes (BODYPUMP and BODYCOMBAT™). He saw potential in me and asked if I would like to start training with him.

We would arrive an hour before his scheduled classes so he could show me technique, coaching tips, and ways to better connect with participants. I later completed my BODYCOMBAT Initial Training (IT). Over time, he trusted me to cover his classes and introduced me to other group fitness managers.

Honestly, Pacho (as I call him) taught me everything at the beginning. He took the time to mentor me, and wherever I go, I always mention his name.

Thank you, brother.

Khiran Huston
Les Mills Group Training Product Manager & Creative
New Zealand

The first person who really gave me a chance was Chris Richardson. He is incredibly good at what he does and introduced me to RPM™. I had never even thought about cycle classes before, but he thought I would be good at it. Turns out, he was right.

Fast forward to today, I work at Les Mills and am part of the creative team for RPM and LES MILLS SPRINT™. He showed me that you just need one person who believes in you – and I’ve spent every year since paying that forward. Haha.

Geena Pannett
Les Mills New Zealand National Group Fitness Manager
New Zealand

The person who has been a constant inspiration in my life is actually my club manager (who also doubles as my second mother!), Jaci Griffin. She taught Les Mills classes for over 35 years and has been with Les Mills for nearly the same amount of time.

She opened our New Lynn club and took me under her wing. Growing up watching her lead our community inspired me in so many ways and most definitely helped shape the person I am today.