Hello, I’m Elizabeth Turovaara
I am founder of Sportspilates, health educator, writer, and advocate. My story is not only about building a career, but also about rebuilding a life.
Today & Vision: What I Stand For
Today, I bring together everything I’ve learned, from movement science to personal resilience, from trauma recovery to leadership. My vision is to build spaces, physical, digital, and social, where people can heal, grow strong, and feel they belong.
My values in action:
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Premium Pilates and rehabilitation training
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Empowerment and equality at every level
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A voice for chronic illness and patient advocacy
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Writing and speaking about religious trauma and human dignity
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Building an international community for health and healing
 Professional Path
I hold a degree in health education and sports, with a specialization in communication, psychology, and rehabilitation. In addition, I have completed training in social pedagogy and crisis management, which has provided me with tools for working with individuals in complex life situations.
Since 2002, I have worked with authentic Pilates and rehabilitation, both as a teacher and as the founder of Sportspilates. The studio combines evidence-based health knowledge with the original Pilates method, and offers individual training, courses, and instructor development.
My professional background also includes experience from the public sector, non-profit organizations, and adult education. This has given me broad competence in pedagogy, project coordination, and health promotion.
Internationally, I maintain collaboration with Real Pilates in New York and Legacy Pilates in Turkey, which ensures continued professional development and connection to the international Pilates community.
In parallel with my work in training and rehabilitation, I am engaged in patient advocacy. As a board member of the Swedish EDS Society and chair of the Uppsala division, I work to increase awareness of chronic illness and strengthen patient participation in healthcare.
For a complete overview of my professional background, you can download my CV here. (It´s coming)
The Journey, Falling & Rising
My life has never been a straight line. It has been shaped by movement, loss, and renewal and by a determination to rise, even when everything seemed impossible.
As a child, I discovered freedom through dance and music. I trained in ballet from a young age, and for years I lived a life on stage as a dancer and singer. Movement was my language and my passion. But over time, my body began to resist. Living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome meant injuries came more easily, and health problems emerged later, not only from EDS, but also from the weight of trauma.
In 2018, my life changed in a single summer. A severe neck injury left me in pain that no one could explain. It took persistence, countless appointments, and moments of despair before the truth was found, I needed emergency surgery to repair my spine. The surgery saved me, but the road there was full of obstacles. It was a struggle to be taken seriously, to get the right diagnosis, and to keep faith in recovery. Along the way, though, I met heroes in the healthcare system, people who saw me, fought for me, and reminded me what true care looks like.
Another part of my journey belongs to the years I spent in the Swedish charismatic church and Word of Faith movement. As a young person, I was intrigued by its promises, married young, and tried to live by its rules. But I came to realize how much it cost me, my freedom, my identity, and most importantly, my daughters’ safety. Leaving was horrendous, with legal battles and the heavy weight of religious trauma and PTSD. Yet even here, I met a hero, a psychologist who wasn’t an expert in religious trauma but who cared enough to listen and learn. That care became a turning point.
Leaving the movement also became a new beginning. I returned to university, studied health education, psychology, and rehabilitation, and found Pilates, not just as training, but as a way of rebuilding both body and soul. My injuries led me toward rehab, my studies gave me tools, and my international collaborations showed me that it was possible to turn even the hardest struggles into strength.
Every fall has been painful. But every rise has given me a new perspective, new allies, and a deeper understanding of what it means to truly heal.
Drop me a line!
Have questions? Fill out the form below.Â
Whether you’re looking for expert training, collaboration, or simply inspiration, I’d love to connect. Sportspilates is more than a studio, it’s a movement towards strength, authenticity, and freedom. And you’re welcome to be part of it.
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