Carrie Ekins is Chief Executive Officer, Education Coordinator and owner of Drums Alive Inc. and UG. She also is the founder and creator of Drums Alive ® and co-founder of Drumtastic® and Ability Beats®.
Carrie has a master's degree in Physical Education, Dance with emphasis in Sports Medicine from Brigham Young University and is a doctorate candidate at the University of Chemnitz, Germany. Carrie is an international presenter, trainer and educator in the fitness and wellness field and has been awarded 2012 Program Director of the Year from the IDEA (International Dance Exercise Association) and Best International Presenter 2010 and Most Innovative and Creative Programming for Drums Alive ® 2010 from the ECA (East Coast Alliance). She is known for her creative and unique approach to total fitness through incorporating the mind, body, and spirit into an integrated fitness/wellness program. Carrie strives to design programs that are one-of-a-kind while keeping her primary goal of making her programs a "whole mind, whole body" experience for all participants in the forefront. The unity of mind, body and spirit is an essential component of her philosophy and the driving force behind her work. Carrie desires that of all of her programs meet the needs of diverse audiences and are applicable to any market, whether it be young children, the elderly, or individuals with special needs. She believes that the experience and joy of movement and rhythm are the same for everyone; however, the expression of it may vary according to the population one is teaching. Carrie's extensive teaching experience and background in dance, competitive athletics, and fitness/wellness program development give her the opportunity to create and inspire instructors and students alike.
Carrie shares her passion for fitness and education through publishing articles in a variety of trade magazines, including IDEA Today, Shape, Fitness Trainer, Aerobic Fitness Instructor, Fitness Professionals, Sport and Fitness, WellFit, Brigitte, and Augsburg Journal. In addition, she writes manuals for established education companies in the US and Germany.