Deborah Matthews, NCPT, Heritage Graduate (she/her)
Owner
Biography:
Teacher, Deborah Matthews, founded InsideOut Body Therapies in 2003 and is a highly sought-after Third Generation Pilates Teacher.
Training
Deborah began her Pilates training with The Pilates Center of Boulder (TPC) in 1998 with Amy Alpers and Rachel Segel. While living in Boulder, she both studied and worked at TPC while being mentored by many generous and gifted teachers including Cara Reeser, Debra Kowley, Kim Haroche, Leah Wecksler and so many more. She completed TPC’s Advanced training in 1999. She then joined Cara Reeser, a Kathleen Stanford Grant lineage holder, at Pilates Aligned in Denver and Back to Motion Physical Therapy. It was here that she continued to deepen her understanding and perspective of healing movement. In 2003 she opened InsideOut Body Therapies and became a Licensed Teacher Training Studio for TPC.
Deborah’s background is a blend of several movement modalities that feed her approach to teaching. Her studies include completing the TPC Master’s Program in 2007 and the The Heritage Training® with Cara in 2015. Along with her Pilates background, her teaching is strongly informed by her work and studies with Hubert Godard, Dean of Dance and Movement Analysis at the University of Paris, and Rolf Movement® Instructor at The Rolf® Institute of Structural Integration. She is a graduate of Blue Point Gentle Yoga program with Sara Doyle and she continues to study and practice GYROTONIC®. She and her husband (Toby Matthews, Advanced Rolfer®) also trained together in Rolf Movement® with Pedro Padro.
Before moving to Durham and opening InsideOut Body Therapies, she worked at The Pilates Center, Boulder (TPC), managed and taught GYROTONIC® at White Cloud Boulder, and was a Senior Teacher for Cara Reeser at Pilates Aligned in Denver.
Deborah currently serves on the Faculty of The Pilates Center. She is the Co-Director of the InsideOut Body Therapies Pilates Teacher Training and is a Nationally Certified Pilates Instructor and has been mentoring Pilates teachers since 2001. Currently she is Co-Owner of InsideOut Body Therapies and Co-founder of Matthews Somatics with her husband, Toby Matthews, Advanced Rolfer® and teacher.
Approach
I have been teaching Pilates since 1998, and one of the greatest gifts along the way has been the opportunity to study and work with some truly remarkable teachers. Their generosity, wisdom, and insight helped shape the foundation of my teaching and sparked a curiosity that continues to grow.
Cara Reeser inspired creativity and play. Rachel Segel Taylor fostered precision, confidence, and refinement. Amy Alpers deepened my appreciation for the history and richness of Pilates, and its power to expand what we believe is possible. Deborah Kolwey has been a steady voice of encouragement and gentle discipline.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with people of all ages and abilities, from professional athletes and teams looking to improve performance and endurance to people recovering from injury, living with chronic pain or illness, or simply wanting to feel stronger and more at ease in their bodies. I believe that movement has the power to heal, strengthen, and transform us in ways that go far beyond the physical.
My teaching is enriched by an ongoing study and practice of Pilates Therapeutics, Rolf Movement® Integration, yoga, Movement Science Made Simple, and the work of Suzanne Martin of Pilates Therapeutics. And then there’s Toby, my favorite person to nerd out with about anatomy, fascia, and all the fascinating mysteries of the human body.
After nearly three decades of teaching, I’m still learning, still curious, and still amazed. Teaching movement brings so much joy to my life.
Present Day
These days, when I am not working, I garden, cook, draw, and spoil three very needy cats – Marcel, Hazel, and Olive. Toby and I are also caretakers of our elderly parents and although life can feel chaotic, we see the many blessings of this opportunity. While balancing the demands of life, I do try to make time to keep my movement practice strong with Pilates, yoga and Gyrotonic®.
I also volunteer my time with transplant recipients and donors. I’ve been given the incredible gift of two kidney transplants—one in 1996 from my mom, and another in 2022 from my nephew, Paul. Their love and generosity have given me the chance to keep living, moving, and doing the things I love. Living with a chronic pain or illness is a rollercoaster. If you know anyone who has or is going through a transplant and could use support, please feel free to pass my name and email along – de********************@***il.com.
I teach at both IOBT and at Matthews Somatics between East Duke Campus and Duke Hospital.