A Virginia native, Matthew moved to New York City after college to dance at the Merce Cunningham Studio on scholarship. He decided to stop dancing and attended Hunter College, City University of New York, earning his MS in Dance/Movement Therapy. He worked in mental health in various inpatient and outpatient settings. While working in mental health, Matthew taught group fitness and personal training at Bally Total Fitness, tasked with building groups that were not well attended.

After moving to Miami, Matthew was full time in fitness as a career and achieved the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) personal training certifications. He also managed a residential spa for 2 years, improving customer service and satisfaction while exponentially increasing the spa’s profitability.

When he earned his certification in Pilates, Matthew opened his first studio in South Beach. In a year’s time, he grew the studio twice, moving to 2,200 square feet, adding equipment and instructors to meet the demand. He also became a teacher trainer for an international Pilates organization and for 10 years grew their business throughout the entire state of Florida and the US, educating over 500 instructors in Florida.

Matthew also presented at conferences for the International Dance and Exercise Association (IDEA) at the IDEA Personal Trainer Conference and IDEA World Conference, Canadian Fitness Professionals Conference, as well as the East Coast Alliance (ECA) on Pilates, post-rehab exercise, anatomy, and biomechanics. He was featured in Outdoor magazine as a model and IDEA Fitness Magazine as a writer for several articles.

In his Life Coach and Executive Coach training, Matthew attended the Institute for Life Coach Training, and is currently a Board Certified Coach (BCC) by the Center for Credentialing and Education. Having mentored numerous instructors through changing careers, helping his clients identify self-limiting beliefs, and stretching them to grow as human beings, they have contributed to the organizations in which they work and/or own. Matthew started formally coaching clients in 2012, though he has always coached his clients and students throughout his careers in various fields.

For two years Matthew took a break from teacher training and moved to Telluride, Colorado, where he worked at The Peaks Resort and Spa, training clients and eventually became Interim Spa Director. He then moved to San Diego and was the Spa Operations Manager at the Forbes Five Star Resort—Rancho Valencia.

After some soul searching, Matthew resigned from his Spa Operations Manager position and went back to teaching Pilates and personal training. In June 2016, Club Pilates asked him to consult on various education products, writing manuals and joining their ranks as a Master Trainer. He is featured as a model for both print and online media posts for Club Pilates. Matthew has written the technical language as well as instructed on the videos for the Club Pilates education program, which was released in late 2017. He continues to travel around the country teaching courses and leading the brand standard training for new Club Pilates instructors. In July of 2018, he became a featured instructor on the Club Pilates On Demand platform.

As a thought leader, Matthew prides himself on teaching non-fad, science-based exercise and coaching that yields results that can be directly applied to everyday living. Integration of functional fitness, injury prevention, adaptive exercise, and emotional intelligence are all areas that encompass his coaching, fitness, and educational sessions. As a leader in the mind/body arena for 20 years, he has had the great pleasure of watching his clients, those he has educated, coached, and mentored, reach their goals and have sustainable results.

Education/Certifications

• BS in Dance — James Madison University

• MS in Dance Movement Therapy — Hunter College, CUNY

• Certified Life Coach — The Institute for Life Coach Training

• Certified Pilates Trainer — The Pilates Method Alliance

• Master Trainer — Club Pilates

• Certified Barre Instructor — Above Barre

• Certified Personal Trainer — National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

• Certified SPINNING Instructor