Our Faculty

Physical Therapist/Pilates – PT

Barbara Chappell, P.T., NCPT, has over twenty-five years of practical experience as a health care professional. Barbara attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on an athletic scholarship and swam competitively for the Tar Heels while earning her BA in intermediate elementary education. Barbara continued her post-graduate PT education at Winston-Salem State University. Always looking to expand her knowledge, Barbara successfully completed Pilates training with Polestar Pilates in 2005 and continues to regularly attend workshops, seminars, and conferences in multiple areas of pilates, physical therapy, and neuroscience.

Prior to joining Synergy Studio fulltime in 2014, Barbara combined her physical therapy and Pilates knowledge as a physical therapist in rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, and the out-patient clinics of several local hospitals, including St. Vincent’s Medical Center, River Garden Hebrew Home, and Baptist Medical Center. Barbara brings a wealth of knowledge to her Synergy clients. She particularly enjoys combining her physical therapy skills, manual skills (strain, counter strain, MFR, MET), and Pilates knowledge to help her clients achieve their best potential outcome. Barbara has recently graduated as a Z-Health Practitioner and is certified in R and I phases.

Polestar Pilates Instructor – MFA

Sonia DeVille has been a fitness industry professional for the past 36 years. She is a Polestar Pilates Certified Practitioner for Post Rehabilitation, Certified Health and Fitness Specialist, Total Gym GAVITY Master Trainer, TRX Instructor, Konnector Certified Instructor and OOV Certified Instructor. Originally from Louisiana, she has a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Florida State University. As a professional dancer specializing in classical ballet and modern, Sonia has been involved in Dance Medicine for more than 20 years and continues to stay involved with teachers and instructors in various professional settings.

Sonia is a member of the International Dance Medicine and Sciences and the Dance Educators and Somatics Educators organizations. Since 2007, Sonia partakes in annual neuromuscular training with renowned kinesthetic anatomist, author, and dancer Irene Dowd in New York City. She enjoys her spare time dancing, living with her two cats and cooking with her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.

POLESTAR PILATES INSTRUCTOR

BA. MA and PhD in Psychology, University of California
Polestar Pilates Comprehensive Certified Instructor 

I have a lifelong passion for all things health, ‘wellness and movement. My academic research focused on the relationship between biology and behavior, and I have a keen interest in the mind — body connection. I help. my clients discover the profound connection between mind, body, and spirit; and through positive movement experiences, greater health and happiness. 

I have trained in dance and am a black-belt in Shotokan Karate. In addition to Pilates, I have experience teaching Psychology, Karate and a variety of other group fitness activities. I have held roles in the education and health care sectors in both the US and NZ. I am also Director of Research and Development for AACT-Now.org.

To stay current with the constantly evolving Pilates philosophy and practice, I regularly engage in workshops and seminars. My commitment to continuous growth and learning has led me to undertake mentor training; passing on my passion for Polestar Pilates to the next generation of practitioners.

I share the client centered philosophy of the team at Synergy Studio and am passionate about giving our clients the tools they need to live their very best lives. 

Pilates Instructor

I was born and raised in Brazil, where I was trained in classical and contemporary dance. My first contact with Pilates happened while working professionally in a dance company in 2013. Pilates soon became my passion. I noticed improvement in my body, performance and daily tasks. After discovering all the amazing benefits of Pilates, I decided to share what I was learning and began a comprehensive Pilates Certification Program and a Physical Education Degree in 2014. In 2017, after years of being Alice Becker’s (Pioneer of Pilates in Brazil) student, I was invited to assist Alice’s classes at PhysioPilates (Polestar Brasil Master Center) where I worked as an instructor/ assistant up until I moved to the United States in 2019. I took another comprehensive Pilates course through Polestar Pilates in 2021 at Synergy Studio. I wanted to be able to understand and teach in English with the same quality I did in Portuguese.

My classes today are a combination of what I’ve learned over these 10 years of exploring and studying movement. I’m a Pilates enthusiast and I strive to teach fun and rewarding classes. I hope to help you feel stronger and more confident after sessions.

Massage Therapist – LMT

Featured in Natural Awakenings magazine and a regular guest host on Awakened Radio, Patricia’s greatest joy is helping others step into their spiritual brilliance.  She is also a Reiki practitioner, a licensed massage therapist and is certified in transformational breath work.