Carol Robbins - bio

I’m 65 (2025) and have been teaching movement since 1999 when I started my career as a Pilates teacher. I taught Pilates for a dozen years but when I became a certified Restorative Exercise Specialist, I sold my pilates studio to focus solely on Restorative Exercise (RE). Not only did I benefit personally from RE, I also found it gave me the tools to really help my clients make lasting change and empower them to live the lives they wanted.

 RE gives us an objective way to assess our abilities and so there is no judgement or nocebic* language and that really appealed me after the years of Pilates where I was comparing myself to dancers and trying to look like one (even though I've never had a dance background).

After certifying in 2013, I was selected by the Nutritious Movement™ organization to be a staff teacher and mentor the new students coming through the training. I taught at special "RES weeks" where students tested for their certification. The staff teachers formed a strong bond that lasts to this day, and many of my colleagues remain good friends and provide a helpful network.  

My anatomy training benefitted from years of training with Juilliard teacher Irene Dowd (retired). Irene taught in the dance section of Juilliard and is regarded as one of the top anatomists of our time. I worked with Irene directly whenever I could, in person, online and also with one of her assistants, Eileen Birks for many years. I use many of Irene’s movements in classes as they combine well with RE, delighting clients of all ages/abilities.  

In the past several years I have been training with Ryan Foley of Integrated Kinetic Neurology. He is a gifted teacher and physiotherapist in Ireland and I’ve done IKN Level 1 along with various courses and belong to the mentorship program.  

I am Bone Fit™ Canada trained for osteoporosis-safe classes and am writing my first book; “Rescue Your Bunion; Movement Solutions for Mild to Moderate Bunions,” due out in 2026.

My clients are mainly women in the age range  50-70+ but I have younger (and older) clients. I have helped many people age dynamically and find joy in daily movement.
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 *Nocebo is the opposite of placebo - it is a way of speaking that suggests harm has or will occur. An example of how we use this commonly is “this is my bad side” or “my hip is killing me.” 
You might experience nocebic language by a trainer, such as suggesting bad form, or not enough exercise, will have a detrimental effect on your health or the health of specific muscles/ joints.  Examples: “If you don’t lift heavy, you will become weak and frail.” “Your muscles are the tightest I’ve ever felt.” “If you do [this], you will wreck your body."
I do my best to use positive messaging! Even issues that are real and result in difficulty can be framed in a way that is supportive and caring, because your body is always doing the best it can within the framework we provide.

Resources:

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Below you'll find links to interviews and podcasts I've done with industry colleagues