Durham mom opens North Carolina's first black-owned Pilates studio

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- There are dozens of Pilates studios across North Carolina -- from the mountains to the coast -- but one in the Triangle holds a distinction.

A Durham mom of two opened Prevailing Pilates in 2023; it is the state's first black-owned Pilates studio. There's now a waiting list to get through the door.

"It's a big responsibility. I never dreamed that I would be the first of anything," Sabrina Seymore said.

She spent more than a decade planning weddings around the world and orchestrating elaborate affairs. She is now pouring her efforts into building up other women of all backgrounds.

Durham city officials say the Bull City has two programs that can help businesses offset costs, manage inflation.

Seymore had always been into fitness and during the pandemic, she decided to make a career change.

She is now running a truly inclusive space.

Seymore is working with men and women who might have been turned away from other studios because of their height or weight due to restrictions placed on certain equipment.

"I was told sometimes I was just too tall to do the exercise. So I never wanted anyone to get that type of feeling," she said.

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"I always knew this was what I wanted to do."

Tiffany Eubanks has been a member since the studio first opened.

She had wanted to try this form of exercise -- however, she was struggling to find a place where she felt comfortable and a spot where someone who looked like her was leading the way.

"What's created here is definitely a supportive community, one for all body shapes. Size is all ethnicities. So it's been really great just to have a safe space," Eubanks said.

Seymore is considering opening up other studios to meet the growing need.

She intentionally keeps her classes small so that each person who steps inside gets the personal care they need and hopefully will become the best versions of themselves.

"I always want people to feel like they can come in here and tell me whatever is happening with their body, so I can give them those level of modifications, and also a space that they can practice something that is very helpful and healthy for their body with other bodies that look like them in class," Seymore said.

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"When I die, I want to be remembered like how she lives her life," one co-worker said.