Speaking up for the ageing fitness community.
In 2024 I was invited to speak about the importance of including Seniors in fitness venues for true strength benefits. In 2025, I was awarded Fuel Woman of the year for this advocacy work.
What "Fuel Woman of the Year" means
Fuel is Australia's largest fitness business community for female coaches and studio owners. The annual Woman of the Year award recognises a coach whose work meaningfully shifts how their corner of the industry serves its clients.
I won it for the work I've been doing to build strength training pathways for the 55-plus audience. The same audience the broader fitness industry largely overlooks.
"The Importance of one single rep"
Recorded at the Fuel Summit 2024.
Prefer to read? Read the transcript →
""We are an aging population. What impact is that going to have on our economy, health care demands, family dynamics, housing, and infrastructure IF this demographic lacks confidence, Independence, and the ability to adapt to external environments? As we age, having a community of people to turn to is not only great for physical but also mental health. Having a support network for encouragement, accountability, ears for listening, or a shoulder to cry on. Somewhere we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves." " From my Fuel Summit speech, 2024
A piece from me
My why started with my own ageing parents. Real talk: do they listen to much of what I have to say? Hmm, sometimes. But others surely have done, and they are thriving.
Every body that walks into the studio tells a story through how it moves. I love watching that story unfold, finding the gaps, and building strength back into the joints and tissues that everyday life depends on.
When I started this work, I noticed the industry had a blind spot. The 20-somethings get coached. The recovery-from-injury crowd get coached. The hardcore competition crowd get coached. But the 60-year-old who wants to keep lifting their grandkids, walking up hills, and travelling without their body letting them down? That person has been told to "take it easy", or simply hasn't been shown movement in a way that's been understood for them. Our bodies are adaptation machines. They'll adapt to the good and the not-so-good movement mechanics we throw at them. Everyone deserves the right to learn how to move well.
That's the audience the Fuel Summit speech was about. And it's the audience the "Strong and Sassy: The Classics" sessions at the studio are built for.
Ageing is a privilege, and not everyone gets the luxury of experiencing it. Strength isn't reserved for the youthful with loads of time. It's a foundation that protects independence, joy, and the ability to do the things that make your little heart dance, for as long as YOU want.
If that resonates with you, or with someone you love, come and find me in Matraville.
Podcast conversations
A couple of recent chats on coaching strength and confidence in the 55-plus crew.
Elsewhere on the topic
I didn't think I deserved it
Named Fuel Woman of the Year 2025. The award isn't a trophy on a shelf — it's heart, soul, and every person who's trusted me along the way.
How strength training can help you live a better life
As we age we lose muscle mass — it's inevitable. But strength training lets you keep doing the things that bring you joy, with confidence, through every decade.
What you should know about the benefits of play in adulthood
Play is being joyfully immersed in the moment. As an adult, when was the last time you experienced that?
Want to train with me?
The 'Strong and Sassy: The Classics' sessions run four mornings a week at my Matraville studio. Start with a three-session intro and I'll take it from there.
Book your intro See the timetable