Behind every great business is a great story. There is heart and soul behind everything that we do here at Body Beyond Baby. So grab a cuppa, settle in, and let me tell you the whole story.
In 2008, Body Beyond Baby was born, just three months after the birth of my first child. Blessed with a baby that slept and with a couple of years experience in personal training, I found myself surrounded by new mums who didn’t know how to exercise and who struggled to carve out time for themselves once they became mothers.
What began as myself and a few mums running around in Sydney’s Centennial Park, soon became one of the biggest and most well-known Mum-Focused Fitness Businesses in the East and beyond. Early partnerships with Women’s Health Physiotherapists guaranteed the best possible support for mums, and the Body Beyond Baby brand became a leader in the mission to ensure every woman is well informed and exercising safely and effectively after having a baby.
After the birth of my daughter (a non-sleeper) in 2010, I experienced Post-Natal Depression. This experience inspired me to not only support women physically but emotionally too; building support networks through exercise and bringing women together when many feel they are going it alone. Furthering this ambition, I have recently become an ambassador for COPE (Centre of Perinatal Excellence) and I urge any struggling Mum to reach out for help sooner rather than later. [www.COPE etc]
I know that a happy mum makes for a happy bub, so in 2013, I published my first book, How to Love your Body as much as your Baby. It offers pregnant and postnatal mums insight and instruction to ensure they are as well looked after as their little ones.
2016 saw the launch of my accredited training course, Safe Return to Exercise which teaches other Fitness Professionals how to look after mums in the same safe and effective way. “It’s not about restricting what movement a mother can do; it’s about ensuring that we know exactly what is happening inside and out with each woman that we work with, and tailoring our exercise programs to re-build her from the inside out – often to the point where she is stronger and fitter than she has ever been.”
Safe Return to Exercise has now been delivered across Australia, is available online and was launched internationally, in Taiwan, in 2017.
With Body Beyond Baby fast approaching its tenth birthday and now looking after over 100 mums a week across two areas in Sydney, I have also spent the last two years supporting other fitness professionals through mentoring, and building what is now known as the Body Beyond Baby Affiliate team. This team comprises a group of the best Mum-Focused Fitness Businesses in their geographical area, who all work together, leading the way in ensuring safe and effective exercise for mums in their area and collectively raise the standard of the way mums are looked after across Australia and New Zealand.
This is where you have found yourself if you’ve come across us today, in 2018. Welcome to the evolution of the Body Beyond Baby.
I wholeheartedly believe in following my heart and exploring the unknown. I have chosen to be very open about my journey both personally and professionally: from my struggles as a mum, challenges in business, the breakdown of my marriage and re-connection three years later, to depression, anxiety and finally feeling like I am now settled both in myself and as a mum to my two beautiful children. There is no topic that is out of bounds and I endeavor to share as much as possible to help others to know they are not alone and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
So after many years of working within the Fitness Industry, my key mission is:
“To change the way women are cared for across the health and fitness industry after they become mothers and to ensure every fitness professional has a sound general knowledge in working with mums.”
And by joining us here, you have become part of that mission. Whether you are a mum looking for guidance from a qualified and experienced professional, or a fitness professional seeking further information, together we can create real and positive change.
I am a writer and presenter and am always open to new connections, means of sharing and starting conversations with the many mums out there. [Please reach out if you have a collaboration or opportunity you would like to talk about, or if you’d just like to get in touch with me]
Over the years, both myself and Body Beyond Baby have written for a number of publications, appeared on television and won numerous awards. I’ve chosen to include them here as a symbol of my ongoing drive to stand at the top of my field, to lead the way and to create space for others to do the same.
2018
South Eastern Sydney Regional Business Awards – Finalist in Outstanding Business Leaders Category
2017
Fitness Australia Active Communities Award - NSW Winner
2016
Fitness Australia Active Communities Award - NSW Winner
Anthill Top 100 Cool Company Awards
2015
Anthill Top 100 Cool Company Awards – Highly Commended
2014
Australian Health and Fitness Awards - Gold
Anthill Top 100 Cool Company Awards – Highly Commended
Brightest & Best – Highly Commended
2013
Australian Health and Fitness Awards – Silver
Key Person of Influence – GSD Award
