07/07/2026
I've spent the last couple of hours reading messages from members and friends after finishing 4th in The Advertiser's search for South Australia's Top Personal Trainer.
I hadn't even heard the result yet. My members were the ones who told me.
And then the messages started coming.
I've been trying to put into words what this has meant to me, and I'm still not sure I've managed it.
When I took over a fitness franchise years ago, I had absolutely no idea what was involved in running a business. None. Other than hard work - I've watched my parents do that, and learnt well.
I thought I'd have support because I was part of a franchise, but before long the franchise went into receivership and that support disappeared.
All I really knew was that I loved the people I was working with.
I couldn't imagine walking away from them.
So we rebranded, became Fresh Fitness... and then COVID hit.
Looking back now, I honestly don't know how we got through those first few years.
Some sessions had one person.
Some had four.
For years, Fresh Fitness really was a labour of love. I wasn't bringing home a wage. Some weeks, that's still the reality. I just kept showing up because I believed in what we were building, even when I wasn't sure anyone else could see it yet.
None of that would have been possible without Tim.
He believed in me enough to help me buy the franchise in the first place. He has stood beside me through every challenge since. Two years ago, when I was exhausted and so close to walking away because I genuinely didn't know how to keep going, he was by my side whatever I decided.
I'll never be able to thank him enough for that.
Over the years I kept trying to learn. I invested thousands and thousands of dollars into coaching, courses and mentoring because I wanted to become a better business owner and a better leader.
The hard part was that so much of it just wasn't the right fit. Some of it left me feeling even more confused than when I started.
It really hasn't been until the last couple of years that I've found coaches and mentors who have challenged me, supported me, believed in me and taught me how to grow a business without losing the heart of why I started it in the first place.
I'll never stop learning. I don't think I'll ever get to a point where I think, "Yep... I've got this."
And I actually hope I don't.
Because the day I stop learning is the day I stop becoming a better coach, a better leader and a better human for the people who trust me to be part of their lives.
The funny thing is, none of those things are what I thought about when people started sending me messages this week.
I thought about the people.
The woman who can now get up off the floor without needing help.
The member who finishes treatment and is met with cheers and hugs.
The friendships that have formed.
The conversations after sessions.
The people who now sleep better, feel stronger, back themselves more, and say yes to things they never thought they'd do.
Someone said to me during the voting that it was really just a popularity contest.
And they're probably right.
It doesn't tell you who's the most knowledgeable coach or who writes the best programs.
But I don't think that's what this meant.
To me, it said that the people I have the absolute privilege of working with know they're cared for.
They voted.
They shared my posts.
They asked other people to vote, even though they needed an Advertiser subscription.
That blows me away.
Sometimes I still feel like the little girl who grew up on a dairy farm here in the Adelaide Hills, in a family that was doing it tough.
So to now have people cheering me on, sharing my posts and telling me what Fresh Fitness has meant to them...
I honestly don't know how to explain what that feels like.
Thank you.
Thank you for trusting me.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for allowing me to do work that fills my heart every single day.
And thank you, Tim, for believing in this dream long before there was much evidence that it would work.
Finishing fourth isn't the thing I'll remember most.
The messages are.
The reminder that what we've built together matters.
I'll carry that with me for a very long time. 💙
