Why I Became a Personal Trainer (And Why I Understand Gym Intimidation)

Feeling Lost in the Gym

I personally tried for years to work out at home and in the gym and was left completely demotivated.

It wasn’t because I didn’t want to exercise, or because I couldn’t be bothered — I actually had the urge to get fit. But every time I walked into the gym, I felt completely intimidated. And the truth is, I would describe myself as a strong individual. Yet something about the gym left me feeling totally inadequate and out of place.

I felt fat, unfit, and extremely self-conscious in my own skin. So, I stuck to what felt “safe.” I’d run on the treadmill for an hour or pick up the tiniest 2kg weights for bicep curls — because the thought of trying something heavier and having to put it back in defeat was too embarrassing.

The result? My confidence shrank, my results never came, and I often left the gym feeling worse than when I went in.

And I know I’m not alone in this. So many women have walked into a gym, full of hope, only to walk out feeling even more deflated.

The Turning Point

Everything changed one day thanks to a single act of kindness.

A fitness instructor at my local gym (not even a personal trainer, not someone I paid, just someone who noticed me stuck on the treadmill) came over, spoke to me, and showed me a few exercises.

That moment changed everything. He gave me two things I didn’t realise I was missing: knowledge and confidence.

Suddenly, I realised I didn’t need anything fancy to succeed. I didn’t need to be the fittest, strongest, or most athletic person in the gym. I just needed to understand what to do and believe in myself enough to do it.

Walking Away From “Secure” to Do What I Love

Fast forward a few years, and I took the scariest leap of my life. I gave up a secure, reasonably paid job and made myself unemployed… all to start a fitness business.

Why? Because at that point in my life (well over 40), the only thing I truly enjoyed was working out and connecting with people. And I kept thinking: how many women out there want to exercise but have no idea what to do? How many women are spending an hour on the treadmill, finishing with a couple of resistance machines, and leaving the gym feeling no further forward?

I wanted to be the person for them that my instructor had once been for me — someone who could give them the knowledge, support, and confidence to actually work out, not just “get by” at the gym.

More Than Just Workouts – Why Dieting Isn’t the Answer

When I started training women one-to-one, my diary had filled within two months. But very quickly, I noticed another huge struggle: dieting.

Women were bouncing from diet to diet, chasing quick fixes that always ended the same way — with frustration, guilt, and the feeling of failure.

That’s when I realised that “dieting” was never the answer. What women needed wasn’t another meal plan or restriction, but an understanding of food.

So instead of saying “eat this, don’t eat that,” I started teaching:

• What calories and macros actually are.

• The difference between natural, processed, and highly processed foods.

• Why no food is truly “good” or “bad.”

• How to enjoy the foods you love without guilt.

And the most important lesson of all? You should only feel like you’ve eaten a Christmas dinner after you’ve actually eaten a Christmas dinner — not every evening of the week.

This shift was a game-changer. When women began to understand food instead of fearing it, everything changed. They built a lifestyle, not another diet. And when knowledge turns into confidence, those results last forever.

Why I Became a Personal Trainer

So, why did I become a personal trainer?

Because I know what it feels like to walk into a gym and feel completely lost. I know the shame of leaving a workout feeling worse about yourself than before. And I know the frustration of chasing diet after diet with no lasting results.

I became a personal trainer because I wanted women to feel the opposite of that. To feel empowered, confident, and capable in their own bodies. To know exactly what to do when they walk into a gym. To stop dieting and start living.

And out of this passion, I created a program that’s especially close to my heart — one that takes women from feeling intimidated in the gym to feeling strong, confident, and in control.

👉 That program is called Zero to Gym Hero — and it’s the program I wish I had when I first started.