the contributors

heidi dening jump start

www.jumpstartoutdoor.com

Heidi Dening was born in 1969 in Sydney, NSW. Together with sister Katryna, she grew up under the guidance of her loving parents, Barry and Helen, who always supported and encouraged Heidi’s love for sport, activity and the great outdoors. This love for sport saw her compete at representative levels in tennis, athletics, cross country and dance.

Heidi went on to complete a Bachelor of Education (P.E.) and a Graduate Diploma of Education (P.E.) before enjoying nine years as a teacher educating students in Sydney, London and Vanuatu. She taught them how to move more, eat better, enjoy life and improve their self-confidence through her Physical Education, Health and Dance classes.

However, to the shock of Heidi’s public service parents (her Dad was a policeman and her Mum a teacher), in 1999 she decided to leave the safety of sick pay, holiday pay and long-service benefits that her teaching position brought, to turn her part-time personal training job into the professional and unique company that it is today. Her exceptional leadership skills and her genuine passion to inspire individuals and groups to make long-term changes to their health, has built Jump Start into the booming company that it is today. Her client retention rates triple industry standards, and her staff retention rates quadruple it. This has earnt Heidi the acknowledgement of being Australia’s most successful businesswomen in the Personal Training industry!

Due to her warm personality and the unique ability to quickly build rapport with her audiences, she has become a sought-after corporate speaker in Australia and over-seas.

Heidi lives in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney with her adored Irish husband Ken and their dog and 2 cats. In her spare time she immerses herself in nature, loving to spend time in the outdoors both locally and in off-the-beaten track locations around the world.

edwina griffin fitwomen

www.fitwomen.com.au

Sydney born Edwina Griffin was heavily involved in sport from an early age. The youngest of three girls, she followed her sisters into athletics from the age of five. During her school years she participated in every sport on offer and regularly competed at State and National levels in athletics, joining Australia’s World Junior Athletics Squad as a 400m Hurdler. From this involvement in sport grew her awareness and interest in heath and fitness.

After leaving school, she studied at UNSW. Edwina majored in Japanese while working as a hurdles coach in her spare time. A brief taste of the corporate world, working in a Japanese marketing company after university, confirmed that this was not the future for her, and she returned to her passion for health and fitness. Building up her coaching knowledge, at the age of 21 Edwina was in business for herself – opening her personal training studio, Fitwomen, in 1995. Specialising in women’s fitness initially, the business has expanded to include sports team training, corporate programs, adventure trips and men’s health. Now a group of companies, the business includes Fitwomen, Fitmum, Adventurewomen, Fitmen and Real Body Management, with Fitwomen and Fitmen operating from a holistic centre that offers fitness training, dance, pilates, yoga, meditation and massage.

Edwina is seen as an expert in women’s health as well as pregnancy and post-natal exercise. In 2003 she produced Fitmum, a DVD-based exercise program for pregnant women. She has presented to fitness trainers for Fitness NSW and often speaks to women’s groups on health and lifestyle balance.

Personal experience has taught Edwina that the body can heal itself in remarkable ways, and that most things are possible with good planning and determination. Her holistic approach to health and wellbeing teaches that both physical and mental paths need to be followed for health, happiness and high daily energy. On this subject, she writes for Nature and Health magazine and other publications, as well as presenting in person and on radio.

Edwina lives in Clovelly and spends her spare time hiking in the mountains, paragliding, skiing, swimming and participating in any outdoor sport on offer. Dancing to awesome music or laughing with friends is her ultimate stress relief, and her life balance is found playing the piano, watching theatre and meditating.

alex cox-taylor the lab

www.the-lab.com.au

Originally from England, Alex Cox Taylor was born in Surrey just outside of London. From an early age he benefited from a mother and father who were dedicated to learning and development. Their enthusiasm stimulated an appetite for the same in him.

A keen sports enthusiast, Alex competed at County Level in swimming, athletics and, of course as an Englishman, soccer. He took his love of sport with him to university, attending Nottingham Trent where he studied sport and exercise science, and developed a passion for business, economics, philosophy, and psychology. An Instructional Audio CD called Yoga Retreat was his first entrepreneurial venture. Yoga Retreat became a great success and enjoyed rave reviews, but Alex wanted to do more with his love of exercise science. When he arrived in Australia in 2003, it was into this field that he enthusiastically directed his efforts, setting about developing his dream – an exercise science business to deliver his extensive knowledge and experience to the community.

Now, Alex is a partner in the lab, an exercise science facility established in 2004. Alex spends his time working with companies on improving the health and productivity of employees and training other health professionals to do the same. An enthusiastic public speaker, Alex also enjoys delivering presentations as well as writing articles on his subject. Highly regarded and accredited as an exercise physiologist, Alex regularly contributes to the education of new exercise physiologists and specialises in the development of health management programs for sufferers of chronic conditions and injuries.

Alex also is a partner in Urban Climb, one of Australia’s leading indoor rock climbing centres, and in his free time continues to enjoy studying and travelling with his partner Debbie.

aaron whear career fitness

www.careerfitness.com.au

Aaron Whear was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and grew up living and breathing sport. Excelling at cricket, he played at representative level as a junior before going on to enjoy a successful career as a senior cricketer, playing both Premier and Sub District grade cricket with distinction.

After completing a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education) degree, Aaron began his career in the fitness industry in 1992, moving quickly up the ranks from personal trainer to gym manager. It was while in this role as a gym manager that Aaron realised how great the gap was between what new personal trainers were being taught and what gyms required of them. Fuelled by a strong desire to help bridge this gap between education and real world needs, he moved into the fitness leader education field.

Aaron now runs Career Fitness, a consulting company based in Melbourne. Career Fitness partners with the Centre for Adult Education (CAE) to deliver the Certificate III and IV in Fitness courses for budding gym instructors, group exercise instructors and personal trainers. In addition, Career Fitness conducts a wide range of CEC/PDP point courses specifically designed for qualified fitness instructors looking to meet industry re-registration requirements.

As well as teaching the next generation of fitness instructors, Career Fitness offers a mentoring and coaching service that assists health and wellbeing business owners to improve operational efficiencies and profitability. Aaron also works with corporate organisations to bring health and fitness into the workplace through health assessments, exercise sessions and seminars based on his ‘game plan’ philosophy.

Aaron lives in Point Cook, Melbourne, with his highly supportive wife Simone and his energetic son Kayden. When he isn’t working you can find him playing cricket, pumping weights at the gym, reading, or spending quality time with his family.

kirsten cooke dynamic total health and fitness

www.dynamicfitness.net.au

Born into a very social family with two publicans for parents, from just two years of age Kirsten could often be found sipping lemonade and chatting to the customers at her parents’ hotel. It was here in those early years that Kirsten began to develop the communication and connection skills that would serve her well as an adult in business.

If talking had been an Olympic sport, Kirsten believes she would have won gold many times over. Instead, at the same time her tongue got moving so did her legs, and neither have stopped since. Now, combining her passion for physically activity and relationships, Kirsten runs her company, Dynamic Health and Fitness. Offering a complete fitness and wellbeing solution, Dynamic Health and Fitness is into its 10th successful year and continues to grow exponentially.

Widely recognised as an expert on connections, Kirsten has spent thousands of hours coaching individuals, executives and high achieving business owners on her ‘Connect’ message with its six key focus areas - areas that when brought into balance can deliver health, success and happiness both on a personal and professional level.

Kirsten is now a highly sought after speaker, coach, writer, motivator, and health and fitness expert. She lives in Brisbane with her husband Scott and two son’s Cooper and Jayden. When’s she’s not working, spending time with family and friends, or running her household, Kirsten can be found dancing or giving herself a hiding on a spin bike at the gym.

scott krywulycz pt plus

www.ptplus.com.au

Scott Krywulycz is one of Australia’s leading personal trainers, health coaches and business consultants. He is the owner of PT Plus, an international consulting business to the health industry through which he lectures, coaches and consults to leaders in health, sport and business.

Before venturing into the corporate world, Scott competed as a professional rugby league player for the Cronulla Sharks and St George Illawarra Dragons. At the end of his playing days, Scott became the strength and conditioning coach for the Sharks Under 19’s team and continues with this work as the strength and conditioning coach for the Australian Barracuda’s Pool Life Saving Team. His business experience also includes the directorship of GC Singletons, a specialist in the area of construction and disaster restoration with an annual turnover of $15 million. At 34, Scott’s obsession is ‘multiplying’ his clients’ results, enabling them to enjoy the health and financial security they desire and deserve. His client list includes Fitness First, QBE, Tynan Motors, Fit Pro International, and Westfield.

nina netzler von reiche optimal health pt

www.xtremeperformance.net

Nina Netzler von Reiche was born in New Zealand but spent her formative years in Samoa. Her involvement in sport began with outrigger canoeing in the Pacific Islands but when her club’s canoe sunk she found herself hitting the gym. It was there that she found her love of fitness. Since then she has been involved in the industry for over ten years, working as a personal trainer and corporate health provider, and competing in New Zealand, Fiji and the Cook Islands, representing her country in bodybuilding and outrigger canoeing.

As a working mother of three, Nina juggles parenting, her business and a desire to compete on the sporting field. Her background included administration for the South Pacific Games, teaching, journalism and community development work prior to branching out into personal training in Brisbane.

Today Nina runs her own personal training business, Optimal HealthPT, and is a cofounder of corporate health company, Xtreme Performance. Drawing on her experiences with burnout as well as her Polynesian upbringing, Nina’s main message is all about the need to strip down to basics to achieve clarity and optimal performance. Nina now delivers this message as a mentor to management teams from small businesses to the banking industry.

After working in Australia for a number of years, Nina has now returned to Samoa to raise her family amid the cultural heritage she holds dear. There her work continues as well, delivering health and wellbeing messages to the local corporate sector. She also continues to compete in outrigger canoeing. Downtime is spent on the spectacular Samoan beaches with her three children, Portia, August and Lily, and her husband Konrad.

brad sheppard peak physique

www.peak-physique.com  |  www.peakcorporatehealth.com  |  www.createptwealth.com

Brad Sheppard was born in Blacktown, west of Sydney, in June 1974; the last of four boys born into the Sheppard family. With three older brothers to compete with, Brad quickly developed a healthy passion for both sport and eating! He was soon involved in soccer and cricket, and could often be spotted on the rugby league field.

By the age of 12, Brad was pumping iron and it wasn’t long before he was eating eggwhite omelettes in preparation for his first bodybuilding competition. By 15, he had become a teenage bodybuilding champion.

Brad went on to study Human Movements as well as becoming a qualified high school Physical Education and English teacher. He also continued with his weightlifting and at 21, won the Junior Mr. Australia bodybuilding title.

In 1995, Brad launched Peak Physique, turning his lifelong passion for fitness and wellbeing into a successful business that has now helped literally thousands of Australians to shape up. Peak Physique employs a motivated team of 11 personal trainers and continues to set the standard in a growing industry.

Peak Corporate Health was later added to meet the demand for wellness services within the workplace. Peak Corporate Health now works with a large number of companies, helping create a more satisfying work/life balance for employees through wellness regimes, seminars, retreats and the very popular Corporate Overhaul program. Brad’s message is to live Larger than life, a mantra that inspires people to live a large life on their own terms by following powerful strategies to overcome personal roadblocks and enhance their health and wellbeing. Brad’s delivery style is honest, easy going and above all, very large!

Giving back to an industry that has catapulted him to success, Brad now educates other fitness professionals through Create PT Wealth, a company that empowers other business owners to create their own success doing what they are most passionate about – personal training.

In 2007, Brad married Adrienne, his Hungarian Princess (she is known as HP). In typical Sheppard style, the newlyweds cycled the Tour de France for their honeymoon, and are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first member of their new family. When not involved with one of his businesses, Brad enjoys renovating properties in Brisbane, cycling with his mates, and long breakfasts – he still loves his food.

gillian leigh quarmby fit for a queen

www.fitforaqueen.com.au

Gillian was born in Balmain but grew up in Sydney’s beautiful Hills District. Always active, it didn’t take her long to find her passion for netball. The sport has dominated her life since the age of five, and twenty years on she still plays at A-Grade level for Manly Warringah. She has also represented her state and played at a national level for many years.

At high school, Gillian excelled as both a writer and a public speaker, making the NSW finals of the Young Writer of the Year competition over three consecutive years and competing in the NSW Independent Schools Oratory Competition. Her love of fitness and her abilities in front of people as a public speaker enabled her to successfully establish Fit For A Queen, a personal training studio in the Hills District. The studio, designed especially for women, continues to grow from strength to strength.

Outside of her business, Gillian devotes time and energy to coaching at a representative level for Ku-Ring-Gai Netball. There she enjoys challenging the girls to compete at the highest level and also to develop trust, teamwork and judgement skills for use both on and off the court.

A close second to her love of fitness is her love of travel. France and England are two of her favourite places with the town of Bath in England’s South something of a second home. Time spent travelling solo through France in 2006 helped shape who she is now and gave her the motivation to establish Fit For A Queen.

Relaxation does not come easily for Gillian. Often found cooking, keeping up her French or reading, her favourite place besides home is Borders with a friend or out running through the wide open spaces of Dural in Sydney’s North West.

aaron mcallister fitaz

www.fitaz.com.au

Born in South Africa, Aaron did most of his growing up in sunny Queensland. His parents, originally from Ireland, brought their four children to Australia for a better future.

As a little lad, he developed a lifelong obsession with sport; especially soccer in which he represented his state and country at an elite level. In the soccer fraternity, Aaron was renowned for his athleticism and competitive character.

Through his late teens Aaron became increasingly injury prone. His disappointment with a reccurring back injury lead him to a life of nightclubs and partying. He worked in hospitality, as a laborer, in gym sales, and even as a professional dancer to make ends meet.

Living week to week, Aaron came to a crossroads in his life and seeing the light, decided to return to his greatest passion - health and fitness. He spent the next year rebuilding his body from the inside out then went on to train as an amateur boxer and natural body builder, as well as playing soccer at a semi-professional level.

Aaron’s knowledge and passion lead him to become a highly sought after trainer which he developed into a successful personal and corporate health consultancy - Fitaz. Aaron’s holistic approach has created a demand for workshops and performance coaching where the results speak for themselves.

With over 10 years experience in the industry, even at his young age Aaron is considered an expert in his field. Never content, Aaron’s competitive nature has made him aspire to be a leader in the health consultancy field.

Aaron believes in living life to the max. His philosophy for success can be summed up in two simple rules: find a career that you love and you won’t have to work another day in your life, and find a way to leverage yourself so you have a business not a job.

Aaron now lives in Brisbane, and when not working on his business, can be found grinding out a win on the soccer pitch or at the beach chilling out with friends and family.

amy kozlowski push it fitness & health

www.push-itfitness.com.au

Born in 1980, Amy Kozlowski grew up on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula with her three brothers and sisters. She enjoyed a very active and sports-filled childhood, participating in swimming, gymnastics and hockey from a young age.

When she was nine Amy was hit by a car, coming away with a severely broken leg. As part of her rehabilitation she began swimming more and more, and as the leg healed this became a lifelong passion. With a lot of hard work and determination she reached the National level where she competed for six years, ranking in the Australian Age Top 10 for two consecutive years. Amy also participated in cross-country and hockey at State level for a number of years.

After finishing high school in 1998 she went on to study at Deakin University in Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Sport Coaching and Administration. During her three years at university she developed a keen interest in nutritional studies and now also holds a Graduate Certificate in Human Nutrition.

After two years working and travelling abroad she came home with a passion to help people achieve their health and fitness goals. Within two years she was running her own personal and small group training studio in one of Melbourne’s Bayside suburbs.

Amy discovered success quickly and is now the proud owner of Push IT Fitness & Health, one of Australia’s fastest growing personal training studios – a role that allows her to meet and help new people everyday and something she describes as a dream role.

Away from work she loves snow skiing and spending time with friends and family. Amy lives in the Bayside area with her partner Rod and two dogs, Roger and George. When she can get away she loves relaxing at their holiday house on Phillip Island.

anthony pierobon elevation performance

www.elevationperformance.com.au

The path to where Anthony is today has taken some twists and turns. From the time Anthony Pierobon could walk and talk he has been a sports nut. As a child he was either: kicking a footy, riding a bike or throwing a baseball. Growing up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, his street was the host of many epic football and cricket matches.

Anthony did quite well at school, but like everyone, he experienced its ups and downs. With the close support of his family, he learned the value on knuckling down and doing the hard work. After school, Anthony found himself working in technical support unit within the Department of Justice. A nine to five office job just was not where he wanted to be, and Anthony eventually found his way into Personal Training.

Getting people fitter was a step in the right direction to helping people get healthier, but Anthony believed that he could do more. Looking at what it really means to be health led Anthony to study Nutrition and Holistic Health. This changed his whole perspective on life, leading Anthony to start Elevation Performance.

Among Anthony’s clientele are television personalities, models, athletes, as well as many ordinary people who are as dedicated to their own health, fitness and life goals. Through a range of assessments and exercises clients learn to “Step up” in the all aspects of their lives.

Helping people achieve their goals is what drives him. To learn, live and teach is Anthony’s purpose. Living and leading by example. Following his own healthy eating plan consisting of organic foods, following a strict training regime and taking time out to recover, ensures he practises what he preachers.

Sport is still a big part of Anthony’s life, a one eyed Western Bulldogs supporter, he rarely misses a game. His dry sense of humour coupled with quick wit, means there is always a joke, usually bad, not to far away.

Today, Anthony runs Elevation Performance, a company dedicated to helping it clients to reach their ultimate goals by empowering them to take control of their lives and achieve true health. Elevation Performance works with individual client’s right through to full corporate health and wellness programs. Anthony remains very hands on, within Elevation Performance, he continues to present seminars, train clients and mentor personal trainers.

brendon harris toa consulting

www.toatraining.com.au

Brendon Harris is an international sports conditioning and performance expert. Originally from New Zealand, he has worked with leading teams including the San Francisco 49’ers and the Otago Highlanders, as well as elite athletes and a variety of companies.

His work has taken him around the world, spending time passing on his knowledge in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Before establishing his own business, Brendon managed the world’s largest team of Fitness First personal trainers and was a senior lecturer in the Fitness First Development Faculty, training over 1,200 personal training franchisees nationwide.

Brendon is highly qualified across a range of fields which, combined, help him deliver a uniquely holistic service. In addition to his Bachelor degree in Physical Education, he’s also a certified strength and conditioning specialist, a level three CHEK Practitioner, level one Holistic Lifestyle Coach, level one NSW Weightlifting Coach and a level two Neuromuscular Therapist.

These skills are now delivered to both corporate and individual clients alike through his own successful fitness company, Toa Training. Toa Training helps ompanies achieve peak performance through corporate health programs, and lifts the performance of individual clients through one-on-one and group training. Toa Training also works with other personal trainers, helping them to develop life, business and technical skills through mentoring programs.

andrew may switched on

www.andrewmay.com

Andrew May is considered Australia’s leading expert on performance and productivity. He is author of the best-selling book, Flip the Switch, and runs performance businesses in Sydney and London. Andrew speaks at conferences across the globe, mentors CEO’s and senior managers, has been widely published both in Australia and internationally, and is a regular guest speaker on both radio and television. He consults to leading companies including St George Bank, Toyota, CB Richard Ellis, MLC, Savills and HSBC.

Andrew is the former Physical Performance Manager for the Australian Cricket Team. He has also worked with the NSW Cricket Team, AFL teams and Olympic track and field, swimming, basketball, netball, hockey and tennis athletes.

Apart from his background as a jock, Andrew is also a leading entrepreneur, having built and sold three health and wellbeing companies. He co-founded Good Health Solutions, Australia’s largest corporate health and productivity organisation which now turns over more than $12 million annually. Most recently, Andrew sold PT Plus, an international fitness consultancy with clients around the globe.

With his background as an elite athlete, high performance coach and business builder, Andrew understands how to sustain performance. He advocates the need to play hard, and recover even harder!