About WeAreFearless

I am the founder of WeAreFearless club, I’m a personal trainer and online fitness and running coach, but I wasn’t born into my lycra. I spent 20 years struggling with my weight, trapped in a relentless cycle of binge eating and dieting. I took a dislike to exercise at a young age and by my teenage years the ordeal of secondary school PE lessons had transformed that creeping dislike into a deep seated loathing. Not naturally athletic and definitely not popular; I was picked last for team sports, finished last in cross country runs and the only event I was ever chosen for on sports day was to be the ‘anchor’ in the tug-o-war.

I sought solace in food. I’d buy whole blocks of marzipan and eat them in secret in my room. I’d buy a frozen strawberry cheesecake and barely wait for it to defrost before eating the lot.

I was so ashamed and I hid my binging from my friends and family. I’d vow to lose weight, to not be so greedy and I’d start a new extreme diet with earnest. Atkins, Cambridge, Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Rosemary Connelly, 5:2, Paleo, Slimfast, Cabbage Soup… you name it, I’ve probably tried it and I’ve probably lost some weight doing it. I would start, always on a Monday, after psyching myself up for a few days and always after ‘making the most’ of the weekend by having one last binge.

Why couldn’t I see that I was setting myself up for failure from the very start? I only ever dieted because I was disgusted with myself. Because I was ashamed of my greed and because I thought my body looked revolting. I deserved to endure the latest diet – it was punishment for being so weak, greedy and fat.

It was only when the physical pain started that I began to appreciate how desperately important it was that I make a real change. I was 33 years old and I couldn’t walk my 5 year old daughter to school without stopping to catch my breath. My knees and lower back hurt almost constantly. The pain and shortness of breath frightened me. This wasn’t the Mummy I wanted to be.

After a lifetime avoiding exercise, in 2016 I went out for my first run. I could barely manage 200 metres before I needed to walk. I couldn’t breathe, my legs felt heavy and my tummy hurt. But, deep inside me, there was the tiniest spark of interest – something made me want to try again the next day and see if I could go a bit further.

Now, through hard work, because I’m not going to lie and say it’s been easy, (but it has been fun) I’m a marathoner, triathlete and ultra-marathoner. I am physically fit and helping inspire other people to get active is my biggest passion in life. I never dreamed that I was capable of the things I’ve achieved in recent years, but it turns out we are all capable of much, much more than we realise.

I decided to train as a Personal Trainer in the hope that I might be able to help other people out of that place I was stuck in for years. That turned out to be just the beginning and I have since gone on to become an experienced run coach, fitness coach and MNU certified nutritionist.

MNU is the leading, evidence based nutrition qualification in the UK and my coaching practice is informed by evidence and shaped by experience.

I started out as a tiny fish swimming upstream as hard as I could against the raging torrent which is the diet industry. At times I felt like a tiny mouse in a room full of people wearing hobnail boots. But I kept reminding myself that even the biggest wildfires start with a single spark. So I was brave and I was persistent and a small army started to form beside me.

From this army, WeAreFearless was born. A group of people who want more than the latest diet plan. Who have come to realise that there is joy to be found in moving, that food is to be enjoyed and not punishment, and most importantly there is a Fearless warrior inside each and every one of us.

Find out more about WeAreFearless Services.