Josie Lock is an exercise physiologist and personal trainer who's spent the past six years running her own business, Healthy Habits Exercise Physiology, out of Anytime Fitness Brighton SA. In this episode she takes us back to where it all started, from watching her mum struggle with chronic illness growing up, to a university placement at a gym built entirely for older adults that changed the direction of her whole career. What began as something she fell into has become a genuine niche and a business she's incredibly proud of.

We get into the real business side of things, from what it's actually like being a sole trader operating inside someone else's gym, to how she grew an Instagram following by ditching the trends and posting real, consent given moments with her clients instead. Josie also shares the advice she'd give any trainer wanting to specialise in older adults, and what she wishes she'd known about running a business when she first started. It's a conversation full of heart, humour and genuinely useful business advice.

Connect with Josie: @josie_healthyhabitsep

Check out this weeks special!

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Link: https://fitnesscecs.com/matpilates-8229

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

On the podcast today, Bex is joined by Joanne Finkelstein, co-founder of Expro, Perth's biggest fitness summit and festival. Joanne's path into the industry started in dance before shifting through sports science, healthcare and disease prevention, eventually landing in fitness education in Singapore, where she first launched Expro as the region's leading industry conference. In 2024 she brought the concept to Australia, reimagining it as something Perth had never seen before, a fitness convention merged with an outdoor festival on Scarborough Beach.

In this episode Joanne unpacks what makes Expro different, from the invite only Pro Summit day built for trainers, coaches and business owners, to the free, public facing festival day packed with workouts, recovery zones, a wellness village and more. She talks through the challenges of building the event from scratch while on maternity leave, what she hopes people take away from both days, and why she wants Expro to feel like a genuine celebration of the fitness community rather than just another expo. Expro runs November 13 and 14 at Scarborough Beach, with the Pro Summit on the Friday and the festival on the Saturday.

Connect with Joanne:

• Website: exprofitness.com.au (buy your tickets here!)
• Instagram: @exprofitness_au

Check out this weeks special!

50% off our Mat Pilates Instructor Course

Registered with AUSactive for 20CPDs

Link: https://fitnesscecs.com/matpilates-8229

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

In this episode, Bex chats with Catherine "Cat" Christ, Group Fitness Coordinator and PT at Fernwood Fitness North Lakes and Morayfield, and finalist for both Personal Trainer of the Year and Group Exercise Instructor and/or Leader of the Year at the 2026 AUSactive Awards. Cat shares how her fitness journey started as a Fernwood member, losing over 30 kilos before taking a reception job and eventually training as a Les Mills instructor, a leap she describes as far more intense than it looked from the outside.

She talks about her shift into pre and postnatal coaching, born from her own experience as a young mum needing a crèche to get back into training, and why creating space for mums to connect matters just as much as the workout itself. Cat also reflects on the mentors who've shaped her along the way, often in small, unexpected ways, and leaves new trainers with a simple piece of advice: stay true to what you actually want to do, rather than feeling pressured to do it all at once.

Connect with Cat on Instagram: @cat.christ.13

Check out this weeks special!

50% off our Mat Pilates Instructor Course

Registered with AUSactive for 20CPDs

Link: https://fitnesscecs.com/matpilates-8229

In this episode, Bex sits down with Sharri Castellari, founder of Tathra Beach Personal Training Studio and finalist in three categories at the 2026 AUSactive Awards, Personal Trainer of the Year, People's Choice Registered Professional of the Year and People's Choice Small Business of the Year. Sharri shares her journey from a self described non gym person putting up flyers around her small town, to taking the leap on her own studio years later.

She talks about the connection she's built with her community, including a group of her old high school teachers who now train with her, why backing yourself is the biggest lesson she can pass on, and how every client who walks through the door has shaped who she is as a trainer.

Connect with Sharri:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tathrabeach_ptstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TBPTS?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Website: https://www.tathrabeachptstudio.com/

Check out this weeks special!

50% off our Mat Pilates Instructor Course

Registered with AUSactive for 20CPDs

Link: https://fitnesscecs.com/matpilates-8229

In this episode, Bex chats with Steph McKay, owner of Chasing Dreams Fitness in Tamworth and a familiar face in the Fitness Education Online community running The Bootcamp Hub. Steph shares how she went from avoiding school sport altogether to building a ladies only outdoor boot camp community, and why she was so shocked to find out she'd been named a finalist for both Personal Trainer of the Year and Group Fitness of the Year at the 2026 AUSactive Awards.

Steph talks through what a typical day looks like juggling boot camp sessions with her work in real estate, why she leans into the flexibility and fun of outdoor group training, and how something as simple as getting clients outside can make a bigger difference than they realise. She also shares her best advice for handling low turnout sessions without losing the energy, why staying organised but never too rigid is key when coaching groups, and how mentoring helped her take the business side of things more seriously. She wraps up with a simple reminder for anyone starting out: find your passion, keep learning, and push through the parts that feel uncomfortable at first.

Connect with Steph:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chasingdreamsfitnesstamworth
• Instagram: @chasingdreamsfitness
• Join the Bootcamp Workout Hub

Check out this weeks special!

50% off our Mat Pilates Instructor Course

Registered with AUSactive for 20CPDs

Link: https://fitnesscecs.com/matpilates-8229

In this episode, Bex sits down with Loz Antonenko, also known as the Mojo Mentor, a coach, author of the Amazon number one bestseller "Get the F*ck Unstuck," and finalist for both Personal Trainer of the Year and Pilates Professional of the Year at the 2026 AUSactive Awards. Loz shares the raw, honest story behind her work, from being diagnosed with a serious autoimmune condition at university, to building a successful business, to the years of grief, loss and burnout that followed, including the loss of her husband and a period of competitive bodybuilding that spiralled into orthorexia and a breakdown. It's an incredibly candid conversation about how she found her way back through the simplest possible tools.

Loz breaks down her Mojo Method and the idea of "handbrake habits," the five basic daily things (eating, breathing, sleep, movement and hydration) that most people are already doing but not doing well, and why getting unstuck starts there rather than with anything flashy or complicated. She talks about what actually sets her apart as a coach, her lived experience rather than a textbook, and leaves PTs with a strong reminder to apply the same tools they give their clients to their own lives, because burnout doesn't discriminate.

Connect with Loz:
Website: lozlife.com
Free quiz: Fix Your Mojo
Instagram: @lozantonenko/

Check out this weeks special!

50% off our Mat Pilates Instructor Course

Registered with AUSactive for 20CPDs

Link: https://fitnesscecs.com/matpilates-8229

In this episode, Bex sits down with Steven Halligan, an online fitness trainer with over 30 years in the industry, from the Gold Coast to Brisbane, London and back, through a studio, 12 week challenges and eventually a full pivot to online training during COVID, when he became the national trainer for Weight Watchers Australia and New Zealand. Steven's now trained clients in 40 countries and reflects on what's really set him apart along the way, and allowed him to build connections that have meant he’s been training some of this clientes for over two decades.
Steven talks candidly about the hard, unglamorous side of building a training business, mistakes he’s made, and gives straightforward advice for PTs just starting out.

Connect with Steven:
Instagram: @halligansfitness & @steven_halligan
Website: www.halligansfitness.com.au
Also on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter/X and TikTok - Halligan’s Fitness

Check out this weeks special!

50% off our Mat Pilates Instructor Course

Registered with AUSactive for 20CPDs

Link: https://fitnesscecs.com/matpilates-8229

In this episode, Bex sits down with Caterina Bozzi, prenatal and postnatal fitness coach and founder of Collective Fitness Yoga, a women's only gym in Mildura, Victoria. Caterina has been named a finalist for Personal Trainer of the Year at the 2026 AUSactive Awards, an award she also won back in 2023, this time reflecting the work she has done since becoming a mum to triplets.

Caterina shares how she got into the industry as a teenager, her typical week juggling private clients, running the business and family life, and the moment she almost stepped away before deciding to grow instead. She also talks about moving into the pre and postnatal space after her own experience of motherhood, why she trains clients based on how they feel rather than a fixed program, and how offering strength, Pilates and yoga under one roof lets her support women at every stage of life.

Connect with Caterina:

• Instagram: @catbozfitness
• Collective Fitness Yoga: @collectivefitnessyoga

Check out this weeks special!

50% off our Mat Pilates Instructor Course

Registered with AUSactive for 20CPDs

Link: https://fitnesscecs.com/matpilates-8229