According to Brad Sheppard (personaltrainerbusinesssystems.com) there are 15,000 new personal trainers graduating across the country ever year. Interestingly, each of these graduates has their own story that led them to the decision to take their interest in fitness to the next level. Toni Krasicki spoke to four PTs to find out what led them to become a trainer.
How does a career in personal training start?
Alice Williams: Ensure mind & body work together
“After years of learning about the mind, I had the desire to also learn more about the body and its role in reaching one’s potential.”
Upon completing her university studies Alice Williams embarked on a career in performance psychology. Her current role as a Provisional Psychologist at Condor Performance sees her working with coaches, athletes and other performers to improve their mental toughness, and teach them skills such as concentration, motivation and decision making under pressure.
In her non-work life, Alice enjoyed numerous outdoor boot camps, indoor gyms, yoga and Pilates and, she explains, “it was a combination of this exposure to the fitness world, my own background in competitive sport, and my psychology studies that prompted me to enrol in a course to become a personal trainer.”
While completing her fitness studies online with Australian Fitness Network, Alice found a mentor in Libby Babet, the founder and owner of ‘Bottoms Up! Fitness’ and ‘Agoga’ in Bondi, who has since been providing Alice with invaluable support, knowledge and guidance.
Upon successful completion of her studies, Alice established her own fitness business called ‘Infinitus’ (www.infinitusperformance.com.au), which is based at Bronte Beach (NSW). In this business Alice ensures the training programs she creates are innovative, engaging and functional, and she believes incorporating exercise “helps to facilitate the limitless performance that is only possible when a sound mind is combined with a healthy body.”
Alice is a big believer that effective training requires mindfulness of how the body and mind are entirely integrative of each other. “My background in psychology enables me to create an effective workout environment through the integration of physical training and positive psychology techniques.”
“After years of learning about the mind, I had the desire to also learn more about the body and its role in reaching one’s potential.”
Relating to PT clients: the catalyst for a career change
Andrew McKee: He’s been there and done that!
“My training philosophy is personalised programs to suit individuals, hence the business name ‘Personally Trained’.”
Andrew McKee knows how his clients feel when they start training with him, because just over four years ago, he was in a similar position.
In a former life, Andrew weighed over 140kg, and was an unfit, unhappy and overworked “corporate bloke.” After barely squeezing into a business class seat on a flight to San Francisco, he realised it was time to make some changes and detoxify his life. He signed up with a trainer and over the next two years his life completely transformed. Through sweat and tears he shed more than 40kg, got fit and smashed some impressive fitness goals along the way.
Andrew’s physical transformation led him to realise that although he earned hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, it now felt soulless. So he quit his corporate job and sold everything he owned in a bid to help him identify what he wanted his future life to look like.
When his trainer suggested he become a PT, Andrew eventually realised this was, indeed, his calling. So he completed his qualifications with the Australian Institute of Fitness (www.fitness.edu.au) and later established his own PT business called ‘Personally Trained’ (www.personallytrained.com.au).
Andrew’s client base consists of “all walks of life” and includes working closely with the local high school in Narrabeen where he helps train, educate and mentor the students. Andrew believes training programs should be highly personalised (hence his business name!), and due to popular demand he’s recently started offering his PT services online.
“My training philosophy is personalised programs to suit individuals, hence the business name ‘Personally Trained’.”
From professional sports to professional fitness
Matthew Mitcham: Diving into a new career
“I have had wonderful opportunities to feel fit, healthy and energised throughout my life and this is a gift I would like to encourage and share with other people.”
Best known as the man who won Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by scoring perfect 10s after delivering the single greatest dive in Olympic history, Matthew Mitcham has secured a plethora of medals for his prowess on the dive board.
With his extensive sporting experience, Matthew has always had a fascination with human movement and, due to his elite-level training, has always had the opportunity to feel fit, healthy and energised, and this is a gift he would like to encourage and share with other people in the next phase of his life, explains Matthew, when asked what motivated him to become a trainer.
“To help people integrate health, fitness and overall wellness into their lives would be a great feeling,” he adds, “and through my studies with FIAFitnation I have learned the information and tools required to help me do this.”
FIAFitnation (www.fiafitnation.com.au) named Matthew their official Ambassador – a wise decision, considering that during the London 2012 Olympic Games Matthew was identified as the most influential Olympian on Twitter, and upon return was named one of Australia’s ten most influential people on social media.
Matthew says, “I am committed and passionate about having the knowledge to train people and help them reach their fitness and lifestyle goals. In many ways it’s a transition for me from being the student, to becoming the teacher.”
“I have had wonderful opportunities to feel fit, healthy and energised throughout my life and this is a gift I would like to encourage and share with other people.”
Helping people in different ways
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Krista Dennis: Police officer turned PT
“If I could make a difference to one person I have done my job!”
Tasmania-based Krista Dennis, has been a police officer since 2005 and is currently a detective constable in the criminal investigation branch.
A former state-level netballer with a long-standing interest in health and fitness, Krista always harboured a desire to broaden her own fitness knowledge, as well as help others achieve their health goals.
“I love my job and I love exercise too, so I thought – why not become a personal trainer and maybe one day I can combine the two roles and train police recruits in fitness?”
As a result, Krista enrolled in Australian Fitness Network’s online Elite Personal Trainer course and gained her Certificates III and IV in Fitness.
“Even though I enjoy exercise, I know that some people find it monotonous, so I want to be able to show those people how exercise can be fun,” she says. And nowadays she does exactly that! Through her part time role as a trainer with Citywide Fitness in Mornington in Tasmania (www.citywidefitness.com.au) Krista has successfully combined her fitness dream with her dream job.
Check out these articles:
AusFitness Expo Melbourne 2026: Your Guide to What’s On
Australia’s biggest festival of fitness is back in Melbourne this March. Whether you’re a fitness professional looking for inspiration, a gym owner scoping out new products and ideas, or someone who simply loves being around people who take their training seriously – here’s everything you need to know before you go. The AusFitness Expo Melbourne
How to Add Boxing to Your Gym Offering (And Actually Make Money From It)
If you’ve been thinking about introducing boxing into your fitness offerings but keep putting it off, this one’s for you. We sat down with British Olympic bronze medallist and global boxing fitness entrepreneur Tony Jeffries to get the unfiltered truth on what works, what doesn’t, and exactly how Australian gym owners can turn boxing into
Mid-Life Women as PT Clients: Exercise for Hot Flushes and Sleep Problems
Article by Mish Wright. If you believe the current fitness headlines, there’s only one prescription for midlife women: lift heavy and lift often. Strength training is vital — no argument there — but the problem is the way it’s become the only message. Cardio is being quietly cancelled, as if running, cycling, swimming, or even
6 Selling Tips To Make Your Fitness Business Boom in 2026
The Australian fitness industry is experiencing a profound transformation. After weathering pandemic closures, navigating the hybrid training revolution, and watching consumer behaviour shift dramatically, fitness professionals across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and beyond are entering 2026 with a critical question: how do we not just survive, but genuinely thrive? The businesses that will boom in 2026
Training Clients with TFCC Injury: A Practical Guide for Fitness Professionals
You’ve worked hard programming an intense session for your client, only to have them walk into the gym clutching a crumpled radiology report and saying, “My physio says it’s a TFCC tear.” It’s normal for trainers to freeze at a point somewhere between concern, confusion, and “Wait… what complex?” before realising that all your programming
Promoting Progress Over Perfection: Guiding Clients In Pursuit of The “Beach Body”
With summer just around the corner, it’s no surprise that many Australians are starting to think about how they’ll look and feel when the weather heats up. But new survey findings show that plenty of people are still chasing the idea of the “perfect summer body” and some are willing to take extreme measures to
The Muscle Trainers Forget: Coaching The Pelvic Floor Safely
Article written by Mish Wright. Let’s clear this up right away: the pelvic floor is a muscle. Like any other muscle in the body, it can get weak and dysfunctional, it can be too tight and dysfunctional, and here’s the good news – it can get stronger at any age or stage of life. But
Are You Going To The Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Symposium 2025?
As a fitness professional, you already know that real results go beyond the gym floor. While strength training, conditioning, and movement are powerful tools, your clients’ health outcomes are often shaped just as much by what happens outside their workouts – nutrition, sleep, stress, and lifestyle habits. That’s why the Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine Symposium
Book your Spot at the 2025 Aqua Summit
Aqua Summit is back and early bird tickets are available now. This is an exciting opportunity for everyone in the aquatic exercise space for both networking as well as education and development. The 2025 Aqua Summit is scheduled for 18th – 19th October, across two days of immersive learning. What is the 2025 Aqua Summit? The