Vanessa Paul was born and bred on the fabulous Gold Coast living the majority of my life there until we moved in 2015 to the beautiful Sunshine Coast. She studied at Griffith University obtaining a Nursing degree and then working the majority of my 20 years in Nursing at the Gold Coast hospital.

Vanessa and her husband, Andrew, have two well grounded and caring children, and they currently enjoy the lifestyle and community that the Sunshine Coast has to offer. Vanessa also leads an active lifestyle, attending a variety of group fitness classes at our club.

Vanessa considers that her work at Fernwood Maroochydore & Fernwood Robina is not really work as she is doing something that she loves.  “We have two great teams at each Fernwood club and I enjoy interacting with all members, supporting local community charities and events”.

Her interests include family time together at the beach, exploring the surrounding areas of the Sunshine Coast, as well as having personal ambitions to travel more throughout Australia and overseas in the future, so let’s find out a little more about this amazing lady who is empowering and setting a great example to ladies on the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, every single day!

What made you want to go into the Fitness Industry?

I was a Registered Nurse on the Gold Coast for approximately 20 years and enjoyed helping others. We then purchased the Women’s health club, Fernwood Maroochydore in 2009, and decided to move to the Sunshine Coast to live so that I could work in the club daily.  Once I started in the club, I fell in love with the positive environment and was able to continue to encourage, inspire and nurture women.

You now own two Fernwood Fitness gyms… what made you want to grow and expand?

My husband and I had grown up and lived on the Gold Coast for most of our lives.  We love what we do and always knew the potential of the Fernwood Gym at Robina. We have operated Fernwood Maroochydore for 10 years and just thought it was the right time to go for the opportunity, whilst reconnecting with our friends and family on the Gold Coast.

What do you like about working with women?

We definitely all support and encourage each other. We are like a big family and members tell me that our club is their second home. It is so rewarding to see ladies coming to the gym and gaining fitness, strength, confidence and changing their lives for the better. We are so proud of our Team who always go above and beyond to assist our members, empowering them to shine. The clubs also give us the opportunity to support multiple charities on the Sunshine Coast and now the Gold Coast which we take great pride in.

How do you balance out working long hours with having family time?

Owning and working in your own business is a full time commitment, although you are also able to have flexibility for special events that our two children are involved in.  I make sure that our family time is spent well together.  We love to walk down to the beach, go for a local bike ride, or just relax together as much as possible.

And what’s next on the horizon for Vanessa Paul?

Coffee – seriously, I really enjoying working out with my friends at the gym each morning and then having a good coffee and chat to start the day.  I am looking forward to travelling in a few years as a family with Europe on our wish list.

What is your best health tip? 

Consistent exercise – better choices with your nutrition – whole foods are best, avoid packaged foods.

How does working out/exercise affect your body and mind?

It gives me my daily dose of awesomeness – working out releases the positive endorphins in your body to make you feel strong and happy.

What do you do in your ‘down time’ – how do you relax?

Definitely family time – I enjoy reading a good book at the beach

To find out more about about Fernwood Fitness Maroochydore
& Fernwood Fitness Robina head to:

https://www.fernwoodfitness.com.au/

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