Fitness Education Online Podcast I For Personal Trainers, Fitness Professionals, Gym Owners & the Fitness Industry

Hosted by Fitness Education Online

Business Entrepreneurship Health FitnessInterviews guests

Website RSS feed Facebook Instagram YouTube

Episodes

465

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

Fitness Education Online are one of the largest providers in world when it comes to online CEC / CEU courses for Fitness Professionals. This podcast is a free resource for Personal Trainers, Bootcamp Operators, Group Fitness Instructors, Gym / Studio Owners and anyone else in the Fitness Industry who is looking to up skill their knowledge. Every week your hosts Jono Petrohilos and Travis Mattern will interview a different expert in the Fitness Industry who will share their expertise and give actionable tips that a Fitness Professional can implement immediately. Fitness Education Online also have one of the largest Facebook Groups in the world for Fitness Professionals "The Fitness Education Online Community" - feel free to connect with us in there too. @fitnesseducationonline @jono_petrohilos @travis_the_kettlebell_guy

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 6, 202623 min

From burnout to building a team: Courtney Kerrigan on coaching, leadership and growth

On this episode of the Fitness Education Online podcast, we’re joined by Courtney Kerrigan, Fitness Operations Coordinator and Team Lead at AUT and owner of Fitstop Albany, the first Fitstop in Auckland. Courtney shares her winding path into the industry, from studying architecture and working in event management to group classes, PT, education and a burnout that changed how she saw her place in fitness. She also gives us a sneak peek into Hybrid Engine, the program she created to bring strength and metcon training to the everyday athlete in a way that’s simple to learn, simple to teach and built for people who are short on time. We also get into why less is more with coaching cues, how relatable everyday movements help clients understand their training, and what it took to move from driving the bus as a manager to handing over the map as a leader. Courtney is a Group Trainer of the Year nominee at the Exercise NZ Awards and a speaker at this year’s Exercise NZ Conference, and in this episode she shares some great advice for group exercise coaches: never stop learning, and when you hit the roof, find a room where the roof is higher. Connect with Courtney Instagram: @ckfitness_lifestyle Fitstop Albany (NZ): @fitstop_albany Check out this weeks special! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

October 14, 202628 min

Your Nana's favourite trainer - How Josie built a successful business training older adults.

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! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

September 28, 202627 min

Building Perth's Biggest Fitness Festival, with Joanne Finkelstein

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! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

September 15, 202620 min

From Dedicated Member to Coach Mentor with Cat Christ

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! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

September 8, 202620 min

From Flyers to Finalist with Sharri Castellari

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! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

August 18, 202615 min

Boot Camp, Community and Chasing Dreams with Steph McKay

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! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

August 12, 202622 min

Simplify to Amplify with Mojo Mentor Loz Antonenko

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! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

August 5, 202621 min

Building & Successful Fitness Business & Client Relationships That Last Decades with Steven Halligan

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! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

July 21, 202620 min

Business, babies, and barbells with AUSactive Finalist Caterina Bozzi

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! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254

July 7, 202637 min

How Kate Morris Went From Losing 80% of Her Business Overnight to Building Multi-Million Dollar Brands

On the podcast today we have Kate Morris, a nutritionist, online PT and business mentor who has built a multi-million dollar coaching business entirely through organic content, and whose podcast Oi Let's Talk is currently charted number four in Australian Health and Fitness. Kate shares the full story behind her career, from the gym floor with no clients and $300 in rent hanging over her head, to losing 80% of her business overnight when COVID hit, to scaling from 10 to 110 clients within three months of going online. She talks candidly about the fear and imposter syndrome that held her back from launching her business mentoring arm for two years, and why she believes mindset and self-belief are the true foundations of a successful business. She also breaks down what it actually takes to build a personal brand that converts, and why knowing your ideal client is non-negotiable. Plus, she gives us an inside look at her Side Hustle to CEO Blueprint, her six-month program for coaches who are starting out or ready to scale. Connect with Kate Instagram: @thekatemorris Podcast: Oi Let's Talk Check out this weeks special! Trainer Older Adults Registered with AUSactive for 22CPDs https://fitnesscecs.com/trainingseniors960254