Meet Our Trainers

I’ve been in and around the areas of health and fitness for nearly my whole life. When I was at school I played almost every sport on offer, to varying degrees of ability and success, especially if it meant a day off school. From rugby union and rugby league, to basketball, volleyball, tennis, golf, cricket and so on.

When I left school I and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life, I fell into the building industry. A good experience but not really a passion! Of course, sport was still my main focus, and most of my time spent away from the worksite was chasing two ambitions: becoming an elite fencer and a modern pentathlete (dreaming obviously of the three musketeers!). So all the money I earned I put towards my dream of travelling overseas to live and fence in Europe. Eventually I was lucky enough to do that, and was selected to represent Australia at the World Championships and other international events around the world.

Two years living in Hungary and Europe was fantastic and taught me what it takes to succeed in top-level international sport. While I loved every minute, the harsh reality was there wasn’t any money to be made in amateur sport and eventually I had to get a real job and start earning a living.

However, after several years and several jobs back in the building industry, I realised I needed to follow my heart and return to the world of health and fitness. So I became a personal trainer.

Since then I don’t think I’ve ever worked again – as I love what I do and love the people with whom I’m involved. I’ve worked in larger gyms, owned my own award-winning fitness studios, worked as a sales manager for a swanky Sydney CBD fitness club, and the list goes on.

During the past 15 years I’ve met some amazing people and learnt so much of the courage and determination of these people as they go about trying to lead a healthier and fitter lifestyle. One thing I do know is that every person I’ve met has a story. And often it’s a story of overcoming adversity to achieve a fitter lifestyle. Whether it’s time, injury, children, motivation, illness, depression – the list of obstacles is endless.

But the reason we do this is so we can all lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. What’s your story? And what are you going to do to make it longer and better?

Andrew’s experience:

• 20 years in the Health and Fitness Sector
• Diploma Sports Management (UTS)
• Master Personal Trainer Level 3
• Working with Specialised Populations (Older Adults) qualification
• Director Harbourside Group (Harbourside Health and Fitness) Personal Training Studios
• Sales Manager at No 1 The Health Club, 2007 to 2012.
• Winner – Fitness NSW Personal Training Business of the Year
• Finalist – Fitness Australia Personal Training Business of the Year

Energetic and dedicated, Juliana is a fitness instructor and personal trainer specialising in functional training for older adults. With a strong foundation of knowledge, enthusiasm, and personal experience, she brings a motivating presence to every session.

Juliana focuses on helping clients build strength, mobility, balance, and confidence in their everyday lives, while fostering a fun and social atmosphere. Believing that fitness is for everyone at every stage of life, she is passionate about making exercise accessible, enjoyable, and rewarding.

As a keen athlete and triathlete (Ironman), Julianna understands the drive to reach new goals and strives to inspire clients to push their limits, embrace an active lifestyle, and age well with confidence.

Claire is passionate about using exercise as a foundation for a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. With a firm belief that movement is key to both physical and mental well-being, she has consistently turned to fitness as a way to navigate life’s challenges and stay grounded through obstacles.

Driven by a desire to empower others, Claire focuses on building strength and mobility as a pathway to independence and freedom – helping clients feel confident and capable in their daily lives. By promoting exercise as a powerful tool to reduce injury risk and enhance overall health, Claire supports clients in achieving long-term physiological and psychological benefits. Her goal is to guide people of all ages and backgrounds to move with purpose today so they can enjoy more of life tomorrow.

Justine Ristwej is an experienced trainer with over 20 years in the fitness industry. She began her career as a PE teacher and physiotherapist, eventually transitioning to become a personal trainer.

She is passionate about health and wellbeing, and enjoys working with clients of all ages to help them achieve their goals, whether it’s strength training, weight management, mental wellbeing, or improving health conditions.

Maria Sim is passionate about using exercise to improve and maintain physical and mental health. Having used exercise to manage her own wellbeing during a 25+ year corporate career, Maria acted upon this passion in 2015 and became a trainer to help others.

Seeing clients achieve their goals and improve their health is Maria’s reward for her work. This provides the drive to continually educate herself on the latest ways to train clients and the most recent research into exercise and health outcomes.

Believing in physical fitness as a path to retaining freedom of choice in life, Maria’s focus is on keeping Australians of all age groups moving today, so they can get the most out of life tomorrow.

Maria’s certifications and experience:

• Certificate III and IV in Fitness
• Personal Training and Individualised Programming
• Group Personal Training / Bootcamp
• Group Indoor Cycling
• Group Exercise Freestyle and Aqua
• Boxing for Fitness
• Pelvic Floor, Pre- and Post-Natal Women
• Children / Young Children / Adolescents
• Older Adults

Specialisations:

• Personal Training 1:1
• Group HiiT Sessions for all Fitness Levels
• Functional Resistance and Strength Training