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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Mum Safe Pro Podcast. I'm your host, Jen Dugard, and today is a bit of a different episode. We're turning the tables and I am being interviewed by Mish Wright at Women's Fitness Education. You may or may not know that currently voting is open for the Oz Active Board. Having been on the board for the past six years as an individual member representative, every three years we have to stand for reelection or not.
Depending on what we choose. And after lots of thought and consideration, I decided that I did want to stand or re-sand for my third and final allowed term. And today's podcast episode is all about the work of Oz Active. My role over the past six years, what I stand for, and how I stand for. Ultimately, if you are an Aus Active member, I'm asking for your vote.
So have a listen to this episode and if you like what you hear, I'd absolutely [00:01:00] love for you to tick the box next to my name in the email from True Vote, and allow me to represent you around the boardroom table for the next three years. If you have any questions at the end of this episode, please feel free to get in contact with me either via email at [email protected] au, or you can slide into my dms over on Instagram.
Let's dive in to today's conversation.
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Women's Fitness Podcast. Today I'm joined by someone who has been on our show before, an absolute legend, and that's Jen Dugard. Welcome, Jen. Thanks Mish and thanks. Yeah, it's been a couple of times recently and then also before that, so I'm very privileged with that.
Thank you. Well, we ~uh,~ and I'm going to skip over your bio 'cause I do feel like everybody ~should,~ should know who you are by now. ~Um,~ but just in [00:02:00] case they are listening, what's your two sentence bio to tell people who you are? Cool. So I am the founder of Mum Safe, creator of pre and postnatal certification, safe Return to Exercise, and through education, I'm on a mission to ensure all mums are looked after safely and effectively within the fitness industry.
Oh, that is so good. I never get sick of hearing it and I never get sick of your mission as well. But today we are not talking about Moms safe. We are talking about something else. And that is that ~you are,~ you are currently on the board of Oz Active and your position is coming up and you are here on, on our podcast to make a pitch to everybody about why we should vote for you, which is really important.
It's. It's scary. It's like a pop popularity contest. It's like one of those things that I normally just go, I don't wanna do that, but it's like, this is how you create change and this is how you get elected. So here I'm now. Yeah. Yeah. [00:03:00] But ~I, I,~ I love it actually, because, ~um,~ let's be clear, when you're on the board, it's an unpaid.
Position, and it takes a lot of time, effort, and energy. And there's a shitload of work that you have to do. Like, ~just,~ just recently Ooz active, ~um, uh,~ interviewed and appointed a new CEO to replace Barry Elvis. I know that you personally had to dedicate hours to that interview process. It was not easy. So here it is.
You are wanting to, you've been on the board. For two rounds. That's right, isn't it? And you are up for third round. You can only do three. Yeah, you can only do three. So you've been there for six years, I have to say. What made you put your hand up six years ago to join the Oz active board? Yeah, so I've, I'd already been in the industry then for over a decade, and I'd always had this belief [00:04:00] in.
If we were gonna change our industry for the better and we were gonna professionalize it, we had to align with the thing. The thing or the body that was bigger than us. And for me, for us, it's always been Oz active. And yes, there's other registration bodies and things like that, but ~um,~ you know, back in the day it was Fitness Australia and ~I,~ I kind of like, I bought into everything, ~um,~ in terms of I'll be a member, I'll enter the awards, I'll do all of these things.
And ~um,~ yeah, just spent a lot of time believing that. Our industry will be a better place if we're all united. And then the opportunity to come up to become on the board what became available. And I think back then, I didn't know if I was gonna get voted or not. I just put my hand up and I was like, well, I'm out here advocating for our industry to be better anyway.
Can I get a seat at the table? ~Um,~ and then what does that look like? And then it was a big learning curve from there. Yeah. Had you been on a board before? Yeah, so [00:05:00] it is like, it's, it's really quite complicated and in depth and you see why that there are actual courses to teach you how to be an effective board, ~uh,~ board member.
I also feel the same way about, I was, ~uh,~ involved with Fitness Australia right from the start when I was a teacher. Of course, I. Joined our association. To me, having an association is professionalism, ~uh,~ personified, though I do have to say when I'm, when I started, Loretta Sta was the, was oh, she was the CEO of Oz.
Active, but ~the, the,~ the board was, you know, okay. But then it kind of. Went a bit pear shaped. ~Um,~ and now with the, you know, advent ~of,~ of Barry Alvis, ~uh,~ bringing it up, I think it's just changing it from Fitness Australia to Oz active. We have seen this huge leap into professionalism. ~Um,~ and when a body is.
[00:06:00] Professional and understand and inclusive, that's gonna filter down, even though the train on the ground might not feel it or understand it, ~um,~ it's happening. Yeah. So what do you think, how do you see that Ooz active has evolved since your time, the last six years that you've been on the board? Yeah. I think it's really important at this point, mish to kind of bring up that.
Elephant in the room. For those people that have been around long enough that's, there was a time where the belief was to be a personal trainer, you had to join Fitness Australia. And that's what I think I thought when I first entered the industry and you know, there was definitely the conversation, well what does Fitness Australia do for us?
Not a lot. I was like, I don't really know, but I'm boarding to the bigger vision, so that's why I'm here. ~Um,~ and I think that, you know, from ~what,~ what you were talking about, you know, Barry became the CEO about a year, six months to a year before I, I jumped on the board and we really did start a transition period at that time.
And there are still some, ~uh,~ detractors, I guess. [00:07:00] That are, that don't believe that Oz active as it is now, is doing everything that it could ~and,~ and should be. But if we think about where we've come ~from,~ from that boardroom of men, which I think potentially ~you,~ you are getting at, ~um,~ we have a gender diversity on the board now, which is really exciting.
~Um,~ it's not it, we have to have a gender diversity for wa ~Um,~ we don't have to have it across the board. So it is something that Oz active choose to. Make sure is, ~um,~ fair. And when you look around the boardroom table, now, it is women. Sometimes I feel like we're tipping the other way. ~Um,~ but we're not, we're kind of, kind of sitting in that middle level.
~Um,~ and I think, you know, COVID came along and we all kind of wanna push that into the background. But ~if you,~ if you think about something that was offered. To give Oz active a opportunity or Fitness Australia as it was then the opportunity to unite our industry and start to really professionalize because I don't think that our industry has been super professional ~for,~ for a really long [00:08:00] time.
And in the last, I'd say definitely three years, maybe not even that, I mean the first three years. I've been on the board. ~You,~ you kind of get in that momentum, the three years that have come now, ~and,~ and definitely the last one to two years, you know, we've got peak body status ~in,~ in wa We keep, we, we keep applying and trying to get that in other states.
~Um,~ but where does, what does peak body status mean? It means that the government recognizes you as that ~the, the,~ the body of the fitness industry. Yeah. ~Um,~ the rest of the states, maybe it's not an official term, but you know, we've got seats at the table in Canberra, like a lot of the Oz team. Barry, you've got, ~um,~ Emmett, who's the new chair.
You know, they're known by people in Canberra ish. You and I were at ~the,~ the, the forum, ~um,~ this year. There was one last year. ~And,~ and I believe that momentum is gonna continue to build. So the fact that we're, and when I say we Oz are on the ground in Canberra, the politicians know who we are. The ministers know who we are.
~Um.~ You know, people in ~the,~ the head of the R-A-C-G-P now knows who we are, so we are really moving the fitness industry [00:09:00] into that professionalized space. With that comes still could come the question from an exercise professional, ~well,~ well what are you doing for me? And it's really important then that someone like myself sits on the board ~and, and,~ and feeds back to the CEO feeds, back to, or asks the question around the boardroom table, cool, we're doing this in Canberra.
How do we filter that down? And how do we, number one, make it, ~um,~ communicate what we're doing for exercise professionals on the ground and how this actually impacts them And what and what. Down the track because if you take a big leap down the track, we professionalize ~the,~ the fitness industry, we get recognized by, ~um,~ Medicare and all of a sudden, and if we can't do Medicare like before that health funds, ~um,~ that filters down to personal trainers.
The general public being able to access their services for a lower cost, and then all of the public health work that Aus Active are doing. You know, we just had million moves, which was a really big success that rolled out in WA, Queensland, Wollongong and [00:10:00] Bendigo, ~um,~ smashed all of the targets, met all of the, ~um, the,~ the things that it was supposed to.
And if you think about that as like a precursor to Oz, active getting funding for a national health campaign, what the exercise professional. Professional may or may not know is that there's research that suggests that 50% of women, sorry, 50%, I'm not in the women's space all the time, 50% of people when they start exercising.
So if Oz active rollout million moves, let's say we get funding for it across Australia next year, more people start moving. The research tells us that 50% of those people that just go out for a walk then start to look for the services of a gym or a personal trainer. So ~it's,~ it's really important that we, yeah.
Filter that information down, but exercise professionals. No, I think I digressed on the question, but I got excited. Yeah. Well, I think just, ~uh,~ touching back on Canberra, you're right. ~I was,~ I was there ~in the,~ in the room where politicians were talking, and I hadn't fully understood until that. [00:11:00] I mean, we think, well, surely everyone knows about us and what we do in the fitness industry.
We we're integral to the country's health and wellbeing. But I was rudely shocked to find out actually they don't. And but they are acknowledging, the politicians all acknowledge that the health system as it is, which is, ~um,~ you know, an ambulance parked at the bottom of the cliff, ~um,~ you know, they can't keep.
Opening more hospitals, which is the point in which we're at. There's, there needs to be a massive change and that we are part of that. But before, ~um,~ you know, Ooz have had a presence in Canberra, you know, periodically and ~um,~ regularly. ~Uh, that,~ that it didn't enter into, ~um, the,~ the conversation that politicians are having and the decisions that they're making about, well, how can our health, ~uh,~ how can we improve health outcomes [00:12:00] not only for Australians, but also for treasury?
~Um,~ as well. Absolutely. And there was no fitness being part of the preventative conversation before Oz Active got to the table. That's right. That's right. Yeah. So ~that is,~ that is massive. And, ~uh,~ so that means that the presence that we have in Canberra continue to have in Canberra, ~uh,~ means that they will make.
Decisions that influence and include the fitness industry, which means we have a position to step up and just, ~um,~ you know, be a part of that officially. So that is really exciting. ~So,~ so I see that as one of the biggest achievements recently of us active in the board. Do you have anything else you wanna add to that?
~What,~ what else do you see as being achievements that Yeah, and I feel like this is a. Go on, sorry. Oh, just in your time and in your experience of being on the board. I think ~the,~ the one that ~I,~ I wanna talk about now is a bit of a controversial one, and I'll give a bit of a background information ~as it~ as it [00:13:00] was tossed around the boardroom table.
So we just recently moved from our CEC, ~um,~ accreditation. Structure to A CPD, and I can never remember if it's PDP or CPD, but it is CPD, ~um,~ and also the difference between having a registered exercise professional and an accredited. Exercise professional. Now, this is where I do feel like, ~and,~ and my conversation when I go back to Oz active, it's like, do our members understand the difference, how we communicate the difference?
Do they have we got ~the,~ the value proposition right? And maybe we don't have it right yet in some places, but you know, for anyone listening, wondering about whether, you know, am I the right person? Just know that every single step of the way, I am like, well, how does that. Do our trainers understand that?
Do our group fitness professionals understand that? So that is the lens that I look at absolutely everything from, ~um,~ and we had this huge conversation around the boardroom table of should we move to a registration? Now you can be a register registered exercise professional now and not do any continuing [00:14:00] education.
~Um,~ so you can sit on the OZ Active Register. You can have your, you know, your first age, your. Cert three and four or your Pilates or whatever it is for you, but you are not at that point committed to ongoing C-E-C-C-P-D education. ~The,~ the second level is our registered exercise profession, sorry, our accredited exercise professionals.
Now that's the same as what it's always been. ~Um,~ it ~just,~ just now means that those people have ~to,~ to maintain that accredited level, have to maintain their annual cps. Now when this conversation came up, the way that we decided this around the table or the way that we got everyone's input is 'cause there was a lot of conversation.
You can imagine all the conversation, like there's half of us going, no, ~the,~ the industry should be professionalized, there should be no excuses. The other half is saying, well, we want registered exercise professionals, but we don't have enough staff. So how can we get people to this base level of professionalism?
So we know that they're certified, we know that they're insured, we know that they've got ~that,~ that. ~Um,~ first aid, which [00:15:00] did you know that in the UK you don't have to have a first aid certificate to be a pt Anyway, blew my mind. ~Um,~ side note, but we are with the registration category, ~um,~ we can now know that the people that are coming in that are registered, they have that base level.
Anyway, back to what I was explaining. We had someone suggested, I think it might have been Jane at the time being the chair said. Go, ~if,~ if it go to this end of the room or this end of the table, if you are a hundred percent on board and go to this end of the table if you're a hundred percent not on board.
And a lot of, ~a lot of the, the,~ the boardroom went to that end of the table and you've got a lot of CEOs, ~um,~ to what end of ~the,~ the table. We facilities the podcasts so people can't see what's pointing. So they went like. One end. So this, you've got two ends of the table. Yeah. One end of the table is a yes.
I'm in one end of the table is no way. I am out. So a lot of the people went to the Yes I'm in. The majority of the people went to that because they're seeing the how do ~we,~ we can professionalize and we can recruit more [00:16:00] people because there are people out there that want to belong to a body, but they're not necessarily bought into professional development like.
I don't get it, but that's where we're at. So a lot. And if we wanna solve employment issues, when ~um,~ we wanna employ registered exercise professionals, then of course it seems like a good thing. Then you get me, who's probably, ~I,~ I think I sat one third from the No Way. I am fucking, like, I'm not, not interested.
And then there was a, another. Oz active member that I won't disclose because it's not my place to you who sat way down the end and another ~couple of,~ couple of people dotted in the middle. So, you know, ~and,~ and one of the biggest challenges for me on the board has always been when I enter this space. I'm, I have quite an idealistic view of what the fitness industry should be, and ~I,~ I use the word should and I use it purposely because~ I hate,~ I hate the word should because I don't believe anyone should do anything, but I actually, I do believe that we should be educated if we're gonna be exercise professionals, but you always have to zoom out and go, well, what, [00:17:00] what is for the best of the industry?
Only in alignment with my ideology of what I want the industry to be. And I truly believe, like it's, you know, I, I was not necessarily on board. When I look at the move to the new system, if we can bring more exercise professionals in as registered members, then we can educate them. Then we can invite them into the fold and we can say, Hey, did you know we've got these courses?
These are the ways you can level up. These are the ways that when the health funds wanna give us rebates, you can then be eligible for that by stepping up from being a registered member to an accredited member. So it's really an opportunity to yes, fulfill the workforce. ~Um,~ yes, potentially increase an income stream because, you know, ~we,~ we have to make money in order to survive.
We're a not-for-profit, but we still need to earn money, and then also to elevate the industry rather than forcing. Accreditation that people are then opting in because they believe that they wanna [00:18:00] better themselves rather than being forced in because they feel like they should do it, which I believe is a much better way forward.
Yeah. Yeah. I like that. That's a really, ~um,~ clear description. ~Um,~ as to why we have changed, and I just wanna add to that conversation as well, is that one of the reasons they changed the name is that it. Falls more in line with Allied Health. So, ~um,~ you know, CCS was short for continuing education credits and it was kind of specific to the fitness industry where if we want to have a bigger tent and be more inclusive and be on par with, ~um,~ with.
Allied Health,~ um, then,~ then that's the reason for the name change as well. Yeah. ~Um,~ so, ~um, you,~ you currently serve as the chair of nominations, re, and remunerations committee. What the, did he say that? ~What,~ what is that? So [00:19:00] basically ~it's,~ it's the committee. It's a subcommittee of the board that is in charge of overseeing things like, ~um,~ you know, who do we have in Oz?
Active, is there a position becoming available that we need to fill? Who have we got around the boardroom table? Is there a position on the board that we need to fill? So we've recently had, ~um,~ new. ~Uh,~ I get the words mixed up, not elected, ~um,~ appointed directors. And the way that we go about looking for an appointed director, we have a skills matrix.
~Uh,~ and then so everyone on the board fits their skills within that matrix. And then we might go, well, this person's leaving. They've got a really strong financial acumen. We really need to replace that. So then with our, ~um,~ appointed members, we can really go out to market and go, okay, are you an accountant?
Are you a lawyer? Like what or ~what,~ what. Background and skills do you have to make sure that we've got those skills across the board. So doing that is part of the role of, ~um,~ the NOMS and REMS committee, as is things like, you know, you touched on at the start mish the recruitment of a new CEO Stu. Like it's, I look back and I remember the [00:20:00] position on, I stepped onto the NOS and REMS committee and then the chair.
Position was becoming available and I was just like, quiet. Took me a long time on the board really to find my place, find my voice. The first three years it was a confidence builder, and then gradually, you know, ~you,~ you get a little bit more confident and I was like, okay, five years in, I should probably step, not should, but ~I,~ I wanted to step into something more ~and,~ and so I remember vividly someone saying, you can be the chair.
We don't really have much to do coming up. And I was like, okay, cool, we can do that next minute we ing for a new CEO. It's like, okay, holy. Like, so there was, you know, a big level up on my part. Beautifully supported by, ~um,~ the rest of the committee, Jane, who was the chair, ~who,~ who has stepped away. ~Uh,~ and then also liaising with watermark who were the recruiter to find, ~um,~ or to fill, you know, the position left by Barry.
So, you know, it was ~a,~ a really. Great process to be part of. ~Um,~ and, and to be able to look [00:21:00] at, you know, to, to experience being in the room with the candidates anyway, ~um,~ to have a voice around that table and to ask questions that I feel are valid. Again, what is the value proposition? How are you gonna elevate our industry for our as act, our as active individual members?
And be able to sit there and ask that, you know, had I not been in the room, maybe those questions wouldn't have been asked because it might've been people from other. Aspects of the industry. So I took that very, very seriously. ~Um,~ and then ~to,~ to, you know, get down ~to,~ to Ken and to recruit Ken Griffin, who has over 20 years of experience, both in marketing and communications, which I think is a real strong point for us.
~Um,~ and then also, you know, having worked in the A PNA, which is the Australian Primary Healthcare Nurses Association, ~um,~ and he's, you know. Done amazing things in that space, and I really feel like his experience is coming into Oz active at a time where we are really trying to bridge that gap between ~the, the,~ you know, ~the,~ the fitness industry and ~the,~ [00:22:00] the medical and the allied health industry and to be part of ~the,~ the team that.
Recruited that person into that role. And you know, there's the three people that were the last three people standing. Each of them could have been incredible CEOs. ~Um,~ but then to get down to that decision and, and be in those conversations was really valuable. ~Um.~ Great to be part of and a lot of work.
Yeah. Well, yeah. So I'm part of the asag, which is the suppliers and the suppliers committee. Yes. Suppliers committee. And, ~uh,~ so I kept abreast of what was happening during the recruitment. And you know, there's, ~uh,~ Emmett told us that we had two hun you had 200 make. The shortlist 200. So there, there goes to like, just a shit load of work.
But I think, ~um,~ I think the decision has been really good as well and it's a, it's really quite exciting to see what is [00:23:00] coming. ~Um,~ I dunno if I told you my story of wanting to be on the board, I applied, this is probably about. Eight or 10 years ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When it was definitely a boys club and I didn't, and it was basically, you know, ~uh,~ I didn't get a look in and they recruited another one of the boys club.
~Uh,~ there was only, there was only one or two member women on the board. And I was so pissed off and ~my,~ my husband said. Or fly to Sydney, ~have a,~ have a meeting with Bill Moore, Billy, and tell him. And so I did, I I think we saw each other. You dropped me off there. Do you remember? Did I That was a long time ago.
Yeah, I remember you talking about, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And, and I said, you know, it's, it's not on you. You don't have a board that is reflect. Of what is happening in the industry. And he [00:24:00] is just like, well, the average is 25% and we are nearly there, so that's kind of good enough for me. And I was just like, well, it's not fucking good enough for me and I'm gonna be, you know, loud about it.
~Um,~ so we have come a huge way. I'm so excited about ~the,~ the future as well. ~Um,~ so have you always agreed with, ~uh,~ decisions that are made ~and,~ and. You know what happens there when you're on the board ~and,~ and you get your neckers in a twist about something. Yeah. I think, you know, one of the biggest ones was the example that ~I've,~ I've given already around the CPDs ~and,~ and prior to even getting to that conversation, it was like in my brain, no, we need to professionalize the industry over and above everything else.
~Um,~ and ~I,~ I don't always agree with the decisions that are made, but I. Always try and zoom out and see everybody's perspective and then look at whether there's anything that I have experience in, you know, having come from all the, like from a [00:25:00] personal trainer in a big box gym to running trainer sessions in the park to be becoming an educator.
Is there anything that I have in my experience that I can add to this conversation ~and,~ and put another perspective on it or not? And sometimes you have to sit there and go. Exactly like have I been, the voice that I'm here to represent does what I'm trying to say.
Benefit the whole industry because as much as I'm there to like shout up and down and jump up and down for personal trainers ~and,~ and you know, individuals, we have a whole industry at play. And at the end of the day, the key problem is that not enough Australians are moving. Often enough. So if we, like I see this, I'll give ~this,~ this is not a specific board example, but I did sit on the, ~um,~ the committee, and I might have shared this with you before Mish, but the committee that UP did up redid the pre and post-sale guidelines probably about 18 months ago now.
And we were sitting around ~the, the,~ the table and someone, we were talking about who should train, who could, can train moms, who must hold a pre and postal certification. I was [00:26:00] like, if anyone's training moms, they have to hold a certification. End of story. I don't care if you are a Pilates instructor or you are standing at the front of a body pop class.
If you don't have that certificate, she shouldn't be walking in. And then somewhere, I think it might've actually been Lisa Westlake, she said, well. What are we gonna do? Like a woman walks into the class, a pregnant or postpartum woman walks into that class, she wants to move her body, and now we're gonna tell her no, because that group fitness instructor doesn't hold a pre and postnatal certification.
Does that add to the problem or does that. Make it better. So when you, and it's the same with the CPD conversation, like registered, accredited, there's a lot of the industry that feel like, no, we should be accredited, we should be upholding our, you know, continued education. I believe that. And if we wanna get more people moving more often, what is ~the,~ the.
Space, level of communication and professionalism that we can put out there. So, you know, if you take it back to the pre and [00:27:00] postnatal space, ~what,~ what we did put in the guidelines was if you are marketing to moms pre and postnatal women, you must hold a certification. If a woman is voluntarily walking into a body pump class, that is her.
It's not advertised for her. And again, we could argue about this for days and I could definitely argue. My ideology. ~Um,~ but I think, you know, when we talk about do I always agree? No, I don't always agree, and I will voice and I'll voice again and I'll voice again and I'll make conscious decisions every step of the way around whether this number one is an argument that I'm willing to, to.
Is it Hill I'm willing to die on because there's some of 'em. I will. And then, or is it a, oh, okay. I understand everyone else's perspective. This is a way that maybe we can go around and elevate the industry without it being so colorful and black and white. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. And there are just so many shades ~of,~ of gray when you're in that decision making chair.
You understand, ~you,~ you can have your, obviously you have your own values and ideology, but it, it. [00:28:00] It is one voice. ~Um,~ okay, so all of that, ~um,~ I have to know ~why,~ why are you putting your hand up again for another two years of all this extra Don't, ~uh,~ three years? Don't you have enough to do, Jen? Don't you have, I did think.
You know, I did think about it mish, and it, it's a massive commitment. Yes. ~Um,~ I think I'm one of those people and maybe it's testament to why I'm still doing what I do in ~the,~ the women's health space after 17, ~um,~ long years. Yeah. ~Um,~ it'll be on my, my, my stone right next to yours. ~Um,~ yeah. ~I,~ I just, I think, you know, at the end of the day, my heart believes that our industry is amazing.
And I did think long and hard because I do, you know, before we got on this call, we were talking about the, you know, the different pulling factors, whether they're, you know, kids and family ~and,~ and business and all that kind of thing. But I have dedicated my. Career in the fitness industry to the betterment of the industry and outside of what [00:29:00] I do inside Mums safe.
I can't think of any better way to continue for the next three years to contribute to elevating our industry and making it a better place for our exercise professionals. And. I, I, you know, ~we've,~ we've got a new CEO like the work Barry has done is absolutely incredible to get AZA to where it is today.
And we're going through a changing of the guard, which has this more of a relationship potentially to allied health, which is something again, you and I mish did all those years ago, is go exercise professionals that work with moms need to work with pelvic health physios. So Chloe being part of the board that can close the gap for our general industry.
~Um,~ we've got a new, ~um.~ Chair, chair in Emmett. And I just feel like ~I, I,~ I, my work's not done, so I'm really hoping that, ~um,~ I am able to continue to give my title. Yeah. ~So,~ so what's your vision for what you want to achieve or see the board achieve in the next three years, in your last term? Yeah, ~it's,~ it's [00:30:00] interesting, isn't it?
Because I go, yeah, we can do this in three years. And I also know how long change actually takes. But ~if we,~ if we put a, ~um,~ we can do anything in three years hat on, I would love to see Oz active ~and,~ and the fit, again, I struggle with the word fitness, like should it be the exercise industry? Should it be the movement industry?
So I, I. Part of me feels like we need to drop that work before we can get to where we actually want to be. But for us as an industry to be a, ~um,~ an integrated part of the, both the preventative and, you know, ~there's,~ there's gonna be people that are gonna need care when they are sick or whatever it is.
But can we, as an exercise industry, be part of the preventative? ~Um.~ National health conversation, not even part of the conversation, part of the infrastructure. So GPS prescribing ~exercise,~ exercise professionals able to accredited exercise professionals, able to have their clients claim from Medicare, have your clients that are, ~um,~ have health insurance, be able to claim from you as a, as an exercise [00:31:00] professional.
~Um,~ and really to see when I. Feel like when we get to that, ~the,~ the consequence or the outcome of that for exercise professionals is we get to create long-lasting careers because we're seen as those, we elevate our profession, more people do it because it's more achievable and more attainable in terms of a financial, ~um,~ commitment and.
More of the people that love doing what they do can actually create a really good income and living off the back of what we're doing. So we're doing something for good. ~Um,~ we're elevating our, you know, we've got making it sustainable. Absolutely. Because. You can't have one without the other. Anyway, you need to have the workforce in order to be part of that preventative conversation and the people in the workforce need to be looked after so that they can continue to be that integral player Yeah.
In the system. Absolutely. You know, ~um,~ way back when I did the Women's Health and Fitness Summit [00:32:00] for four years, nearly aged me 20 years, five years per event, but. ~Um,~ you know, that was my whole goal because ~here I was,~ I was a, a teacher, you know, for, ~I, I, ~I've done some pretty amazing stuff in my career as a teacher.
Then I changed to be a fitness professional, and then I would go along to stuff and my uniform and. People talk down to me. I was disgusted at how they saw me ~and,~ and my misfit uniform and thought I didn't have a fucking brain. And I said, on more than one occasion, ~uh,~ I do have a degree. You know, like I don't, but ~I had to,~ I had to point out.
But do you know, yeah, there, there is, there's an assumption. ~Um,~ and I think it. I think it has, well, I'd like to think it's gone away, but this is where I think, you know, we are moving into, is that ~this,~ this is a, ~a. ~On par with [00:33:00] any other health, ~um,~ allied Health because people, let's face it, they might go to a physio, but they don't usually turn up week after week or twice a week.
You know, it is the fitness professional who is doing the ongoing work that is. Just imperative to, ~um,~ either preventative or rehabilitation. ~Um,~ and so we need to have kudos for that. And ~just,~ just recently, I mean, ~I've,~ I've been a judge for Aus active and currently now I'm judging the New Zealand personal trainer of the year.
And I have to say like. Super amazing people with super amazing skills and, ~uh,~ input into their own education. So, you know, we're a very broad church, but, ~um,~ you know, ~I, I,~ I think that lifting, you know, making us seem to the outside world, ~what,~ what we really are, which [00:34:00] is important and professional. In the conversation.
~Um,~ yeah. So did we get to, can you just recap, I might have lost my train of thought then on your vision for Ooz active over the next three years. Give me the dot points that, yes. So I think Ooz active being part of the national preventative national health conversation, having a national health campaign.
So, you know, we, ~we~ go out into the world and we educate. The general public on not only the benefit, but the necessity of movement and exercise. ~Um,~ and I also think, you know, the, I guess if we're part of the national health conversation, but ~that~ that crossover between us being recognized by Allied Health and by medical as a, ~an,~ an equal player in that, ~in that ~conversation, ~um,~ I think if we could achieve those three.
Three things, and then of course have more people having sustainable [00:35:00] careers in fitness because we are recognized in those places. ~Um,~ and get, you know, getting paid what they deserve and all ~that,~ that kind of thing. Like, no more, I'll pay you later. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What we do is important.
Absolutely. I'm in Victoria in Melbourne, and we didn't see, ~um,~ I know it was in Bendigo, but ~we,~ we didn't have it, it wasn't in our zeitgeist, the ous campaign, but, ~um,~ but I of course, know what's happening ~from,~ from other people in the industry about the statistics of. The fitness, ~um,~ places the gyms ~or,~ or you know, I don't wanna just say gyms 'cause it's really diverse Studios outdoor bootcamp.
You know, ~there's,~ there's a whole lot of stuff that opened up and had, ~uh,~ you know, open days was just such a huge, ~um,~ late magnet to get people coming in and they've got the stats showing this. So the rolling out million [00:36:00] moves, ~um,~ you know, if. If you're in a state like Victoria, we haven't seen it yet, but ~um,~ but it is going to be very good for us when it's a national campaign.
Yeah. Wouldn't it surprise me if, if the funding goes through for next year to push to create the campaign nationally? Fingers crossed. Okay. ~So, um,~ so I've just got another couple of questions for you, Jen. ~Um.~ Why should a active members, ~uh,~ and we have a lot of our students, so, you know, they, ~they~ get, ~uh,~ well, the students say student membership.
They have student membership, but then they have to make that decision about, you know, being a member. But you know, they have a vote. ~Why,~ why should they ~give you,~ give you their vote? Great question. Mish great. Yes. ~You know,~ on, on a fundamental level, the votes. That you choose to put forward and the people that you, or the personal that there's two, ~um,~ positions available in the individual members category.
~Um.~ It shapes the future of the industry, right? So ~if,~ if the people listening, the students or the [00:37:00] current members believe in having their voice represented by someone who has walked in their shoes, ~you know,~ whether it's from being a personal trainer in a big box gym, ~you know,~ having a paying rent on a weekly basis.
~Um,~ to running an outdoor group fitness business to, ~um,~ you know, moving into education and then continuing to work on the ground with exercise professionals every single week. Like all of our moms say trainers. ~Um,~ I have direct contact with every week, so I understand the challenges that individual members go through, and I am constantly getting fed back new challenges or, ~you know, the,~ the things that are good about the industry.
But, ~um, if,~ if you wanna be represented, I guess, by someone who is. Deeply committed to raising the industry standards, not only for the industry as a whole, but absolutely for you as an individual exercise professional in whatever category or sole trader category. ~Um,~ then I would absolutely be honored ~to be,~ to be that voice and to continue, ~um,~ to spend my [00:38:00] time, ~you know,~ contributing towards, towards that.
Yeah. And look, I have to say you got my vote because I also know, ~um,~ that you will see things through a women's health lens as well and make sure that those really important conversations that you and I have been having for decades, ~uh,~ are being spoken and being heard ~at,~ at the table. ~Um.~ So, yeah. How do you feel like you have personally championed the voice of individual exercise professionals?
Is that kind of your, you're bringing to the table ~the,~ the day to day of your mum's safe trainers and beyond, like, yeah. Do you want to add to that? Yeah, I think, you know, how do I put this into words? ~The,~ the mission to ensure all moms are looked after safely and effectively within the fitness industry is, you know, ~a,~ a part of the bigger vision [00:39:00] of, ~um,~ all Australians moving more regularly.
So, you know, I, I. Taught before is when I step into ~the,~ the boardroom. I am there for the whole industry and then every single day I'm working with exercise professionals to help them to elevate how they move forward into their workspace and the way that their business runs. And not all of them work only with moms.
Plenty of them work with teenagers and dads ~and,~ and older women and older adults. ~Um,~ so I think Misha, ~it,~ it's one of those things that, is it easy to articulate or is it just what I do? ~Um,~ my whole. Reason for being in the fitness industry is to support exercise professionals to do their job better from a, ~um,~ business perspective, from an education perspective, and from, you know, ~a,~ a personal, even personal belief perspective about.
Reminding us about what important work we're doing on a daily basis, because it's not [00:40:00] always easy, is it? Like it's really easy to get worn out and burnt out as a, as an exercise professional. And if you know you don't have as many clients as you want and all of those kind of things, but when you know that you've got a support.
System or you know, ~in,~ in my circles a support person. ~Um,~ and I ~put the,~ put the word out there, like if you are an exercise professional that is, is struggling in any way, my Instagram dms are open and so is my email. Like, reach out to me. ~Um,~ and I've had people reach out to me that are not part of our Mom's safe network, ~um,~ that needs some support, that have something to say about Aus active, that want things to get fed back and just know that, you know.
I will do my best every single step of the way to support that person, make sure their voice is heard, and make sure our wider industry, always remember the army who are really making it all go round. Because even when you look at the big box gyms, they can't do their job without us. End of story. Maybe if they're a 24 hour no personal trainer, but the majority of places cannot do their best work [00:41:00] without exercise professionals.
And I wanna see you, those people, ~um,~ elevated in every single way. Yeah. Well that seems like a perfect note to finish on Jen, because, ~um,~ yeah. ~Um,~ well here I will make sure that the link to, ~um,~ to vote is in the show. There is no link. Oh, there is no link. So here is import. The important thing. So if you are an OZ active member, you will have had an email from True Vote.
It could be sitting in your junk if you've not seen it. So you need to go back into your email. Search up true vote, and then you have a unique link to vote. ~Um,~ if you for some reason don't have that email, shoot the team at Oz active, ~um,~ a message to say, Hey, I don't have my true vote Email, ~and,~ and they'll sort it out for you.
But we've got another, I think it we'll clo we close in on Monday, the Monday the, uh, 27th voting closes. So we've got ~another,~ another week from when we're recording now. Okay. Okay. [00:42:00] So, ~um,~ I'm just gonna recap on that. If you are already registered with Oz Active, you should have a vote in your inbox. Check your junk mail if you haven't, or shoot oz active.
And the closing date is, what did you say? The 27th? 27th? Yeah, the 27th. 27th of October. So, ~um,~ you know. ~If,~ if you have agreed with what you've heard Jen talk about today, then flick her a vote. 'cause I would love to see, ~uh,~ you back on the board for another three years. ~Uh,~ Jen and I just wanna thank you for everything you've done so far.
I know it's been a lot of work and. ~I,~ I love it. And ~I'm,~ I'm really grateful that you are there. I know that I know your value system. I know, ~um,~ you are who you say you are. I know you're also quite okay about calling shit out when it needs to be called out. ~You,~ you have all those, ~um,~ values and skills, and that's what we need to have ~on the,~ on the board.
So, yeah. ~Uh, here's, here's,~ here's [00:43:00] hoping. Jen, he is hoping, and thank you Mish, for always being a supporter, both personally and obviously professionally. Appreciate it and for the whole industry. Yeah. ~Always,~ always. Okay, Jen. ~Um,~ now if you are listening to this and thinking, whoa, fitness industry sounds like something I'd like to do, and you have not yet got your certificate three and four in fitness, then women's fitness education is definitely where you need to be because not we recognize that certificate three and four does not include.
Women's health education, massive oversight. Not much we can do about that. Ocean Liner. She's too hard to turn around. So what we've done at Women's Fitness Education is we've included four women's health courses that you get as part of ~your, um, the.~ The price of joining up for certificate three and four, and we are, ~uh,~ a lovely bunch.
Our Facebook group ~is,~ is ~very,~ very supportive. So if you are thinking about becoming a fitness professional or you are [00:44:00] wanting one of your members to step up and become one of your employees and they've been talking about it, send them our way. We'll look after them. Jen, thank you so much for your time today and I look forward to catching up with you soon.
Thanks fish.
