Why I coach women the way I do.
Women’s lives, bodies and experiences are far more nuanced than most of the fitness industry allows space for.
Our lives are rarely simple, linear or predictable. Somewhere along the way, fitness became another thing many women feel they are failing at.
As a women’s strength coach based in Cheltenham, and as a mother of three, I know how quickly exercise can become another thing sitting on an already full mental load. Another thing women feel they should be doing better, more consistently or more perfectly.
The women I work with are often balancing careers, children, stress, changing confidence, changing bodies and very little spare capacity. Which is why my coaching is built around helping fitness feel supportive, realistic and sustainable in the context of real life.
For me, strength training was never about becoming smaller or more disciplined. It was about rebuilding confidence, capability and trust in myself again. That perspective shapes everything about the way I coach women now.
Like many women, my relationship with fitness has not always been straightforward.
I’m Sarah, the coach behind FIKA.
Before becoming a women’s strength coach, I spent years working in the corporate world whilst raising three young children and trying to navigate all the moving parts that so many women quietly carry every day.
Like many women, my relationship with fitness has not always been straightforward. There were periods where exercise felt empowering, and others where it felt like another thing I should be doing better, more consistently or more perfectly.
Over time, strength training gave me something completely different. Not pressure or punishment, but structure, confidence, resilience and a way to reconnect with myself outside of work, motherhood and the constant mental load of everyday life.
That experience fundamentally changed the way I view fitness and coaching for women.
It is why I care so deeply about helping women move away from all-or-nothing thinking and towards support, structure and training that genuinely works in the context of their lives.
Now I get to work with women, who have previously felt overwhelmed by fitness, intimidated by gym culture or stuck trying to stick to a completely unrealistic exercise programme, to make strength training approachable and fun. Much of my in-person coaching takes place in Cheltenham, alongside online coaching for women further afield and I’d really love to help you too.
“I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed, burnt out and disconnected from yourself. For me, training was the lifeline that pulled me out of that place. At FIKA, I give women the space and support to find their own way forward. ”
Sarah
You are not bad at fitness.
You are not the problem. I know you think you are. You don’t lack motivation or ability. You’ve probably never had the right support, structure or coaching to make fitness a sustainable part of your life.
As women, there are thousands of barriers to exercising. Maybe you’ve joined gyms before and stopped going a few weeks later. Maybe you feel intimidated by the weights area, overwhelmed by conflicting fitness advice, or frustrated that exercise never seems to stick consistently or you never make any progress.
Or maybe life is just full. Work, kids, mental load, exhaustion, trying to look after everyone else first.
So, fitness becomes another thing you feel like you should be doing better at.
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. I know that cycle well, and so do many of the women I work with.
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One of the most common things women say before starting coaching is:
“I just want to get a bit fitter first.”
Often, that comes from feeling ashamed, worried about finding it too hard, or believing you should already be more confident with exercise before asking for support.
But coaching is not something you earn by already being motivated, confident or good at fitness.
You are allowed to start as the person who feels nervous walking into a gym. The person who has stopped and started before. The person who feels completely out of routine. The person who doesn’t feel fit enough to begin. Or the person who has been trying consistently for a while and still feels stuck.
That is exactly what support is for.
You do not need to “get fitter first”.
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Coaching with me is not about chasing perfection, punishing yourself with exercise, or trying to completely overhaul your life overnight.
My philosophy is about building strength, confidence and routines that work with your life, not against it.
Some women come to coaching because they want to feel physically stronger. Some want more energy. Some want support walking into a gym without feeling intimidated. Some want to run a 5k. Some simply want something that belongs to them again.
Whether you’re completely new to strength training or looking for more structure and support in the gym…whatever your reason, the goal is the same: to help fitness feel sustainable, supportive and possible long-term.
This is about more than workouts.
I believe that strength training is about so much more than aesthetics.
Over the years, strength training has become one of the most empowering tools I have seen for helping women build confidence, resilience, capability and long-term health.
The women I work with across Cheltenham and online often come to coaching looking for very different things. And often, what strength training gives them ends up being very different to what they originally came for.
These are some of the ways strength training and coaching can positively support women, both physically and mentally.
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Many women come to coaching feeling intimidated by gyms or unsure where to start with strength training.
Building confidence is not about already knowing what you are doing. It comes from learning movement patterns properly, understanding how to train safely and gradually realising your body is capable of more than you thought.
Over time, progressive strength training can help women feel more comfortable taking up space in the gym, lifting weights confidently and trusting themselves physically again.
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Women’s bodies change significantly across different stages of life, which means training should adapt too.
Strength training can play an important role in supporting bone density, muscle mass, joint health, energy levels and long-term physical resilience through pregnancy, postpartum recovery, perimenopause and menopause.
Coaching is always adapted around the individual, their lifestyle, recovery, stress levels and what support feels appropriate for their body and stage of life.
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For some women, coaching is about feeling physically stronger in everyday life. For others, it is about working towards specific goals such as running a 5k, improving endurance, building athletic confidence or progressing strength in the gym.
Progressive strength and fitness coaching helps women build physical capability over time through structured training, appropriate progression and consistency rather than extremes.
The goal is not perfection, but helping women feel stronger, more capable and more confident in what their bodies can do.
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Weight loss goals are often part of women’s relationship with fitness, but sustainable progress rarely comes from restriction, punishment or all-or-nothing approaches.
Coaching focuses on building realistic habits around movement, nutrition, recovery and consistency in ways that can actually be maintained long-term.
For many women, improving their relationship with exercise and food becomes just as important as the physical outcome itself.
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One of the biggest reasons women struggle with consistency is not a lack of motivation, but a lack of structure and direction.
Progressive coaching provides clarity around what to do, why it matters and how training should evolve over time. Rather than relying on random workouts or constantly starting again, women are supported through a more intentional approach to fitness.
Having structure, accountability and progression often helps fitness feel less overwhelming and far more sustainable long-term.
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Strength training is not only physical. For many women, it also becomes one of the few spaces in the week where their focus shifts fully onto themselves.
Concentrating on movement, breathing and physical effort can create moments of mental clarity away from the constant mental load many women carry every day.
Over time, training can positively impact confidence, stress levels, resilience and overall wellbeing. Not because fitness “fixes” life, but because it creates space to reconnect with yourself again.
If you’d like to explore more of my thoughts around strength training, consistency and women’s fitness, you can browse The Hub here.
You might be wondering
A few quick answers to questions we get a lot – no fluff, just facts.
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Yes — absolutely. A huge part of my work is helping women who are completely new to strength training or who feel unsure how to structure workouts safely and effectively.
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Not even slightly. You do not need to earn support by already being “good” at fitness. Coaching exists to support you where you are now, not where you think you should be.
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That is completely fine and incredibly normal. Many women start feeling unsure around dumbbells, gym equipment or strength training generally. Coaching is designed to help you gradually build confidence and understanding over time.
Take the first step today
Whether you’re completely new to strength training, rebuilding confidence after time away from exercise, or simply looking for support that feels more personal and sustainable, you are welcome here.
You do not need to already feel “fit enough”, have everything figured out or know exactly what kind of support you need before reaching out.
Some women prefer to start by downloading the Let’s Lift Guide and learning a little more about how coaching works. Others already feel ready to start a conversation.
Either way, this is simply a chance to explore what support could look like for you, in a way that feels realistic alongside your life.
Learn more about how coaching works and the different ways support can look.
Start the conversation about what support could look like for you.