What’s your background?
I’ve been working in the fitness industry in almost every role for almost 15 years now. I started training after having my second baby – having put on 20kgs while I was on maternity leave, I decided to get qualified as a trainer and instructor.
I started working for Fernwood Fitness, a large female-only gym in Australia, and became the club manager. I later decided to buy the gym and became the franchisee. From there I continued to successfully grow my gym and business. Most recently, I’ve founded the new female fitness brand and boutique studio, ZADI Training.
How did the idea for ZADI come about?
To me, there seemed to be an obvious big gap in the market. Working in the female fitness space for so many years, I witnessed the explosive growth in boutique studios, which is being driven by women – they make up almost 80 per cent of users.
Women’s needs and expectations have changed significantly and they now want more from their gym – they’re choosing who they train with, how they train and where based on results, experience and, most importantly, culture.
I saw the need to create a bespoke female-specific and results-driven boutique offering that was on trend, as well as being sexy and backed by exercise science when it came to getting results.
Tell us more about ZADI
ZADI is bespoke female-specific strength and HIIT training that’s designed for today’s extraordinary women who want to succeed in life!
Our training is purely based on exercise science so it works to give our clients the long term results they want – fast and without following fads.
Think of a girls night out in the club with a CrossFit styled athletic session involved, but without the competitive side – we don’t compare ourselves at ZADI, instead we focus on our own growth and results.
Sessions are capped at smaller numbers for personalisation and focus on teaching our women to have great form.
We have two locations in Sydney.
How have you made the workout ‘female-specific’?
Our workouts are based on the FITT principle, which stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. This is the most metabolically effective way for women to get fit and toned fast.
As women, our bodies are better at endurance and require different rest periods, so for example, we may include more repetitions on some days and then lift heavier on other days, taking into consideration our female bodies’ needs.
Then there are the obvious things, including the weights we use, our focus on core and booty, and the look and feel of our studios.
What kind of women does the brand attract?
ZADI attracts women of all ages but the majority of our clients are between 16 and 34. ZADI women connect with our ‘Get Sh*t Done’ tagline as they are very busy and have a full-on social life.
They’re tech savvy and know what they want, they’re confident and don’t fall for bullshit fads. They’re also strong, ambitious professionals. They train to look and feel amazing and are not obsessed with gym life, it’s just one part of their life that allows them to maintain their lifestyle.
Tell us about the club design and environment
Typically, our demographic is not obsessed with training and just love a good time with their girlfriends. So the nightclub atmosphere and vibe was a no brainer – every workout we deliver is strong but also feels like a night out with the girls where you unleash your inner badass and de-stress while training.
Why did you decide to make ZADI a franchise? What are your plans for the brand?
Women have changed globally and I wanted ZADI to cater to strong women everywhere. Of course, I also researched the boutique fitness growth globally and am confident that with the right execution and partners ZADI can be the ‘Sephora’ equivalent to this demographic, in the fitness space. We are very aligned with the beauty industry and I see this as a huge opportunity when it comes to our brand’s global growth plans.
Are there any new clubs or plans in the works?
We’ve only been open for one year and are about to embark on our growth journey to launch the franchise business and scale the brand globally.
We’re talking to a few parties who are interested in master franchising licenses for ZADI outside of Australia, but it’s early days with these conversations and so we’re working hard to make sure we will be ready for these opportunities when they come to fruition.
