Five minutes with Fiona Chaillier
Fiona Chaillier, founder of Fitter Mother - a mum-friendly approach to exercise that offers online & in person group & personal training sessions that fit around mum life
1. Who are you and why did you start Fitter Mother?
I'm Fi, a personal trainer & fitness coach and a big believer in empowering mums to feel great and gain confidence in body & mind, through workouts that are specifically designed to fit around busy family life.
Fitter Mother was born at the same time as my youngest, when I realised that getting a workout in around family demands was tough!
I'd always been fit-ish - exercising because I liked the way it made me feel, but also enjoying a glass of wine & chocolate! After my second baby arrived, I naively assumed I could carry on working out in the same way I always had. But I suddenly found myself with a toddler, a newborn and a 4cm gap in my tummy muscles. I felt weak and lacking in confidence, and I had no idea how I could fit in looking after me alongside looking after my little ones.
I joined my local gym as it had a creche…. it didn’t last long. The creche was only open for a couple of hours each day. I had to pay for it on top of my already-expensive gym membership. I worried the whole time about leaving my baby as the enthusiastic class instructor bellowed at me to hold my planks - something I knew was doing my post-baby body no good.
I decided there had to be a better way, and in that moment knew my calling! I quit my job whilst on maternity leave, retrained as a PT with a specialism in pre-& postnatal fitness, and launched my first set of classes with my now-toddler by my side.
Today, I deliver everything from antenatal Personal Training sessions, to group fitness classes & my popular online program ‘Fit in 15’ - all made to fit around busy mum life.
2. What’s your advice to others starting their own business?!
Self-belief! Starting my own business was one of the best decisions I have ever made, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Being confident in your WHY, believing in what you have to offer and surrounding yourself with other small business owners makes a world of difference. You will end up wearing all the hats, spending way more time on admin than you thought, learn new skills you never knew you’d need, but it will be totally worth it.
3. What does a brief day in your life look like?!
Each morning starts bright and early with me shifting my living room furniture around so I can turn it into my home studio and go live in my Fit in 15 online group. I’m a massive fan of early morning sessions as they wake up your mind as well as your body, but everyone is different, some people join me live but most do these sessions on demand at a time that suits them! After that, it’s usually scrambled eggs or granola for breakfast, school run and then out and about. Each day is different but usually you’ll find me running a mix of group classes and then arriving at people’s homes for their personal training sessions, or back to my home studio for those clients who are online. Then it’s back for the school run and turning into a taxi service for various after-school clubs! But I so appreciate the flexibility that my work affords me to be able to do this. At the end of the day, I turn my lounge back into a lounge, ready to start all over again the following day!
4. What’s your guilty pleasure?!
Chocolate. In fact, I don’t even feel guilty about it, chocolate is a gift from the gods and I believe everything is good in moderation!
5. Favourite holiday destination?
Beach every time. I grew up on the south coast of Wales, my mother in law lives in Sardinia and my husbands family are all in the Caribbean, so we are pretty spoilt for choice when it comes to sandy shores!
6. What is your earliest child memory?
Getting a gymnastics mat one Christmas and doing so many cartwheels I felt ill!
7. What do you think is the key to happiness?
Fresh air and moving your body. If you can do the two at the same time, then even better. I honestly believe in the power of movement, not just to feel physically better, but emotionally strong too. Oh, and chocolate!
8. Window or aisle seat?
Window, every time
9. What’s a super power you wish you had?
The ability to be in two places at once! Every multi-tasking mothers dream! Just imagine what we could achieve….
10. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
You don’t know what you don’t know. Never feel silly for asking questions, and never believe that you are expected to have all the answers. Be curious, gain knowledge, but don’t sweat it if you don’t know it.
Fiona is offering an amazing discount to my lovely clients! 50% discount on my online studio for busy mums, Fit in 15.
Usually £25 pm, so £12.50 if you use the code RTPhotography at checkout - https://www.fittermother.com/product-page/online