For many women, stepping into the gym can feel overwhelming. Unwritten rules, complicated equipment, and outdated fitness myths.
But training shouldn’t feel exclusive or confusing. It should feel empowering.
In Part 2 of the Women Power Women series to celebrate Women’s Day, these 4 coaches shared how they are helping women approach fitness. From debunking myths around strength training to creating supportive spaces where women feel confident learning and progressing, their work focuses on making strength accessible at every stage of life.
Also read: Women Power Women Part 1: Coaching made for women.
Vanessa Burke: Where self-trust reclaim their voice and their lives.
- Business: Veganbeats Fitness
- Niche: Trauma-informed Strength Coach
After surviving eating disorders, addiction, sexual violence, and domestic abuse, Vanessa spent years feeling disconnected from her sense of self. At that time, she found a lifeline in fitness, not just to regain her strength, but also to feel deep support from her workout community.
Unlike traditional fitness that unintentionally recreates dynamics of control, punishment, performance, and shame, her approach centers on collaboration and understanding. Trauma-informed coaching recognizes that bodies carry history—emotional, cultural, and physical—and that real change requires rebuilding trust with the body rather than forcing it into submission.
Instead of asking “Why can’t you stick to the plan?” she asks a different question: “What is this pattern protecting?”
Vanessa shifts the focus from perfection to curiosity. She pays attention to whole-life fitness: physical fitness, social fitness, mental fitness, emotional fitness, sensual fitness, stress load, sleep, nervous system capacity, and even grief.
The goal is not simply to change how a body looks, but to help women feel safe and empowered when doing it.
She has seen clients set boundaries with family members, leave abusive relationships, overcome addictions, and rebuild healthy relationships with food after decades of struggle. Some women have gone on to compete in strength sports or lift twice their bodyweight. Others celebrate quieter victories—showing up consistently and reconnecting with joy in movement.
For her, those moments are the true measure of success.
Nattika Pongcharoen: Making strength training feel possible
- Business: Nuttika Fit
- Niche: Health & Fitness Coach
- Instagram | Everfit Marketplace profile
For many women—especially those balancing careers, families, and countless daily responsibilities—starting a fitness journey can feel overwhelming.
That’s the reality Nat sees every day.
Fitness spaces can feel intimidating, and years of conflicting advice about weight loss and training can make the first step even harder for many of the women she works with.
Her coaching starts by removing that pressure.
For her, a good training plan is not about being perfect or working harder every day. It’s about showing up, learning, and slowly building a body for life. Strength training is the foundation for fat loss, metabolism, and health.
Instead of rushing clients through workouts, she focuses on education—teaching proper form, explaining how machines work, and helping women understand how their bodies move. When someone knows how to set up a lift, brace their core, and progress safely, the gym stops feeling intimidating.
Once women begin to experience their posture improving, their energy rising, their bodies more capable, the fear that once held them back begins to disappear.
Alanna Nicolini: Fitness should be sustainable.
- Business: Align Daily
- Niche: Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach
- Instagram | Everfit Marketplace profile
Like many women, Alanna encountered conflicting advice about diets, workouts, and what “healthy” was supposed to look like before her fitness journey. But through that process, she discovered something unexpected—a genuine love for health and fitness.
“If I can make living a healthy lifestyle simple, then I’ve done my job.“
Instead of complicated routines or restrictive plans, her coaching focuses on balance. She believes women shouldn’t have to miss social events, fear certain foods, or feel trapped in rigid programs just to be healthy.
A well-balanced approach, in her view, combines strength training, supportive daily habits, and proper nutrition that fit naturally into a woman’s life. Over time, those habits become second nature.
One misconception she frequently helps clients unlearn is the idea that a workout only “counts” if it leaves you completely exhausted. Many women believe they must push themselves to the limit every session to see results.
But sustainable progress often comes from the opposite approach.
Low-intensity sessions and recovery are just as important as high-intensity workouts. By creating a lower-stress training environment and encouraging women to listen to their bodies, she helps clients make meaningful changes without fighting against it.
Success is not a certain weight or look. It is when lessons become habits, routines feel good, and women care for their bodies with confidence.
Kimberly Cordery: Breaking myths. Removing barriers.
- Business: Fit By Ko
- Niche: Women’s Fitness & Nutrition Coach
- Instagram | Everfit Marketplace profile
In her coaching, Kimberly balances strength training, proper fueling, and focusing on consistency rather than perfection. But for her, it’s also getting rid of the myth.
Physically, she hears it from time to time that many women are scared that lifting weights will make them bulky. They don’t realize that training helps them feel better, stronger, and leaner. “Building muscle is one of the BEST things women can do for their bodies.”
Mentally, it’s teaching them to let go of the “all or nothing” mindset that so many struggle with. For her, training should be fun and not stressful. It should be manageable, knowing that there is other progress in habit, body composition, and mood, even if the scale isn’t moving.
Emotionally, it’s helping women feel strong and confident. From the confidence of knowing what exercises they’re doing, how much weight to use, and how to progress, to the trust in themselves to feel their best.
To Kimberly, success is when fitness fits into a client’s life, even with kids, work, school, and responsibilities. For that, she builds programs and habits that they can realistically maintain.
Wrapping Up
Though their stories are different, these coaches share a common belief: strength training should never feel intimidating or exclusive.
From trauma-aware coaching to teaching safe strength and building good habits, these coaches change what it means for women to train with confidence. Fitness is not about being perfect or chasing impossible goals. It’s about helping women trust their bodies and see how strong they are.
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