Founder and the Board

I founded the charity in 2012 and have met the most amazing adults and children along the way.

My clients face so many obstacles each day from the systems they must deal with in order to get services. I am passionate about assisting, making a difference in their lives, being of service, and always researching and updating my qualifications yearly, finding new ways to improve our clients, health, well-being. mobility, strength and improving their quality of life. There is a place, deep inside, that drives me to assist our clients’ lives deeply transforming them, inside and out, with our holistic mind and body programs.

My goal, ambition, and purpose are to be of service providing, healthy, mobile, functional fitness, programs, improving all abilities, stretching, lengthening bodies to be strong in their mind and bodies, pain management, and injury-free. I am totally committed to working with the participants (my special angels) to celebrate all their abilities, focusing on our clients’ goals and needs.

One of the new programs I have created for children with special needs is a great success in the school environment. I currently support and provide educational and social programs to teacher’s aides for their students, who utilize my programs in their school. Ages between 5 – 18 years of age, with moderate to profound mental, intellectual, and physical disabilities, and mild to severe social, emotional, and behavioural disorders, including conditions on the autism spectrum disorder.

(Celebrating Abilities) philosophy

Holistic: Mind Body Spirit training- your mind controls your body and your emotional responses. They can have a positive or negative effect on our physical bodies. It all depends on how we are programmed. We, teach you to deal with any emotional stress by teaching your mind what you want it to do. This process creates the movement back into your body connecting both the inside and the outside. We teach you how to use this connection to talk to your body so you are able to walk and move freely.

I am the founder of Vibes Fitness Fitzroy and have over 30 years of experience in the health and wellness, fitness industry. I am extremely passionate about rehabilitation, weight loss, body transformations, strength conditioning, and empowering clients to be free and strong in their bodies. I love watching the transformations’ and joy on each person’s face when they realize they can do it.

Over the last 30 years, I have been blessed to have had clients come to see me at Vibes Fitness and helped clients that many wouldn’t want to work with as they were found challenging or thrown in the “too hard basket”. I believe and feel deeply about making a difference. We recognize and respect these differences, nurturing each individual’s unique strengths, skills, celebrating their abilities.

We have created a positive, encouraging, unique, diverse, inclusive, empowering environment. Our clients face a lot of negativity in their lives and often discrimination. Often there is so much pressure; they have to adjust from being independent to dependent, by needing daily support with personal needs caused by their disabilities, physical and mental health challenges. Almost always, it is heart-breaking to watch their frustration and tears as they learn to cope with these newfound challenges.

What inspired me to work with people with disabilities:

My clients have inspired me to set up Celebrating Abilities. We offer support and rehabilitation, to people with disabilities, their carers, and families, as the participants try to overcome the plethora of obstacles in the way of things we often take for granted, like walking, moving around, breathing, connecting with our bodies. Doing so, I have worked with people who have mental health challenges, autism, MS, intellectual disabilities, Down’s syndrome, ADD, ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, congenital conditions, learning to walk again after strokes or disability, amputees, lost limbs from injuries, lost fingers, toes, hip transplants, personality disorders, multiple personalities, down syndrome and cerebral palsy. (Celebrating Abilities) Philosophy and values are all about H.E.A.R.T

My Future Vision:

The work in this area is endless and limitless, as so many people need assistance and I feel I can be of service. I am currently teaching, coaching trainees and volunteers, and others in the special needs and disability services by running workshops and hope to expand. Rehabilitating bodies, inside and out, with Aerial yoga, holistic personal training, scooter boards, rollers, and all machines already in my studio (having a full gym) and other techniques I have developed through training.

I have a unique approach, focusing on the long-term total well-being of a client which includes mind, body, and spirit and not just the physical. Through all the people I have worked with, I have discovered that there is an increasing interest, and need, for physical fitness programs for people with mobility issues, pain management, focusing on their abilities.

My participants are so grateful to be able to learn to move beyond their limitations. From getting in and out of a hammock, swinging, playing to stretching and strengthening their bodies. I get such joy watching the faces and bodies transform in front of me with their hard work.

They often arrive at my studio with arms folded, much resistance, and not feeling happy as their bodies have shut down and they have (in a lot of cases) given up on life. Often, I see a major shift in energy at the end of a mere 1 HOUR session, and that transformation is amazing. Smiles, giggles, happy and totally blissed out. It touches my heart and soul and moves me to give more of my time and energy to make a difference in someone’s life. This is more than just getting fit and being physically active; this is a lifestyle choice. A regular exercise routine improves the physical mind, body, and soul.

My focus is achieving my client’s goals and meeting their needs by providing motivation, FUN, the latest techniques, and much variety to keep them focused as well as excited and challenged while achieving their results!

Celebrating Abilities is based out of the Vibes Fitness Fitzroy studio and has health consultants that specialize in many fields to provide our clients with balance, energy, and choices. The main focus is to make a difference in helping to transform people’s lives. Rehabilitation is a strong passion for me and I have personally helped thousands to become pain-free by rehabilitating their bodies through different training techniques.

We have been blessed and grateful to have been featured in Aug 2019 on the ACNC website https://www.acnc.gov.au/media/news/getting-know-celebrating-abilities-inc