A Fitness & Personal Training lecturer from Solihull College & University Centre has been nominated for a prestigious fitness award by her peers in the industry.
Sarah Redshaw-Laing has been nominated in the Lifetime Achievement Award category at the National Fitness Awards. A well-deserved accolade after starting her fitness journey 22 years ago.
Sarah initially worked in a corporate office and started going to the gym but was really disappointed with group fitness classes. She felt uninspired and didn’t feel she was being motivated in the right way. So, she started a side hustle! She would work 9-5 in the corporate world and then turn to fitness classes in the evening.
Sarah then took the step to turn her passion into her full-time job in 2009. She comments: “I invested fully in upskilling constantly. I was reinvesting in my new business and would always learn more on courses and buy new equipment to make sure my clients had the best tools to improve their fitness.
“I really wanted to understand people in a better way. Many of my clients now were apprehensive about coming to a group class, maybe because of a negative experience. But I wanted to make sure everyone could come along and be successful. We all know the positive and mental health benefits, so I wanted to make sure everyone could come along, enjoy it, and get something out of it.”
Sarah is also the founder of Mums on the Run, an award-winning women’s running club with over 100 active members. She has taken teams to international events, including the Gran Canaria, Barcelona, and Brussels half marathons, and the club proudly participates in local races such as the Great Birmingham Run.
Sarah has already been honoured with nominations for Community Coach of the Year (Adults) at the UK Coaching Awards in both 2022 and 2024 for her work supporting women through fitness, especially during and after lockdown.
Constantly evolving when it comes to fitness, Sarah now teaches adults at the College who want to work in the industry and has seen success with many of her last cohort having entered the world of personal fitness training.
The next cohort is set to start in January and the latest award ceremony takes place at the end of the month.
