I know what it feels like to be stressed, burnt out, lost, overweight, depressed and disconnected from joy.
My journey from finance to fitness isn’t just a career change — it’s proof that you can rewrite your life at any age.
I was born in 1969 in London on Hyde Park Corner, not because my mum got stuck in traffic but because what is the Lanesborough Hotel now, used to be St. Georges Hospital back then.
I grew up on a Peabody Estate in Pimlico, SW1. A grubby little street urchin who was happy playing out with her friends, riding bikes, building camps and setting fire to things.
In 1987 I leave school with an ‘O’ Level in maths and little else. Barclays Bank was my first employer, working in the back office foreign exchange in the City.
Amnesia, Ibiza 1991
Clubbing was much more fun than Banking
I move to Chemical Bank where I worked on the trading floor. After a few months I was offered a job on the FX trading desk as a dealers assistant, a job that paid £40k a year (way back in 1990)
My supervisor told me to go home and think about it as my weekend activities were clearly having a negative impact on my working skills. I came back the next day and declined the role – I didn’t want that kind of stress in my life, she raised both eyebrows and admired me for my honesty. I admired myself for turning down such a big jump in salary but I knew I wasn’t cut out for that kind of pressure.
Wedding Day 2010
I worked in various banks, doing well for myself within a stressful environment and still having a nice life outside of it.
Until 2010, when I met with a bullying boss who loved me one minute and then managed me out of the business the next, playing me to my weaknesses and setting me up to fail. It was a devastating time, one that eventually saw me on anti-depressants, it was also the same year as I was getting married. Coping with these complete opposites was hard, I felt like I was drowning, having to keep a smile on my face in my personal life when all I wanted to do was not be here.
Zumba Instructor
I went into a depression – trying to hide it was exhausting. During this time a friend took me to a Zumba class, I hadn’t been to the gym or worked out in months. It was love at first sight. By the time I got home I had ordered the DVD.
‘BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR’ glowed out of the screen with a URL to book a course
May 2011 – I put on my first Zumba class in a community centre in Pimlico, the place was packed. I looked for other venues, one in Westminster, a school in Camden, a few pubs in East London that had function rooms.
Class numbers were huge, the energy was electric, I gave my heart and soul to my classes. The joy, the excitement, the happiness was immense.
Lorraine drops 3 dress sizes in 3 months
Lorraine Kelly walks into my class in Westminster totally unannounced and quite unrecognisable. Over the next three months she loses three dress sizes. She loved the vibe, the togetherness, the chaos, the camaraderie, the freedom, everyone dancing like they don’t care.
This is women at their best! She calls me a force of nature in her Tweets, I loved our connection, we were both on the same page when it came to women’s health and wellbeing, empowering and supporting one another.
A year later, Lorraine asks if I would like to be on her show!
HONESTLY you could have blown me over like you would candles on a cake.
We worked on a feature called Vow To Wow, giving her viewers tips on how to get into shape and make the most of what you’ve got. it was a lot of fun, I loved being on TV.
Life was exciting.
With Susan Boyle during our 24 hour Zumbathon
Lorraine and I do a 24 hour Zumbathon with Zumba instructors all over Scotland rallying their girls and putting on a class for us around the clock for the STV Children’s Appeal, we raise over £97k.
Out of the blue Universal Pictures propose we do a dance aerobics DVD. This was another ‘pinch yourself’ moment.
I’m sitting in a boardroom at ITV with Lorraine, her agent, big wigs from ITV and the Universal team telling them my vision of how I wanted the production to look.
I wanted to keep it real with every day women, not trained dancers in Red Arrow formation who are stick thin and step perfect – NO!
I chose the venue – Shoreditch Town Hall.
I asked my girls to come along – 150 of them turned up.
Living to the Max sold over 77k copies.
Pleased with the sales, Universal Pictures ask us to do another DVD and Brand New You was born.
Filmed on the hottest day of the year at The Coronet Theatre in Elephant & Castle, another rave venue, my girls turn up in force.
In and out of all of this I am appearing on Lorraine’s shows as her Fitness Expert, appealing to her viewers for volunteers to embark on a journey of fitness and better health. Every campaign was a huge success with over 120k DVD’s sold and huge numbers in audience engagement.
I’m meeting film stars and celebrities, Jerry Hall, Buzz Aldrin, Ella Ayre, Keith Lemon, Alan Carr, Richard Wilson (AKA Victor Meldrew), ITV news readers, athletes, pop stars, the whole thing felt like ‘Cinderella’.
Photo shoots for magazines were one of my favourite things, being in ‘hair and make up’, trying on loads of clothes, lights, camera, ACTION.
The BEST part – reenacting Wham’s Club Tropicana video. The icing on the cake was that George Michael was aware of it, his goddaughter was our PR agent at the time.
With two successful DVD’s under my belt and an awareness that there is a huge demand for home workouts, I create MaxiciseTV, my own online platform broadcasting my classes live online.
The energy in my church hall is just TOO BIG to contain, I want everyone to feel the force and benefit from it.
I am here to change the narrative around exercise because if it isn’t fun, it isn’t sustainable!
Dancing is the happiest form of exercise purely because it doesn’t feel like exercise.
My online numbers rose dramatically, I was broadcasting my classes from home, keeping fit became a daily activity for most.
Having this job served me well during this time, it stopped me from going crazy for a start!
I had something to focus on, something that I enjoyed doing, something that was keeping me fit, healthy and happy.
I felt uncomfortable, sluggish, out of control and fat!.
So instead of crash dieting or punishing myself with extreme workouts, I did what I’ve always done best.
Within four weeks, I lost a stone.
Game Changer was born from that realisation.
When I look back, I can see how my love of music has shaped my life. Back in the early 80’s I would record the Top 40 on a Sunday and I never missed a copy of Smash Hits.
When the Acid House rave scene hit the UK in 1987, I was there, driving around the M25 going to illegal raves and clubs up and down the UK. The rave scene was ‘underground’, it was exciting, fun and addictive, in any club you would have a ready made family, and we’d go anywhere for a party!
Clubbing featured heavily throughout my banking career! I recognise now that it released a lot of stress and gave my life balance.
It has also provided me with a huge music library, the energy in House Music is unprecedented, it makes my heart swell.
I want to share this with the world, I want everyone to feel the way I do.
