Through years of experiencing a range of sports from water skiing to rugby, and tae kwon do to showjumping, I have discovered that joy, confidence and a sense of achievement have come through performance and skill development. Not through a number on the scale. 

In 2015, as I waited for a kidney transplant, I discovered open water swimming. At the time, I was afraid to put my face in the water. But with declining health – physical performance was difficult. I could do very little cycling or running so I decided to put all my energy into developing a new skill. 

The joy, personal growth and sense of pride I achieved through breaking down my fear of the water bled into all areas of my life. It gave me the confidence to recover from a massive surgery. It gave me the sense of urgency I needed to attempt new goals I would never have considered. I competed in my first triathlon. I signed up for a half ironman. I started my own company. I spoke at international summits on physiology and nutrition. I began to plan for a future that I had drawn for myself. I wasn’t just sitting back and waiting for it to happen anymore. 

Thats when I decided I wanted to package this feeling and share it with other women who felt stuck in their lives. Because I had felt stuck. I was unhappy in my job. I was frustrated that my health was holding me back from achieving. And yet – I managed to turn it all around and create a life that I loved. I wanted to open the door for other women to do the same. And so the Advance platform was born.