Finessing the fitness game

While some of us may find that a daunting and even overwhelming prospect, fitness fanatic and successful businesswoman Frida Valtonsson saw this challenge as an opportunity to embrace both the excitement and the unknown for what lay ahead.

Like many success stories of this kind, TAFE Queensland played a part in inspiring, if not instigated, Frida’s move from Sweden and her decision to start up her own personal training and fitness coaching business on the Sunshine Coast.

Frida’s love of Australia can be traced back long before her time at TAFE Queensland but it was the opportunity study for a Diploma of Sport (SIS50321) on the Sunshine Coast that prompted her to make the big move Down Under in 2018.

“This course was very well advertised in my home country of Sweden and having always been passionate about fitness and personal training, I saw this as a great chance to build a career and live in one of the best places in the world,” Frida said.

“What appealed to me about studying at TAFE Queensland was that when I was looking at my career options, I knew I didn’t want to go to university due to the length of time it would take to complete a similar qualification.”

When Frida looked into what TAFE Queensland could offer, the answer quickly became apparent.

“TAFE Queensland was able to offer a course that met my needs; practical, hands-on, flexible training that not only provided in-depth learning but could also be achieved in a reasonable amount of time, and the guidance of our teachers was amazing,” she said.   

“I learnt so many things in this course, especially about the human anatomy which is really helpful when you’re working as a personal trainer or fitness coach.”

A definite highlight of the course for Frida remains the network of friendships she built and maintains to this day.

“Sweden is a small and beautiful country that I miss but having studied and lived on the Sunshine Coast for a while now, I really enjoy the big community of Swedish friends and students I’ve had who are a great source of support and encouragement for me,” she said.

One of the more unusual activities Frida experienced while studying her course was the opportunity to work with prisoners at the Woodford Correctional Centre.

“People in prisons are also interested in maintaining their fitness and health so it was a unique chance for me to work in a different setting with different client needs,” Frida said.

Studying about the human anatomy as part of the course at TAFE Queensland also required Frida to visit a morgue so she could better understand the human body and get an upfront view of it in one of its most realistic forms.

Another result of studying the Diploma of Sport was Frida’s discovery that it also helped her in her subsequent remedial massage course “because learning about the human body in my TAFE course allowed me to better understand how muscles and tissues work.”

“I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who’s interested in fitness training and coaching and understanding how the human body works to achieve optimum health.”

Perhaps the best outcome of Frida’s decision to move to the Sunshine Coast to study at TAFE Queensland was that it also led to her finding love with her future business partner.

Together they have combined their efforts and turned their mutual love of fitness coaching in to a successful business by running classes out of a recently renovated gym in Warana in to which they moved to accommodate their growing client base.

The Studio Health and Fitness Community operates seven days a week from 5am to 8pm and with a quickly expanding list of clients, it’s safe to say Frida’s future is both bright and busy!

Visit tafeqld.edu.au to find out more about the Diploma of Sport (SIS50321) or call 1300 308 233 for more information about the courses available and let TAFE Queensland help you define your greatness.