LucyF.

Lucy was 24 when she enrolled with IFE and had been working in hospitality since leaving school. She had trained consistently for two years and people around her kept telling her she should work in fitness — but she had never seriously considered it because she did not know where to start.

'I was intimidated by the whole process,' she admits. 'I did not have a fitness background professionally. I just loved training. I was not sure if that was enough to build a career on.'

She chose the Level 2 Gym Instructor Certificate as a starting point — a way to test whether coaching was the right direction before committing to a longer programme. What she found was that the one-to-one structure made everything feel manageable. 'Harry explained things in a way that made me feel like I could do this. Not just the material, but the career. He took it seriously so I took it seriously.'

Lucy qualified in early 2023 and took up a gym instructor position shortly after. The transition from hospitality to fitness has been everything she hoped for. 'I go to work and I genuinely look forward to it. That was not something I experienced before.'

She is currently considering returning to IFE to complete the Level 3 qualification. 'I feel ready for the next step now. And I know the process — so there is nothing to be nervous about this time.'