Welcoming a New WildStrong coach: Mary Vinson

We’re excited to welcome Mary Vinson into the WildStrong coaching community. One of the best, and most rewarding, parts of our work is to see new coaches take what they’ve learned and start shaping it into something of their own- and we’re excited to see how Mary’s journey with us unfolds, the communities she continues to create, and the people she’ll support through outdoor movement in the years ahead.

Here’s more about Mary in her own words:

I’ve always been active, enjoying swimming, running and cycling, but it was in 2017 that I discovered strength and conditioning training. What I found was actually life-changing, bringing many physical and psychological benefits.

Building strength has given me the foundation to continue doing all the activities I love, particularly hiking, tennis and running, and over time I’ve come to love strength training for its own sake too. It has also helped me navigate some incredibly demanding and stressful periods in my life, which has made me a huge advocate for its positive impact on mental wellbeing.

The gym where I began this journey was a small, private space with a strong sense of community, and I made some wonderful friendships there. The feeling of support, encouragement and belonging was just as important to me as the training itself and played a huge role in helping me build a consistent and lasting habit.

I’m a scientist by training and, after a long career in the corporate world, I decided last year to complete my Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer qualifications. With a friend who took the same path, we co-founded Viva Fitness Bath, where we deliver small-group strength training sessions. Our focus is on helping people build strength, capability and confidence within a supportive community – all supported linked to evidence-based health benefits. We now run several classes each week and have built a loyal group of regular clients, all of whom were complete beginners when they first joined us. Seeing the progress they’ve made and hearing about the positive impact training has had on their lives is incredibly rewarding.

When I discovered WildStrong, it brought together two of my biggest passions: strength training and the outdoors. Completing the course opened my eyes to a different approach to coaching and movement, one that has the potential to connect with an even wider range of people. I loved every part of the experience and learned so much along the way. I immediately began incorporating some of the activities into the outdoor sessions we run through Viva, and I quickly noticed how much laughter, connection and enjoyment they brought to the group.

We continue to run ad hoc outdoor sessions alongside our gym-based classes and are actively looking for a more permanent outdoor space where we can offer more. Watch this space!

You can follow Mary on social media:
Instagram
Facebook
And visit her website here: Strength and Fitness Classes and Personal Training in Bath