We are talking this week to Mish Wright, an educator, writer, and presenter, has dedicated her career to enhancing the fitness industry through innovative and inclusive educational programs focusing on women’s health. With over three decades of experience in teaching and fitness, Mish has been recognised for having significantly impacted women’s health and fitness education.
ISB: How did you discover your passion for fitness?
MW: I discovered my passion for fitness during a really tough period in my life. My husband left when I was 7.5 months pregnant with our second child. Exercise became my lifeline. It helped me maintain my mental health and gave me the physical strength I needed to keep going. With my family back in New Zealand and very little support around me, wrangling small children on my own was a massive challenge. Fitness became not just a routine but a crucial part of my survival and resilience.
ISB: Why was it important for you to address the gaps in fitness training for women in the fitness industry?
MW: I discovered the gaps in fitness training through my own experience. I followed the standard training protocols that are still being taught today to get myself into shape. Unfortunately, this led me to train myself to the point of incontinence and on the verge of prolapse. This personal ordeal highlighted a significant issue: the education for fitness professionals is primarily based on research conducted on young, fit men. Women have different responses to exercise, depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle, if they have had children (if so, how many and how recently, and the hormonal changes of menopause). It made me incredibly passionate about advocating for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to fitness education that addresses the specific needs of women.
ISB: What was the most challenging aspect of promoting your advocacy and how did you overcome it?
MW: The most challenging aspect of promoting my advocacy was breaking the taboo around women’s health issues like pelvic floor health, periods, and menopause. About 5-10 years ago, these topics were simply not discussed in the fitness industry. Fitness conferences routinely omitted these subjects, and unfortunately, even today, fitness professionals have to pay out of pocket to get the necessary information on how to modify training for women. For over 15 years, I have focused on creating educational resources and courses that highlight these critical issues, consistently pushing for their inclusion in mainstream fitness training. By sharing my personal experiences and the tangible benefits of addressing these topics, I slowly shifted the conversation and brought more attention to the importance of women’s health in fitness education.
ISB: How do you see EVEolution and women’s fitness education evolving in the next couple of years?
MW: Women’s Fitness Education (WFE) is an RTO that addresses the gap in education regarding women’s health. We offer courses I’ve written, including Pelvic Floor Pro, Training Pre + Postnatal Women, Menstrual Cycle Essentials, and Training Peri and Post Menopause Women. As the Head of Education, I see WFE continuing to grow as a leading platform. My goal is for women’s health to be mainstreamed within the fitness industry, not treated as specialised training. In the next few years, we aim to expand our course offerings and strengthen our collaboration with industry bodies like AUSactive. We’re exploring ways to include our education as part of the standard training for industry members, making these essential topics more accessible and mainstream.
ISB: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in this particular journey that an aspiring entrepreneur can learn from?
MW: The most important lesson I’ve learned is that not all of my initiatives have been wildly successful. However, each one has taught me something valuable. I’ve had to pick myself up, dust myself off, and remind myself of my mission more than once. My mission is to see women’s health not as a nice-to-have but as essential for equality. It’s about staying resilient, continuously learning, and staying true to your mission even when things don’t go as planned.
