Meet the Trainers: Carolyn!

Oh, hi! We’re BACK (finally!!) and happier than ever.

I just got back from a month in Europe, and it was such a nice break with actually such great weather. We arrived in London to head straight to Paris > Lisbon > Italy (Milan, Venice, Lake Como (which omg is just amazing)), then back to London, to Germany, and finally to Northern Ireland. We saw a lot, ate a lot, and walked A LOT, and just had the most relaxing time. We only had two days of rain (which was actually quite fun; we got absolutely soaked and bought umbrella’s off lovely people on the street) but mainly sunny, warm-ish weather. Although it was the best time, I was also pretty excited to come home! (I know; weird… but I honestly love my job!)

So let’s get into this weeks blog, kicking off where we left off from Caitlin’s fun ‘get to know you’ blog last week - This week, with the same questions for me, Carolyn (hi!) - accompanied by photos from my trip, because, yay!!!

How did your journey as a performing artist influence your approach to fitness and personal training?

My journey into fitness was almost entirely shaped by performing. I’ve always loved the physicality of acting, dancing, stage combat, stunt work - all of it. There’s such power (and thrill) in telling stories with your whole body. But it’s also humbling (and hilarious) when you’re giving everything to a performance and your body’s like, “Nope, I’m done.” That experience - wanting to keep creating but feeling physically exhausted - made me realise how important training is. Not for how you look, but for how long you can last.

Growing up, I also saw the other side of that. My dad had a physical disability, so movement wasn’t something we took for granted in our house. But storytelling - through films, books, or literally just imagination - was something we always had; on the good days and the bad days. That kind of connection really stayed with me.

That’s why I created the StretchiFlex: to help performers build capacity and longevity in their storytelling, but it’s not just about moving better, feeling stronger, or doing eight shows a week without burning out - it’s about connecting more deeply with yourself and with your audience, who may struggle to connect in other ways. (Sappy, I know.)

Moral of the story - movement should be fun - especially when your job asks so much of you, physically and emotionally!

What type of training or exercises do you find most beneficial for performing artists, and how do they impact performance?

For performers, the most valuable training builds functional strength, mobility, endurance and - honestly - energy. I focus a lot on exercises that support the demands of long rehearsal days, emotionally intense scenes, and still needing to perform at 9:30pm when your body would rather be horizontal. That might include resistance training for stamina and joint support, mobility work for injury prevention, and breath-focused movement (like deep-stretching or loaded carries) to help regulate your nervous system, build breath support, and release stress.

Performing requires physical and mental stamina - whether the emotional-high-pressure-stakes are happening for you or your character - so training that helps you recover as well as perform is essential. When you feel strong and supported in your body, you don’t get so exhausted so quickly (or you recover faster when you do: both in the moment, and the next day). Then you can keep showing up: well and able.

Can you share a personal experience where your training as an artist helped you overcome a physical challenge or injury?

So. Many.

Or perhaps not. Haha. I once fell down a flight of stairs ON STAGE in front of the entire cast, sprained my ankle, and still performed/danced for 6 shows that week. My Dr’s words were “are you crazy?” - and my exercise physio’s words (who was a past dancer) were “what else can you do?! There’s no other option, sometimes". You can decide for yourself who you’d like to agree with (lol), but we’re special species, performers - and while we shouldn’t push ourself to injury, we sometimes make decisions that won’t always make sense to others.

Keep in mind, I wasn’t a personal trainer at that point in my life and I don’t know exactly what I would do now (that’s a lie, I would totally still do the shows). You have to know when to push and when to not, though. I have also struggled with panic attacks for years and have learnt when to push myself onstage and when to let someone else take over; and that has meant organising a cover for so many events in my life, which is sad and painful sometimes, but necessary. Sometimes pushing yourself is helpful, sometimes it’s destructive. You need advice from people you know and trust, and who know and trust you, too.

That, I would say, came from my love of storytelling as an artist (just to make sure I’m actually answering the question) - I have had to make a lot of decisions that I believe will benefit the story, rather than benefit myself in the moment.

How do you balance the physical demands of both training clients and performing? Do you have any strategies for maintaining your own health and energy?

I suppose fitness and working an active job isn’t unusual; it’s something a lot of people have to figure out, logistically. But as performers, training for your job adds an urgency that others may not experience.

When I first graduated from personal training, I took up a part time job at a gym while I was still working full time as a Creative Producer and still acting and doing auditions on the side. I highly DO NOT recommend. Early mornings and late nights requiring a lot of physical (gym) and mental (creative) energy was too much. I may have mentioned in the past, but I also have a functional gastrointestinal disorder, which means generally, I don’t feel hungry at all, ever. In fact, four times in the last five years have I felt hungry. I’m literally counting, and I celebrate EVERY single time, lol. For a while, and still occasionally, it also means I get really awful pain after eating, especially early in the morning - which meant it was actually really difficult to fuel my body enough to run classes at the gym. I was either light-headed or in excessive pain for a majority of my life during that time, which just increased the earlier-talked-about panic attacks. Like I said, DO NOT recommend.

One of the biggest perks of my Producing job is having a flexible schedule - but that only works if I actually use it wisely and in a way that supports my health. I only book pt clients at times I know will be sustainable in the long run so I can show up at my best for them, too. I also manage some heart-related health issues, so my doctor and cardiologist have played a big role in shaping those boundaries, too.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out in performance or fitness to prevent burnout and stay physically strong over the long term?

The most important thing is knowing what you want and why you want it - so you can adapt your career and your plans as life changes. I started in acting but wanted more control over the stories I told and the environment on set, which led me into producing and directing. Later, after facing health challenges, I couldn’t ignore how vital wellbeing is - and that inspired me to focus on training and wellness (and here we are!). Now I only choose what Acting jobs I want to be apart of; what stories I want to tell. That’s huge - and probably not possible if I just stuck with “Actor” as my life goal.

Your life and career should evolve as you do. You’re not giving up on a childhood dream by discovering new ones. Life gets more exciting when you partner with what you learn instead of fighting it. That will keep you mentally strong, and there really isn’t any purpose in being physically strong if you’re not mentally strong..!

THANKS FOR BEING HERE!

I’m so grateful for you :)

See you next week Xx