About - Masters Fitness Academy

Empowering Mature Aged Students to Educate, Thrive, and Lead in the Fitness Industry.

Director of Education

Kate Rowen

Personal Trainer, Founder of FiftyFitness

In a nutshell, I’m an educator. It’s what I was born to do and the common thread in what might seem a convoluted journey. Nursing was my first career. Then I decided to be a scientist and ultimately became a university chemistry lecturer. Now I’m a personal trainer.

Nurses are educators. I don’t have enough characters to explain all the ways, but you can trust me on this. It’s amazing how much from nursing that’s applicable to being a personal trainer. Knowledge of human body systems and common disease states, for example. You will also find me empathetic, caring and personable, essential traits for both nurses and personal trainers, in my opinion.

Every educator I know loves to learn and I’m no different, drawn to start a science degree at the age of 28. I worked weekends and uni breaks as a nurse during the 4 years of my undergraduate and honours study. I only stopped nursing a few days before starting my PhD in chemistry on a scholarship.

Typical of PhD students, I did casual work as a tutor and laboratory class demonstrator during my candidature. I thoroughly enjoyed these roles and knew I was good at them through student feedback and supervision of my teaching. An academic career with a combination of teaching and research became my aspiration.

After three years working as a chemist in two very cool positions, I landed my dream job as a chemistry lecturer. Like most academics, I got the job because of my discipline knowledge and potential for research output but have no formal qualifications to teach, even though teaching is a major role of a lecturer. I applied my innate teaching ability and developed on the job through practice and professional learning opportunities.

Research played second fiddle in my 15-year academic career because I focused effort in my zone of genius, the teaching and education aspects of the role where I excelled. Students and peers alike recognised me as an outstanding teacher, organiser, leader and innovator in university chemistry teaching.

Faced with the first world problem of enforced leave and not being able to travel during the pandemic, I decided to learn instead and started studying the Certificate IV in Fitness at the age of 53. This was purely for personal interest, to learn how to train myself as an avid exerciser, but I quickly realised that being a personal trainer aligns with my calling to education.

A pandemic pivot has enabled me to educate in an area I’m truly passionate about–fitness! Empowering over 50s to feel great now and improve with age, because I believe we can be over 50 & better than ever!

Brett Whitcher

Personal Trainer, Founder of BJW Health and Fitness

From a young age I fell into coaching and helping others.

My first experience was assistant coaching gymnastics at high school at age 15

My passion has always been in sport and keeping active.

At the age of 18 I found martial arts and ended up training and coaching for 10 years.

Whilst raising a family I had the opportunity to attend adult an gymnastics class and after some time was asked to train a group of boys as a gymnastics coach where I enjoyed the position for over 10 years

I enjoyed the role of being a role model and leader.

I’ve always enjoyed gym work and bodyweight exercise and found my passion for Personal Training.

After many years of being trained by Personal Trainers, I decided to become a Running coach and at the age of 48 become qualified as a Personal Trainer

My work background has been in Engineering, home maintenance and always found exercise to be great for the body and mind

Currently I work as a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness instructor, working with all ages but mostly Men and Women over the age of 50.

My motto is: “your age is only a number”