Ashleigh Walden
“Only 10% of our long-term happiness is predicted by our external world & circumstances. The remaining 90% comes from how we train our brains to process our world.”
Ashleigh is a plant-powered champion, and living proof that vegans can be ultra fit, strong and healthy.
About Ashleigh
Ashleigh is FP Marrickville’s plant-powered, mindset queen. Her passion for fitness grew when she started training with a friend who was being coached by the Sports Model Project. Ashleigh loved the discipline required to follow a training program and how her body and mind transformed. Her focuses vary between strength and conditioning, calisthenics, gymnastics and mobility, which is why one day you might find her deadlifting or squatting and the next day, upside-down practicing her handstand.
Ashleigh believes everyone can benefit from the services of a coach, including coaches! Ashleigh has been coached by fellow FP Personal Trainers Stacy Voulgaris, Dani Mendoza, Matt Walsh and Bunker trainer Joey Bowling. Being a learner at heart, she loves experiencing how other coaches look after and train their clients, so she can further the results of herself and her clients in the gym.
Ashleigh is passionate about building confidence for all within the gym environment through mindset training. She’s a vegan, and is living proof that you can be fit, strong and healthy without eating animal products.
Specialisation
- Strength & Conditioning
- Mindset
- Plant-Based Nutrition
- Women’s Confidence, Health & Wellbeing
Training Philosophy
My philosophy is that health begins with the mind. The majority agree and are willing to commit to a training program for our bodies to lift more weight, become more flexible, and generally move better. But what are we doing to train our brains? The same way we build up to say a 100kg squat, what preparation do we undergo to prepare our brains for the uni exam period, the passing of a loved one, a work presentation, an accident, or just simply when things don’t go our way?
I’m a huge fan of ‘The Miracle Morning’ routine by Hal Elrod (by huge, I mean I am known for getting up before 4am most days to fit this personal development habits routine into my day!). It’s through tools like these that we can train our brains for more happiness and resilience. After all, as Positive Psychologist Shawn Achor says, “Our brains are 31% more productive at positive than negative, neutral, or stressed.”
Education, Experience & Achievements
- BA Management in Sport and Exercise
- Certificates III & IV in Fitness
- Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition
3 Fun Facts
- I was a meat-eater for almost 30 years until I watched the documentary Food Choices. It turned me vegan overnight in 2017.
- I was a ballet dancer until I was 16. I quit to play soccer, which Dad was pleased about. (Mum, not so much, haha.)
- I first qualified as Personal Trainer in 2013 but left fitness for the corporate world in 2015 while living in London. I worked in a law firm and financial services company, but found fitness again in 2019, and FP has been my home since July 2020.
Top 5 motivational speakers
OUR TRAINERS
CHANGE LIVES
See what their clients have to say.
PT Clients Reviews
Elizabeth
"I honestly can’t imagine my life without Ashleigh in it, she’s made such a difference to my physical and mental health. I love her holistic approach and how much she emphasises the importance of your mindset – how much it affects your physical being, and vice versa. I was at a low point when I started working with her but I knew I needed help and she’s always been there to give me just that, as well as support, friendship, and genuine care. I have such a different attitude now, and one year on, I know there’s still so much more I can do to improve my physical and mental wellbeing because I have the best Personal Trainer, hands down."
Emily
"I first joined the gym with no intention of having a Personal Trainer. However, in my initiation, I was asked about my goals and lifestyle, and when I mentioned I was vegan and wanted to learn weightlifting, the team told me about Ashleigh. They were more than right, she is the perfect fit for me! I’ve enjoyed all our sessions and am super grateful for how much she’s helped me, in improving my strength as well as my mindset. Not only does she truly care about supporting all her clients in their training, but also in their mental health. My goals were unique from others, as I sought to gain weight (in muscle) and become strong and fit for my physical and mental health. She has certainly helped me with this, I’ve noticed a huge change in my strength and a much more positive attitude in life. I will be forever thankful for her supporting me to become the best version of myself I can be through personal training."
Rose
"Working with Ashleigh has been the most fun I’ve had in the gym in years. She has me totally hooked on weightlifting and has been the difference that makes me look forward to every workout and keeps me coming back to the gym every week. She has given me the physical and mental tools to get the most out of every session, with or without her (although it’s always more fun with her there!). She is super clued into not only your physical but mental state during each session, giving you a truly personalized approach that I haven’t experienced with a trainer before. Her positive attitude is infectious, and her dedication to personal growth and mindset is inspiring. I love the attention to detail and technique in every session, it gives me the confidence to keep pushing myself. I am never bored with her programs – we are even working handstands into my current routine, something I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing 10 months ago. But after training with Ashleigh, I am the most at home and confident in my body I have ever been."
Stephanie
"I feel so lucky to have a PT like Ashleigh who structures her training in a holistic way. Her focus on mindset and nutrition, as well as training, has helped me approach fitness in a sustainable way and integrate it into my lifestyle. My learnings on mindset have had a lasting impact beyond the gym. It has also been so valuable to have a vegan PT who understands how to optimize a vegan diet for my training and goals (and shares my excitement about vegan treats!). Ashleigh always goes the extra mile to support my goals and keeps me accountable whenever I doubt myself. Truly a gem!"