11th January 2021
South Devon College’s South Devon Fitness Instructor Academy is proud to announce that well-known local fitness professional Zoe Bowden has joined the team.
Zoe will be delivering a range of workshops and qualifications including Exercise to Music, Children’s Exercise, Stability Ball, Pilates Teacher, Ante-Postnatal Exercise, as well as online courses too.
Simon Holden, Lead tutor for the Fitness Instructor Academy, is delighted to be welcoming Zoe to his team. He said:
“Zoe has supported students in industry to grow and develop and has worked in partnership with the Fitness Instructor Academy to support the training and development of colleagues in the workplace over the last few years so this was very much a natural step and we are thrilled to have Zoe officially on board.”
Lynn Stephens, Senior Head of Curriculum at South Devon College, was a founder of the instructor training opportunities at the College in 2006 and actually trained Zoe in Exercise to Music. Lynn said:
“I recognised Zoe as someone who would grow into a fantastic instructor and create a name for herself in industry. It was clear from the start that she would go on to do great things! We are really proud of her achievements so far and are really pleased to be bringing her into the team to inspire new instructors, who may just be starting out in the industry.”
Zoe set up her own company in 2010, Offbeat Dance and Fitness, following a background in performance as a dancer and choreographer. She has danced with many artists including Kylie Minogue and for ITV, BBC, Butlins and Haven to name a few. She performed in UK touring pantomimes, worked abroad with her team of dancers and performing in Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain at the international circuit.
When the Aztec Studio in Torquay opened in 2009, Zoe became the Studio Manager and progressed to Assistant Manager of Aztec Leisure leaving in 2017. Zoe went on to manage teams, set up fitness events and her well-known fitness weekends, which have grown year on year and attracted participants from all over the country. She was nominated for Health Champion of the Year at Torbay Sports Awards in 2018 and became a finalist against a category of other amazing nominees.
Zoe was the first person to bring Zumba to Torbay and recently celebrated 11 years of teaching Zumba consistently. This year Zoe went freelance with her fitness classes and personal training sessions and Personal T sessions within the community.
She also wrote and designed the DDFC programme – Dad Dancing Fit Club for ‘Dangerous Dads’, a children’s centre project around the UK and abroad focusing on being a community network for Dads organising activities for Dads and their children.
As her reputation has grown, Zoe was invited to work with Active Devon and Deaf Get Active to provide workout videos for their Devon-based websites and social media channels, which has opened opportunities to more people accessing fitness opportunities.
Zoe’s real passion is helping people feel happy and supporting them to improve their health and fitness. She said:
“Knowing my clients leave the room with a smile on their face and knowing I’ve helped them physically and mentally for that one hour, is the best feeling an instructor can have.
“I am overwhelmed to be part of an amazing, supportive team at South Devon Fitness Instructor Academy, which has such a credible reputation within the fitness industry. I look forward to working with a positive team with the same drive, passion and vision for the future of this sector and inspiring the community through fitness”.
For more information, visit www.southdevon.ac.uk/adult-learning/fitness-instructor-academy. If you have any questions, get in touch by calling 08000 380 123 or email [email protected].
