COTA Victoria Team Leader awarded National Fitness Educator of the Year

Fitness Australia has awarded Michelle (Mish) Wright, Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria Team Leader Online Education, as National Fitness Educator of the Year.

According to Tina Hogarth-Clarke, COTA Victoria Chief Executive, the industry accolade awarded to Wright is a true testament to the commitment of her hands on and collaborative approach to education with older Victorians.

The Fitness Australia awards recognise and celebrate the life-changing work of Fitness Australia members, who encourage more Australians to be more active, more often.

The prestigious Fitness Educator acknowledges excellence in teaching, mentoring and educating in the fitness industry over the last 12 months.

Hogarth-Clarke advises “Mish has been instrumental in the redevelopment of COTA’s Living Longer Living Stronger program which is an evidenced based, strength and balance training program, which aims to improve health outcomes, quality of life and fitness for older people.

“The program is designed in a way that caters for a diverse range of older people and fitness levels, and it promotes social inclusion and engagement.

“Mish’s persistent and intuitive approach in training instructors to shift the programs to an online offering during the COVID pandemic has highlighted her commitment in ensuring that older Victorians can still proactively participate in these invaluable programs.”

Wright (pictured above) is humbled by the recent award and reflects on her nine -year career in education, which has been diverse and extremely fulfilling adding “my dedication for education stems from the process (and science) of learning.  By joining forces with like-minded people and organisations, such as COTA Victoria, it has amplified by love for learning in helping fitness professionals find the switch and turn the light on to empower them to deliver knowledge to their clients.

“Seeing people flourish, watching as the fitness trainers under my wing elevate the broader industry, is deeply rewarding. It fills me with passion and motivation! There is still so much work to be done in this field, but I love that we’re out here doing it, every single day.

“With Living Longer, Living Stronger, creating a program from instructors to deliver the program via ZOOM was a challenge I embraced, and we now have a robust and engaging offering which continues to grow from strength to strength.”

For more information on Living Longer, Living Stronger, visit cotavic.org.au/our-programs/strength-training/

Image top: Michelle Wright with trainers; image above Michelle Wright