About Emma

I’ve been a sporty girl for as long as I can remember. At age 12, I represented New South Wales in four sports: touch football, netball, softball, and water polo. Eventually, I chose to focus on water polo, as it was the only Olympic sport of the four at the time.

At 13, I was one of the youngest athletes selected into the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) water polo program. I was training up to 20 hours a week alongside school and other extracurriculars. Much of that time was spent in the gym, learning from some of the most elite coaches and strength specialists in the industry.

That’s where my love for training truly began. Lifting heavier, mastering new movements, and pushing beyond what I thought I was capable of.

I continued playing water polo at an elite level until I was 19, when I faced a choice: move to the U.S. to play college water polo, or stay in Australia to train for the 2020 Olympics. Instead, I chose a new adventure and moved overseas to London, planning to stay for six months. That turned into two incredible years of work, travel, and keeping fitness at the centre of my lifestyle.

When I returned to Australia, I knew it was time to take my passion seriously. I completed my Cert III & IV in Fitness and began working full-time as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor in the Hills District. The gym had a mix of CrossFit and functional training, and I was instantly hooked.

Within ten weeks of training, I hit my first muscle-up, which lit a fire in me. I wanted to teach others how empowering it felt to master skills like this. I became obsessed with Olympic lifting, especially the power clean, and loved coaching beginners through these foundations.

When I moved into the city, I started working at a private boutique PT gym in Kensington and began teaching classes at One Playground (Athletica, Bad Ass, Strong, and Gun Show). During my time at the Kensington gym, my training focus shifted. I started working with an online bodybuilding coach, and it completely transformed my physique. I learned a whole new set of skills around hypertrophy, sculpting, and nutrition, and quickly became obsessed with the process of physical transformation for myself and for others. This changed the way I coached, programmed, and connected with clients who wanted to look and feel their best.

After a few years, I was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach and travel the world as a full-time PT and PA for an exclusive client, all while continuing to manage clients back in Sydney.

Eventually, I transitioned into a Head Coach role. This brought together two things I love most: teaching and leading. I’ve since worked across five different One Playground locations, where I lead coaches, support members, and deliver results-driven programming.

I’ve also continued to invest heavily in my own education and development. I have completed my ASCA Level 1 Strength and Conditioning accreditation and the Clean Health Pre and Post Natal course. I am currently working under the mentorship of Sebastian Oreb, the Australian Strength Coach, after being selected as one of only a few coaches from the company to do so. In addition, I am being trained and mentored by the Head of Coaching at One Playground. Ongoing learning and progression of knowledge are things I am deeply passionate about, and they continue to shape the way I coach and lead.

Trainer at: One Playground