“What qualities would you expect in a clinical exercise expert, who is helping you get back to as normal a life as possible after a serious illness or while suffering from chronic pain? I didn’t really know until I met Yolanda van Vugt, the Director of @KinetExNZ

As you might expect, Yolanda has a degree in sport science and personally enjoys exercise, so an interest in sharing her knowledge and passion seems logical. But she also studied psychology and even though she might pursue it further as a career. And that’s where a huge difference lies in the way she sees how she can help her clients.

Yolanda understands that a person recovering from cancer treatment or suffering from anxiety might not always be thrilled by the idea of struggling through a physical exercise program. She knows that many people lack confidence in what they consider to be their diminished abilities. And she gets it that before accepting to try anything, clients need to place their trust in her.

So, she works hard to connect on a more personal level with people to enable that trust to build. She doesn’t tell them what to do but “leads them to discover what they are capable of”. And she knows to expect that over the course of a program, there will be natural ups and downs; times when her clients will need extra encouragement to reach the next level and reap the reward of a new step forward.

When you listen to Yolanda, you sense what has given her the purpose and courage to set up her own business so young and battle to build it single-handed. Apart from her extensive knowledge and skills in the field of physiology, she is driven by the deep satisfaction she derives from watching people, who have had more than their fair share of physical and/or mental hardship, begin to “thrive and grow” and “do life again”.

So if you know someone, who is facing a battle of this kind, get them to talk to Yolanda. Beyond her physiological expertise, they will get so much more: a helper, who has trained in psychology and who is deeply motivated to assist her clients in regaining the confidence to live life to the full.”

- Tim Chapman, Local Director, West Auckland - The Local Business Network