Central Coast top 100 Most Influential: #17 Gemma Bardsley
THIS fitness studio founder was a shock bolter into the top 20 of the Coast’s Most Influential but shows you can never underestimate the empowerment of women.
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- Central Coast top 100 Most Influential people as voted by you
- #18 The Environmentalist
- #19 The Artist
- #20 The Mechanic
G-FORCE Pole and Fitness studio owner Gemma Bardsley was the shock bolter in the inaugural Top 100 search, but it shows you can never underestimate the empowerment of women.
But according to business analyst firm IBISWorld revenue from the gym and fitness centre industry is expected to hit $2.2 billion this year.
Combine an annual industry growth rate of 5.3 per cent over the past five years with empowering women — and a bit of sexy fun thrown in for good measure — and it should be no surprise the 32-year-old … err, polled so well to break into the top 20 most influential Coasties.
“She has improved the lives of so many men and women who walk into her studio in Gosford,” one reader said on our online poll.
“Time and time again I hear of people she has positively effected, through providing a positive environment where people feel free to express themselves. She is extremely selfless and puts so much time and effort into her art and into everyone that steps foot into her studio that she deserves to be recognised.”
Another reader said: “she brings a community together, teaching us to become stronger, braver, fitter and more confident in a happy, supportive and friendly environment”.
The former childhood ballet dancer found there was little by way of dance classes available to grown ups on the Central Coast and stumbled across pole dancing via her mum.
“My mum actually started pole before myself,” she said.
“She did it, it was just something on her bucket list and I was a little bit horrified but I tried it and never looked back. Now I teach her.”
Ms Bardsley started G-Force Pole and Fitness at West Gosford six years ago and has grown the business into a multidisciplinary studio including pole, core and strengthening classes, mums and bubs sessions and lyra (hoop) and silk lessons to name a few.
And it is not just for women.
“We do have guys who do both aerial and pole (classes),” she said.
“They usually get into it through their girlfriends or wives and see how strong they’re women are getting and don’t want to be shown up.”
Ms Bardsley said her husband was very supportive of her starting her own business, which now boasts up to 250 students a term.
When she’s not swinging from the ceiling or teaching others to twirl seductively around a pole Ms Bardsley cares for the couple’s four-year-old son Chase and is pregnant with another child on the way.
She said she was “blown away” at being voted into the top 100 and said influence to her was about belief.
“To me I think an influential person would have to be strong and determined and confident and believe in others,” she said.
“I think that might have been why I got the support that I did, I believe in my students’ ability, I believe in them more than they believe in themselves.”
Tomorrow we profile another surprise addition to the top 20 who has worked tirelessly with animals.