Interview: Carly Rowena

Carly Rowena is a Personal Trainer among various other jobs, who shares and supports her local and online community with tons of inspiring content. From wellness support, meditation, motherhood antics, sex and relationships advice and her daily work with clients and content creation online - she is a very busy lady with a lot to tell. Go Inspire UK were very excited to learn about all the brilliant work Carly does every day.

Go Inspire: How would you describe yourself to our audience? What is a normal day like for you?

Carly Rowena: I’m a Personal Trainer, Author, Online Creator, Breathwork, Meditation and Retreat Facilitator, aka - a mouthful. A normal day for me is scheduled around creating content, filming, editing, speaking to clients, coming up with creative briefs and attending meetings, it’s one big juggle and no two days are the same.

GI: Tell us about your online presence? What do you do as a content creator and wellness coach?

CR: I love being online, what started out as personal training has now adapted to include a more 360 of wellness, sex and relationships, motherhood, daily routines, honesty and workouts. I aspire to be honest, to share the good, the bad and that inevitably, life is not always easy but if you put steps in place you can live happier than you ever imagined.

GI: How did you get into doing this?

CR: At 24 I was working in marketing within the motor trade, I had a good job but I was miserable, I didn’t know what I wanted to be and was unsure of my own passions. So I started filming YouTube videos on different subjects hoping to find what inspired me, as my videos increased so did my following and over time people started messaging me to say they thought i’d make a great personal trainer - I never imagined that being my job but as soon as it was mentioned I was inspired. So while working full time I did courses to get qualified, then I told myself that if I could make myself fully booked for a month, I’d quit my job - I did and the rest is history!

GI: So our audience can understand your content a bit more, can you tell us about the topics you post online about?

CR: I love posting about wellness in a 360 approach because it’s not just one thing. I love to share workouts that not only push your body but boost your mood. I talk about motherhood in an honest approach - I don’t think everyone needs to have children, it doesn’t make you a better human but it’s the route I have taken and I love to share both sides. I also talk sex and relationships in an open but no vulgar way, to inspire confidence and make others feel less alone in whatever is happening in their life.

GI: You’ve also been quite busy creating. Can you tell us about your first book, ‘My Beautiful Body’?

CR: I wrote My Beautiful body during lockdown as a passion project for my daughter, Jax. I hated the idea that one day she will come home and tell me that someone has commented on her appearance negatively, so I wanted to write a book to show her that she is more than her looks, that her body is her home and her best friend too.

GI: And what brought you from writing a new book to creating your app ‘Moodment’? Can you also tell us more about your app?

CR: Moodment came to life after lockdown (although I wish I had managed to create it before). Like so many I wanted to support my community during covid and so started teaching 3 live classes per week, we had hundreds of people in each class and it was such a special experience but what I noted was the mood of everyone, we would chat before and after the classes and I realised how out of touch we all were from how we were truly feeling. So I wanted to create an app where we moved, meditated, journalled, and listened to playlists that were suited to the mood we were experiencing. Moodment is honest, it can help boost the mood you’re in or help you lean into a mood you’d like to be. It has an incredible community, yoga, hypnosis, workouts, 3 live workshops per month and daily and monthly challenges - with prizes, I am so inspired by what we have created.

GI: What was it like to run retreats across the world? Was there anywhere in particular that stuck out to you?

CR: Kilimanjaro, what an experience - the people that came on that retreat all still speak to this day. I started hosting retreats selfishly because I didn’t have friends that wanted to do what I wanted to do - so I decided to create them. I love being a personal trainer but real change comes when you take people out of their daily routine and show them what they’re capable of when there is like minded people and no distractions

GI: Sustainability is also something you talk about a lot, what actions do you take to stay sustainable?

CR: I know my daughter is not growing up in the world that I grew up in and it saddens me, I don’t know what future I or she has so we make simple steps everyday to try and leave as little footprint as possible. We focus around small steps, lights off, not leaving water running, any excess water use for the plants, recycling, reusing paper for arts and crafts. We swap clothes and toys, walk as often as we can and car share with friends. I also invested in Green Pixie, a company reducing cloud emissions worldwide.

GI: What is it like to balance it with a family and travelling - I saw that you travel in a converted van?

CR: We love travelling, memories and experiences are why I work so hard. Don’t get me wrong it’s not all epic playlists and amazing hikes, it takes more planning when you travel with children but it’s totally possible and so worth it - seeing the world through young eyes is such a beautiful reminder to be present.

GI: Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to speak about?

CR: We’re moving to Costa Rica, with a 4 year old, 9 year old dog and newborn - so stay tuned for the big adventure!