Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all age. Welcome to the get up and
dad podcast. The show where we interview interesting parents doing interesting
things. This could be anything from a super duper
tech dad to busy business mommy blogger.
Today on the show we have the amazing Zara Dawson. Who is Zara Dawson? She is
competitive female bodybuilder, two times Northern Ireland competition winner,
she's a fitness biomechanics trainer, she has setup and run her own fitness
club but most importantly she's a mum. So Zara, thanks for joining us on the show.
Can you first of all start off by telling us how many kids you have and how
old are they? So I am the mum to one gorgeous little ginger princess.
She is called Amber and she is four years old.
Okay, I think I saw on your
profile you refer to her as a bit firey. She is, definitely. I know people say it comes, it's all
wee girls but definitely I think it's in the the redhead and there's definitely
like a crazy temperament. I have a redhead as well. Well, how's yours?
They can be angry. Very, very.
When your kids grow up, how do you want to tell them what you've done and what
you've done with your life? Well I know like myself I've, the last few years, been
very challenging you know so managing your own business and being a mom at the
same time and I think that like when Amber's older I'll be able to tell her that you
know that I worked very very hard to ensure that we got to the point that we
are at now and it's actually really kind of rewarding at times that Amber, now
with her being four that she's actually nearly in the understanding
that you go to work to make money or you know and that's why we have nice
nice things or you know that we've got you know a lovely home and she can have
nice clothes and I want her you know to truly appreciate that's everything
that we done was for her and even at times that you know she's maybe been
awk mummy, you know don't we go back to work again. Let's just stay with me
that I know that deep down she's saying look I know you have to go and you
know even though she only is four and I think with her having that mindset
now that when she gets a bit older she'll say look you
know, I know yous done what you did and that she will be
grateful for it. Yeah, I mean for me like I always kind of see that you
kind of have to lead by example because you have to make yourself happy as well
and show that to your kids so that when they grew up I mean they have to be
happy too. Yeah. That's important you know. I'd agree with you on that because
even, like, my actual past I actually graduated as environmental health
officer, not anything to do with fitness but I, you know what I mean, I wasn't actually
I thought I was thinking this is what I want to do you know and I think that's
you know as you're saying lead by example that when Amber grows up she'll be
like do you know what you changed and you're doing something that you're
really passionate about and yet was challenging but you did it for a
reason and it all panned out okay. Brilliant, and I mean how did that
transition happen from environmental health officer to fitness. Um started with
a degree environment health, got my first job - was working up in Newry and Mourne
district council, was there for a couple of years and during that
timeframe I started getting really into the gym and then that's when the
bodybuilding started to happen so while I was working I was an officer I was
like competing and loving being in the gym but then when I went off for
maternity leave with all the council's amalgamating together so they were
making the super councils and any temporary workers got let go and I
unfortunately was one of them and when I was all for her I'm
trying to leave I was like what am I going to do is I don't really want to go
back to environmental health. I don't want a nine-to-five job and at that
point I had done my Fitness Instructing in the year before and and I thought you
know I'm just gonna work in the gym. I'm gonna you know do a few hours
and you know means I'm gonna be at home more and and then I wasn't
expecting it to kind of kick off the way it did and I was very very fortunate
that my bodybuilding background kind of gave me the extra edge that we push that
all of a sudden I was just flat out and here I am for nearly four years later.
Brilliant, Brilliant. Can you kind of explain to me how that how that journey went
from bodybuilding to where you are now. I remember seeing
on one of your posts it was like year one. Yeah. What was that, how did that go?
Year one and was my husband actually, well it wasn't my husband at the time, took me
for a date and we went to the Ulster Hall to watch
one of the shows and I'm remember sitting in the audience thinkin what are these
people have got no clothes on but at the same time I was thinking that's amazing.
The following year we went to support a friend and Italy who was competing in
the same show but it was at the world level and that's when he proposed to me
then. Then the following year we're background in Northern Ireland and
I actually was competing and that's the first year that I won
and then we got married. Next thing you know 12 days later, we were having a
baby and it just kind of went quick so then I had her and then within nine
months later I was back on stage again and I regained my Northern Ireland
title. Where were we after that, I competed that whole year and it was a
hard year like I don't know I think it just felt like I wanted to prove it to
myself and I've done the few shows that year but she was small and then all of a
sudden I was like I'm done with this but lucky enough they kind of said they
actually like you know we'd really be interested in you coming aboard as a judge
so kind of the last few years I've been doing that. Awesome, brilliant. I'm like
what was it like going from yeah I mean when you're pregnant obviously your body
the way it goes I mean how difficult was it going from like from the first time
you want to the second time you may be one very to different experiences and
obviously like pre baby and your I was younger my body hadn't gone through as
much and even like things for like for a bodybuilding show it's about
obviously it's your physique, you know it's how you I well the bass that can be
and I had had a baby you know and my skin and everything had changed and you know
that, trying to get into the same shape again, even though my body had changed
was was so much harder but it was really strange because
I had never intended to compete again you know when she was I suppose she was
for six or seven months old. I kinda was my new found PT business
that like I started getting into really good shape really quickly but it was
because I had that on the sideline and it kinda just happened and I never, I
think that anyone who is trying to get into shape after having a baby it
wouldn't be as quicker as as natural as that because that was my job and that's
why I made it easier so any other lady who's maybe be thinking well how did you
do that so quick you know it was it was hard but I was doing you know exercise
and then my PT business on the side so there was like, I was doing
double and nearly which isn't normal or recommended really but yeah. I mean
no it's great to see because and for me get up and dad is almost like your
whole life changes in you have a baby but and you almost kind of lose
something but yeah for me get up and dad is kinda like you still want to keep
everything and still keep parts of yourself and it's great to see you've been able to do that.
Yeah I think people do lose identity very quickly you know so you have to like keep those wee
interests that you had and that's why I think I felt like I had something to prove to
myself and I'm glad I did it but it's behind me now. So what would you say is
your favourite get up and mum thing to do with the kids? What's the one
thing where you go you know what, tough day I'm away here. So what's funny, and
I look at my sister's one of those people who gets up when like
they're like right what are we doing? We're going for this big drive, we're doing
this and I go that actually just makes me tired thinking about that. We have
quite hectic lives, you know like I work long hours and unsociable ones and my
husband is self-employed as well so our house was very, you know, the business is
like a big drive, we actually just love how to do nothing you know so see on a
morning that I can say Amber is always asking right what are we doing today or
where am I going you know and she's checking to say well I'm going to
nursery today or I'm going to see nanny and I love being able to say nothing.
It's just me and you and she'd be like you know what are we going to do and I
love just being able to not have to rush out the door you know just to be able to
sit in our jammies you know and I can
sit with my coffee I me and her can sit and snuggle on the sofa while she's
watching one of her youtube channels that she's addicted to and I love that
and then if we think well she she loves going swimming
you know wee things like that, nothing too far away just kind of staying
round the house. Just spending like good quality time with like
the stressful push of having it right you know. I know it can be stressful
sometimes just trying to get somewhere on queues just this is put me over the
edge. So what are you highly interested in right now? What are you,
what's kind of interesting you're right now with like hobbies or business? Hobbies,
business, life, kids, anything. You know what, like it's really sad that I don't
actually really have any other hobbies apart from kind of work and like family.
There's never really a smooth there's not really a lot of time and to kind of
fit anything else in. I'm quite like simple that I just quite like the
relaxing side of things but with myself is that, I have through my whole like
fitness journey and with work and that going from the bodybuilding side of
things to where I am now, what I would be interested in mostly in is like keeping
myself fit and mobile you know. Being a bodybuilder I wasn't really that mobile
like you're really stiff and rigid. What do you mean mobile, trying to get out of the house? No, so like you lose your
flexibility. Okay. You know so we talk about how mobile body are around your
joints and like been able to comfortably do something with like something feeling
oh it's really tight. So I have like my body's changed and yeah I'm not in
the same good shape that I was in then, but I feel so much better and that would
be a real interest of me and I love that's why I went and done the
biomechanics diploma and clear because it's all like assessment of your
shoulders, hips, knees and feet and it's made me, like it's kind of like rebirthed
my ideas. Well what is exercise again what is movement and I'm always
sitting thinking of weird and quirky ways that like I can get people moving
without realising and that they're actually helping themselves, you know,
it's like a more fun way to do things. What do you mean like the getting them
to exercise without exercising? Yeah like you know like it's silly
things like you know getting them to rotate in a certain way or picking up
a ball and move it to certain places and they'll be like what's this doing it's like
well you're using all the functional movements that you would during the day
like you know when you're reaching into a cupboard or doing this and it's
those kind of things that we should be doing you know so before when I was doing
body building you were doing, you know, strict movements in a pattern that
probably doesn't mimic everyday life, you know, if you're pressing something up
above your head constantly that's not really what you do every day you kind of
maybe do this or across the way so it's kind of those things are really
interesting me at the moment and that I've got big plans and the next six
months of how I'm gonna bring that all in. So what do you think you've
learned from what you've been doing, how you're gonna teach your kids or what
have you learnt from what you do and that you really want to teach your kids?
And this could be a business perspective, body building perspective, you know,
anything I think is a chat to you on like kind of like a healthy perspective
or so going on what I was already touching about, you know, body building is
a certain mindset and and I'm not, that's not my focus anymore and I said because
I'm working with people you know on a daily basis, a lot of them are parents
and you hear by different and situations they're going through were like you know their
children are worried about their weight or you know cause maybe they're
you know, they're more on the obease side of and the spectrum or the other side
and it's actually really sad you know and I'm sitting thinking like is that
like I don't remember being like that when I was that young and I
Cause Amber like knows that I work in a gym and like sometimes she's got to
come in the odd time you know she came in with daddy and she's got to sit and
pick something up and she's starting to understand, you know, what
exercise is and I'd be like right come on Amber, we're going to do some squats
and I want her to have that in her head that like being healthy is really
important and one funny thing that we have in our household is that like
we would squeeze each other in the hips and like, you know what, we call it
our fatties because I want her to you know feel comfortable that it's okay
to have like you know wee wobbly bits you know and just to be normal because
like a lot of, a lot of people are too much worried about their self-image
especially parents and if that's the role model for their children like
that's, that worries me so I'm kind of so I want I'm just trying to teach her that
and she can have fun you know with me doing exercise and that hopefully that
she's gonna follow and behind me and do the same and not like take it too
seriously. I don't - I'm not saying I would never promote
bodybuilding because I do because I love it but I would rather her, you know, think
the way I'm thinking now, that like movement is for just like function
and that daily life you know making sure that you're fit and healthy. See in
terms, would you find that a lot of parents, you would find yourself talking about
that to a lot of parents. Do you know it's probably - Especially if they're clients maybe
that you're working with. I would never like if the client is confiding to me
about like their own children, I probably wouldn't comment on it because I
don't feel like it's maybe my position to because I'm not like trained in
that kind area and because that would be like a big nutrition side but what I do
find is that a lot of parents are sending to me is there anything that my kids could
do? Could they come to this class? Or could they, you know, do you know of
anything at in their age range in the area? And there's really not, yes kids do
exercise in school but obviously once they get up to a certain age drops off.
These age range of kids, are they maybe younger kids or maybe older like 11
plus? Probably 11 to 16, that really, really kind of hard time when
things change because you know they start to head teens and they don't
really care. I know my nephew over in England like my sister is like he just
doesn't want to do and I think I've tried everything you know he just wants
to sit and sit in the floor playinh Lego or on his iPad and like I'm sure you know
yourself like when we were that age it's like you're out running around you know and
we don't have thatnow and there doesn't seem to be enough for kids to do.
I know there is teams and like football clubs but
maybe a lot of kids don't fit into that you know and I have so now I like I'm
actually getting a lot of mums bringing their teenagers with them and
they're doing it together and it's lovely to say because they're actually
encouraging each other or it actually sometimes there's been some of the elder
teenagers said look I'm coming and I really want to get mum in you know so
it's actually the young ones bringing the older ones in which is just
fantastic. Brilliant, so what age groups would you be working with then? Well
primarily like my my normal clientele would range from 18 up to about 50
but I do have some plans coming ahead that that will be incorporating
a slightly younger age range and from that 11 to 16 bracket. Okay brilliant, and
you know you really busy, you know, you've obviously did loads and you're still
working away. I mean how do you find getting
that mum/work balance? Well it's definitely a lot better than it
used to be. So starting off you know with my own business was like any,
I think, new business. You're really busy and you're putting every hour you can into
it because you want it to be a success and definitely the balance wouldn't have
been there at the beginning. Because I've been you know what nearly four
years at this, I'm in a better position now that I can actually go you know I'm not
saying yes to anymore I'm gonna have that day so I'm I'm fortunate and that
is one of the good things about being self-employed that I'm not stuck to
Monday 9:00 to 5:00 that, yes I do maybe a couple of 12-hour shifts in the week
but that means that I can actually have a full day off with Amber, you know, and
that's great because then I actually don't feel as guilty and not that you
should feel guilty about running your own business because you have to do what
you have to do to support the family but I am actually able to take that
little bit of time if they need to even with the flexibility on schedule like
I could just move clients about and take it we have an extra time for
neither to but and the balance isn't always there and yes with my hours being
slightly unsociable. Like I am out. I work 3, 3 late at night so to maybe
8 or 9 and Amber would be long sleepin and that is tough and but I know
there's people here a lot worse off for you know doing longer shifts.
I mean I'd be in similar situation yourself or I'm where everything is kind
of moved around in a way it would maybe be filming in the evening I'm gonna
maybe take during a day off or just take a fall day off and again sometimes there's
full weeks where I'm doing twelve hour shifts sometimes but I think, for me, I think
it would be more difficult if I was working 9 to 5 and trying to
organise stuff. I just think that would be harder as such and I think it's easier. Maybe there's
just maybe there's a balance. Maybe cause I've never done it before. Yeah but even like I
sit and think like people who do work 9:00 to 5:00 Monday to Friday , like it's
easier, say if I have like an appointment for myself I can kind of fit that in I'm not have to do
that on a Saturday when I'm with amber so people who don't have that luxury
there's so much more to fit in you know on their day off which is probably more
stressful or you know they can't maybe get as much done so they're definitely
the balance is there but it's kind of just a wee bit all over the show. I
know I know. So you've been doing what you're doing now for how
many years? It's coming up to four. Four years. So during that time what have
you found difficult especially with becoming a mum? There would be a couple of difficulties. I would say the first
one's probably taken time off. So I suppose that comes into the whole balance thing
but when you know you're when you're self-employed
nobody's kinda paying you to take time off and also it's more like you feel
like you have a duty to your customers you know so it's like I, you know, if I say
I'm taking a few days they're like what am I gonna do it like where am I meant to go? So you're like
well sure I'll come in for a couple of hours you know and you do do that and
like that kinda repetitiveness, you know, that pattern has kind of been going on
the last few years and so that will be one kind of difficulty and the other
would be sometimes doubting. I was like why am I doing this you know like would
Amber be better if I did just go back to environment health you know like.
Like would she be better off I was just there every day and
it's having those wee doubts thinking why am I doing this you know is you know
am I doing right by her all the time but I'm kinda, I'm glad that I've persevered
with it because if you stop at what your passion is then you're not going to
be overly unhappy you know your other job and your happiness is your mental
health and I think that's really important as a parent like if I'm
not feeling strong in my mind that's gonna you know come into my household
and Amber's gonna feel that so for her to see that I'm passionate and have a
drive about what I'm doing I think that's you know, a much better way to
be. Yeah exactly. I completely agree with you.I mean you have to look after
yourself and you have to show them that you're looking after yourself so that
they will do the same whenever you kind of let them go so it's all, for me, it's
all about leading example. I mean when you say you took time in terms of you
taking time off are you talking about your maternity? Oh no, I mean like you know
holidays and stuff. Oh right okay. I know, yeah I get it, you see trying to take time off you're always
sitting there at the edge going, especially when you're self-employed, do I, you're
trying not to check your email and stuff and you're getting messages with people
on you're maybe thinking I can sort this out in five minutes but sometimes
you just have to shut down and just say stuff it like. Sure see even at nighttime I'm still
gonna check and I'm just checking this too and this it's like I just have to
keep putting my phone away as I right we can't do this just relax.
Yeah sometimes it's hard to just relax and just shut down, It's just
hard just the turn off. I know. What can you do when you love it you
know. So it's 2019. What what would you tell yourself pre mum with the
experience you have now? It's gonna be really challenging and I don't think
anyone kind of gears you up enough or like I don't think you really understand
what parenting and being, having your own business will look like. It's definitely
been a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. Amber has been a
challenging child and it is that hair but then a lot of it is
like a wee joke. It's like it's myself and my husband because before we've got two
strong personalities and she's just a mini version of us amplified but
I think as I was saying there like you know the difficulties and sitting thinking
that am i doing the right thing, there was a time there that I thought, I was like,
I don't know if I can do this anymore but I had got to a point in the
journey that I thought no I was like this has to change it's like I'm
like slogging my guts here and I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere or it's
not getting any easier. It's like I can't be doing this for the next few years but if
somebody had a said to me like you know what just keep sticking at it and you know
and I'm so glad that I did and as I was saying I do have some plans ahead and but
I don't think anyone can really, like, I don't think because everything, every
journey is gonna be different and every like every child is gonna be different, I
think that's one thing as wrong was that like before you have kids you think it's
gonna be like this or you've watched other people and and their kids are like
that and then when you do have your own you're going well why are yours like that?
Like my Amber doesn't do that. My Amber's like this and there's so much you know
and that's all those comparisons but everyone's situation is different.
Like nobody, like me and my husband are both self-employed so my friend you
know he's got a child the same age like maybe they're not self-employed so
they're, you know, their environments can be different so their routines gonna be
different and what you think is normal is again different so I don't
think - I don't know what advice I'd really give myself pre mum because it's just
just. Just stick at it. Yeah it's gonna be a challenge and you just have to keep
believing that you're doing the right thing and as long as you know, if I
look at Amber, I know that she is good and healthy. She's really, really
intelligent, you know, all of our developments is perfect so we're doing
something right you know she's a really happy child so I'm like I think we've
definitely gone down the right path you know we're doing good by her.r Brilliant,
brilliant. So for you, what's what's the next big
thing? Yeah, okay. So I kind of was touching on it slightly and so the last
seven months I kind of had changed my business so I moved out of a big gym and
went into a private studio so I've been over in the Seagoe Hotel and you
know what, it's been brilliant and I needed that kind of wee boost because I
was sitting thinking I was at a point going I need to do something here so
expanded out and branching out on my own has been really, really fantastic but
then I'm the type of person that like I'm never sitting still. I'm
thinking well what can I do next? What's next? You know, and the next thing
did come along so I have just taken on and Drumgore Community Center just
in Craigavon and it's a fantastic building that I actually grew up in so
that was my childhood area and I am trying to create like a community kind
of family fitness center, okay. So at the moment, yes I'm quite restricted and that
I don't have a lot of space in the hotel and and yes there is some kids coming
with their parents but I want to kind of push that there a little further and
that parents will maybe be coming along I'm doing and like jujitsu or something
in the center or you know whatever it may be but I'm in a really good area
like you know there's so much residential area around here and there's
so many schools and I would love to really be able to reach out to them and
get more adults and kids coming through. So that's really - that's
actually gonna be - I'm opening next Monday. I have a wee launch night this Friday.
It's just I'm gonna have so much space and the opportunities there are
just amazing . So it's gonna be a busy few months I hope but definitely,
it's, for me, that was the end goal, this is like the dream, you know, for me to
have this so this is definitely - I'm so glad that I never gave up and that I kept
pushing and I kept pushing for what my passion was because now I'm getting to
that point where I'm gonna have, I'm gonna have it all and I'm gonna be able
to offer so many more services.
If you'd like to see any more of Zara's stuff head over to her Instagram.
Os there Facebook or anything? Just Unity Fitness and then the Instagram is Unity Fitness NI.
BNL Production produced this podcast so if you get head over and, you know, like them
too. So guys thanks for listening