Active Nation: A Self-Paced Gym for Building the Coast’s Strongest Women

Calling all women on the Central Coast – join your fellow femmes in reaching your physical potential.

Dana Pendrick

Gyms can be a nerve-wracking experience, but it shouldn’t be a reason to shy away from exercise. Many of us seek a space that welcomes newcomers with open arms, caters for varying levels of fitness, and considers the individual needs of clients.

Lucky for us ladies, all of these things can be found at Active Nation. It’s one of the only female-led gyms that is exclusively dedicated to strength training for women on the Central Coast.

“Our biggest focus is creating strong, confident women,” owner Kirra Powe told Coasties Magazine.

“For years, I was coaching functional training, fast group fitness classes and I noticed people training in a way that wasn’t beneficial for them. This was leading to injuries, eating disorders and chronic dieting. There was a big gap in the industry for women.

“At Active Nation, we slow down the training process and focus on form. We don’t jump around and do fast movements with too much impact. Strength training is very low impact, and we are a self-paced gym with no timers.

“We encourage our ladies to leave any ego, comparison and judgement at the door.” This has empowered the gym to become a criticism-free haven to support the growth of its members.

During the group-based sessions, there is no blanket rule on how to approach the routine. Everyone is encouraged to go at their own-pace and commit to the movements that will benefit them, especially if they have injuries to consider.

Kirra runs classes seven days a week, morning and night, with the help of two trainers whilst hosting personal training sessions in between. She also devises structured programs on an app so that members can follow their individual progress and achieve their goals.

“We do lower and upper body sessions and one cardio day. Saturdays are fun because everyone goes to breakfast after and I swear that’s the only reason they come,” she said in jest.

“I promote a balanced lifestyle. I tell ladies to rest, train and eat a muffin after training, if they want, because why not? Life is stressful enough without worrying too much about food.”

If there’s anything that Kirra knows well, it’s being able to overcome stress and personal battles to be the best version of yourself.

After enduring years of bullying at school and facing mental health challenges, including eating disorders, throughout her youth, she found passion in an activity she once despised – sport.

A subsequent move to Brisbane in 2017 saw her thrive in the fitness industry as she continued to build a successful career – now spanning 15 years – as a personal trainer and gym manager.

Although a lost job opportunity due to Covid saw her re-establish life on the Central Coast two years ago, it was the silver lining that led to the start of Active Nation. Kirra trained solo before generating a small following of former loyal clients.

Then, they started bringing friends along and eventually her family jumped on board. Now she coaches about 70 women – and counting – between the ages of 18 and 65.

“The way it started was very organic. I never sat down and thought I wanted a business, but I’ve always wanted a pink gym since I was 19. Now, it’s happened,” Kirra said.

“The excitement that people get lights me up. It’s really rewarding. They inspire me so much.

“That’s the community we’ve got here.”

Active Nation is in Erina and is easy to spot with its invigorating, iconic bubblegum pink feature wall. Sign up for a free six-day trial on their website or via their Instagram.