Getting to know Felicity Cole

An Endurance Sports Obsession Story

I’ve always found inspiration and been driven by endurance sport.

The nature of endurance sport has taught me many valuable lessons and given me the strength and resilience to believe I can get through anything.

I have a passion and excitement for exploring the infinite possibilities of the human body.

The way that we move and behave and all the things that can make us into stronger and more resilient humans fascinates me.  My intention as a coach is to help you do all the things you thought you couldn’t do, the things you were told you couldn’t do and all the things that you’d love to do.

I want to help you to move better and to feel incredible.  I want to inspire you to have a strong body and a strong mind.  I want you to move with grace and athleticism in a body that is free of pain and niggles and looks amazing too (because don’t we all want a bit of that).  I want to empower you to do all the things you want to do. I want you to feel that your body is capable of any challenge that you want to throw at it.

I’ve been personal training, coaching and teaching groups for over 20 years.  My passion to help others feel the benefits of movement and to have a strong body comes from my own journey of fitness and sport.  Being fit and strong has given me confidence and belief in myself like nothing else. Being strong in my body has made me strong in my mind.  I know I can take on any challenge, discomfort, life event or injury and come out the other side more capable and resilient.

As a lifelong athlete, I've developed a strong understanding of movement and strength.  I’ve competed in cross country running, road running, triathlon, duathlon, Hybrid sports like Hyrox, fitness competitions, many other running, cycling and endurance events and a bodybuilding competition.  Alongside this I’ve resistance trained continuously since the age of 19 (24 years).

Pushing the limits of human potential excites me (sometimes to my detriment!) and competition and testing my body to its physical and mental limits is definitely my jam.

My own personal journey as an athlete, as someone working on healing injuries and imbalances in my body, as someone learning a new skill, as someone just wanting to be better has allowed me to develop a deep passion for my role as a trainer and coach and given me empathy towards all of my clients no matter what their starting point or goal may be.

As an athlete I understand the physical and mental demands of training and all the highs, lows, lessons and sacrifices that come with it.  I know that we are all capable of way more than we think we are - your own potential is limitless and I want to help you achieve that.

I understand the mental game of getting through injuries, living with chronic pain and the feeling of your body ‘failing you’ and how much of the healing has to be in your head and your heart, whilst it happens in the body too.

For more on my story, check out this article.

Great things never come from comfort zones.

My intention as a coach is to help you to do the things you thought you couldn’t do, the things you were told you can’t do and all the things that you love.

My approach is to not live in a model of fragility but come from a place of strength and grit.  Grit is the ability to demonstrate resilience when everything is piling up against you. Grit is passion and persistence and we only increase grit through deliberate practice.  Put the effort in to get strong and resilient in body and mind and you have limitless potential.

It is through our failures, struggles and obstacles along our unique journey where we learn and grow the most.

I view life as an opportunity to explore what is possible and to seek out things that scare and excite you.  This is what makes us feel alive.  

If your goal is performance, you’re training for a specific sport or event, my goal is to maximise your skill, efficiency, fitness and performance potential through progressive skill and strength development and focused training cycles to get you to your sporting and training targets at minimal costs to your health.

If your goal is optimum health and building a strong, lean body my goal is to make you a well rounded, resilient athlete/human with athleticism, strength, flexibility, agility and ability to recover.  I want to create a body you love to live in, you respect and appreciate what it can do.

If your goal is injury/pain rehab the first step is reassuring you of the understanding that the body wants to heal, if we give it the tools (sleep, movement, nutrition, strength work, purpose, connection, etc) and the time, it will heal and FAST.

Most often in my experience injury is either the result of postural imbalances (pelvic and rib cage positioning), a change in breathing patterns that have accumulated over the years either through lifestyle or playing a specific sport (same movement patterns repeated continuously) and unresolved traumas.  Through restoring balance, alignment and function in the body as a whole and building a resilient mindset the pain and injury are soon gone.

For more on my philosophy and approach to training, check out this article.

You love running, cycling, triathlon or other endurance, hybrid and adventure sports, you buzz off the miles or those sweat inducing, breathing out your eyeballs kind of sessions that leave you on a high.  You know that doing some strength and conditioning work will help you get faster and prevent injury but you already do a lot of sessions and don’t want to give up your cardio work so are a bit unsure of where to start or how to fit in strength work to make the most of your time.

Maybe you are injured and have been told you “must rest”, you “can’t do…..” but you want to know what you CAN do to help yourself get better.

Maybe you have been out with injury or surgery and are struggling to make a full comeback, you feel your performance is a way off what you think it could be but are not sure where to pick up training without setting yourself back.

You want to reach the next level in your sport/event or take on an epic adventure and you need some direction and strategy.

Or maybe you are starting to notice the potential effects of burnout and overtraining, you’re not recovering between sessions, your performance is dropping, other areas of your health are starting to suffer.  The harder you try the worse you feel, you feel stuck and don’t know what to do to turn it around, resting just isn’t an option.

My own journey of working on understanding the pain and imbalances in my body and how to restore that function has lead my education and studies down many avenues to the point where I have a very comprehensive and varied background of knowledge.  I’m driven by a passion and desire to learn and explore all modalities of training and movement.

Continual learning from others and my own experience has ensured that I continue to adapt, evolve and open my mind to not only help myself but also in turn to help others.

Amongst the hundreds of courses, lectures and books that I’ve studied over the last 20+ years (you can see a list below) there are a few courses and individuals that really stand out for me because they look at things in a different way and have influenced my thought process most:

• Alex Viada Complete Human Performance

• Ben House’s Functional Medicine, Nutrition and Strength and Conditioning ‘Retreat’ in Costa Rica

• Stop Chasing Pain - Perry Nickelston

• PRI (Postural Restoration Institute)

• Katie St Clair

• Katy Bowman

• Seth Oberst

• Gary Ward

• Dec 2019 - PRI Postural Respiration

• Nov 2019 - PRI Pelvis Restoration

• Jan 2019 - FRC® (Functional Range Conditioning) Mobility Specialist (FRCms) certification

• Dec 2018 - Flex Diet Cert - Dr Mike T Nelson

• Apr 2017 - PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) Postural Integration for Fitness & Movement

• Jan 2017 - FLY (Frog Lotus Yoga) 200hr Yoga Teacher Training

• Aug 2015 - STOTT Pilates Reformer

• May 2015 - STOTT Pilates Mat Plus

• 2015 to 2018 - ISSN Diploma in Applied Sports & Exercise Nutrition

• Oct 2013 - Anatomy in Motion (AIM) Level 1

• Jul 2013 - FASTER Advanced Functional Trainer

• Sep 2009 - FASTER Advanced Functional Trainer

• Aug 2003 - Premier Diploma in Personal Training and Sports Therapy

Continued Education & Learning

• March 2023 - Complete Human Performance Hybrid Master Course

• Sept 2022 - Shift Adapt - Art of Breath, Skill of Stress, Neuro Nidra

• Aug 2021 - XPT Performance Breathing Certification

• Aug 2021 - Perry Nickelston, Stop Chasing Pain Lymph Mojo

• Aug 2020 - Jessica Maguire Vagus Nerve

• June 2020 - Katie St Clair Empowered Performance

• June 2020 - Gary Ward Finding Centre Closed Chain Biomechanics of the Lower Limb

• July 2019 to Nov 2020 - Pat Davidson Power Hour

• Mar 2019 - Functional Medicine, Nutrition, Strength & Conditioning Costa Rica

• Jun 2018 - Primal Movement Chains Weekend - Stop Chasing Pain

• May 2018 - HRV solution - Mike T Nelson 

• Mar 2018 - Functional Medicine, Nutrition, Strength & Conditioning Costa Rica

• Feb 2018 - Mark Coles Business Seminar

• Jan-Mar 2018 - Chase Life Mentorship 

• Sep 2017 - Wild Food Cafe Weekend Retreat

• Sep 2017 - Mark Coles Physique Camp

• Jul 2017 - Dean Somerset Shoulder & Hip Blueprint 

• May 2016 to July 2017 - Body Development Mentorship

• May 2016 - Business of Fitness Summit

• Apr 2016 - Post Rehab Essentials Dean Somerset 

• Jan 2016 - Handstand Workshop

• Oct 2015 - Chris Kresser Seminar 

• Dec 2014 - Biocare Endocrine Course

• Sep 2014 - The Life Event

• Aug 2014 - Phil Learney Hypertrophy Course

• Jul 2014 - DNAFit Course

• Jul 2014 - ION Effective thyroid and adrenals 

• June 2014 - Reward3 Branding Workshop

• May 2014 - ISSN sports nutrition and performance enhancing supplements 

• Apr 2014 - Phil Learney Advanced Nutrition 

• Jan 2014 - USHOMI Winter Training Camp

• Nov 2013 - USHOMI Bulgarian bag instructor

• Sep 2013 - ISSN Sports Nutrition Conference 

• May 2013 - FASTER convention 

• Mar 2013 - FASTER Functional Olympic Lifting

• Mar 2013 - Premier TriPlanar Kettlebells

• Feb 2013 - Poliquin Biosignature Modulation 

• Feb 2013 - USHOMI Olympic Lifting

• Nov 2012 - ION Sports Nutrition short course

• Dec 2010 - Powerclub Training

• Sep 2009 - Multitrax Fitness Forum 

• Aug 2009 - Faster Advanced Functional Training 

• Nov 2008 - TRX Suspension trainer

• May 2008 - Juice Performance Kettlebell instructor 

• Oct 2005 - Neuro-Linguistic Programming Diploma Introduction

• Jun 2004 - Pole Dance Instructor 

• Mar 2004 - SAQ P-Award

• Feb 2004 - kick boxercise instructor

• Feb 2004 - boxercise instructor

• Sep 2003 - stability ball course

• Aug 2003 - circuit training

I love anything active outdoors, I can’t sit still and if you spend any time in my company I’ll probably drag you on a long exploratory hike, run or adventure before too long.

I live for adventure and I’m always seeking physical and mental challenges and experiences to continue to grow.

I love to run along the beach at sunrise and dance my heart away to housey vibes at sunset. I’m solar powered and good coffee and a big slice (or three) of homemade cake is my thing.

I value health, movement/training, travel, adventure, spending time outside in nature, good food, people you can get deep with and all the feels.

I believe everybody needs a coach or mentor at some stage in their life and for different areas throughout their journey.

All high performing and successful individuals have had a coach or mentor at some point. Good coaches are specialists in their subject, they’ve done the research, they’ve had the experience, they know how to get the best out of their ‘student’. They can help you identify and focus on what’s important and keep you accountable getting you to your desired outcome quicker.

Find out more about some of the coaches that have had a huge impact on me here.

Competing has been my life for as long as I can remember and my relationship with my competitor self has been a tough one. Check out my in-depth journey as a competitor here.

Some of my top races/adventures have been:

• Racing Hyrox Pro Women 2022-2023

• Hyrox Mixed Doubles European Champions 2022

• My first OCR race at probably the toughest in the world - Mikes Gym (1st place)

• Running the 140km GR221 across Mallorca, Sept 2020

• Maverick X TRIBE Run Free 22km Race Feb 2020, 2nd female

• Fan Dance, Brecon Beacons, 2nd, female, 5th overall (clean fatigue), completed under 3 hours

• PDG (Patrouille Des Glaciers) training 2015-2016 (race cancelled avalanche risk)

• Cycled London to Paris in 24 hours unsupported 2014

• Team GB Age Group Triathlon/Duathlon 2011-2014

• Etape du Tour 2012 - Act 2 - Pau to Bagneres-de-Luchon - top ten female finisher 

• Raced for OneTriathlonRDS 2010-2015

• Race Cross Country for Belgrave Harriers 2008-present

• Podium run race finishes

• Podium triathlon and duathlon finishes 2010-2015

• Venice Marathon 2:57hrs

• Body building comp 2005

Articles

Check out article about my journey, approach to training and more.

My Journey Timeline