Only Human: Meet Zoe Chandler
As a mother of five in her late 30s, who had enjoyed a successful career across advertising and HR, Zoe Chandler wasn’t looking to start a business, but after discovering a love for weightlifting she is now changing dozens of lives every week.
Finding an unexpected passion
Zoe is the founder of Weights & Cakes, a community interest company (CIC) which offers a different way of training to those in the community who may not feel comfortable training in a mainstream gym. She founded the company after falling in love with Olympic weightlifting and seeing the barriers that some might face in taking part in sport.
“I wasn’t a sporty person whatsoever, I was never interested in sport, I kind of fell into the gym in my late 30s, totally by accident. I’ve got two children who are neurodiverse and I was having challenges with my mental health, somebody suggested that some strength training might help, and it absolutely did.
“I started training and absolutely loved it and went on to compete in a few strongman competitions. Then I discovered Olympic weightlifting. I loved the look of it. It’s showy, dramatic, but also so technical – there’s so much to it.
“I received coaching, learned how to do Olympic weightlifting and went on to become a weightlifting coach, personal trainer and youth coach myself.”
Barriers to doing what you love
Although Zoe’s love for her new found passion was strong, she was continually witnessing people face challenges that were preventing them from accessing training and realising its many benefits.
“I have two kids that are neurodiverse, you can’t take them to gyms with you when they flap and spin because people stop, look and stare. I decided that I was going to set up my own gym, and it was going to have a sensory room and a space where, if you flap and spin, hang from the bars, need sensory equipment or a time out, it’s absolutely fine.
“That’s how Weights & Cakes was formed. The name came from a class that I used to run in a car park in Ryhope. We did a fitness session for an hour and afterwards we’d all sit behind and have a chat, and one day somebody brought cake along. I thought it was perfect!
“You do your weightlifting, you have a cake, a bit of a chat and put the world to rights. It built a little community of people who were really supportive of each other. Although, we don’t have cake after every session now!”
Celebrating what people can do
Since setting up the business in 2021, what started as a simple idea has grown into a community that is changing the lives of people of all ages and now operates out of a multi-level site in Southwick.
Zoe’s company has developed an expertise in providing sessions for people who might not feel like gyms are for them.
“We don’t work with your normal gym bros, it’s not booty shorts and topless men, it’s parents whose kids have special educational needs, people who are neurodiverse, young people who are finding things tough and need a little help and encouragement, or people who just feel normal gyms aren’t for them.”
Seeing real life results
The environment Zoe has created is having tangible impacts on people’s mental and physical wellbeing.
“A lot of young people come here who have had issues and are lacking confidence, thinking they can’t do things. We meet them where they’re at, deliver sessions in a way that they can learn and get the most from them. We’ve seen it bring people back into education or engage with services they previously wouldn’t have.
“We do a class for over 55s and there’s a member who’s 80 who can now get on and off the sofa without a stick, she can reach to the top cupboard in her kitchen because we’ve improved her shoulder mobility. Little things like that just means that she’ll be able to be independent for a little bit longer.
“We also see people feeling less isolated, they all make friends and build a little network of people around them that are like them and that are going through similar stuff. We also do a lot of stuff outside of the gym like socialising and going for coffee and cake.”
Driven by impact
More than anything else, making an impact on people’s lives and providing the means for people to make positive change continues to drive Zoe to keep growing Weights & Cakes’ offering.
“I absolutely adore my sport, it gives me such positivity in my life that I just want to share that with other people. I’m really passionate about our young people and we work with a lot of teenagers who are out of education. One part of the business we’re expanding into is building an alternative provision.
“We get a lot of kids that come here, who are nearly always neurodiverse, but as teenagers they’ve already been written off by society. My big passion is giving them skills and growing their confidence so that they can get some qualifications, do some work experience and learn different skills so they can go into the workplace or continue in education.
“It’s making a difference to people’s lives, that’s what really drives me. If we can make that little change, support a family in their educational or health journey, help them get in touch with the right services, or support them after a school breakdown, it’s so worthwhile.”
Much more than a gym
As Weights & Cakes has grown, the provision it can offer has also hugely expanded. The company now also has an onsite counsellor, an IT suite so people can access computers, a podcast studio and a community kitchen.
These facilities allow it to run youth clubs, mother and baby classes, nutrition advice, cookery sessions, classes on how to eat healthy on a budget, Pilates and yoga, on top of its core sport and weightlifting offering.
“I’m an Olympic weightlifting coach, so when I started out that’s what I wanted to do. But as we were getting people through the door I realised there was so much more that was needed.
“For example, some of our young people were on the list for counselling, we managed to bring in an on-site counsellor to help with that. It has become a huge community hub, rather than just a weightlifting gym.”
More to come
Working with five coaches, Zoe has recently taken on another unit in Southwick, significantly increasing capacity. This means that Weights and Cakes will be growing significantly over the coming months and creating new jobs along the way.
Zoe has also launched another organisation alongside Dave Hembrough, Head coach at Mettle, The Applied Learning Network, which is helping other strength clubs across the UK become more sustainable, with a focus on social outcomes, meaning the Weights and Cakes ethos will spread nationwide.
Want to connect with Zoe?
Connect with Zoe on LinkedIn, or visit the Weights & Cakes website to find out more.