Meet NHFA’s Regional Head Coaches: Strengthening Practical Education Across Australia

Practical education is at the heart of how NHFA prepares students for careers in the fitness industry.

As NHFA continues to grow across Australia, so does the importance of maintaining a consistently high standard of practical training across every campus.

To support that growth, NHFA has introduced a team of Regional Head Coaches who will play an important role in strengthening the quality and consistency of practical workshops across the country.

Working closely with NHFA coaches, campus teams and students, the Regional Head Coaches will help ensure practical sessions continue to meet a high standard while supporting students to develop the skills, confidence and professional approach required to enter the fitness industry.

It’s another step in NHFA’s ongoing focus on making practical education a meaningful part of the student experience – not simply an addition to online learning.

Taking Practical Training to the Next Level

There is a significant difference between learning about fitness and learning how to coach.

Understanding exercise science, programming principles and client management provides an important knowledge base. But becoming a capable fitness professional also requires the opportunity to practise those skills.

That is where practical workshops play an important role.

NHFA students have the opportunity to work through coaching scenarios, practise techniques, communicate with others and apply what they’re learning in a practical environment.

The Regional Head Coach structure is designed to strengthen that experience as NHFA continues to expand.

Each Regional Head Coach is responsible for supporting the coaches in their area, helping maintain workshop quality and working closely with campuses to ensure students are progressing through their practical education at a high standard.

They will also play an important role in helping students become more prepared for the realities of working in the fitness industry.

This means the role extends beyond overseeing a timetable of workshops.

It’s about creating consistency, supporting coaches and making sure students receive a practical education that prepares them for what comes next.

Regional Expertise, National Standards

NHFA operates across a growing network of campuses throughout Australia. Each location has its own students, coaches and local environment. Maintaining a consistent standard across that network requires strong communication and experienced people who understand both education and the fitness industry.

The Regional Head Coaches provide that connection. They work within their respective regions while helping ensure the expectations around practical training remain consistent.

This creates a stronger link between NHFA’s national education standards and what students experience at their local campus. It also gives coaches another level of support.

Rather than operating independently, coaches have experienced leaders they can work with to review workshop delivery, share ideas and continue developing their own coaching approach.

For students, that structure provides another layer of support throughout their practical education.

Queensland: Building Stronger Coaching Across the Region

Nathan Flynn – Queensland North

Nathan Flynn has been a key coach for NHFA on the Sunshine Coast, where he has consistently received strong feedback from students.

His experience and approach to practical coaching have established him as one of NHFA’s leading coaches, making him well positioned to take on responsibility across a broader region.

As Regional Head Coach for Queensland North, Nathan will support coaches and campuses across Northern Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

His role will involve maintaining workshop standards, supporting coaches and helping students develop the practical skills required to enter the industry with confidence.

Mark Robinson – Queensland South

Mark Robinson joined NHFA earlier this year and has quickly demonstrated a strong commitment to the standards expected from NHFA practical sessions.

A qualified dietitian as well as an experienced and successful Personal Trainer, Mark brings a broad professional perspective to his role.

As Regional Head Coach for Queensland South, he will help support the coaches and students across the region, with a particular focus on maintaining high standards in practical education and helping students develop into capable fitness professionals.

His experience across both nutrition and personal training also brings valuable industry perspective to the role.

New South Wales: Experience in Education and Industry

Ben Kiner – New South Wales

Ben Kiner brings extensive experience as both a Personal Trainer and an educator to his role as Regional Head Coach for New South Wales.

Ben has developed a reputation for setting high standards for students and helping them work towards those standards throughout their practical education. With a large network of campuses and coaches across NSW, his role will be important in maintaining consistency across the region while supporting coaches and students as they progress through their training.

His combination of industry experience and education expertise provides a strong foundation for helping students understand not just what they need to learn, but how that knowledge needs to translate into professional practice.

Victoria: Continuing to Strengthen Practical Standards

Craig Bothwell – Victoria

Craig Bothwell has served as NHFA’s Regional Head Coach for Victoria for most of this year and has already made a significant contribution to the region.

His role involves supporting Victorian coaches to maintain a high standard of practical delivery while working closely with club managers and Personal Training Managers at NHFA campus locations.

That connection between education and the fitness clubs where practical training takes place is particularly valuable.

It allows NHFA to maintain close communication with the people involved in the campus environment while ensuring coaches and students remain aligned with the standards expected of them.

Blake Roe – Victoria

Blake Roe is joining the Regional Head Coach team in Victoria to work alongside Craig, with a particular focus on students and campus locations. His role will help strengthen oversight of student progress, ensuring students remain up to date with their course requirements and continue completing their practical training to a high standard.

Together, Craig and Blake will provide additional support across the Victorian network, combining coach development, campus coordination and student support.

South Australia and Western Australia: Supporting a Growing Region

Joe Smith – South Australia & Western Australia

Joe Smith has been an NHFA coach in South Australia since 2024 and has played an important role in developing students into capable Personal Trainers.

The growth of the South Australian program reflects that work, with NHFA now running two Saturday classes from its North Adelaide campus.

Joe brings significant industry experience to his Regional Head Coach role. He has worked as a business owner and as a Personal Training Manager across multiple Goodlife clubs, giving him a strong understanding of both coaching and the business environment surrounding Personal Training.

As Regional Head Coach for South Australia and Western Australia, Joe will support the Adelaide campuses while also helping oversee NHFA’s growing presence in Perth. His combination of coaching, management and business experience will provide valuable support as the region continues to develop.

Strengthening Practical Education Across NHFA

For students, the Regional Head Coach structure is ultimately about strengthening the quality and consistency of their practical experience.

A practical workshop should be more than a session students attend and complete. It should be an opportunity to practise coaching, ask questions, receive feedback, refine technique and build confidence applying what they’ve learned in a real training environment.

These sessions also help develop professional skills that can’t be learned from theory alone – communication, adaptability, professionalism and the ability to work with different people and respond to their needs.

Experienced coaches play an important role in creating that environment. They can demonstrate what effective coaching looks like, challenge students to improve and provide feedback that helps turn knowledge into practical capability.

As NHFA continues to grow across Australia, maintaining that standard across every campus becomes increasingly important. Regional Head Coaches provide an additional layer of leadership across the coaching network, supporting coaches, working closely with campus teams and helping ensure students remain on track throughout their practical education.

The result is a stronger connection between students, coaches and campuses, with a shared focus on preparing graduates for the realities of the fitness industry. Because practical education isn’t simply about knowing what to do. It’s about developing the confidence and capability to do it well.

Final Thoughts

The introduction of NHFA’s Regional Head Coaches represents another step in strengthening the practical education experience across Australia.

With experienced industry professionals now supporting coaches, campuses and students across each region, NHFA is creating greater structure around the delivery and quality of its practical workshops.

For students, that means another layer of support as they develop the skills and confidence required to move from qualification into the fitness industry.

Because practical education isn’t simply about learning how to perform an exercise.

It’s about learning how to coach, communicate, adapt and work with real people.

And as NHFA continues to grow, we’re committed to making sure our practical education grows with it.