Redefining What Leadership Looks Like

In an industry that celebrates strength, few embody it in every sense quite like Katerina Pizzorusso. Her career is a masterclass in evolution: from Personal Trainer to acclaimed Personal Training Manager, to Clinical Nutritionist, educator, and mentor shaping the next generation of health professionals.

From the Gym Floor to Leadership

Katerina’s journey began humbly on the gym floor at Genesis Flinders Street in 2010. With a focus on results, relationships, and relentless curiosity, she built a client base that thrived on trust and transformation. Within two years, she stepped into ownership, launching her own personal training business under the Fitness First banner — the beginning of nearly a decade as an Independent Business Owner dedicated to improving lives through movement, nutrition, and education.

The flexibility of being a Personal Trainer allowed Katerina to study a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutritional Medicine and become a Clinical Nutritionist while continuing to train clients. This career also gave her the freedom to pursue her dream as a bodybuilding athlete, where she proudly won multiple titles, including the WFF Universe Title in the Figure Open Division, representing Australia in Vienna, Austria.

Most importantly, this industry gave her the balance to become a mum while still doing what she loves, helping others live healthier, stronger lives.

By 2021, Katerina’s expertise and vision saw her appointed Personal Training Manager at Fitness First Victoria, overseeing multiple clubs and leading a team of 18 trainers. What followed was a period of exponential growth — a 74.9% increase in PT revenue at Glen Waverley within two years — but also something far less measurable: a team culture built on belief, empathy, and performance.

Leading with Excellence and Empathy

Katerina’s leadership style is distinctive. She combines a results-driven mindset with a deep understanding of human behaviour, a balance forged through her dual background in health science, nutrition, and applied linguistics. To her, great leadership isn’t about control; it’s about connection.

Colleagues describe her as a “force of excellence and empathy” — a leader who doesn’t just drive KPIs but nurtures potential. Under her guidance, trainers didn’t just become better professionals; they became better communicators, coaches, and business owners. It’s why she was recognised as Personal Training Manager of the Quarter three times in 2024, and as a valued member of FLG’s recognised leadership team.

Scaling Her Impact — Head of PT Operations, AFC PT

Today, as Head of PT Operations with AFC PT, Katerina brings her trademark blend of strategic leadership and human-centred mentorship to the everyday development of coaches and club teams, creating environments where people feel supported to perform at their best.

In this role, she leads the operational direction of the group’s growing network of Personal Trainers across Victoria, building the systems, culture, and education frameworks that empower coaches to run successful, sustainable businesses inside multi-million-dollar AFC Anytime Fitness clubs.

Through structured mentoring, business development pathways, and performance systems, she’s helping shape the next generation of fitness leaders, turning trainers into entrepreneurs, and clubs into ecosystems of growth.

Educator, Mentor, Advocate

Beyond the club, Katerina has channelled her experience into education and public health. As a mentor and course facilitator, she teaches fitness students how to bridge the gap between certification and career, blending the science of health with the art of leadership. Her seminars on nutrition, chronic disease management, and emotional eating have helped countless aspiring coaches adopt a more holistic, client-centred approach.

Her advocacy extends to preventative health and community wellbeing, drawing on her clinical nutrition background to design evidence-based interventions that improve health literacy and chronic disease prevention across diverse populations.

What Her Story Teaches Us

Katerina’s pathway is proof that personal training can be a lifelong profession, and a launchpad into meaningful leadership. She has demonstrated that success in fitness isn’t confined to sessions and sales; it’s about building teams, driving impact, and leaving every client, coach, and community stronger than before.

For those starting their journey, or ready to take the next step, Katerina’s story is a powerful reminder:

Leadership in fitness isn’t just about being the best in the room — it’s about bringing out the best in everyone around you.

‍