Building Belle Vitale: Suzanne Haynes on Evolution, Wellness, and Women’s Spaces

Suzanne Haynes didn’t leave her structured career because it failed. She left because, quietly and persistently, her life no longer fit the person she was becoming.

For years, she built a successful path in the pharmaceutical industry while coaching fitness on the side. From the outside, everything looked right – stability, progression, certainty. But internally, something felt off. She noticed the same feeling in the women around her too: capable, intelligent, often in leadership roles, yet exhausted, stiff, low in energy, and unsure why the life they had worked so hard to build no longer felt fulfilling. It was a disconnect she recognised in herself long before she found the courage to name it.

In 2020, Suzanne qualified as a Personal Trainer and opened the doors to Suzanne Haynes Fitness from her garage in South Wales. It was never about rapid growth or scale – it was about meaning. Suzanne wanted to create a space where women could begin again without intimidation or judgement – somewhere they felt safe enough to try, to rebuild, to believe change was still possible.

What began as something small grew steadily through word of mouth. Women weren’t just coming for training – they were coming because something shifted. They felt stronger. More energised. More in control of their health – and, often, their lives.

As demand grew, it became clear this work could no longer stay contained within a garage.

Opening Belle Vitale Wellness, a full-time luxury female-only studio in Llanover, South Wales, in 2025, marked a defining turning point. It was a decision to fully back herself and to create a dedicated environment where women could reconnect with their bodies, confidence, and sense of possibility.

Today, Belle Vitale Wellness is one of the few female-only personal training studios in the area, offering science-led strength and mobility coaching, lifestyle programmes, and wellness events designed specifically for women’s bodies and lives. With more than 25 years in health and fitness and a PhD in biomedical sciences, Suzanne blends scientific depth with real-world coaching and a deep, personal commitment to women’s wellbeing.

Her philosophy is simple: safety first, confidence second, transformation third.

Safety means freedom from judgement, comparison, and pressure – created through language, coaching style, and culture long before equipment or aesthetics. Confidence grows slowly and patiently through properly taught strength training. Many women arrive believing they are “too late” or that lifting weights isn’t for them. Watching those beliefs dissolve, and strength take their place, remains one of the most powerful parts of her work.

And luxury, in Suzanne’s world, isn’t about exclusivity. It’s about intention – a calm, welcoming space where women are known by name, their time is respected, and their health is treated as something genuinely valuable.

Beyond the studio, Suzanne leads Suzanne Haynes Coaching, partnering with organisations and corporate teams to address one of modern life’s most overlooked health challenges: prolonged sitting. Her work centres on education-led movement, helping employees understand how posture, alignment, strength, and mobility directly influence energy, performance, and long-term health – not as optional extras, but as essential foundations for sustainable wellbeing.

This philosophy is explored more deeply in her forthcoming contribution to Restoration – A Women’s Guide to Becoming Her Strongest, Healthiest, Happiest Self, released on 16th February. In her chapter, Suzanne writes about rebuilding the body through alignment, restoring strength in midlife, and helping women reconnect with physical confidence after years of placing themselves last. At the heart of her message is a belief that runs through all of her work: restoration isn’t about returning to who you once were, but about creating a stronger, more supported version of yourself moving forward.

Support from Business Monmouthshire and Business Wales became, in her words, “a turning point” – allowing a bigger vision to emerge and helping her move from survival mode into true leadership.

As a wife, mum, scientist, and business owner, Suzanne understands how easily women place themselves last. For her, wellness isn’t perfection. It’s sustainability. Some weeks that looks like structured strength training; other weeks it’s gentler movement, mobility, and recovery. The goal is always longevity, never intensity for its own sake.

In this conversation, Suzanne shares the journey from part-time side hustle in her garage studio to full-time luxury wellness space, her framework for creating environments that genuinely empower rather than simply claim to, and the message she returns to again and again:

You’re allowed to evolve. You’re allowed to outgrow the life you once built. And you’re allowed to create work that aligns with who you are now – not who you were expected to be.

Building Belle Vitale Wellness: From a Side Hustle in a Garage Studio to a Luxury Female-Only Wellness Space

Q: You founded Belle Vitale Wellness (originally Suzanne Haynes Fitness) in 2020 as a part-time venture in your garage in Gilwern, offering science-led personal training for women. With over 25 years in the health and fitness industry and a PhD in biomedical sciences, you blend scientific expertise with real-world coaching and a deep passion for women’s wellness. The business quickly gained traction and outgrew the garage studio, leading you to open a full-time luxury studio in Llanover (Abergavenny) in 2025, expanding services to include strength and mobility coaching, lifestyle programmes, and wellness events. Walk us through the decision to transition from part-time garage-based training to opening a full-time luxury studio. What were the biggest challenges in scaling from a solo operation to building a team (including Kay Worrall as personal trainer, Pilates instructor, and nutrition coach), and what advice would you give women with science or healthcare backgrounds considering transitions into fitness entrepreneurship?

A: My journey into Belle Vitale Wellness didn’t begin with a business plan – it began with a quiet realisation that my life no longer fit who I was becoming.

For many years, I built a successful scientific career alongside working in fitness. From the outside, everything looked right: structure, stability, progression, but internally, I felt increasingly disconnected. I could see the same feeling in the women around me – capable, intelligent, often in leadership roles – doing everything expected of them, yet feeling exhausted, stiff, low in energy, and unsure why the life they had worked so hard to build no longer felt fulfilling.

It was a disconnect I recognised in myself too.

Movement had always been the place where clarity returned. It’s where science meets real life – where women don’t just change physically, but begin to feel more confident, more capable, and more like themselves again.

In 2020, I launched Suzanne Haynes Fitness from my garage in Gilwern as a part-time venture. It was never about scale; it was about meaning. I wanted to create a space where women felt safe to begin again, free from intimidation or judgement.

What started small grew quickly through word of mouth, because women weren’t just coming for training – they were coming because something shifted. They felt stronger, more energised, and more in control of their health.

As demand grew, it became clear this work could no longer stay contained in a garage. Opening Belle Vitale Wellness as a full-time studio in Llanover in 2025 was a defining moment – a decision to fully back myself and create a dedicated environment where women could reconnect with their bodies, confidence, and sense of possibility.

Scaling brought new challenges. Moving from doing everything alone to building a team required trust, leadership, and a shift in identity. Welcoming coaches such as Kay Worrall has allowed Belle Vitale Wellness to grow while staying deeply grounded in its values and personalised approach.

At the same time, my work has expanded beyond the studio. In my chapter for Restoration – A Women’s Guide to Becoming Her Strongest, Healthiest, Happiest Self (released on 16th February), I explore the role of posture, alignment, strength, and restoration in helping women rebuild energy, confidence, and physical resilience in midlife. The message at the heart of both the book and Belle Vitale Wellness is the same: restoration isn’t about going backwards – it’s about creating a stronger, more supported version of yourself moving forward.

What I’ve learned through this transition is simple but powerful: when your life no longer fits, it isn’t failure, it’s evolution.

For women in science or healthcare considering a move into fitness or wellbeing, my advice is to trust the value of your depth. Your knowledge, critical thinking, and evidence-based perspective are not limitations – they are your greatest strengths. Build slowly, stay close to purpose, and create something that genuinely reflects the life you want to live.

“Built for Women, By Women” – Creating a Safe, Empowering Space Where Women Feel Seen, Heard, and Supported

Q: Belle Vitale Wellness is built on the belief that women deserve more than just another gym – they deserve to be seen, heard, and supported. You’ve created one of the few female-only personal training studios in the area, offering a luxurious, science-led approach that prioritizes strength training, movement, and community. You’ve said you want every client to feel confident walking through your doors, whether it’s their first time working out or their fiftieth. For female founders building wellness or fitness businesses, what’s your framework for creating genuinely empowering spaces versus spaces that just claim to be? How do you balance premium positioning and luxury experience with accessibility and inclusivity, and what would you tell women about the importance of building community alongside building a business?

A: Belle Vitale Wellness was never intended to be “just another gym.” It was designed around how women actually experience movement, particularly in midlife, when confidence, energy, posture, and even identity are often shifting.

There’s a profound difference between spaces that say they’re empowering and spaces that truly are. For me, empowerment begins with how a woman feels when she walks through the door, not how hard she is pushed once she’s inside.

My framework is simple: safety first, confidence second, transformation third.

Safety means freedom from judgement, comparison, and pressure. It’s created through language, coaching style, and culture long before equipment or aesthetics are considered. When women feel genuinely safe, their bodies respond differently – posture softens, breathing deepens, and movement becomes possible again.

Confidence then grows through strength training that is taught properly and patiently. Many women arrive believing they are too late, or that lifting weights isn’t for them. Watching those beliefs dissolve, and strength take their place, remains one of the most powerful parts of my work.

Luxury, to me, isn’t exclusivity; it’s intention. It’s a calm, welcoming environment where women are known by name, their time is respected, and their health is treated as something genuinely valuable. Accessibility comes not from lowering standards, but from removing intimidation and increasing support.

These same principles are explored in my chapter in Restoration – A Women’s Guide to Becoming Her Strongest, Healthiest, Happiest Self (released on 16th February), where I write about alignment, restoration, and rebuilding physical confidence in midlife. Whether in a book or a studio, the goal is the same: to help women feel supported enough to grow stronger in ways that last.

Community has naturally become the heartbeat of Belle Vitale Wellness. Women don’t simply train alongside one another – they connect, encourage, and witness each other’s progress. That sense of belonging is often the missing piece that allows real, sustainable change to finally take hold.

For female founders in wellness or fitness, my advice is this: build the feeling first, and the business will follow. Spaces that genuinely change lives are never created through aesthetics alone, but through intention, integrity, and care. And when the community grows alongside the business, both become stronger than either could alone.

The Woman Behind Belle Vitale Wellness – Balancing Family, Purpose, and Personal Evolution

Q: As a mum, scientist, and coach, you understand firsthand how hard it can be to prioritize yourself and how transformative it is when you finally do. Your mission is to redefine what wellness truly looks and feels like for every woman, at every stage. You’ve also received support from Business Monmouthshire and Business Wales, which you’ve said was “a turning point” in shaping the business. For female founders building wellness businesses while managing family responsibilities, what’s your advice about practicing what you preach? How do you maintain your own training, health, and wellbeing while running a demanding business, and what would you tell women about knowing when to seek external business support versus trying to figure everything out alone?

A: While Belle Vitale Wellness is rooted locally, my vision has always extended far beyond the studio walls.

Through Suzanne Haynes Coaching, I work with organisations and corporate teams to address one of the most significant modern health challenges we face: prolonged sitting. We now understand that sedentary working patterns affect far more than posture – they influence energy, stress, productivity, and long-term health.

My corporate work centres on education-led movement, helping employees recognise that strength training, mobility, and regular movement aren’t optional extras, but essential foundations for performance, wellbeing, and longevity. The aim isn’t to turn offices into gyms, but to shift mindsets, build awareness, and create simple, sustainable habits that fit real working lives.

This feels like a natural extension of everything Belle Vitale Wellness represents. The studio is where transformation happens at an individual level; Suzanne Haynes Coaching is where that message expands, supporting healthier, more energised, and more resilient teams.

At the same time, I’m living the same balance so many women are navigating. As a wife, mum, scientist, and business owner, I understand how easy it is to place yourself last. For me, wellness isn’t perfection – it’s sustainability. Some weeks that looks like structured strength training; other weeks it’s gentler movement, mobility, and recovery. The focus is always longevity, not intensity.

Support from Business Monmouthshire and Business Wales became a genuine turning point. It helped me move out of survival mode and into leadership, and, importantly, taught me that seeking guidance is not a weakness but a strength. Too many women try to carry everything alone, when the right support can accelerate both confidence and growth.

My message to women building businesses alongside family life is simple: you’re allowed to evolve. You’re allowed to outgrow the life you once built. And you’re allowed to create work that aligns with who you are now – not who you were expected to be.

Belle Vitale Wellness may be local, but the movement behind it is far bigger. It’s about redefining wellness, leadership, and possibility for women at every stage of life.

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