Debbie Gliniany set up Mamau Ffit in 2021. Cwmbran Life is putting the spotlight on independent businesses in and around the area.
Research by Keeping it Local said when you spend a £1 with a small/medium-sized business around 63p remains in the local economy. Only 40p stays local when you shop with larger businesses. The money you spend locally circulates through local businesses helping them to grow.
Every business owner has a story to tell. We spoke to Debbie and asked her a few questions.
What is your business?
Mamau Ffit is a fitness brand that focuses on whole woman health, specifically for pre and postnatal women. Health & fitness is so crucial for the mind and body, and even more so during pregnancy and beyond, yet so many women are still in the dark about how to stay safely active before and after children.
Mamau Ffit aims to provide support, education and suitable exercise for every stage of motherhood to keep mums strong in every sense of the word.
From ‘Bump Ffit,’ our antenatal fitness offering, to postnatal recovery programmes, mum and baby fitness classes, ladies evening classes, weekend bootcamps and even online workouts, there really is something to suit everyone from beginners to advanced and with every class, the focus is always on restorative work – building muscle, strengthening core and pelvic floor and building fitness levels.
Our one-of-a-kind and trailblazing Baby Ffit: Recover programme has been designed along with the support of training from leading women’s health physiotherapists. It focuses on understanding the postnatal body and rehabilitating from the inside out – mind and body, and educating and supporting women with common yet ‘taboo’ postnatal issues, such as pelvic floor dysfunction, diastasis recti, pelvic, hip and back pain and more.
Why did you want to work for yourself?
After having my second child I suffered with postnatal depression and really struggled to accept my body and the changes two children had made to it. I found being a mum to two small children incredibly tough and had no mum friends or groups that seemed to support or really care for me. I started exercising as a means to overcome my PND and it was the first time in my life I realised just how important fitness was for my mental health just as much as my physical health. I like to say that this career found me and not the other way around and I knew I needed to put my effort into setting up a business to support as many local mums as I could, the way I wish I had been supported in my darkest days.
I chose to join a nationwide franchise in 2020 and no sooner had I set up than I had to stop, as covid hit! What a challenge that was, however I finished my last physical class on a Friday in March 2020 and I ran my first online one the following Monday, with 35 ladies joining that first workout live with me!
What are the best things about running a business and what are the challenges? How have you overcome the challenges?
After deciding I needed to call my own shots last year, and leaving the comfort of a franchise, I haven’t looked back and have just finished my first year trading as Mamau Ffit. It was incredibly daunting BUT my passion for supporting women went beyond the confines of the franchise and I knew I had to leave if I wanted to do even more. I LOVE deciding how to run a class, what equipment to use, how to keep pushing the women to get better results and when I work of course! I take any time off I want, when it comes to things that matter, and you can bet I wasn’t missing my son’s first ever sports day this year!
The biggest challenge has always been getting my name out there and proving myself as a trusted and expert professional in my field. Getting seen and remaining seen is a challenge with any business but my passion, enthusiasm and drive has no limits so I am always happy to live and breathe my business to make it a success. I always like to overcome challenges before they become one, so always being two steps ahead is super important when it comes to running a business!
What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a business?
I always tell anyone thinking about starting a business, that if you have complete passion for what it is, you will make it work. Sometimes people just want to be a business owner because it looks good or sounds exciting or important, but honestly, it’s long hours, hard graft and very unstable at times with the current economic climate so the ONLY way you will make it work, is if you have a clear vision and unwavering passion for the business you want to make a success.
Do your research, check out the competition, decide how you’re going to be the best in your field and what will make you stand out… do you visualise your business being better? If you have that confidence and belief, nothing should hold you back.
Tell us how customers can contact you?
You can find me on –
Do you and your business want to be featured?
If you want your business put in the spotlight on Cwmbran Life please email [email protected] or call/ text 07728 685389.
