The Story Behind Hula With Abs

Hula With Abs didn’t start as a business plan. It started as something that made me feel good.

Come and hoop with us

I’ve been hooping since my teenage years. Traditional sports were never really my thing, and while I tried different activities growing up, I always found myself drawn to movement that felt more creative, relaxed, and enjoyable. I loved cheerleading, long walks with my dog, bouncing on my mini trampoline, and anything that made exercise feel fun rather than forced. Hooping quickly became part of that world for me, something I could pick up whenever I needed to switch off, reset, or simply move in a way that felt natural.

My hoop came with me to university and later followed me to Suffolk during my placement year, quietly staying part of my life long before I ever imagined it would become the centre of my work.

After university, I built a career in marketing and communications, spending more than ten years working with global brands including Bosch. I genuinely loved the creativity of that world, but even then I found myself bringing movement into the spaces around me, running wellbeing workshops and fitness sessions during workplace wellbeing days because I believed people felt better when they had the chance to move together.

In 2020, during the pandemic, I completed my first instructor training with HulaFit and began sharing hooping sessions more regularly online and a few face to face (when we were allowed!) to help people stay active and connected during a difficult time. What started as something small quickly grew into a community.

People weren’t just coming for exercise. They were coming for the atmosphere, the encouragement, the laughter, and the chance to be in a space where they didn’t feel judged. That realisation became the heart of Hula With Abs.

We had a few different venues when I first started out and I'm so grateful to everyone who supported me during that time and those of you who are still attending to this day. I still remember the cold and wet sessions we had in the early days, but it was such a nice way to get out and move!

Since then, I’ve continued to develop my teaching, completing further training in 2025 with LiveLoveHoop, and becoming a HulaDancercise ambassador, where I’ve supported events, contributed to the development of the global instructor course, and taken part in guest appearances for social campaigns and community initiatives. I also regularly take part in EMD UK online training to keep my knowledge and teaching up to date where I can.

Over the past five years, what began as a side hustle has grown into my full-time work, something I’m incredibly proud to now dedicate my time and energy to building this year. As I enter my sixth year of teaching I want to spread the hooping love further afield and make a real difference in our local community. I am now proud to say I teach in Stowupland in the Sixth Form Centre, Christchurch Hall at Needham Market and Norton Village Hall.

Mental wellbeing plays a big role in why I do what I do. Like many people are unfortunately facing today, I’ve experienced periods of anxiety and major depression, and movement, community, and connection have played an important role in supporting my own wellbeing too. Through Hula With Abs I’ve not only built classes, I’ve built friendships, and that sense of belonging is something I want every person who walks into a session to feel.

Many people who come to their first class tell me the same thing: “I almost didn’t come because I didn’t think I’d be able to do it.”

Some haven’t exercised in years. Some feel nervous walking into a new space on their own. Some just want something different from the gym but aren’t sure where to start. That’s exactly why these classes exist. You don’t need experience, coordination, or confidence before you arrive. You just need to show up, and we figure the rest out together.

Today, Hula With Abs runs community-focused classes designed to be beginner-friendly, inclusive, and genuinely enjoyable. The goal has never been to create intimidating fitness spaces.

The aim has always been to create welcoming rooms where people can move, laugh, build confidence, and feel better than they did when they arrived.

Because sometimes wellbeing doesn’t start with a big life change. Sometimes it starts with music playing, a hoop spinning, and a room full of people cheering each other on and the feedback we get definitely supports this:

So if you’ve been thinking about trying something new, meeting new people, or simply finding a way to move that feels enjoyable, I’d love to see you at a class.

Explore upcoming sessions and booking options at hulawithabs.co.uk and come and give it a go.

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