A bit about me
My name is Raelene, and I’ll often go by ‘Rae’
I was born in Malaysia, but have lived in Sydney, Australia for most of my life.
After high school, I dabbled in lots of creative fields — photography and fine arts, film production and graphic design — which led me to starting a career as a project manager in digital advertising.
I managed website builds, banner ads, apps, email marketing and customer relationship management strategies for big companies like American Express, KFC, and Apple.
In the background, and outside of work, I had very active hobbies including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and things like bouldering, strength training and even soccer at some point in time.
The career change
It wasn’t until late 2024 when — burned out and unhappy — I quit my cushy six-figure career in advertising to pursue a full-time career as a fitness coach and personal trainer.
It wasn’t something I always knew I wanted, but over the past few years, I felt a deeper connection and sense of belonging to this thread in my story through the communities I felt most like myself.
So at the start of 2025, I went all in.
I started a 3-month coaches internship at Jungle Botany, Sydney’s best strength and movement gym.
When the internship ended, I took on a role as coach and personal trainer at the gym, working alongside other world class coaches.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a journey, but I love what I do and I love being able to help others reach their own goals through movement.
Photo credit: Jess Sykes (Free Artisans)
My training style
I am a big believer in mobility or flexibility training being another form of strength training, drawing inspiration from Range of Strength’s work when it comes to building strength in deeper ranges of motion using passive and dynamic techniques.
I’ve been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since 2020, and like many grapplers, understand the demands of the sport on the body, and how important it is to build a body that can move and hold its own on the mats.
This helped me shape the way I coach others.
Strength training & coaching influences:
Bodyweight & gymnastics
Unconventional lifts (ie. Zercher Deadlift, KB Bottoms Up Press)
Old school lifting and body building styles
Passive, Contract & Relax, Dynamic styles of stretching
If anything resonated with you — I’d love to help
Check out how I coach or get in touch to start your own training journey.
FAQs
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I don’t take myself very seriously, and neither should anyone in my class or PT sessions. I love the grind and I take my training seriously, but if it isn’t fun or interesting - I simply wouldn’t continue to show up every day.
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10 years ago, I was overweight, overworked and sat on an inactive globo gym membership that I simply wasn’t interested in using. I disliked the way I felt and looked, and as a result, avoided the gym because I didn’t feel comfortable.
When I walked in to cancel my membership one day, the staff mentioned I had 3x unused PT sessions with a trainer. I was still set to leave, so I pushed out my membership end date by a few weeks and stuck around to make use of the PT sessions before I bounced.
At the end of the day, I kept my membership. My coach (and now friend) helped me find my confidence in the gym, and I started to enjoy training. So much so it’s become a huge part of my life today. -
Getting “flexible” is a less complicated than you think.
You can develop your flexibility through getting strong at the end ranges of movement. Take a bicep curl for example - curling from arms fully extended at a dead hang by your side is going to help you get strong in that full range of motion, versus starting halfway up with elbows at a 90 degree angle. -
I want them to feel empowered to show up daily and continue to work on themselves in the long term. I want them to feel like they can take on the day pain-free, or the next training session be it at the gym or on the mats.