Julie is a highly experienced and knowledgeable personal trainer and massage therapist in Bedfordshire. With her focus and attention predominantly on women’s health and fitness, she has a bounty of qualifications to help nurture your mind and body whatever stage of life you are at.
Women’s Health Coach
Pregnancy & Post Natal Specialist
Scar Therapist
Personal Trainer
Hello, I’m Julie, I love helping women fall in love with themselves, whether that is through exercise, massage or by helping support women with painful or uncomfortable scars.
I enjoy working with women who don’t particularly like the gym or like working out or those who simply don’t feel confident to exercise alone in a gym space. I like to help women fall in love with exercise and movement.
I have been a personal trainer and massage therapist for over 16 years and in that time I have turned my focus and attention towards woman’s health and fitness.
I am qualified in pre and post natal fitness and massage therapies including scar therapy, abdominal massage and oncology massage.
I have been a Holistic Core Restore® coach for 8 years, helping hundreds of women feel more confident with their core and pelvic floor.
I pride myself on having a very gentle and caring nature and thrive on helping women feel more confident and helping them to move better.
I love to help women improve their health and wellbeing who wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable in a ‘normal’ exercise setting or gym environment. I love using a combination of massage & soft tissue therapy and exercise to get ladies moving pain free and to help women to enjoy their exercise.
I am a mum to two beautiful and energetic children, so I fully understand the pressures put on busy mums and putting everyone else before yourself.
My love for helping women started with my own post natal journey after the birth of my now almost teenaged daughter. I had what could be described as a ‘trouble free pregnancy’, I was fortunate enough to have a home birth with my daughter which was an incredible experience but it was in my post natal journey that the issues began.
I had a few complications that resulted in my core and pelvic floor not working properly and I had a retained placenta that left me feeling totally drained and unwell.
I felt pressure to ‘bounce back’ especially as a fitness professional. People kept asking when I’d be back teaching classes and I had multiple comments (too many to even mention!) about how much weight I’d gained during my pregnancy and how I was going to go about losing it. one lady even said to me “It must be easy for you to lose weight being a personal trainer?!” I can assure you – it’s not, it’s hard for us the same way it’s hard for everyone.
These pressure all resulted in me doing far too much too soon and causing quite a severe diastasis recti separation (a gap in between your 6-pack muscles), I also had a minor prolapse in my pelvic floor. I went to the gym and sought the help of a female PT who said she was post natal trained. She got me doing ab work and core work to ‘strengthen my core’ but in reality she was exacerbating the problems I had. She got me doing planks, ab crunches, big dynamic core movements all of which felt awful. So I quit! I knew something wasn’t right and I knew I’d need to figure out a better way to rehab my core.
That’s when I met a wonderful womens health physio called Victoria Muir. She helped me with some pelvic floor exercises and helped me regain my confidence. She also gave me a really good ‘sense check’ that I’d just had a baby and that I needed to be a bit kinder to myself.
Her words resonated with me. It made me think that there must be hundreds of women like me, who needed something more than ‘to bounce back’ so I started researching different education providers who specialised in womens health. I found the amazing Jenny Burrell; This woman has changed the way I view exercise and health.
I’ve spent the last 12 years educating myself in womens health, be that exercise, nutrition or massage. I’ve read books, attended seminars and residential events, done exams, theory papers and more case studies than I can even remember but every single bit of it has been worth it.
My clients laugh at me because they know I always have a course or qualification I am working towards, I’m never satisfied with staying where I am!
I’ve recently attained my Global Certification in Young Girls Health.
I hope to support young girls/teens as they transition through puberty, giving them all the tools they need to stay healthy, to be resilient to unkind comments about weight/shape/size and to maximise their wellness, both physical and mental.
I had an absolutely brilliant pregnancy massage with Julie. I was hoping to feel a little less tight in certain areas (upper/lower back & calves) but left with so much more. Julie is an expert in customising her treatments to your needs, and as well as feeling pampered I learned so much about what my body is going through. Even some takeaway stretches and exercises for the last trimester & postnatal. Felt wonderful afterwards, can’t recommend enough!
I had a C section massage recently. didn’t know if I’d benefit or what it would actually involve but even after 18 months I’m so glad I did it!! What Julie doesn’t know about a post natal body isn’t worth knowing! She is so knowledgable and explains everything so well. Highly recommend the C section massage to anyone who has had one – however long ago!!
Julie is fantastic. She makes working out really enjoyable (who knew!), being a Mum of two herself and looking as good as she does provides serious motivation. She really cares and talks genuine sense, no jargon or mumbo jumbo.
Julie has worked her magic on my C section scar. I went last week for a massage on the scar and surrounding area. We spent a lot of time doing some release work and the transformation is fantastic. I can’t fault the service at all. Julie is welcoming and friendly and takes her time to listen and understands the impact a scar can have on your mental health. Would highly recommend.
Julie is brilliant! She is welcoming, approachable and extremely knowledgeable! She really takes pride and care in her job ! She is happy to individualise training needs ! I was able to do her HCR course throughout my 2nd pregnancy and feel comfortable & safe whilst doing this!
Her mum & baby class is a really good class to get you back into exercise safely it not only helps you strengthen your core & pelvic floor muscles but it also just helps you regain back some of your confidence!
Happy Body Project is by far the best thing I have done for my post natal journey! Both physically and mentally, it has been amazing. The mum and baby classes are fantastic; tailored specifically to post natal recovery so all exercises are safe, plus your baby is with you and “socialising” with other babies too! There is no worry about having to tend to your baby during class, or that they’re going to cry and put others off, we’re all in the same boat!
I have also had a c-section massage with Julie which was again fantastic, I noticed results immediately and was shown techniques to carry on with at home. I will definitely be rebooking!
The course has not only made me feel fitter but also lots more confident. Julie has been fantastic and I am looking forward to taking the next step in my fitness journey!
I feel stronger and leaner. After 3 children my pelvic floor is stronger and has had some much needed strengthening!
From the first contact with Happy Body project I could tell Julie was very professional and all about doing things right. She asked about my birth and my recovery. At my first class she assessed my abdominal muscles.
This course has been very educationally beneficial for me. I have learned a lot about my post natal body and what to do and not to do. Julie has been a great coach and clearly is very knowledgeable in this area!
I am the poster girl for hating exercise, but signed up to Julie’s Core and Restore class a couple of months after giving birth…in 6 weeks I lost lots of inches and kgs, and feel incredibly strong in my core and pelvic floor. Now moved onto the Heat class, which is as it sounds! Julie explains well, helps us out with food ideas and most importantly to me, patient when i need something explaining for the thousandth time! A great positive person to be around at this time of my life with a 7 month old depriving me of sleep!
I’ve been going to the gym for years and never saw any results. However once I started training with Julie that changed and I now have definition in my shoulders and arms – she’s fab x
I had a C section massage recently. didn’t know if I’d benefit or what it would actually involve but even after 18 months I’m so glad I did it!! What Julie doesn’t know about a post natal body isn’t worth knowing! She is so knowledgable and explains everything so well. Highly recommend the C section massage to anyone who has had one – however long ago!!
Julie is amazing, she really cares about her clients, works incredibly hard, knows her stuff and really, really motivates you to achieve your goals.
I’ve been working with Julie for a while now and can really see an improvement in my core strength and strength in general. Her classes are always fun and she always comes up with alternative moves if you are not feeling great or you’ve damaged something. She keeps us posted on healthy foods and recipies and always goes the extra mile for everyone.
I would recommend her to anyone.
I had been looking to lose weight for some time but with my wedding fast approaching I contacted Julie to see if she could help me. I had not been doing exercise for a few years before starting and was really nervous but Julie has been incredible! I have been having a weekly PT session and group session since January and have lost a lot of weight. I’m really proud of myself but I could never have done it without Julie’s help and support. Not only has she been a great trainer, helping me to work towards my goals, she’s become an amazing friend who is willing to do anything to help me. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
I had an absolutely brilliant pregnancy massage with Julie. I was hoping to feel a little less tight in certain areas (upper/lower back & calves) but left with so much more. Julie is an expert in customising her treatments to your needs, and as well as feeling pampered I learned so much about what my body is going through. Even some takeaway stretches and exercises for the last trimester & postnatal. Felt wonderful afterwards, can’t recommend enough!
I took my young daughter to see Julie for some scar massage and advice. She was absolutely spot on with her expert advice and taught us both techniques for treating the scars. After the session it was amazing to see how much better the scars looked already. A few months on and we can now see how much positive progress has been made by following Julie’s advice. It is also worth noting how sensitive Julie was to the age of my child and how kindly and realistically she spoke about the trauma she’d had – Julie a real gentle and knowledgeable soul and gave us much much better post-care advice than what we had from the consultant at hospital. I strongly recommend!
Julie has helped me get back into exercise since 8 weeks post partum. Her classes are varied and suitable for all abilities. I cannot recommend her enough to new mums. Julie is so lovely, she is knowledgeable and supportive. She really looks after us and makes sure we exercise safely, and of course have fun.
Julie Holl is a miracle worker!! She is an amazing personal trainer, whose passion, energy and enthusiasm is truly infectious!
Julie is an excellent personal trainer, her focus on gentle postnatal recovery is brilliant and made me realise I needed to give myself a break and slowly improve my core strength. I am a year postnatal now and I feel fitter and more confident than ever, her classes provide an excellent workout and are great fun. Julie is extremely knowledgable and her advice on diet and exercise is clear and easy to follow. In the first stages of postnatal recovery her “HEAT” class allows you to reconnect with yourself with a small group of ladies going through the same thing, she provides a safe space to ask questions and it is reassuring to know that most people have gone through similar things. I look forward to Julie’s classes every week and they are a great mood enhancer. I never fail to leave Barre class with a smile on my face!
Really enjoying Julie’s Core Restore Heavy classes. I’d been finding it difficult trying to fit exercise in with two small children and working, but I’m so glad I contacted her. Even if I’m really tired and feel like I’d rather stay at home, once I’ve been I feel so energised and happier in my mood. It’s hard work but in a good, safe way and she’s always on hand to offer help and advice. All the ladies in the class are really friendly and encouraging, wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
Julie’s words and training programmes have been featured and mentioned within many well known publications.
Julie is constantly updating and continuing to add to her repertoire of qualifications so that she can provide the most current and science-backed solutions to women’s health issues.
Julie is brilliant! She is welcoming, approachable and extremely knowledgeable! She really takes pride and care in her job ! She is happy to individualise training needs!
I was able to do her HCR course throughout my 2nd pregnancy and feel comfortable and safe whilst doing this.
Her mum and baby class is a really good class to get you back into exercise safely, it not only helps you strengthen your core and pelvic floor muscles but it also just helps you regain back some of your confidence!
Julie has worked her magic on my c section scar. I went last week for a massage on the scar and surrounding area. We spent a lot of time doing some release work and the transformation is fantastic.
I can’t fault the service at all. Julie is welcoming and friendly and takes her time to listen and understands the impact a scar can have on your mental health. Would highly recommend.
