Meet Shae: The Rock-Loving Mum-to-Be Who Proves Movement Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect.
Shae’s first concert was The Wiggles. Her second? KISS.
“My first concert was The Wiggles and probably my second concert was literally KISS,” she laughs. “I was about seven… funnily enough it was their farewell tour and then I went on to see them like five more times.”
Fast-forward a few decades and not much has changed. Music is still a huge part of her life and with her first baby due at the end of August, she’s already introducing the next generation to her favourite albums.
“I’ve already forced my kid to listen to Meat Loaf and a lot of KISS,” she jokes. “I tell people Bat Out of Hell is the baby’s favourite album.”
She and her husband might not agree on every artist.
“My husband’s big into Oasis and I hate Oasis with a passion!”
But they do agree on one thing.
“We both said we want the kid to play an instrument. I don’t want to be one of those parents that forces stuff on kids, but so many people get later in life and go, ‘I wish I’d played something.'”
Since discovering Alternative Movement Studio during Melbourne’s lockdowns in 2020, Shae has quietly become one of those familiar faces who keeps turning up. Through career changes, long commutes for work, band rehearsals and now pregnancy, movement has become less about motivation and more about routine.
Something is refreshing about people who don’t pretend to have it all together and that’s exactly what makes Shae so relatable.
She first found Alternative Movement after spotting one of our Highland Fling ads online.
“I was getting the ads for the Highland Fling classes and because I’m a bit Scotland obsessed, I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do those!'”
She signed up for a boxing class soon after.
“I really liked the fighting classes. It felt like a workout, but it was doable.”
Five years later, her approach to exercise is wonderfully uncomplicated.
“I don’t even think about it anymore. I just turn up.”
Movement That Fits Real Life
Like so many women balancing work, family and everything in between, Shae isn’t chasing perfection. Every weekend she plans her week, books her classes and adds them to her Google Calendar.
“If they’re not in my Google Calendar, I forget everything.”
Some weeks everything runs smoothly. Other weeks work, commuting, or life gets in the way. But instead of giving up, she adjusts.
That consistency, not perfection, is what has kept her moving for five years.
Pregnancy Has Changed Things… But Not Everything
Now in the final weeks of pregnancy, Shae has adapted the way she trains rather than putting exercise on hold altogether.
“I’m adjusting and doing lighter weights, moving to what feels good…”
As her body changes, she’s become even more aware of listening to it.
“As the pressure builds on my pelvis, I’m feeling all sorts of parts that I haven’t felt before.”
Rather than seeing those changes as limitations, she’s learnt to work with them.
“Can I do this all the way up? I don’t see why not.”
And that’s exactly what she’s done.
Throughout her entire pregnancy, Shae has continued attending classes, modifying movements where needed and making adjustments that feel right for her body on the day.
Sometimes it’s simply about staying connected to your body, maintaining a routine and continuing to do something that makes you feel good.
More Than Just Exercise
Ask Shae what keeps her coming back…
“I actually really look forward to going.”
Even after a long day at work, she still finds herself talking through the same internal battle many of us know all too well.
“There’s been so many times where I wake up and think, ‘Should I just not go?’ Then I say, ‘It’s an extra half an hour’s sleep… just get up.'”
That mindset has carried her through lockdowns, career changes, pregnancy and everything else in between.
Life Outside the Classes
When she’s not working or training, Shae plays bass in Melbourne rock duo Bitch Eyes. The band is taking a short break while she prepares for motherhood, but the ideas haven’t stopped.
“I keep hearing songs and being inspired to write stuff. I do want to get into it. It’s just the energy isn’t there at the moment.”
Like so many women entering a new season of life, she’s learning that sometimes pressing pause doesn’t mean giving something up forever. It simply means making space for what’s important right now.
A Community That Grows With You
One of the best things about movement is that it changes as we do.
Sometimes it’s about getting stronger and managing stress after work.
Sometimes it’s about staying mobile through pregnancy.
And sometimes it’s simply about showing up, moving your body and feeling a little more like yourself.
Shae’s update is a great reminder that fitness isn’t reserved for one particular season of life. It grows with us through changing jobs, changing priorities and changing bodies.
As she gets ready to welcome her little rock fan in just a few weeks, one thing probably won’t change.
She’ll keep showing up.
And honestly, that’s the kind of consistency we can all aspire to.