A Weight Off their Shoulders - How Building Emotional Muscle is Changing Lives at this Gym

When Queenslander Sarah McCudden set out to change her own life, she changed the lives of a whole bunch of other people she barely knew too.

It all started with a simple question, 24 hours, and the power of conversation.

Sarah was a regular at the F45 gym in Kallangur for the last 18 Months, north of Brisbane, as part of her weight loss journey that has seen her shed a whopping 40 kilograms  Along the way, she discovered inner strength is as transformative as physical power.

When she noticed another gym regular, Sharni, out of sorts, Sarah asked how she was doing. The answer? Not good. Times were tough.

Sarah knew about Gotcha4Life from founder Gus Worland’s podcast. When she hopped on the website to pledge to be Sharni’s Gotcha4Life mate, something else caught her eye. The 24-Hour Row fundraiser.

Sarah launched into action. With the gym owner (Dayl Kelly) on board, she set out to fill 96 spaces - four people would row each hour for 24 hours straight.

Sarah did two shifts - 11 pm and 2 am - and, other than ducking home for a 40-minute snooze, was at the gym the entire time.

Sharni did the midnight shift.

In their late 60s Neale and Wendy train most days, Neale comes in with his crutches to ride the stationary bike and do some light weights. He had never been on a rower before Neale took the 10 pm slot for the 24-Hour Row. The elation felt by Neale, experiencing that he could actually row, as he was assisted off, was felt all around the gym, and everyone around Australia who witnessed the video as part of the 24-Hour livestream. Both Neale and Wendy both stuck around until the early hours of the morning chatting and making some real connections.

Passers-by came in off the street to support the gym community who were rowing their hearts out.

When they weren’t rowing, they were talking - around the ping pong and card tables Sarah had set up to encourage people to stay and chat.

“We wanted to make it that people felt comfortable to come in. If they only wanted to play cards that’s ok, but we put some chairs out so they could have meaningful conversations too,” Sarah says.

Murray another F45 regular opened up for the first time about losing seven friends to suicide. He stayed 18 hours chatting with other people.

Neale also returned later in the row - jumping again on the rower at 8am the next day to bring the team effort home.

The event raised $5,300, but the personal results were priceless - and real change was only just beginning.

“It brought us closer together. There’s a deeper conversation now,” Sarah says.

“Neale comes in and high-fives everyone. None of us knew Murray’s story. The 24-Hour Row gave him the opportunity to talk about it. Now he talks to people he wouldn’t have approached before. Sharnie is kicking goals in everything.”

Fuelled by the success, Sarah’s doing more.

Determined to keep the momentum - and conversations - going, Sarah is planning monthly events that give her gym community more time to talk than a hectic 45-minute workout allows.

On a trip with four others to join a group of 33 from the gym at an endurance obstacle course on the Gold Coast, her fellow passengers started opening up.

“I went down in a carload of five and there were two people who had been addicted to substances who had been close to suicide. We had no idea.” 

“Another lady in the car, we didn’t realise how bad her anxiety was. She only signed up the night before. Having us around her broke down some barriers and she did the course.” 

“Some people were nervous about it, but that support created a bond.”

“They have found their ‘home’. They’ve found the joy in life.”

All because Sarah took action, by asking someone who seemed down, how they were feeling.

“It’s brought us closer together. I can’t explain it, but helping others to overcome their fears - it’s a great  feeling.”

“We’re going to do more, so much more -  We will climb Mount Ngungun or go on a 15km hike. A 45-minute gym session is nothing compared to a 15km walk or mountain climb where you can talk about things in your life to ensure no one has to worry alone and we are all here for each other”.

Find out more about the 24-Hour Row here.