Meet the team
Amy:
Studio Manager &
Co-owner
With over 14 years experience in the fitness industry from her first job selling running shoes, to becoming General Manager of Scotland’s largest Circus School; Amy is an experienced leader who has always been passionate about helping others’ achieve their goals.
Her love for travel and meeting new people has taken her to some exciting adventures, from Flying Trapeze in Tasmania to running circus fitness retreats in Brazil.
Amy deals with all of the day-to-day operations of Alt Fitness, so if you ever have any questions or want to chat then feel free to drop her an email or say hi during class!
Instagram @ashipwa
Caitlin:
Aerial Instructor &
Co-owner
Caitlin accidentally ran away to the circus in 2013 when she went to study physical theatre at Circomedia in Bristol. Whilst she was there she fell in love with the aerial arts and graduated in 2015 with a BA(hons) in Contemporary Circus and Physical Theatre specialising in Aerial. Since graduating, she has worked and trained in New York before settling back on home turf in Scotland. Caitlin has been teaching regular aerial classes for over six years to students of all ages and is passionate about making circus fun and accessible.
In 2022, Caitlin became a co-director of ALT Fitness.
Instagram: @inthecloudsaerial
Monica:
Instructor & Assistant Studio Manager
Born in the USA, raised in Switzerland and now an adopted Scot of 7 years, her love of movement has been a constant throughout many different continents!
Since she was a little girl, dance has played a big role in her life: whether it was having a wee boogie in the kitchen or going to ballet lessons. When she moved to Dundee to study Illustration, she discovered Pole Dancing and Aerial Hoop and literally fell head over heels for the world of being upside down. After graduating, she decided to take passion even further by gaining her qualifications to teach pole and hoop.
Monica says: “I know the wonder and happiness that dance has brought to me throughout my life. How it brought me a sense of relief when I was stressed. The freeness it would provide when floating in the air. I want to provide students with an experience that makes them feel empowered and let’s be honest, really cool. My biggest love so far as a teacher has been seeing the confidence in students grow by the amazement of what their bodies are capable of.”
Rachel: Youth Instructor
Rachel is a Glasgow based creative and has recently graduated from with a BA Hons in Dance and Drama from Performing Arts Studio Scotland. She has studied a wide range of disciplines: from Contemporary Circus and Physical Theatre to Acting and Dance. She has worked with many youth theatres and theatre companies, teaching children as young as 18 months and adults 50+.
Rachel is also passionate Hula Hooper, and loves nothing more than putting on a good playlist and hula hooping the night away.
Instagram @rachel.yeomans99
Adam:
Aerial Instructor
Adam is a queer, neurodivergent, Scottish circus performer and instructor. Since graduating with a degree from The National Centre for Circus Arts, their multifaceted knowledge of circus arts has brought them to distant shores, where they've worked with too many wonderful people and companies to name.
Also holding a degree in anatomy, Adam is a bendy bean, and is as flexible as their use of pronouns.
When she's not at ALT, Adam can be found teaching and performing across central Scotland in various studios, cabaret's and shows.
Instagram: @adamscircus
Fraser:
Strength coach
Fraser is a Personal Trainer and a proud father to 2 cats (Marge and Kiwi).
He entered the Fitness Industry after studying his degree in Dance and Drama at Edinburgh College. During his time at college he enjoyed attending beginner Silks and Trapeze classes where he found a passion for aerial arts.
Fraser loves helping people build strength and confidence lifting weights with good form. His favourite part of his job is seeing people progress and achieve things they didn’t think were possible before.
Fraser likes taking people where they are at no matter their level of experience and slowly build their strength and fitness levels whilst having fun along the way. He’s really excited to be joining the team at ALT Fitness, running the Strong AF classes.
Vikki: Flexibility Instructor
Vikki is a pole dancer and baby contortionist who found her love for all things upside down and bendy in 2019.
A shameless geek, she spent the next few years learning from as many stretch & contortion teachers as she could, both on and offline. In 2022, she decided to expand her knowledge further by completing the Spin City 'Flexibility for Pole & Aerial' & 'Anatomy & Physiology' courses.
Her favourite thing to stretch is anything back bendy; and you can often find her channeling her inner donut. Once described as having "Spongebob energy", Vikki is very much looking forward to bringing her usual pep and cheer to stretch class next week - hopefully making the weird and wonderful positions we put ourselves into a little more bearable!
How it all began
“Many moons ago I stumbled into a Flying Trapeze class in a faraway corner of the world: Tasmania. After climbing up an 8 meter ladder onto a tiny platform, I realised that wasn’t quite sure what I was letting myself in for. Was is too late to tell my friends that I was backing out?! As I leaned out trying not to look down at the net (the only obstacle standing in between me and the ground), and grabbed the bar with shaky hands, little did I know that this moment would change my mind, body and ultimately my life.
Needless to say, I loved it. One swing on the trapeze and I was hooked: this was better than any gym class I had ever known! I had never been particularly into sports or fitness before, but Trapeze opened up a whole new world for me of activities that were nothing to do with slogging on a treadmill or losing weight…
…From Yoga to Hula Hooping to Aerial Circus, I have found freedom, self confidence and friends for life in the world of alternative fitness, and I have worked within the industry to grow and promote Glasgow’s Alternative Fitness scene globally- with connections to studios and training centres in Brazil, Canada, North America and Australia.
My goal with ALT Fitness is to bring many of these exciting and empowering disciplines together under one roof- allowing others to experience the same buzz and personal growth I did.”
- Amy Shipway, Studio Owner