Gina Woodward is a professional soccer athlete and a University of California Berkeley alumna. She played professionally with the Bay Area Breeze, a professional women’s soccer team based in Hayward. Woodward has also played for semi-pro level teams like the San Francisco Nighthawks and San Ramon FC. Currently, she is training with The Town FC, an upcoming professional team. She has worked as a youth director for Spurs FC, a youth competitive soccer league based in the Bay Area, and as a performance and injury prevention coach. Woodward now coaches at Eastshore Alliance FC as a coach and Certified Strength and Conditioning specialist.
Woodward, along with colleagues, opened up the PhaseFit gym, located in Albany, in July of 2019. She explained it was a multifaceted inspiration, as she had always wanted to open her own gym. When the gym she was working at was shutting down, she was offered a building to open up her own space. “It was one of those blessings in disguise … I had never had the guts to do it on my own,” Woodward said, “I got pushed out of my comfort zone, and it was exactly what I wanted, and I’m so happy with what happened.”
As an athlete herself, Woodward is committed to “encompassing total human performance” at PhaseFit. “It really hits me … deep when I get my female athletes in here that are injured … I really want to help them … take care of themselves, not just see themselves as a performance vessel,” Woodward said. Woodward also talked about fostering a sense of community in the gym. She explained a big part of making connections at PhaseFit is asking people how they’re doing, and making space for them to bond with each other. “It’s people sharing that post-workout moment of ‘we accomplished something,’” Woodward said. “A lot of people come to the gym not just to get stronger and healthier, but also to have an escape from what’s behind that other side of the door. I think understanding and acknowledging that some people might not be having the best day, or some people come to the gym because this is their safe space, (can ensure) they feel welcome,” Woodward said.
As a woman in the fitness industry — a line of work that is predominantly male — sexism is unfortunately common. “A lot of times, we’re called bossy when we’re being assertive and kind of strong-minded. I think it’s just a continual journey to stick to my truths, stick to what I love to do, and not let that outside noise affect me, which I think is something to be said for all of us women in these male-dominated industries,” Woodward said.
Woodward also talked about how big of a role fitness plays in empowering women. “You have control over your body, to be healthy, to be able to do things, to be resilient to things. And we already know a woman’s body is pretty awesome,” Woodward said, “I don’t see what else is more empowering than loving your body and loving what it can do.”
Having started the PhaseFit business in 2019, Woodward has experienced both challenges and accomplishments with the gym. “I’m most proud of the fact that we are growing like we are. We are successful. We made it through (COVID-19), which is crazy,” Woodward said, “Something that makes me just so happy is the fact that we need a bigger space because of the desire for people to come train here (and) just seeing the value that we bring to people so much to the point that we are able to grow and find a bigger space.”