Photography: Oliver Doran
Trudi Ruscouet’s new fitness centre doubles as a community hub – a place that truly accommodates every need of every woman at every stage of her life. Got a baby you can’t leave at home? Go to a postnatal class where everyone brings theirs too. Want to build a social group outside of the friends you see in class every day? Branch out after school one day. When I spoke with Trudi, she even mentioned that they were looking at introducing Silver Swans in the near future – a dance class for older women that my granny’s friend group is currently loving.
If you’d told Trudi 10 years ago that she’d be starting a new business at this point in her life, she’d probably have laughed in your face. She’d been burned by the commercial world before. “Back in 2014, I was quite passionate about talking about the obesity epidemic that I thought was going to hit Jersey imminently,” she recalled. At the time, she was working for Body Rocks and had just launched KidRox – a fun, movement-based fitness programme for children. “My passion was to ensure that children could find their fitness fun, outside of the categorisation that can happen in competitive school teams.”
Her idea was to expand this and set up a place where women could exercise while their children were being looked after – something that simply didn’t exist in Jersey at the time. That project folded after the venture capital walked away, due to the location being in the wrong end of town. “But here we go, 10 years later, and we have recreated that vision again with Eve,” Trudi said.
The second time around, things fell into place. “In November 2024, my friend Hannah found the old registry office through Queree Properties and asked me to come see it,” she explained. “I was in no way going to start a new business – especially not after what happened before.” But she saw potential in the dated building, with rooms that were perfect for sectioning into hubs for psychotherapy, counselling, beauty and reflexology. “I just saw the vision entirely,” she said, “a women’s-only safe space, offering the most holistic feel possible.”
That commitment to creating an emotionally resonant, supportive environment is clear the moment you step inside. The studio walls feature a powerful collection of artwork by local artist Jane de la Haye, with pieces that reflect the deeply personal experiences of womanhood – including navigating her son’s mental health struggles and the emotional toll of watching her mother go through dementia. It reflects the fact that Eve Studios is for women at every stage of their lives – from teens to new mums, those navigating menopause, and women over 65.
“Every woman, in each stage of their life, has some really critical decisions and major life journeys that we go through,” she said. Teenagers, for example, face the experience of being what she calls “hormonal washing machines.” The social pressures of body image are made heavier by the weight of social media and ‘trending’ body types. “I see so many posts now,” Trudi said, “of mothers asking for advice because their daughters want to go to the gym and lift weights very young. But they don’t need to. A lot of it is driven by what they see on social media.”
Instead of feeding into that, Eve focuses on education in a safe, healthy, comfortable environment. It’s just as important for girls to learn about the importance of sleep, nutrition and movement as it is to take part in the exercise classes themselves – learning that women’s bodies are bodies: to move, breathe and pursue life, rather than a ‘style’ that goes in and out of fashion.
This same careful thought goes into supporting new mothers. “When you’re a young mum, you have no idea how or what to do,” said Trudi. “But we bring mums together, form a support group, help them regain their confidence and do exercise.” Instead of having to find childcare, mums can bring their babies – to exercise and bond at the same time. This kind of community-building is key, especially for new mothers who may find themselves feeling isolated whilst adjusting to a new phase of life. “After our first postnatal class, six women who didn’t know each other all went off for coffee afterwards. They even started a WhatsApp group,” Trudi said. “That’s the vision.”
For those going through menopause, Eve Studios offers wellness workshops and an atmosphere that combats the feeling of not knowing where to start. “Hormones play a massive part across all stages of a woman’s life – in menopause, women feel isolated, demotivated and lack confidence.” Eve offers a range of classes, some high-energy, some slow and restorative, to suit everyone’s individual needs. A favourite is her Back to Basics programme, which incorporates some simple Pilates and yoga. “You still feel the burn,” Trudi said, “but you laugh along the way.”
Over-65s is more about social mobility – maintaining Eve’s ethos of being a place of social and physical connection. “Our aim is to provide functional fitness within a community atmosphere,” she said. “Both are so important at this stage in our lives.”
“The real bond of community in how this project has been brought together is amazing,” said Trudi. “From the Gorey community where I live, to the guys who have worked in the studio and understood the vision, to my other half who took on the role of ‘foreman’ – we’ve just had incredible support.” And special thanks to Chris Dobbing, the President of the United Club, who in Trudi’s words “saw my vision and had the ‘balls’ to believe in a 56-year-old rambling woman!”
Lucy Collin
Fave Workout Song: Welcome to the Jungle – Guns and Roses
Debunk a wellness myth: That a ‘healthy body’ has to look a certain way or has a certain body type or dress size attached to it. Healthy women all look different, there is no right or wrong and we are all beautiful and unique.
Favourite Workout: Strength Training Classes – bootcamps, circuits, power pump, weekend warriors – suitable for women of all ages and stages of life.
Chloë Baker
Fave Workout Song: Money on the Dash – Elley Duhé and Whethan
Debunk a wellness myth: Lifting weights will make you bulky
Favourite Workout: Fierce Heels
Trudi Roscouet
Fave Workout Song: Eye of the Tiger – Survivor (so standard but LOVE IT – why?)
Debunk a wellness myth: Don’t say “CAN’T” – YES YOU CAN! #justdo it!
Favourite Workout: BOXING (and core).
Karen Le Mottee
Fave Workout Song: For meditation, Faith’s Hymn – Beautiful Chorus, for flow, Cold Little Heart – Michael Kiwanuka and for Savasana, Om Mata Ksli – Shantala.
Debunk a wellness myth: You don’t need to be able to touch your toes or be flexible to do yoga – work at your own pace and listen to your body.
Favourite Workout: A Dancing Warrior Sequence including all my favorite asanas – Warrior 2, Goddess, Humble Warrior, Warrior 3 – a continuous flow with the track Cold Little Heart.
