The health and wellness industry prides itself on creating safe spaces for personal growth and transformation. However, female professionals face numerous systemic barriers that hinder their career advancement, from sexual harassment to deeply rooted discrimination. From personal trainers to business owners, women report concerning patterns of inappropriate behavior or outright discrimination for their gender. 

These experiences cut across all sectors of the industry. These violations happen in broad daylight, during working hours, in spaces meant for professional development and career growth. While many organizations tout their support for women in wellness, the reality reveals a stark contrast between rhetoric and action.

The Complex Web of Discrimination

Women in the wellness industry navigate a maze of challenges that their male counterparts encounter less frequently. Despite making up a significant portion of the workforce, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions and face substantial hurdles in securing funding for their ventures. Female entrepreneurs report consistent difficulties accessing capital, with many investors showing implicit bias in their funding decisions. The “boys’ club” mentality persists in boardrooms and networking events, creating invisible barriers to advancement.

The challenge becomes even more pronounced for women balancing professional ambitions with family responsibilities. While their male colleagues are often praised for having families, women face scrutiny and assumptions about their commitment to their careers upon becoming mothers. The expectation to manage household duties, childcare, and family obligations while maintaining professional excellence creates an unfair double standard that impacts career trajectory and leadership opportunities.

Sexual Harassment: A Persistent Barrier

The prevalence of sexual harassment further complicates the discrimination landscape. From personal trainers to business owners, women report disturbing patterns of inappropriate behavior from colleagues and peers alike. Unwanted advances during professional meetings, sexualized comments about their appearance, and boundary violations that compromise their sense of security are commonplace experiences.

While the health and wellness industry should be focused on empowerment and strength, many female professionals in this space are marred by harassment and inappropriate behavior. Married businesswomen receive suggestive messages from colleagues after networking events. Studio owners face unwanted physical contact during business meetings. Group fitness instructors endure inappropriate comments about their bodies while teaching classes or training their clients. This is an all too common narrative among women in the health and wellness industry.

The Hidden Toll on Career Advancement

The combined impact of discrimination and harassment creates a toxic undercurrent that undermines women’s professional success and personal well-being. Female professionals report navigating uncomfortable situations while maintaining their professionalism and building their careers. Many feel pressured to laugh off inappropriate comments or avoid specific networking opportunities to protect themselves.

This environment forces women to choose between their well-being and success. Some limit their business growth by avoiding certain clients or partnerships. Others spend valuable mental energy strategizing how to deflect advances rather than focusing on their work. The responsibility for preventing harassment often falls unfairly on the women themselves rather than on changing the behavior of perpetrators.

The Mental Health Impact

The psychological burden of facing both discrimination and harassment runs deep. Women in the industry report developing anxiety about professional interactions, depression from feeling powerless, and trauma responses that affect their ability to engage in their careers fully. The constant pressure to perform at higher standards while managing outside responsibilities and maintaining professional boundaries takes a severe toll on mental health.

While many organizations claim to support women in wellness, actions often fall short of promises. The industry is filled with performative allyship – companies that market themselves as champions of women’s advancement while maintaining cultures and policies that perpetuate discrimination. At Coach360, we recognize that real change requires more than just talking about supporting women; it demands concrete action and systemic change.

Creating Meaningful Change

Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach:

1. Organizations must move beyond superficial support to implement policies that promote women’s advancement and protect against harassment.
2. The industry must acknowledge and address working mothers’ unique challenges, including flexible work arrangements and supportive family policies.
3. Investment firms and funding sources must examine their biases and create more equitable access to capital for female entrepreneurs.
4. Professional networks and mentorship programs must focus on creating safe spaces where women can thrive without fear of harassment or discrimination.

Organizations like FUEL and their FUEL Circle work to empower women through leadership development and community building, while Women’s Net provides resources for female entrepreneurs, helping them build sustainable businesses on their terms. However, these support networks, while valuable, cannot solve systemic issues alone.

Final Thoughts

The future of health and wellness depends on dismantling the evident and subtle barriers that hold women back. This means addressing sexual harassment, confronting discrimination in leadership and funding, and acknowledging the unique challenges faced by working mothers. By standing together against these systemic issues and creating real opportunities for advancement, we strengthen not just individual careers but the transformative potential of our entire industry.

Real change requires everyone’s participation in building safer, more equitable spaces, including speaking up against inappropriate behavior, establishing clear professional boundaries, and believing women when they share their experiences. Most importantly, it means moving beyond lip service to take concrete action in supporting women’s advancement in the wellness industry.

About Elisa Edelstein
Elisa is a curious and versatile writer, carving her niche in the health and wellness industry since 2015. Her lens is rooted in real world experience as a personal trainer and competitive bodybuilder and extended out of the gym and on to the page as a writer where she is able to combine her passions for empowering others, promoting wellness, and the power of the written word.