When people told Karen Gibson she wouldn’t amount to anything in life, it ignited a fire in her belly that will never go out.
Unapologetically ambitious and fiercely determined, Karen used this negativity as the motivation behind her formidable fitness career.
Today the inspirational 43-year-old is spreading the joy of dance not just throughout Aberdeen but across the UK after launching Soulsa, her own dance workout brand that has been compared to the likes of Zumba.
“Soulsa is a feel-good dance workout where you can escape the worries of life,” says Karen.
“I’m spreading love through my love of music, dance and human connection.”
Born to dance
Growing up in Fraserburgh, dance was a huge part of Karen’s life.
“I’ve always danced, it has been my life forever,” enthuses Karen.
“When I was a child, my mum used to take us all over to dance.
“For me, it was mainly Highland dancing and I became a championship Highland dancer.”
At the age of 18, Karen’s life took a different yet positive direction when she gave birth to her beautiful daughter Chloe.
“I was a young mum but Chloe was a blessing,” says Karen
“There was this stigma of being a young mum as people would say to me ‘you’ve thrown your life away’ but it just gave me this fire in my belly that has pushed me to prove so many people wrong.”
Turning negatives into positives
Proving people wrong is exactly what Karen did after qualifying as a fitness instructor.
“After I had Chloe I did normal jobs and then in 2007 I decided to become a fitness instructor,” says Karen.
“There was a course at the weekends so it fitted perfectly around Chloe.
“Since then it has been amazing as I started teaching classes locally in Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Mintlaw and I then I opened my own studio.”
As with most people in life, Karen has had her fair share of personal struggles, but she refuses to dwell on them and instead uses the tough times as the motivation behind Soulsa.
“I created Soulsa my own brand of dance fitness during lockdown,” says Karen.
“It was really hard work as you had to create the course and make sure that it was endorsed by the National Governing Body for Group Exercise (EMD UK).
“But I did it and then I was invited to present Soulsa at the International Fitness Showcase and that’s where everything took off for me.”
Soulsa dance fitness classes
Karen now has nearly 100 instructors delivering Soulsa classes all over the UK including local classes at Northfield Community Centre, Ashdale Hall in Westhill and the Jubilee Hall in Portlethen.
“Soulsa has been compared to Zumba which is amazing,” says Karen.
“It’s a low impact, high energy dance based workout suitable for everyone.
“We use all genres of music so there’s something for everyone.
“It’s soulful and we use mini-LED flashing tamborines.
“During the class you can burn up to 500 calories.”
Event at Beach Ballroom
To see the positive impact that Soulsa is having on people both mentally and physically makes Karen’s heart sing.
“With Soulsa we’re really strong on helping people with their mental health as one thing I’ve realised is that everyone is going through something,” says Karen.
Now Karen, who has won a string of major fitness awards, has organised a massive fitness event at Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom called FITS UP on Saturday 20th July.
“It’s going to be an amazing event as there has never been anything like this for dance fitness in Aberdeen,” says Karen.
“We’ve got the main ballroom and the star ballroom so there will be group exercise sessions going on between the two rooms.
“So I’ll be doing Soulsa and we’ve also got Clubbercise, Broadway Boogie, RockBox which is more combat based and YogaScape.
“So there will be something for everyone and we’ll also have stalls there with loads of fitness clothing.”
Heart and soul awards
After the event, Karen, who also has a 14-year-old son called James, is hosting a special awards ceremony that night to recognise people who are making a difference to people’s lives through dance fitness.
“The Heart and Soul awards are not just about recognising fitness instructors it’s also to celebrate brands, suppliers, PTs, class participants and I’ve also created a section that is aimed at recognising local people in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire,” says Karen.
“I want to find the heart and soul of the fitness industry.”
Reflecting on how far she’s come since starting her dance journey makes Karen proud.
“I’ve worked really hard as I wanted to show my daughter Chloe that us women can do it all by ourselves,” says Karen.
“I wanted to prove all those people who said things like ‘I’ve thrown my life away’ that you can do well, be a great mum and be successful.”
For more information on local Soulsa classes and the FITS UP event and awards at the Beach Ballroom check out the website soulsadancefitness.co.uk or go to Karen’s Facebook pages at facebook.com/soulsadancefitness and facebook.com/karen.gibson.311
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