Why I’m bringing a lifetime of ocean experience, recovery, resilience, and coaching into private strength, balance, and mobility training for active adults over 55.
The Waterwoman Is Still Here
The waterwoman is still here.
I am still happiest in the ocean. I still feel reverence for its power, beauty, lessons, and spiritual depth. And I remain deeply grateful for the ocean Ohana that has embraced me since I arrived on Maui in 1998, and well before, with a dream of windsurfing in warmer waters.
Today, that same lifelong relationship with movement guides my strength training in Maui for active adults over 55.
That dream changed my life.
It brought me to Maui, into a powerful community, and eventually into training and coaching. It led me through windsurfing, early stand-up paddling, racing, teaching, writing, coaching, mentoring, falling down, getting back up, recovering, and beginning again.
Movement, the Hawaii lifestyle, and the sea have shaped who I am. Our ocean community is unlike any other. We challenge one another, look out for one another, learn humility from the conditions, gratitude from the good days, and resilience from the ones that knock us flat, or out.
And, if you have spent any time in the ocean, you know this: it always has one more lesson planned than you thought you signed up for.
A Life Shaped by the Ocean
When I came to Maui, I was chasing a windsurfing dream, de-stressing from the mainland. I could not have known the sea would become my best professor.
I was very fortunate to be part of the early stand-up paddling development, a time that brought enormous, global connection, life long friendships, energy, curiosity, and possibility to the water. Through coaching and competition, I learned about preparation, performance, fear, focus, recovery, risk, and the power of a determined mind.
I also learned that like the common phrase, “the body keeps score.” And boy does it.
For years, I trained hard, played hard, paddled hard, and said yes to the next adventure. Sometimes it was a three sport day. Motocross, SUP then windsurf. That life gave me unforgettable experiences, meaningful friendships, and a deep sense of purpose. It also came with injuries, surgeries, recovery periods, and some very direct messages from my shoulders, neck, and low back.
My shoulders alone have been through three surgeries. Broke both legs at the same time. I have also had a back procedure, and I live with lower-right lumbar scoliosis, severe neck damage, and dropped foot syndrome. If I had an odometer on my shoulders, it would probably read somewhere in the neighborhood of a million paddle strokes—and those are just the strokes I remember.
I do not share that for sympathy. I share it because it has changed the way I understand strength.
What Change Has Taught Me
When COVID arrived, much of my SUP coaching, and all the work, the clothing line, everything I worked so very hard for, literally faded away. It was very very sad. I had a lot of emotions around it, and I had to dig deep and ask myself what was next.
That question led me into the fascinating world of neuroscience. It gave language and structure to something I had long believed through sport, recovery, and coaching:
The Mind Wins First.
Our thoughts, beliefs, attention, confidence, the performance and health of our brain, fear, and nervous system all influence how we move through the world. They influence whether we begin, whether we persist, whether we trust ourselves, and whether we can imagine a new way forward after a setback.
Now, as I approach 60, I find myself at another meaningful benchmark. It has been inspiring, humbling, and very real. It’s quite surreal I must say and often I look for the switch to remind me that my body cannot jump waves, ride the track or even wingfoil.
This past year has asked me to listen more closely. Between a few significant health challenges, a scary event at Kanaha, and a season that required more recovery than I wanted to admit, I have become more thoughtful about big-risk ocean adventures and more selective about the demands I place on my body.
That has not been easy to say.
The River of Denial Ran Deep
For a long time, that river of denial ran deep.
I wanted to keep going exactly as I had before—to chase the next swell, take the bigger risk, push through discomfort, and assume I could will myself through whatever my body was trying to tell me. I have learned differently.
The metaphor I see for myself is a record player playing my favorite album. One side is the big risk taking part of my entire life. The other side as you flip the record, the label might read, “time to slow down Suzie.”
Now my favorite side of the album but this truth is hitting home. The volume is up and I’m learning to like this new side of album and all the songs of my life that are playing.
This is all to say that I am not giving up on adventure. I am choosing literally to protect the life and the physical joy of movement I need and crave.
Strength Is More Than Pushing Harder
There is a version of strength that says very loudly to me, “Push harder.”
And there is my wiser, more durable version that says, “Pay attention Cooney.”
The second kind is the one I care most about now. My friends are also sharing the same sentiments.
Strength is not only about lifting more, paddling farther, surviving a tough workout, or proving that we can still do what we did at 30. It is also about accepting and adapting. Recovering. Building capacity gradually. Knowing when to press forward and when to hit the pause button.
Without sounding too cliche, it’s about training the body you have today for the life you want tomorrow.
It is about caring for the body that has carried you through decades of work, family, sport, stress, joy, and change.
My work has grown because I have grown—and I’m now bringing everything I’ve learned to the people who need it most.
I have come to believe that aging does not mean shrinking your life. It means getting clearer about what matters, learning what supports your body, and building the strength to keep participating in the things you love.
Strength Training Maui for Active Adults Over 55
Today, my primary focus is private personal training and coaching for active adults over 55—women and men who want to build strength, improve balance and mobility, feel more confident in their bodies, and create a better physical quality of life for the years ahead.
This is not about “acting young”, but sure there is room to be silly, to laugh and feel like a kid again. I’m all for that! (And by the way, I will dress appropriate to whatever feels good, makes me feel good and makes me happy.)
It is also about staying deeply engaged and curious in your own life. For example, while I am not able to charge in they ways I used to, I feel deep joy just in the act of loading up my board or my OC1 outrigger canoe and all the rituals around it. Still enjoying that feeling of being on the road with the possibilities of what I will experience, what the conditions will be, what friends might I run into, still hold me deeply engaged and looking forward to this new season of sport and this shift,
Some clients come to me after an injury, surgery, illness, or a season of being less active than they would like. Others are doing quite well but can feel that their balance, strength, mobility, recovery time, or confidence is no longer what it used to be. I can completely relate and understand what all of this can mean and feel like. It affects not only one’s physical health but mental health as well. Many simply want an intelligent, encouraging plan instead of guessing their way through workouts.
Training That Meets You Where You Are
With where I am now and always, my role is not to shame, pressure, or turn anyone into an athlete they do not want to be.
My role is to meet each person where they are and help them move forward from there.
I bring 27 years of experience as a trainer and coach, a professional background in surgical sports orthopedics and physical therapy, my own long history as an athlete, and the real-world perspective of someone who is navigating this chapter too.
What Purposeful Strength After 55 Can Make Possible
Purposeful strength keeps us in motion, is practical and real. It is based in accepting, self awareness and self observation and it honestly opens the door to more options. This is a massive shift I discovered not only with myself but for so many clients I work with.
Purposeful Strength can help you:
Feel steadier on your feet and more confident with balance
Get up and down from the floor more easily
Improve mobility and move with more freedom
Build functional strength for stairs, lifting, carrying, travel, and everyday tasks
Create a sensible routine after injury, surgery, illness, or time away from exercise
Feel more capable in the ocean, on the trail, on the golf course, on the tennis or pickleball court,
and in daily life.
Develop better awareness of recovery, pacing, and what your body needs
Trust yourself more fully again.
No one needs to become a different person to get stronger. The goal is to support the person you are today—and the life you want to keep living.
For some people, that life includes paddling, surfing, wing foiling, golf, tennis, pickleball, hiking, travel, or keeping up with grandkids. For others, it means walking more comfortably, moving without fear, feeling more stable, or simply having energy left for a full, satisfying day.
All of those goals count. Having goals also creates a special inertia, a deep traction and can make your purposeful strength have even more meaning.
Training Designed Around You
My private strength training in Maui is personalized, progressive, and designed around your actual life—not a one-size-fits-all workout or a “no pain, no gain” mentality.
Depending on your goals, a program may include:
Functional strength training for the movements you use every day
Balance training to improve stability, coordination, and confidence
Mobility work to help you move more freely and comfortably
Core strength, posture, and movement-quality foundations
Thoughtful progression after a setback or a long break from exercise
Recovery, pacing, and mindset strategies rooted in The Mind Wins First
Sport-specific strength and mobility for ocean athletes and active adults who want to keep playing
I train private clients on N shore of Maui and offer Zoom for people elsewhere. Learn more about my private personal training and coaching services in Maui and on Zoom.It’s just as engaging, effective and fun. The format changes; the individualized attention does not.
What I Learned From the Strong Wahine Project
This direction became even clearer during my recent private 12-week Strong Wahine experience with women over 50.
Of course, the women wanted strength, balance, mobility, resilience, confidence, and tools to support longevity. But they wanted more than workouts.
They wanted connection, to be seen. a safe place to speak honestly about what they hoped to change,
As their guide, trainer and coach, creating thoughtful structure and a safe space for both mind and body expansion was my highest priority.
I watched extraordinary women step outside their comfort zones. I watched them support one another even when they were at different points in their fitness and life journeys. I watched their confidence begin to shift from something they hoped to feel someday into something they could recognize in themselves now.
What I learned from guiding that group of brilliant, like-minded women is this:
The real results come from both the collective and the individual heart and mind.
One participant put it beautifully:
“My confidence for sure was awakened… no question. I feel surer of myself and my abilities, and I am listening to what feels right for me and not doing things because of what others might think.”
That is the work I want to keep doing.
Private Training in Maui or on Zoom
Whether you are looking for in-person strength training in Maui or Zoom coaching from somewhere else entirely, you do not need to wait until you feel “ready enough” to begin.
You can start with the body you have and the goals that matter to you now.
Together, we can build an intelligent, fun, motivating, encouraging plan that helps you become stronger, steadier, more mobile, and more confident—without losing the joy, creativity, or sense of adventure that makes movement worth doing.
What Do You Want to Feel Stronger For?
If you are looking for private personalized strength training in Maui—or personalized Zoom coaching from wherever you live—you can start now.There is still a fire in you. Trust me it never goes out. We may need to simply reignite it.
The compass may become more defined as we age. The path or route may look different. But the possibility of becoming stronger, steadier, and more confident does not expire.
If any of my personal story resonates with you, and you are an active adult over 55 and you are ready to stop putting off the strength, balance, and mobility that support the life you want to live, let’s talk story. I’d like to learn more about you.
Private training is available in Maui, with Zoom coaching available wherever you are.
Ready to begin?
You can also explore my approach to balance training and functional movement. Or, if you are not sure exactly where to begin, send me a message with this simple answer:
What do you want to feel stronger for?
Whether it is getting back on the water, recovering after an injury or illness, moving with less discomfort, feeling safer on your feet, traveling confidently, staying active with family, or feeling like yourself again—I would love to hear from you.
In strength,
Suzie Cooney, CPT, CNTC
Suzie Trains Maui
The Mind Wins First
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