MY BIG IDEA

Work it, girl

Trixie Velez, founder of Defin8 Fitness shares how she helps clients stay in shape

Defin8 Fitness is a small boutique fitness and pilates studio on Wellington Street, Central owned by Trixie Velez and her husband Leo Velez.

Five years ago, the pair set out to create a warm and inviting environment in which clients could achieve results within a desired timeframe. And that’s exactly what they did. Fast forward to today and the range of classes has grown to include Defin8 Barre, Fatburn + Abs Blaze, Trx Circuit, Pilates Reformer, Zumba and one-on-one training. “Our studio operates over two floors and includes a fully-equipped pilates area and a team of wonderful trainers and staff,” says Velez.

As a wife, mother and entrepreneur, Velez has a loyal following thanks to her ability to help clients achieve their fitness goals and her positive can-do approach. She is best known for delivering the six-week challenge program through which she helps clients identify their fitness goals, monitors their progress and is onhand throughout to offer physical and emotional support. “We’ve been offering this program since the company started and we have always seen incredible results,” she says.

No business operates without its challenges and there is no doubt that the past year, has been difficult for gyms and fitness studios in Hong Kong. “It certainly hasn’t been easy, but there are many others in the same situation as us and we’ve got to do our best and remain positive. When our studio had to close due to government restrictions, we made the most of the options available to us training outdoors and offering classes online. We even started our own YouTube channel to help those stuck indoors to stay fit. Looking back, this challenge has only helped us to better serve our clients in the long run,” she says.

“People come to us for all sorts of reasons. Some have had previous injuries and need rehab, some are preparing for their wedding and we also have many pre- and postnatal clients, ” says Velez. “We don’t just focus on losing weight. We want to achieve results, yes, but we also want to help clients create a workout plan that suits their lifestyle so that they are able to enjoy fitness and commit long term. Our aim is to create a plan that helps our clients get in shape, increase strength, prevent future injuries and become the overall best version of themselves that they can be,” she adds.

It’s an exciting time for the studio as they head into the summer season. “We have exciting plans brewing which we hope to announce shortly,” Velez says. To anyone looking to kickstart their fitness journey she says, “Just start. Starting is the hardest part and don’t be intimidated, fitness is for everyone.”

Defin8 Fitness offers packages, drop-in classes and tailored fitness programs. For more information or to book visit

defin8fitness.com

cover story The stars of education

Charmaine Ng meets the winners of the 2021 Hong Kong Education Awards. Photography by Simon J Nicol

Education Consultancy of the Year

Ampla Education

With an experienced team comprised of Oxbridge, MIT and Yale graduates, Ampla Education offers tuition for a vast range of exams, including GCSEs, A-Levels, IB and Pre-U, as well as bespoke programmes for tests such as UKiset and SAT. It also has admissions preparation courses and comprehensive consulting services for those who are considering boarding schools and universities abroad. Founder and director Julianna Yau started Ampla Education in 2016 to help students succeed in their pursuit of higher education. Yau, who is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, is delighted to receive the award for Education Consultancy of the Year - Judges Category in the first Hong Kong Education Awards. “With all the challenges of the past two years, this recognition is a great motivation for our team,” she says. “We hope to continue to make education more accessible, promote gender equality and impact change through quality education on a larger scale.” Ampla Education is one of the few private education consultancies that devote a significant portion of time and proceeds to sustainable development work. Its mentorship programme resulted in over 50 percent of STEM degree offers received by its female mentees, compared to a worldwide average of 25 percent female STEM graduates. The consultancy also helped construct two schools in Cambodia before the pandemic and greatly reduced the drop-out rate from 20 to five percent. “It is my dream to make quality education widely accessible and that every child is nurtured and encouraged to fulfil their potential,” says Yau.

Best Language Centre

Mini Mandarins

Since 2014, Mini Mandarins has revolutionised Mandarin learning with its unique and innovative curriculum. Featuring a thematic real-life simulated “mini metro” classroom, children are fully immersed to develop their love in Chinese across the continuum of conversing, reading and creative writing. To date, founder Anita Shum has worked with over 5,000 students across Hong Kong, helping them develop their passion for learning Chinese in real-life settings. “Throughout the years, I witnessed many friends around me refuse to learn Chinese, with the feeling that the traditional teaching method was too archaic. Fast forward to when I became a mum myself, I was surprised to see that rote learning and memorisation were still being used. I set myself on a mission to redesign a positively engaging way to teach Mandarin,” says Shum. This method has proved to be very successful with Mini Mandarins taking home the award for the Best Language Centre this year. “It is an honour to be chosen by the judges. This reassures us that our curriculum is innovative, high quality and of professional standards.” Like all schools in Hong Kong this past year, Shum had to move her lessons online. “Online learning loses a lot of the personal touch and interaction as there is only one voice in the lesson. If more than one person talks, it becomes very irritating, so children become timid during class and don’t speak.” With this observation, the language centre created a private home curriculum, Mobi Mandarins, where its native speaking teachers would come to the children’s home to teach the unique curriculum. “Mobi Mandarins has a standardised curriculum which follows student’s needs and progress, unlike traditional tutoring, which can lack structure and engagement.” By introducing Mobi Mandarins to children across the globe, Shum hopes to create the new “ESL of Mandarin” and a positive image for Chinese language learning. Above all, she wants to ensure the next generation will be competent with the language around the world.

Best School for the Arts

Faust International Youth Theatre

Faust runs drama, creative writing and musical theatre workshops for children aged three to 18 at venues across Hong Kong. In fun, lively sessions, the youth theatre introduces children to the world of theatre and creativity, developing performance skills, theatre knowledge, teamwork, individual expression and confidence. It also organises productions at many Hong Kong theatres throughout the year. Accepting the award for Best School for the Arts, director Matthew Gregory says: “The whole Faust team, from workshop leaders to registration staff, have worked so hard over the last eighteen months. This award is a wonderful recognition of their commitment to the young people we work with and their families, especially during this time. I would like to dedicate this award to everyone involved.” Gregory found his passion for theatre and performance while attending secondary school in England and went on to study English and Theatre Studies at University. He initially moved to Hong Kong for a year, but soon fell in love with the city, setting up Faust in 1999. “It’s fantastic to see these young people gaining confidence, trying new things, making friends, smiling and having fun,” he says. During the pandemic, Faust had to open and close multiple times to keep up with the government regulations, meaning many classes and performances were put on hold. Despite this, Gregory looks on the positive side. “Like all organisations, we have had to adjust,” he says. “It’s good to constantly reinvent yourself in business, but to have to do it at such a rapid pace has been a significant challenge. The only way to overcome it has been through teamwork, kindness and trying our hardest to do the right thing.”

Special Education School of the Year

Kids Connect

Established in Hong Kong in 2011, Kids Connect is a learning centre dedicated to children with special learning profiles. With a cosy and professional team, Kids Connect combines the scientific rigorousness with a personal touch of humanity in its tailor-made programme for each of its students. “The old adage ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is a credo in my heart. Indeed it often takes dedicated professionals and families to work collaboratively so that they can build a stimulating culture and an effective pedagogy that nurtures the neurological and character development of the child,” says Emily Kwan, clinical director at Kids Connect. The tailor-made programme is personalised from its teaching format, materials, methods, activities and targets to best facilitate each child’s learning needs. Through its key core values: evidence-based practice, childhood experiences, and parents’ engagement, the programme aims for comprehensive development, with a particular emphasis on social, communication, attention and play skills. In a typical session at Kids Connect, a child will have a rich combination of activities through different teaching formats from one on one, partner time and group learning. They will also have field trips and parties once a month, plus special events at festivals. This personalised approach to learning was one of the many reasons why Kids Connect took home the award for the Special Education School of the Year. “We are absolutely honoured and earnestly grateful for this award. It’s a wonderful testament of the exceptional quality and resilience of our team,” says Kwan. Looking ahead, Kids Connect hopes to continue to inspire and support children with special learning profiles around Hong Kong.