The Playful perspective

Colleen Flaherty

Colleen is a fitness educator, speaker, and founder of PLAYFiT USA, bringing more than 25 years of youth soccer coaching and fitness leadership to a simple mission: make movement more human, engaging, and fun.

Through her PLAYFiT methodology, Colleen teaches fitness professionals how to harness play, reimagine connection, and how stepping outside the 4 walls of a gym will allow them to build unforgettable experiences, stronger communities, and careers they genuinely love.

Executive experiencing burnout in a corporate office

100% More Fun

Engaging attendee Workshops + Talks

Colleen gets people moving, laughing, and connecting based on your event logistics.

Colleen's core expertise weaves anatomy, human connection, play, goal-setting, and experience design together through a creative lens built over decades of serving 1000's of humans and professionally speaking to 100's. Her most notable and favorite achievement was co-creating a 2 day Pregnancy and Postpartum Strength Course that she taught around the world to over 100 fitness professionals.

Through the PLAYFiT online mentorship program for instructors, speaking, and consulting on fitness events, Colleen's ultimate purpose is to help leaders find fun effective ways to get more of their community moving so that collectively we positively change the health of millions.

On a mission to educate + elevate

25 years of Leadership

Resume of Presentations

2013-present: Speaker at various wellness events and local conferences

2016-2018: Pregnancy + Postpartum Strength Course

2017 and 2018: DONA Annual Conference workshop leader

Corporate Employee lunch-and-learns at:

2014-2015: Sentry Safe, Rochester, NY

2018-2019: General Atomics, San Diego, CA

Signature Topics

The Power of Play — Why adults need play and how playful movement changes engagement, motivation, and participation.

The Burnout-Proof Coach — Using creativity, curiosity, emotional regulation, psychological safety, and connection to build a more sustainable career in fitness.

Play-Based Programming Lab — A hands-on workshop for turning traditional exercises, equipment, and training goals into playful experiences.

Fitness for the People Who Hate Fitness — Rethinking how the industry can reach adults who aren't attracted to traditional gyms, workouts, or fitness culture by challenging "no pain, no gain" fitness culture to create movement people associate with joy rather than obligation.

The Fitness Leader We Need — A keynote on moving beyond instruction to become the kind of leader who creates connection, possibility, and meaningful movement experiences by creating playful, adaptive, connected, exploratory, and psychologically safe environments where human potential can flourish

Make Movement Social Again — Using games, teamwork, shared challenges, and community to combat isolation and make physical activity a place for human connection.

I can also bring a bouncy joy-instigator for each of your attendees!

outdoor fitness wellness coach trainer instructor education

fun fitness morning

Claim Your Spot

July 18th, 2026
at FigMINT Farms, Apex

  • Leave with fresh ideas and perspectives

  • Feel lighter, looser, yet more grounded

  • Find new friends or business buddies

  • Feel supported by other coaches - you're not alone!

Wear comfortable, athletic attire. Bring a water bottle and a willingness to play and llaugh at yourself!

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