A lot has changed in the two decades since Lisa Mulholland’s mum took her own life.
There’s less of a stigma around mental health for starters. There are many more organisations that will listen when someone’s at their lowest ebb.
And Lisa? She’s 31 now and the owner of a Perth gym which prizes mental wellbeing as much as physical fitness.
So when the 20th anniversary of her mum’s death was approaching, Lisa decided to find a way to honour the date, while also doing good.
The result is a nude calendar, featuring Lisa and her regulars from Zenith Fitness Training posing behind strategically placed gym equipment.
For the 12 months of 2024, they will be hanging in people’s homes looking strong, confident and entirely in the buff.
And for every calendar sold, the lion’s share will go to support the work of the Neuk mental health crisis centre in Perth.
Lisa said she wanted to celebrate the message her mother, Elaine Cameron, instilled in her from a young age – that there’s nothing more important than being happy in your own skin.
Mum’s message resonates in gym’s ethos
“My mum suffered because of her mental health for a very very long time,” Lisa told The Courier.
“In those days – the late 80s, early 90s – you didn’t really speak about it. You just went to hospital.
“And that’s what happened to my mum, until everything just came to a head, and unfortunately she was successful in her attempt to take her own life.”
Lisa was just 11 when her mum died in 2004.
The family returned to Perth, to be closer to her dad’s family. But she never forgot the early lessons her mum taught her.
And that’s where the seed of the idea for the nude calendar was sown.
“When I was growing up mum always taught me to be confident, to love myself for who I was,” said Lisa.
“However bad she was feeling, she never wanted me or my brother to feel that way.
“And that’s what we try to promote here at the gym – body positivity and the idea that, regardless of your age, or your size, you should feel feel confident within yourself.”
Mental wellbeing matters as much as physical fitness
Lisa runs Zenith Fitness Training with her husband Gary.
The gym, on Perth’s PH2 Business Park, prides itself on its holistic approach.
“It’s all about people’s mental wellbeing as much as their physical health,” said Lisa.
Zenith hosts sessions for men’s mental health and the menopause, among others.
And the gym dogs – Kai, Bane and Peanut – are always around when anyone needs a furry shoulder to lean on.
Lisa said she was stunned by the response when she suggested the calendar to her regulars.
“I really thought I was going to have to do multiple months, or get the dogs involved,” she laughed.
“But when I asked if anyone wanted to take part I was inundated. I’m so grateful.”
Perth-based Robyn’s Boudoir Photography shot the images and T’Go Creative took care of the printing.
The calendars are available now on the shop section of the Zenith Fitness Training website.
More than half the cost of each £17 calendar (£8.33, or £10 – 20% VAT) will go to the Neuk mental health crisis centre in St Paul’s Square, Perth.
It provides support and solutions to people who reach out for help. Call 01738 718070 if that’s you.
Conversation