Maureen Hutchinson has faced more loss, hardship and heartbreak than most. Yet today, she empowers others through fitness, faith and compassion.
At 56 years old, Maureen Hutchinson from Kempton Park is a personal trainer and wellness coach who stands as a beacon of resilience, faith and transformation.
Her life story is one of heartbreak and healing, pain and purpose – a testament to how the human spirit, with faith and determination, can rise above even the darkest of trials.
A troubled childhood and early struggles
Maureen’s early years were far from easy. At just six years old, her parents divorced, marking the beginning of a difficult childhood. Her mother, overwhelmed by life’s hardships, turned to alcohol to cope.
‘My mother went through a difficult journey which caused us to be underprivileged,’ Maureen shares.
At the age of 12, Maureen was taken away from her mother. Her father, a commercial pilot, was hardly ever around due to his demanding job.
‘I was taken to go live with a family who didn’t even know I was coming,’ she recalls. ‘Standing there as a 12-year-old made me feel like I didn’t know where I belonged, and what would become of my life because everything felt like it was falling apart.’
This marked the beginning of what she describes as her “rejection issues in life’.
She explains, ‘How your parents respond to you as a child is what you believe about yourself, so I started believing lies about myself like I was not lovable because my mother didn’t want me, which was not the truth, she was just struggling.’ Despite it all, Maureen holds gratitude for the family that took her in.
Young motherhood, marriage and personal loss
By the age of 17, Maureen fell pregnant, a consequence, she says, of not being taught about birth control.
Tragically, she suffered a miscarriage. ‘Although it was difficult, it was also a relief because I wanted to complete my matric and I wanted to do something with my life because of my mother’s experience, so I was very driven,’ says Maureen.
Her exercise journey began with modern dance. She became a keep-fit instructor, though guilt weighed heavily on her.
‘I had a lot of guilt because I thought I had killed my baby because I was too active,’ she shares. At 18, Maureen married the father of her child. While completing her matric at Damelin College, she would travel daily from Hillbrow, juggle her studies and still manage her household duties. ‘Although I was mature and streetwise, I was still a child inside,’ she highlights.
By 21, she had another child and moved to Cape Town with her husband. Isolated and without family support, life remained challenging. ‘I had no regrets this time, although I was young, but a child is a blessing from God,’ she adds.
Unfortunately, the marriage deteriorated. She divorced and returned to Johannesburg, entering a two-year custody battle which she eventually won.
However, tragedy struck when her ex-husband, his girlfriend, and her 7-year-old son died in a car accident on their return from Cape Town.
Finding faith and inner healing
Just five months before the incident, Maureen met a woman who would unknowingly change her life.
‘Something about her seemed different,’ said Maureen. ‘I just looked at her and thought that she copes with life so well. One day I approached her and asked her what’s different about her because something about her just seemed good, and her response was ‘It’s God’.
Having never heard of God before, Maureen accepted an invitation to church. ‘At 27, I set foot in a church for the first time in my life, and my son joined me, and when I heard of the gospel and how much Jesus loves me, it flooded my body because I had never experienced love from an adult.’
‘There was an unconditional love between my son and me, but there was always still this hole in my heart because of my past experiences,’ says Maureen. ‘I gave my heart to Jesus and I never looked back.’
When the news of her son’s death arrived, Maureen described being in shock. But through prayer, something profound happened. ‘After praying, my whole body lit up and I had a vision of my son in heaven smiling. There was light all around him, and I had never seen him smile like that before,’ she highlights.
This vision has stayed with her ever since, 28 years ago, giving her peace and strength. ‘No matter what I go through, I know God’s got me and that keeps me going,’ she says.
Maureen remarried and had another son, now 21. Yet again, life brought hardship. Her second marriage ended after 15 years. ‘I often used to battle with myself about feeling less than and not good enough,’ she says. But today, Maureen has been happily married to a wonderful man for four and a half years.
Empowering others through holistic wellness
After completing matric, Maureen joined the corporate world in insurance, determined not to remain underprivileged. She rose quickly, becoming executive management at Discovery. But her heart was always with fitness.
‘In my journey with God, I started to realise that corporate was not for me,’ she adds.
She studied to become a personal trainer, worked at various gyms, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, she shifted to training clients online; a move she eventually made full-time.
‘It’s never too late to find your passion, even at 56,’ she says. Training online, she explains, is convenient, comfortable, and ideal for clients regardless of location.
Maureen customises exercise plans for each client, focusing not only on movement but also on diet. ‘Exercise makes you feel better, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, or doing the workouts incorrectly, it can worsen your condition,’ she says.
She’s also an AMC Cookware consultant, promoting healthy cooking with high-quality stainless steel cookware designed to preserve nutritional value. Her lifelong passion for fitness continued through it all.
‘I’ve always had a love for people,’ she expresses. ‘However, that love was very broken because I was broken. God has put me all back together so beautifully. He has brought me from ashes to beauty.’
What began as a way to deal with insecurity has now become her purpose. ‘Now that has completely shifted, and my passion is about how I can help others,’ says Maureen.
Her fitness philosophy is holistic. ‘It’s never about the physical body only- how we feel spiritually, mentally and emotionally plays a vital role in our overall wellbeing.’
She collaborates with a physiotherapist, and her services include a free meal plan to make them more accessible.
Self-love, confidence and growing older gracefully
Maureen balances her business, personal life and marriage with strength and grace. “No interaction between two people is ever a coincidence; it’s always ordained. Therefore, I know that I am supposed to have an impact on someone’s life and improve their quality of life.
‘Without God, I would not be here, and I am grateful for an abundant life no matter what I’ve faced. I have also been a children’s church teacher for 19 years now and lead a small church group weekly.
‘It is never too late for personal growth and development. I juggle three businesses, studies, family, home and church responsibilities. I put God first, and He does the rest; He redeems my time. God has helped me to walk in His love and forgiveness toward myself and others. This lifestyle has brought a peace that surpasses understanding,’ she expresses.
Her advice to anyone feeling like life keeps knocking them down is simple but powerful: ‘Don’t give up, there is always something to live for and something to be grateful for.’
Text and photo: Desnay Peterson
How your parents respond to you as a child is what you believe about yourself
