We care about you

The Village Wellness mission is to increase your quality of life through mindful movement, holistic health, community connection and heart-centred care. We help you feel strong in body and mind, supported through all stages of life and connected to a village.

We see all of you …

Our Team

Our Team

Talia has a unique set of professional skills from almost 15 years working in the Allied Health sector as a Clinical Pilates instructor, a certified Childbirth Educator, qualified Birth Doula, studio owner and mother of two. She is passionate about helping women feel supported, connected and healthy. You can read more about her below…

Talia – Founder, Allied Health Assistant (Physiotherapy), Birth Educator, Doula, Clinical Pilates, PT

Sue brings the sunshine with her smile, but don’t be fooled! Leaving a corporate career behind her to pursue her love of Pilates, Sue is a passionate instructor who programs her classes with care (and maybe a little bit of a challenge!). Irish born, we love her fun sense of humour and you’ll always have a laugh in her classes.

Sue - Pilates Instructor

Danni has a strong professional background in education and teaching, which later developed into a passion for supporting mothers in their parenting roles. Founder of The Way Of The Woman, Danni offers 1:1 support as well as beautiful group settings for mothers to connect, share, heal and grow on their Aware Parenting journey here at Village Birth.

Danni – Aware Parenting Practitioner, Mother Circle Facilitator, Counsellor

Ali brings a beautiful, grounding and earthy energy to our Village and is a passionate holistic wellness advocate. She is a qualified Yoga Teacher, Ayurvedic Practitioner and Massage Therapist - bringing together a range of skills, disciplines and styles including Vinyasa, Yin + Pre/Post Natal Yoga, studies in Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy and Holistic Health. She also works as an environmental educator facilitating deep ecology and nature connection workshops and is a mumma to two beautiful souls. She is passionate about assisting others to transform their lives so they can positively impact the lives of those around them.

Ali - Ayurvedic Practitioner, Massage Therapist, Yoga Teacher & Group Facilitator

With over 35 years of midwifery experience, Jacinta is still extremely passionate about supporting women and their babies privately, during the antenatal and postnatal period. She has worked in the postnatal home visiting department at Werribee Mercy Hospital for over 25 years, where she proudly assisted its set up and operation. She has extensive skills and expertise in optimising post birth recovery for vaginal and caesarean section, wound management, breastfeeding support, neonatal weight and jaundice assessment, newborn and infant settling and supporting women’s emotional health during the first 6 weeks postpartum. She now offers Private Midwifery Care appointments at Village Birth and flexible home visits.

Jacinta - Registered Midwife, Nurse & Postpartum Expert

Ainsley is trained and certified in Sound Therapy and brings her knowledge of vibration and frequency to life with her beautiful sound baths. Utilising many different instruments including crystal bowls, Tibetan bowls, drums and more, Ainsley takes you on a journey through deep relaxation, energy clearing and soul healing. Founder of Arwoken, an online crystal store, she is also a magic maker!

Ainsley – Sound Therapist, Sound Bath Facilitator and Crystal lover

Jess brings her love for strength and functional movement to her pilates classes, so be prepared to work hard and see results! She is certified with a diploma in all pilates modalities including mat, reformer, equipment and clinical. She is also a certified meditation teacher and community youth worker with more than a decades experience. Jess is passionate about mental and physical health and loves a program with variety.

Jess – Mat, Reformer, Clinical Pilates & Meditation Teacher

Taryn's yoga classes are sincere, heartfelt and offer space for self inquiry. She feels most ignited in her work when she can help others discover their own power to heal, transform & grow through self care rituals and practices. Outside of yoga, Taryn is a passionate massage therapist and reiki practitioner, with a love and enthusiasm for all things Wellness. She is an experienced yogi and qualified health practitioner that has been working in wellness for over 14 years. You will leave her classes feeling free and fluid in your physical body, easy within your mind and deeply connected to the essence within your heart.

Taryn - Yoga Teacher, Massage Therapist, Reiki Practitioner

Erin is a soulful teacher who shares her love of yoga straight from her heart. Her classes are nourishing and restorative in nature, often being described as a "warm hug". She endeavours to make each individual feel safe and comfortable, from the moment they step into the studio. Through mindful movement, meditation and interwoven breathwork - students are provided the opportunity to peel away the unnecessary layers that surround them. Erin has over 400 hours of Yoga Teacher Training and nearly 2 decades experience working in the health industry as a cardiac nurse. Erin is also a mum to two beautiful little girls.

Erin - Yoga Teacher, Nurse, Mumma

As both a nutritionist and yoga teacher, Mel is passionate about helping others to nourish their body and mind. With a friendly and genuine manner, her classes focus on making yoga accessible to all. Experience greater ease and freedom in your body by connecting meaningful movement and breath, whilst flowing to some carefully curated tunes. She is particularly interested in the use of yoga for stress management and managing women’s midlife hormonal symptoms. Feel more balance and calm with regular attendance of Mel's classes.

Mel - Yoga Teacher, Nutritionist, Wellness Coach

Maddy is a fitness professional who values group connection and community in her fun sessions. Our youngest team member with 5 years experience in the industry, Maddy is also qualified to teach both prenatal & postnatal populations and loves creating a positive vibe in the room. She is passionate about health and fitness and in particular  working with women.

Maddy - PT, Fitness Instructor, Pre/Postnatal

Sophie has been practicing Chinese Medicine for 11 years at a mixture of Multi Modality, IVF support and, Natural Fertility based clinics in Melbourne, Geelong and Jan Juc. Sophie has a double degree in Chinese Medicine and Human Biology & her area of expertise lies in assisting women on their hormonal journey’s - specialising in supporting pregnancy, supplementing post birth & helping to regulate cycles. She also enjoys treating Gut health, Anxiety/Depression, Sleep and Energy levels.
Sophie’s treatments are relaxing, so anyone busy or stressed almost always floats out of the treatment room. During a session Sophie will give Acupuncture and if needed Moxa, Cupping and Tuina Massage. Those who would benefit also take home Herbal Medicine. Although Sophie loves all things natural she strongly believes in the power of integrating her treatments with other modalities. She works closely with other Allied health professionals such as GP’s, Psychologists and movement specialists. Sophie is available for appointments in Clinic on Mondays. Private health rebates are available.

Sophie - Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

Louise is a Women's Health and Movement Coach with 12 years Industry experience focussing on female-specific training. Blending her love of strength training with breathwork and energetics has given Louise a unique blend of skills that allows women to transition through all stages of life in an empowering and supportive way. Committed to helping you build your strength and fitness to overcome injury, pain or discomfort for a long-term sustainable relationship with exercise where your inner wellbeing is honoured as much as your physical health. A highly qualified pre and postnatal instructor trainer who helps certify other trainers in this area, Louise is also passionate about supporting women through pregnancy and their safe return to exercise in the postpartum.

Louise - Womens Health Movement Coach & Pre/Postpartum expert

about our founder

Talia Avenell is a passionate person! She has travelled the globe, lived abroad, has a love for cultural diversity and an entrepreneurial spirit. As a mother of two herself and inheriting another two as a blended family, it was her personal experiences with beautiful births (many years ago) that ignited a deep admiration and respect for a womans body during pregnancy - and all birthing people. She knows the body well after working with people of all ages and stages of life for the last 15 years, and is as passionate today as ever before about using exercise to increase longevity & quality of life.

Fully certified by the internationally recognised STOTT Pilates method initially, she has a strong background in classical & clinical pilates principles. These are based on thorough anatomical assessments and addressing postural imbalances in the body, then uses a specific exercise prescription and set of exercises to restore balance and increase function. This method also supports pelvic floor and deep core activation for foundational strength and pain reduction. A true Pilates convert, Talia then completed further Clinical Pilates certification with Breathe, as well as a Cert IV in fitness, a Cert IV in Allied Health Assistance in the Physiotherapy stream and both Pre & Post Natal certifications, which have since become specialty areas for her.

Talia has mentored many students over the last 10 years and is a wonderful example of how to bring classical & contemporary knowledge together, for successful outcomes in the Pilates & Movement industry. She is one of the few Pilates instructors around to have both classical & contemporary training, meaning she can adapt her teaching to suit the individuals needs and goals. One thing she is passionate about is reducing the amount of fear around exercise, in particular during pregnancy or in later years of life.

She regularly monitors current health & exercise guidelines and follows the latest evidence, but also understands that every person has a different set of circumstances that need to be considered before using a cookie-cutter approach. People are individuals and for true quality care, this must be considered when implementing an exercise plan.

Originally opening her first coastal Pilates studio in 2014 - Surfcoast Mindful Movement in Jan Juc, then co-founding The Perinatal Hub in it's place, Talia relocated her studio to another temporary Jan Juc location, before Village Birth & Village Wellness found it's new home in Torquay early 2022. Having owned and operated a boutique Pilates studio in a small community for a decade - Talia knows the industry and the local people. She values connection, collaboration & education so people can make lasting changes to their health & wellbeing feeling empowered.

With a deep curiosity around human behaviour, mindset and self-awareness, Talia loves exploring evidence-based research to continually update the ways she supports positive mind-body and emotional connection through her work.

Talia's passion for supporting women through pregnancy and motherhood meant there was a place to offer services that strengthen both body and mind, with amazing results for women and babies. Alongside teaching her pre/post-natal pilates classes, Talia is also a certified birth doula supporting women during labour, as well as a certified childbirth educator, teaching pregnant couples the Hypnobirthing Australia™ Positive Birth Program. Her knowledge and professional experience is unique, with many layers of expertise. She brings all her knowledge and passion to her clients in her teaching, and her warmth and care to her Village community.

Strong in Body & Mind, Warm in Heart & Soul...

When Talia is not supporting others you’ll most likely find her out in nature, in the garden, building something (she loves a DIY project), reading, cooking, adventuring with her kids, travelling and exploring, running international retreats with her partner, or dreaming up something wonderful!

We've got your back Mumma

We've got your back Mumma