We met in a North London gym. One of the first chats we had was about what more we could do to get the people we love to start strength training. We quickly knew we liked each other! We moved to Sydney in 2024, where we ran our strength classes for beginners using resistance bands in Bondi Beach. 

Matt Van Mol is a Strength & Conditioning Coach, nutritionist and behaviour change specialist. He is the Head Coach for Life Beyond Illness, where he supports the community to build a healthy relationship with exercise and food while navigating recent or long-standing illnesses. He has a Master’s in Development & Health Psychology, and his work explores how upbringing, social context and psychology shape our health behaviours – and how to create lasting change.

Cyan Koay is a corrective exercise specialist with a focus on strength training for injury prevention and longevity. She loves helping people achieve things they thought was not possible (whether that’s their first push up or running an ultra-marathon pain-free)! Cyan is also a qualified teacher and was previously a senior policy advisor for the UK government.

Outside of Strong Band, we’re big fans of long walks, almond croissants, good coffee, podcasts, cinema, gelato and sharing meals with friends.