In a loungeroom not far from Redcliffe’s beachfront on a lazy Sunday afternoon, Angelina Pallisier sits comfortably on a boho rug, smiling and laughing. A surfboard adorns the wall behind her. There’s garlic cooking in the kitchen, its aroma wafting through the house.
“Creating a life for myself that I want to live has been my biggest inspiration to do what I do,” Angie says. And create Angie, 36, has – combining the best of worlds in business, fitness and surfing.
Angie is the owner of The Active Sisters, a fitness studio in Margate, on the Redcliffe Peninsula. She recently started Sisterhood of Surf, her newest business venture which began as an idea in June 2022 while at a surf camp in Bali that didn’t cater for beginners. Angie wrote her business plan on that trip and the idea became a reality in November when she ran her first surf event. Now she is both the head trainer at the studio and runs sell-out surf retreats nationally and internationally. Sisterhood of Surf also hosts local surf days at Caloundra’s Happy Valley surf beach.
Her approach in business and in life is holistic, encompassing physical, mental and emotional mindfulness. “I love creating dance fitness and I love creating exercise that’s not the typical stuff you would find in a gym, and my love for movement was born through that,” she says.
Growing up on the peninsula, her mum lived in Scarborough and her dad in Eumundi. Splitting her time between the two is where her love of surf and country came from. Her parents instilled in her at a young age to enjoy the simple things in life, but also that magic happens with hard work. “Things haven’t been handed to me; I’ve worked really hard to get where I am and that makes me so proud,” she says.
The Active Sisters started 12 years ago as a part-time side project while she was working in the corporate world of management operations for the allied health sector. Originally it was a way for her to work through some mental and physical health challenges of her own, but instead she found joy in movement and realised it was the perfect tool to help transform her life.
Angie quit her corporate job and now works full time empowering women of all shapes and sizes to embrace the joy in movement. She welcomes each one into the sisterhood with open arms. “For me it’s always been really important as a trainer to meet women where they are on their fitness journey,” she says.
Like most small business owners, Angie has had to adopt technology and social media. Her YouTube channel, Instagram and the Online Sisters platforms allow her to share creative content with the world. Remaining true to herself and The Active Sisters brand has also allowed her businesses to grow organically. “Brands have found us through our social media, and we have a partnership with LSKD now and that just came from being online,” she says.
Looking ahead, Angie has plans to step back as the head trainer in the studio, giving her already stellar team of trainers the opportunity to shine. “Sami is my left-hand person and our dance queen. She’s really helped me build the studio community into what it is over the past three years and my goal is to hand more of the training over to her while we are growing The Active Sisters outside the studio,” she says.
With five sell-out surf retreats from now until next year, Angie wants to find that sweet spot between life, The Active Sisters and Sisterhood of Surf, which she says has grown beyond expectation. “I’d love to grow my wings with Sisterhood of Surf. I’ve dedicated 12 years to a studio and being a trainer and with Sisterhood of Surf I get to work with women all around the world, I’m getting to be a coach and I’m bringing the Active Sisters element to that,” she says.
That’s not to say Angie will be gone from the Sisterhood altogether. In addition to surfing, she will still be training and has plans for pop up events, dance parties, trade shows and taking the Active Sisters on the road. “I’m planning what 2024 looks like,” she says. “It’s busy, I know that.”
No matter where she is, whether she’s wearing sneakers and active wear, dancing at sunrise, filming content for her online platforms, or surfing up a storm like a salty goddess, it’s clear that big swells are on the horizon for Angie and the Sisterhood.
