Students in Focus
From self-discovery to supporting others: a º£½ÇÉçÇø student is transforming women's wellness
Content warning: this article discusses disordered eating behaviours and weight loss.
Working with the aging population, with women, and rurally and remotely are all goals that Emma Combs hopes to achieve in her future – just as soon as she finishes her Bachelor of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation at the University of Canberra.
While her future sounds impressive, her past is equally so. Emma has used her lived experiences to help hundreds – if not thousands – of women and girls grow stronger and healthier, and has equipped them with the tools and mindset needed to love their bodies.
Growing up regionally in Wagga Wagga, NSW, Emma had a keen interest in sports – particularly netball – throughout her younger years. When she started to experience joint pain at just 12 years old, Emma’s parents took her to see a doctor.
“I had struggled with my weight from very early on in my life,” Emma says.
“It became a bit of a problem and we were seeing doctors and dietitians. Across that journey, a lot of them suggested losing weight.”
In the years that followed, Emma was diagnosed with several chronic conditions, including an autoinflammatory disease and joint conditions in her knees. At age 15, she had her first knee surgery.
“Ahead of the surgery, I was told that to prepare for it, I needed to do some rehab and try and lose a little bit of weight,” she says.
“I was working with a physio, and dropped a lot of weight very, very quickly. It probably wasn’t the healthiest way to do it – I lost 25 or 30 kilos in a three-month period.”
This kickstarted a long journey for Emma in which she struggled with disordered eating and overexercising – but, come high school graduation, also prompted her to explore a career path where she could educate herself and others in the field of sports and exercise.
In 2018, Emma moved to Canberra to study a Bachelor of Journalism at UC, but soon realised the degree wasn’t for her.
“I realised journalism wasn’t actually what I wanted to do, so I thought I’d go into physio,” she explains. Soon after, Emma enrolled into a Bachelor of Health Science (Human Movement).
“I wanted to learn as much about the body as I could, and wanted to reconnect with my ‘why’ in the gym, I was like ‘the human body is pretty cool’. And I’ve been through a lot in terms of my rehab – I was in a rural town, my recovery process and my weight process wasn’t the best, I didn’t have great care.
“So I always envisioned that I would be working in a multidisciplinary clinic, with a very holistic approach to health. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the way that our body works: logically, physically, and how movement, exercise, diet, and even your mental health, all collaborate.”
Over time, and equipped with the real-world knowledge that comes with moving cities – as well as with the support of her partner Dan, Emma began to realise that the unhealthy behaviours she had fallen victim to weren’t sustainable.
“I realised something had to give. I knew I had to learn how to do this properly – how to train and how to fuel my body,” she says.
Emma is now midway through her second undergraduate degree in a Bachelor of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation, and hopes to graduate (again!) in 2026.
While she studies, Emma is putting her knowledge into practice, coaching nearly 100 women through her lifestyle coaching and wellness business, and on her Instagram page, , where she has amassed over 34,000 followers.
It’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly.
“There’s a trap people can fall into within the health and wellness space, and there are coaches that do it purely for financial gain,” she says.
“If you don’t have a passion for it, and a level of empathy and care, then it’s just unfair to those who are putting their trust in you. They’re quite literally putting their health in your hands, and for me, that’s a really incredible privilege.”
Prioritising her own health – both mental and physical – has been a huge milestone for Emma, who previously struggled finding a work-life balance.
Following a period of burnout early in her business journey, she’s finally found a routine that works for her.
“After 5.30pm, the phone is on ‘do not disturb’. I plan my working hours around my uni schedule, so my team know that if I’m at uni, I’ll reply to messages once I’m done, and people are really respectful of that,” Emma says.
“Even though the gym is great, it’s also my job, and it can’t be a hobby as well. So quite often my biggest relaxation is putting my headphones on and going for a walk, or even just going to get a coffee.”
In future years, Emma says she’d love to work with Dan – a fellow º£½ÇÉçÇø graduate and physiotherapist – to help vulnerable populations, including young people struggling with their health, like she did as a child.
“I would love to work clinically with the healthy aging population or in women’s health. But I think where my passion lies could be in paediatrics,” she says.
“I was 12 when I was told I had the joint health of a 60-year-old, and that I couldn’t run anymore or play sport – and that wasn’t the approach that I needed at the time. It’s done a lot of damage to my mental health over the years.
“I want to be that person – that support network – because it is tough, not only on the patient, but on their whole family.”
Words by Elly Mackay, photos supplied.