Earlier this year, our brilliant supporters Best Body Physio & Pilates took the incredibly generous step to sponsor 20 School for Life students. We spoke to Best Body’s founder, Scott Wescombe, about his business and how Best Body is working to create real generational change for women and girls, both in Australia and around the world. Read on to find out what he had to say…
A talented AFL player, personal trainer and physiotherapist, Scott Wescombe has a passion for health and wellness that has been driven by the women in his family.
Scott’s Nan passed away from cancer when Scott was just about to begin his physiotherapy studies at university. As he progressed through his degree, he learnt that his Nan’s sedentary lifestyle was likely responsible for her illness, and was disheartened that medical professionals had not taken the time to truly address her health holistically and get her active - a simple step that may have helped her enormously.
Growing up, Scott had also seen his mother prioritise her career as a nurse and caring for her family over herself time and time again - something that he worries may have impacted her health and wellbeing negatively.
These missed opportunities for health that Scott has seen in his mother’s and Nan’s life are what drove him to establish Best Body Physio & Pilates in 2010, almost immediately upon his graduation from university.
Scott founded Best Body Physio and Pilates.
Best Body Physio & Pilates is a physiotherapy practice that incorporates Reformer Pilates techniques and a holistic approach to health to help women just like Scott’s mother and grandmother make positive improvements in their wellbeing and self-care.
"We're on a mission to help mothers make self-care and ‘putting their own mask on first’ normal, and not to feel bad about it so they can give the world the best of themselves instead of what's left of themselves," Scott says.
"We want to be that safe place, we want to be that second home for women, and really help them love looking after themselves and love being active.”
With around 20 studios now operational across Western Australia and Scott’s home state of Tasmania, Best Body’s popularity is a testament to its dedication to supporting women. However, its impact doesn’t stop there.
Supporting women from disadvantaged backgrounds has also always been a core aspect of Best Body’s business philosophy, with Scott making an active effort to seek out worthy causes for the business to give back to in order to uplift women in less privileged situations.
It was while listening to a podcast during a flight from Adelaide to Brisbane that Scott first heard School for Life Foundation CEO Annabelle Chauncy speak about School for Life and became inspired by our passion to educate girls and young women in rural Uganda.
"A future dream (of Best Body) was to open up a school in a third-world country. And I listened to the podcast, and I was like well, Annabelle's already done it, how can we help now," Scott explains.
Scott quickly contacted School for Life to see how Best Body could support our cause and soon after, Best Body made the life-changing decision to sponsor not one, but 20 School for Life students in the Primary Four class of Mbazzi Primary School.
Best Body’s sponsorship of these 20 lucky School for Life students - equating to one child per studio - came as an incredible gesture of generosity in what has not only been a difficult period for businesses in Australia, but a time of even heightened adversity for our students in Uganda, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take hold.
It is thanks to Best Body that these 20 bright and bubbly School for Life students will continue to receive a quality education - as well as access to healthcare, regular nutritious meals and clean water - that will help them escape generational cycles of poverty and achieve their dreams.
Scott says he is so happy that Best Body has been able to take on this commitment to support girls’ education through School for Life - and one day, he hopes that Best Body is able to sponsor 1000 students.
"It's what brings joy to our life," Scott says.
"We definitely recommend every organisation to get involved with an organisation like School for Life.”
Here at School for Life, we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Scott and the team at Best Body for their incredible support.
If you too would like to provide a child in rural Uganda with the never-ending gift of education, click here to find out more about our child sponsorship program here at School for Life.
