Get to Know Canadian Fitness Innovator Maureen “Mo” Hagan

Canadian fitness innovator Maureen “Mo” Hagan is shaking up the way the health and wellness world thinks about and talks about aging. To Hagan, age is just a number—and that number should never shape the way you think about your abilities.

24Life caught up with Hagan to ask for her top tips for aging gracefully and to share her go to workout, healthy travel tips and an inspirational message to the world.

24Life: Go-to power food or meal?
Mo Hagan: Grilled chicken salad loaded with greens and a few slices of avocado.

24Life: Go-to workout?
MH: Running (outdoors preferably).

24Life: Cardio or strength?
MH: Cardio

24Life: Early morning or night owl?
MH: I am most definitely a night owl.

24Life: Sweet or savory?
MH: Sweet.

24Life: Power-up song?
MH: “What a Feeling” by Irene Cara.

24Life: Last book you read?
MH: “You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Amazing Life” by Jen Sincero.

24Life: Next vacation?
MH: Arizona to enjoy the warm, dry weather. (I live in Canada, need to say more?)

24Life: Healthy travel tips?
MH: Exercise as soon as you arrive, especially if there is a change in time zone. It’s a game changer.

24Life: Go-to stress buster?
MH: Before a stressful meeting, presentation or heavily scheduled workday, I will plug in to a 10- to 15- minute guided meditation.

24Life: Who inspires you and why?
MH: Fitness industry icon Emma Barry inspires me in a multitude of ways. As one of the original Les Mills trainers who brought BODYPUMP to the world, Emma encouraged me to craft my own style as a presenter and trainer. Decades later, Emma continues to reinvent herself, and she inspires me to do the same.

24Life: Favorite inspirational message you have for the world?
MH: “You only fail if you quit.”

24Life: Favorite fail or coaching or learning moment?
MH: Being cut from almost every sport team I tried out for in high school. While I did not understand the lesson or the value of that rejection at the time, I discovered that a “fit, no quit attitude” will take you far in life. I discovered the love for fitness in those moments of struggle, but ultimately it helped me to shape a career in the fitness industry.

24Life: Who mentored you?
MH: My mother followed by my physical education teacher in high school. Both taught me to be a strong and independent woman.

24Life: The best piece of career or leadership advice you’ve received that has stuck with you?
MH: It was from my boss “Patch” (CEO and owner of GoodLife Fitness) who said to me that if you believe in something so strongly, then keep fighting to find a way to influence others with your vision. Looking back, I realize that he was teaching me to believe in myself and in my abilities, to earn the trust and respect of others and, in doing so, I have become a strong and influential leader in the organization.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Maureen Hagan