Overview
In a sunlit studio on Melbourne's northside, a nightclub-like room houses heavy basslines and the sound of gloved fists hitting boxing bags. In the adjacent room, reformer Pilates carriages, lit by yellow neon lights, move in sync. And in a third, heated space, a class is settling into dimly lit savasana — sweaty, centred, collective. This is Fitzroy, one of Upstate's now 17 locations that have come to redefine what modern movement looks like: less about aesthetics, more about community.
For co-founder Gail Asbell, the philosophy that powers Upstate was shaped by something deeply human — loss. Seventeen years ago, Gail and her sister Charelle lost both their father and brother within a short time. Gail was working as a brand manager for Tourism Victoria, climbing a corporate ladder that, suddenly, didn't seem to matter much. "When you go through something like that, you can't help but question what you're doing with your life," she says. "It made me ask myself: what's my purpose?"
Upstate co-founders, Gail and Charelle Asbell.
Both sisters turned to yoga to cope with their grief — separately, without knowing the other had done the same. "I'd never done yoga before," Gail recalls. "But it became this space where I could just breathe again."
At the time, yoga in Australia was far from mainstream. "There wasn't a Lululemon in the country," she laughs. "You'd go to one studio and it was incense and chanting, then another would be super athletic. I loved how it made me feel — but I didn't want to be preached to. I just wanted to move my body and feel good."
That experience became the seed of an idea. After training in the US, where yoga was gaining cultural momentum, Gail came home inspired. "I could see there was this gap — studios that were clean, consistent, and focused on how you felt, not how spiritual or flexible you were. I wanted to create a space for that."
Together with her sister, she opened the first Upstate Studio in Geelong. "There was no grand plan," she says. "I was pregnant at the time. We thought we'd open one little studio while our kids were young. But it just took off." From that first space came 17 studios across Victoria and beyond — each an embodiment of the brand's mission: to help people find a positive state of mind through movement and connection.
Accessibility and community have been part of the DNA since day one. "We grew up on a dairy farm," Gail says. "We didn't come from money. We wanted to make movement something everyone could access — fun, affordable and non-intimidating."
That's the spirit behind Upstate's bright yellow branding — "all about positivity and energy," Gail explains — and its inclusive mix of class styles. Yoga and pilates anchor the offering, but boxing has become one of its most-loved modalities. "Boxing's been around forever, but we wanted to teach it in an Upstate way — high energy, fun and empowering," she says. "It's not about sparring or competition. It's about walking out of class feeling powerful."
Upstate's Palm Beach studio.
Power, for Gail, has little to do with domination. It's about confidence — something she says is central to both movement and leadership. "Empowerment's a funny word," she reflects. "It gets thrown around a lot. For me, it's not about shouting it from the rooftops. It's about helping people build confidence to try new things, to fail and get back up again."
That ethos runs through the business. Upstate now employs around 90 full-time and part-time staff, plus more than 250 instructors across Australia — and nearly all of its leadership team started as teachers. "Last year, 95 percent of our roles were filled internally," Gail says. "When someone comes in as an instructor and works their way up into marketing, operations or education, that's empowerment to me — giving women opportunities to back themselves."
It's also why Upstate recently launched its own instructor training programs. "We saw a gap — people were graduating with the theory but didn't have the confidence to teach," she says. "We wanted to prepare people to stand in a room, use their voice and feel capable."
The result has been more than just new recruits. "Our senior instructors have become educators," Gail says proudly. "It's created a whole new level of opportunity in the business."
Instructors at Upstate's newest studio, Oakleigh.
Beyond the studios, Upstate has evolved into a lifestyle brand — hosting retreats, events and collaborations that extend its community beyond the mat. "There's such an appetite for movement paired with connection — whether that's a yoga and wine night, or a mindfulness event," she says. "We send the invite and it's booked within hours."
That sense of connection remains deeply personal for Gail. "Movement can completely change how you think and feel," she says. "Even something as small as taking a breath at the start of class — it can shift your whole state of mind."
Seventeen years on, the grief that first brought Gail to the mat has transformed into purpose — and a thriving community that continues to grow. "Sometimes we don't stop to reflect," she admits. "But when I see all our team together, or hear a member say a class changed their day, that's when it hits me. This is why we started."
The brand's next chapter includes continued instructor training, overseas retreats, a new Brisbane studio and a top-secret new class offering, but the mission hasn't changed: "It's still about helping people feel good and giving them the confidence to take up space — in the studio, at work, in life," Gail says.
To mark International Women's Day this year, Upstate is putting that philosophy into action by launching a fully funded Pilates Instructor Training Scholarship for a lucky recipient, and on Sunday, March 8, members are also invited to bring a woman who inspires them to class for free.
Find out more about Upstate — including studio locations, memberships, retreats and instructor training — via the website.
Images: Supplied