our story

Girls Lift Girls: Our Origin Story

May 16th 2024: 

“Should we create a community for girls who want to lift weights, play sports, and be active & strong together?” 

“Yes… Let’s call it Girls Lift Girls” 

Girls Lift Girls was born from something simple: women supporting women.

It started with us, Sofie and Gem, going to the gym together, connecting over our shared journey of unlearning everything we’d been taught about how women should look. We were told women should be smaller, take up less space, avoid being too muscular, because being strong wasn’t “feminine” or beautiful.

Training around each other and other strong, athletic women helped shift our focus away from how are bodies looked to celebrating the amazing things we could do. Strength became a measure of success, not aesthetics. The more we talked to other women, the more we realised we weren’t alone in feeling this way. 

Girls Lift Girls is a space where women have each other’s backs and push each other to grow, where we redefine what it means to be beautiful & feminine by valuing how our bodies move & perform, where strength, in all forms, is celebrated and built in community. 

co-founders

  • Co-Founder of Girls Lift Girls

    Gem was always involved with sports and dance growing up. She always felt too big at dance despite wanting to become more athletic to persue her netball career.

    In 2023, after knee surgery, she found CrossFit, a sport that encouraged her to learn new skills, lift heavy and celebrate what her body could do.

    She also met other strong women who inspired her to embrace her own strength.

    Now, Gemma is focused on performance and growth rather than trying to fit an image.

    She appreciates her body for its capabilities and enjoys challenging herself. Her journey is about finding confidence and strength in being exactly who she is.

  • Sofie grew up in a traditional Chinese family where she was expected to be small, graceful, and delicate—a perfect ballet dancer. Then, she discovered rugby, a sport that embraced her strength rather than suppressing it.

    She earned a place at Harvard University and had the freedom to pursue her passion openly. She played for the Harvard team, then earned a spot on Germany’s national squad, breaking every stereotype that had once confined her.

    Even as an international athlete, she faced criticism—“too muscular,” “too strong for a girl.” But Sofie refused to shrink herself. Now, she’s more than just a rugby player—she’s a role model, proving that strength and femininity are not opposites but allies.