Fifty-year-old Sarah Gilks is an entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of the internationally renowned women’s health and fitness movement, Health Role Models (healthyrolemodels.com).
Where were you born, where did you grow up and how did you get to Lantzville?
I was born in Sechelt, BC, and moved to Lantzville with my family when I was five years old. My dad was a senior master (captain) with BC Ferries, and we moved with his work. In 2018, we moved back to Lantzville, where I currently live with my super-supportive husband, my daughter and our three dogs. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
You’re known as the founder and CEO of Healthy Role Models, but what was your career path before that?
Before Healthy Role Models (HRM), I worked in a government job in vocational rehabilitation, assisting individuals who couldn’t return to their employment due to injury to get retrained and gain new employment.
What is Healthy Role Models?
HRM is an online, supportive, global women’s fitness and wellness community that turns healthy living into a lifestyle by focusing on strength training, mindset, social connection and real-life habits that last.
What is the philosophy behind it, and what inspired you to create it?
The philosophy behind HRM is that real, lasting health is built through strength training, mindset and supportive community—not extremes or quick fixes.
I created HRM during a season of my life when I had taken a leave from my government job to be at home with my two kids. I loved being a mom, but I really missed having healthy connections with other women who shared similar values—women who wanted to look after their health, grow as people and lead by example for their families and loved ones. I looked for that kind of community and couldn’t find it. So, I decided to create it.
At its core, HRM is about progress over perfection, strength over shrinking, habits over hype and trends, and never doing health alone.
What is the 12-week journey, how does it work and when does the next one launch?
The 12-Week Journey inside HRM is a guided season of building strength, confidence and healthy habits from home (members can also do the workouts in a gym), with support every step of the way.
It combines structured, thoughtfully designed strength-based workouts that can be done with minimal equipment, expert guidance, simple, realistic nutrition (no extremes or perfection), mindset tools to help with consistency and confidence, and a powerful, connected online community of women doing it alongside you. Registration for the 2026 Spring Journey opens March 9.
What makes it different from other 12-week challenges?
Instead of “go hard for 12 weeks and burn out,” our program teaches women how to get stronger physically with exceptional form, feel better mentally, build habits that fit real life and stop starting over. We also have an incredibly powerful community of women, and so many meaningful friendships have been created throughout the Journeys.
This program is about more than physical strength—what other areas of people’s lives does it touch?
I really believe that social connection is one of the most important pieces of our Journeys. It’s a pillar of health. One of the longest studies on happiness and longevity from Harvard found that strong, healthy social connections were the number one predictor of long-term happiness, better physical health and living longer.
Our goal is for women to feel supported, seen and encouraged, and to be part of something bigger. Sometimes health journeys can feel like a “solo struggle,” but in our community, it feels like a shared lifestyle. There is a James Clear quote that I love because it aligns with HRM so beautifully: “Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have yourself. You’ll rise together.”
How do you incorporate community into this program—and your life?
Our HRM community is in a private, supportive online space that feels safe, encouraging and connected. Women celebrate wins, talk through hard days, encourage each other when motivation dips and share life beyond workouts.
Women in HRM live in different provinces across Canada and in different countries, and are at different stages of life, yet they build bonds so strong that many end up meeting in person and becoming lifelong friends.
How do you stay mentally and physically fit?
Well, I follow the HRM program, of course. It’s so important to me that I lead by example and do the reps right alongside our community. My workouts are less than an hour each day (about 40 minutes). I do all the mindset exercises that we teach, make my best effort to get outside every day, and incorporate daily meditation and journaling.
Describe a day in your life.
Currently, I am going back to school so that I can work with individuals who are on an eating disorder recovery journey, so my days look a little different right now. Also, my youngest graduated from high school last June and my eldest has already moved out, so I’m almost an empty nester.
A typical day right now includes studying and schoolwork, filming for our upcoming Spring HRM Journey, Zoom or in-person business meetings, working out (of course), dog walks or hikes, and quality time with my loved ones.
What are your other hobbies or interests?
Exploring our beautiful island through hiking, kayaking and paddleboarding.
The theme of this edition of LIV is “recharge and reset.” In addition to joining your 12-week challenge (of course!), what is the best thing women can do to recharge and renew their lives?
The best thing women can do to recharge and reset is to get clear on why their health truly matters to them. Not just “I want to lose weight” or “I want to fit into these jeans,” but deeper reasons like energy, confidence, family and quality of life. When you are attached to your why, it stops feeling like a chore and becomes part of who you are. That identity shift from “trying to be healthy” to “I am someone who prioritizes my health” is what creates lasting change.