From Business Economics to building Ellevate: Ellie Gregory-Thornley’s journey into fitness and wellbeing

Posted on: 30 September 2026 by Ellie Gregory-Thornley in Where are they now?

Ellie Gregory-Thornley graduated from the University of Liverpool Management School with a degree in Business Economics, but her career took her in an unexpected direction. Now founder of fitness and wellbeing brand Ellevate, Ellie shares how her university experience, passion for fitness and willingness to embrace new opportunities shaped her journey.

Could you tell us a little about what you studied at the University of Liverpool Management School?

I did Economics for A level and I really enjoyed it and I also knew I wanted to go down a more maths-based programme as this was one of my strong suits. I found it interesting to learn about individual businesses and how that impacts on the wider society and economy as a whole around the world.

When you were studying at Liverpool, did you ever imagine that you would go on to found your own fitness and wellbeing business?

When I started my degree, I wanted to be a detective or an intelligence officer as I knew I wanted to do a job that has a societal impact and these careers interested me so I chose economics as I thought it would give me good world knowledge.

Could you tell us a little about how Ellevate came about?

During lockdown whilst I was completing university from home, I was doing some workouts in my garden for my neighbours and I realised that actually there are other ways you can have an impact on people and that personal training was one of them. So from this, I completed the Level 2 and 3 qualifications during third year.

What was the turning point that encouraged you to move from personal training into founding and growing Ellevate as a wider fitness and wellbeing brand?

Once I got to the point where I was fully booked with PT sessions and I couldn’t take on any more clients due to timings. I was already doing 5am starts and 10pm finishes, so I knew I couldn’t just stop there. So I expanded the brand with different services, recruited other trainers to join me so more people could have access to Ellevate.

Ellevate has grown to include personal training, classes, online coaching, community events and partnerships. How have you developed the business and what have been some of the biggest challenges or milestones along the way?

The biggest challenge, but also a milestone, has been the switch from a business where I did every role to now a scalable company with employees and outsourcing roles and letting go of that control in order to move forward.

Your career journey has taken you into an industry you may not have originally expected to work in. What have you learned about exploring different career paths and recognising opportunities outside your initial plans?

I think it is important to know you can enjoy your degree and not go on to work directly in that industry. Different subjects can have many wider applications outside of the obvious routes e.g. economist- or accountant-style roles.

Utilise the knowledge you have but also consider what you are passionate about in order to find the path.

What advice would you give to current students who feel pressure to have their entire career mapped out before graduating?

For specific degrees like medicine, students have likely known for a long time that this is the career they want to pursue however with management-related degrees such as business and economics there is a lot of scope with where to go and you can try multiple paths until you find the right one - you do not need to have everything figured out straight away.

What advice would you share with recent graduates who are interested in starting their own business or turning a passion into a career?

If you are willing to give it your all, it will succeed. You have to accept things you try will fail and then you will try something else. Do not be afraid to be judged, it can seem daunting initially.

My biggest advice is never stop learning and trying to improve.

What are your plans and ambitions for Ellevate over the coming years?

I think 2027 will be Ellevate’s best year yet with further expansion in sites across Liverpool and the Wirral, expanding our services and staff and investing more into constantly improving what we do and making Ellevate even more accessible to women, children and families around Merseyside.

Thank you to Ellie for sharing her inspiring founder story and reflecting on the experiences that helped shape her journey. If you’re a University of Liverpool graduate with a story, career journey or experience you would like to share with our community, we would love to hear from you.