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Inspiring Women of PARC: Meet member Anca Anderson, owner of INCA Organics

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day focuses on accelerating gender parity and is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action. International Women’s Day has been occurring for well over a century – and continues to grow from strength to strength.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re doing a series of interview with Inspiring Women of PARC.

Our Marketing Specialist Jess de Araugo caught up with one of our inspiring members, Anca Anderson.

Anca has been part of the PARC fam since 2016. She manages to visit the Centre most days, to squeeze in her workout, in between her social life, life chores, and most importantly, running her own business. Anca took on INCA Organics in 2017, when she was just 32 years old. Inca Organics offers premium certified organic protein and superfood powders that stand out from the crowd by being clean, transparent and without unnecessary additives and fillers. She spent 6 months recrafting and developing new products, sourcing eco-friendly packaging and building a new website and distribution model, before moving ahead to launch. And now, the business continues to grow from strength to strength, in fact, next month Anca and INCA Organics will feature in Vogue magazine!

Starting your own business is a massive, daunting, ambitious and exciting step. Let’s learn about Anca’s journey:

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born in Romania, grew up in Germany and came to Australia in 2009 when I received a scholarship to study here. During this time, I met my husband and chose to make Australia my home. After completing my Business Marketing Degree, I worked for some global and local FMCG companies (such as L’Oreal) before making the decision to start my own business.

What was your dream job as a child and why?

Actress. I enjoyed dressing up as child and taking on the role of different characters. You could be whoever you wanted to be.

What’s something about you that most people wouldn’t know?

I speak 5 languages – Romanian, German, English, Italian, French.

Why did you start your own business?

I always had a dream to have my own brand. I have a passion for beauty, health and wellbeing. I love going into shops and looking at what’s new on shelves. I’m interested in trends and what’s coming up.

I was working really hard, for someone else. You put in so much work, but I got to the point where even when you put a lot of work in, and at the end of the day, it’s not yours… so I felt like something  was missing.

Working for large FMCG companies allowed me to gain knowledge and practical experience working across different fields before taking the leap into starting my own business.

It was a scary decision, but I knew that it was the right time for me. I trusted in the journey. I invested every cent of my savings into the company. But I always believe, you only put in what you are willing to lose. I’m so glad I took the plunge.

What’s one lesson you would tell other women looking to go and do it alone?

Believe in yourself and be resilient. There is never the right time to start a business and you will never be 100% prepared. Having supportive friends and family helps, but ultimately it is the belief that you have in yourself and your resilience that sees you through challenging times.

What is the best and worst decision you’ve ever made?

I don’t view any decision I make as being ‘bad’, because you can always grow and learn from it.

Saying that, the hardest decision I had to make was leaving my family in Germany to start a new life in Australia.  In turn, this has been the best decision I have made in making such a great country with wonderful people my home. Its where I met my husband, my rock, and a place I now call home. 

How do you balance work, gym and life responsibilities?

Good time management is key. I block out ‘me time’ in my schedule as I would for a business meeting. I view my personal health and wellbeing as primary. Without health you do not have anything.

What do you do at PARC?

Mostly attending cardio or strength-based group exercise classes such as HIIT, Powerzone, GRIT, BODYPUMP, SPRINT and PARC Fit Run. I enjoy the group exercise classes as the instructors are great and I feel motivated and empowered in a group environment.

On hard days, what motivates you to get up and get active?

Besides an Inca Organics Shake or a coffee… haha…

I plan my week ahead and schedule in classes via the My PARC App. This helps me to be committed. After completing a class, I feel my motivation is boosted for the day ahead. Its really important to take time for yourself. I don’t do it to lose weight, I do it for me, to be healthy, strong and live a good, long life.

The theme for international Women’s Day this year is #EachforEqual – What does that mean to you?

International Women’s Day is an important date to create awareness, celebrate women’s achievements, acknowledge pivotal people and the progress made. But there is still a long road ahead. There are still many obstacles to overcome in terms of gender equality.

From my perspective everyone, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or religion, should be respected and have each equal access to opportunities.

What woman inspires you and why?

My mother. She has influenced my life the most. Each day she demonstrates resilience, independence and unconditional love. She has always believed in me and supported me in all my endeavours.

Thank you for sharing your story with us Anca, we are sure you have inspired some to take that leap and start their own business! 

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Three weeks of PARC Reformer 😱

WOW time flies when you're having fun! It's been 3 weeks since we opened the doors to our brand new PARC Reformer Studio and we have loved hearing how much you're all enjoying the new space! 

It's great to see our PARC community making the most of the new reformer studio and trying out all the amazing new features including the Virtual and On-demand options to fit in with busy schedules. 

Thanks for your patience as we worked through some booking challenges in the first few days. Want to try it for yourself? bookings are open via the Xplor App or Customer Portal.

After more info? Check out our PARC Reformer Studio website page via the link in bio

Keep the momentum going and make PARC Reformer a regular part of your routine. We’ll see you in the Studio soon!

#PARCfrankston #PARCReformer
Thank you Rotary Peninsula 2.0 & the 2025 Rotary Birth tree 🌳

The Rotary Peninsula 2.0 Birth Tree helps to raise funds for swim programs in our community, with $45 of every contribution going straight back to PARC and PINES to help more children build confidence in the water. 

Registrations for the Birth Tree are now available for all babies born in 2025. 

For more information or if you would like to register your child for the 2025 Rotary Birth Tree please head to the website. Link in bio

#PARCFrankston #RotaryPeninsula2_0 #Birthtree #morepeoplecanswim
Important Centre Update 

Closure Notice: The 50m Pool will be closed from Monday 30 June – Sunday 27 July.

We are undertaking significant tiling and improvement works in the Main 50m Pool. This means that the Main 50m Pool will be closed from Monday 30 June – Sunday 27 July (4 week closure period). 

What services are impacted? 
• CLOSED: Over the period, the 50m pool will be closed. 
• OPEN: All other aquatic facilities will remain open, including the Learn to Swim Pool, Warm Water Pool Hall, Waterslides and Aquatic Playground. Importantly, this means that PARC Swim lessons in the 50m pool will not run. 
 
To learn more about these planned works and how the closure impact you, please visit our website via link in bio
If you would like to suspend your membership for the closure period, you can do so via our website, link in bio
 
Suspensions used will not go towards members’ allowable suspensions and won’t impact the suspensions rules. 

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to enhance your PARC experience with these important upgrades.

#PARCFrankston
Aquatic Playground Closure 🛠 
 
The Aquatic playground will be closed for planned maintenance from Tuesday 17 June to Tuesday 24 June. 
 
This maintenance requires the playground to be dry in order to be repaired. The Learn to Swim, Toddler pool and Waterslides are still available for your enjoyment. 
 
We hope to reopen the Aquatic Playground in full on 24 June. 
 
We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. 

#PARCFrankston #Aquaticplayground
PARC Cafe staff attempted the Ice Chocolate challenge and it got messy. 😂

Who had the best technique and who caved under the cold? You decide! 👇

Kynen - ❤️, Maddy - 👍, Maya - 😂 or Bella - 😲

Vote below who you think is the Ice Chocolate Champion! 🏆

#PARCFrankston #PARCCafe #IceChocolateChallenge #StaffShowdown #VoteYourChampion #CafeFun
Our industry awards night is tonight! 🌟🏆

The Aquatic and Recreation Victoria Industry Awards recognise outstanding achievement and commitment to the industry. This year our facilities and many of our wonderful staff have been nominated for their contributions, and all of the hard work they do for our community.

Peninsula Leisure are finalists for the following awards:

Facility Management Award (Large) – PARC
Facility Management Award (Seasonal) – PINES
Sustainability Award – PARC
Community Impact Award – Peninsula Leisure 
Group Exercise Instructor Award – Belinda Butterfield
Membership Sales Award – Clair Porter
Personal Trainer/Gym Instructor Award – Nic Hough
Swim Teacher Award (General) – Ellie Spasevski

Good luck to all our finalists, thank you for all the work you do, we can't wait to share the night with you all! 

#PARCFrankston #ARVindustryawards #goodluck #Finalists2025

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