Proof that it’s never too late to build an authentic brand with Liz Hilliard

When people think of launching a business in fitness and wellness, they often picture founders in their 20s or 30s trying to make a splash in a crowded market. But Liz Hilliard, Creator of the Hilliard Studio Method and Author of Be Powerful: Find Your Strength at Any Age, flipped that narrative completely.

Launching her flagship wellness business at age 53, Hilliard proved that experience, self-awareness, and resilience aren’t just useful traits; they’re the ultimate entrepreneurial advantages. Now at 72, Hilliard has expanded her brand into a digital platform spanning all 50 U.S. states and 60 countries, published a best-selling book, and is currently launching another brand-new venture.

In a candid conversation on today’s episode of The Female Founder Show with host Bridget Fitzpatrick, Hilliard shares her insights on why age is an asset, how physical movement impacts mental clarity, and what it truly means to build an authentic brand from the inside out.

Filling a void in midlife wellness 

Hilliard’s background was anything but traditional. Starting as a fashion model before eventually studying Pilates in Toronto, Canada, she spent decades fascinated by human movement. However, as she entered her 50s, she noticed her body and energy levels changing due to perimenopause and menopause, a transition where many women report feeling “diminished” or foggy.

"I realized that [while Pilates] was a great workout... my body was changing. I simply wasn't going to have it... I did my research. I did all the things I needed to do to ask the right people to do the different types of discipline. And I learned that strength training... was the key to really, truly longevity."

Combining high-intensity resistance training with core-centric Pilates principles, Hilliard created a workout that produced transformative results. What began as an intimate class for a small group of friends quickly demanded a bigger space. Rather than franchising traditional brick-and-mortar locations nationwide, Hilliard expanded her Charlotte, North Carolina “mothership” studios onto the web, building a global online community.

Age is your entrepreneurial advantage

Starting a company in midlife comes with unique pressures, but Hilliard views age as a clear edge over younger competition. Rather than looking at starting a business later in life as a “reinvention,” Hilliard stresses that mature founders are simply drawing on a deep reservoir of experience they already possess:

• Less Fear of Failure: Having navigated life’s inevitable ups and downs, mature entrepreneurs are less paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes.
• Authenticity as a Brand: Your backstory is your brand. By your 50s, you know who you are and what value you bring to the table without needing to pretend.
• Clarity of Purpose: Experience helps founders cut through the noise, ignore minor setbacks, and focus entirely on the bigger picture.

"We underestimate how much we've already learned... people talk about reinventing yourself, doing all these things and trying something later in life. I say we've already... got our bag of tricks. They're inside of us."

For Hilliard, physical fitness and mental wellness are inseparable. She notes that modern neuroscience supports her nearly two decades of experience that emphasizes how movement engages the body, stimulates neuroplasticity, and promotes cognitive health.

In times of personal crisis or business obstacles, the instinct for many is to shrink, isolate, or freeze. Hilliard’s primary advice to women going through difficult seasons is just to move.

Key takeaways on body-mind connection:

1. Movement is Medicine: Research shows that resistance training helps increase bone density and muscle mass well into your 80s and 90s, while simultaneously boosting brain power.
2. Let Your Body Lead Your Mind: On days when dark thoughts or anxiety take over, physical action can trick the brain into breaking out of negative loops.
3. Stand on Your Edge: Growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones. Operating from that slightly uncomfortable “edge” keeps your mindset elastic and adaptable.

Building confidence from insecurity 

While Hilliard projects radiant confidence today, she reveals that self-assurance didn’t come naturally to her growing up. Having internalized negative messages as a child about her intelligence and abilities, she had to build her confidence deliberately over time.

Her secret? Empathy and radical vulnerability.

Instead of letting childhood hurts turn into bitterness or self-doubt, Hilliard used those experiences to cultivate deep empathy for others who feel disempowered. She advises women struggling with confidence to:

• Acknowledge the Fear: Don’t pretend you aren’t scared or insecure. Own where you are right now.
• Focus on Gratitude: Start every morning by identifying basic things you are grateful for, even the simple breath in your lungs.
• Tap Into Your Inner “Whizness”: Reconnect with the innate, uninhibited joy you had as a child before society told you to quiet down.

In her book Be Powerful: Find Your Strength at Any Age, and her upcoming follow-up book, Hilliard challenges the traditional definition of power. True power isn’t “power over” people, status, or financial metrics; that kind of power is fleeting. Real power is the internal strength that comes from showing up as your authentic self, straight-backed and open-hearted.