With over 20 years under her belt of running her businesses, entrepreneur Katie Cannon has gone from being a 5x British Champion to a 7-figure entrepreneur.
My journey into gymnastics started at the tender age of 4. My mother took me to a gymnastics class and my passion and love for it stemmed from there. I do not think that my or my mother’s wildest dreams would have gone on to become a 5 time British Gymnastics Champion. I also represented Great Britain at the World and European championships on 2 separate occasions. In between all my competitive success, I completed a degree in Sports Science and Nutrition.
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In 2008 I decided to set up Backflip Gymnastics after a short stint as a Personal Trainer. I was teaching gymnastics to a handful of children.
Fast forward to today, Backflip Gymnastics is now teaching gymnastics to over 2000 children and I have a team of 30 fantastic staff. Just as my business has grown, I have grown along with it. I have learnt bucketfuls over the last 15 years, I have lost money on premises which haven’t worked and hired the wrong staff just to name a few.
There were many times when I thought is this worth it but I 100% knew it would be one day.
Through my experience of growing my gyms, classes and online brands over the last 20 years, I am extremely passionate about sharing my knowledge and coaching others to succeed in their business.
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I knew I could share so much of my knowledge of what works, what doesn’t, and the failures, and the successes from my experience. I was always being asked to help and coach people in their gyms, studios, and online businesses and knew I could help more people.​
Gold Medal Business is born
Katie and her team of world-class coaches are dedicated to authentic, results-driven coaching. Everything we teach has been tested, refined, and successfully implemented in our own businesses. We take pride in being in the trenches daily with our clients, guiding them to transform their passion into a thriving business in the children's sports and activity industry.
We have coached entrepreneurs across the globe, equipping them with the right skills and strategies to scale from a startup to a highly successful business.
Katie has carefully hand-picked a team of industry experts—each of whom has completed the Gold Medal mentorship program. Every coach teaches from firsthand experience, having successfully applied our proven methods and systems to their own businesses. They know exactly what it takes to achieve real, lasting results.
Meet Our Coaches
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Shelley Otway Wood
Performing Arts and Dance Expert
Shelley’s journey with us began as a mentorship member of our Gold Mentorship Programme, where she scaled her performing arts business with incredible success. Now, she’s bringing her expertise to help other business owners grow, systemize, and create the freedom they envisioned.
With 30 years in the industry, Shelley’s career spans West End and touring musicals, including 42nd Street, Anything Goes, Carousel, and Oliver. After performing, she transitioned to coaching, becoming a choreographer, franchise owner, and support manager for major performing arts brands. Her own theatre school, Steppin Out Stars Of Tomorrow, has nurtured students in Matilda, Lion King, Les Misérables, and more.
Shelley is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, receiving accolades like the Silver Stevie® Award for Best Female Entrepreneur and recognition as one of the “25 Most Influential Businesswomen of 2025” in CIO Leaders Magazine.
She’s excited to bring her passion, experience, and industry knowledge to Gold Medal Business—helping you elevate your performing arts school to the next level!
Amy Schweizer
Multi-Sports and Soccer Expert
Amy began as a Gold Mentorship Programme mentee and has since built a thriving children's sports business, surpassing 1,000 players per month in 2024, and is still growing! Now, she’s ready to help other children’s activity and sports entrepreneurs achieve the same success and step fully into their CEO role.​
Her journey started as a 16-year-old newcomer to soccer, quickly rising to high school and college team captain before playing professionally for the Cincinnati Ladyhawks in the W-League (USL). With a B.S. in Finance and M.S. in Sport Management, Amy combined her love for sports with business acumen, launching Tiny Troops Soccer while stationed in Japan as a USMC military spouse.
10 years later, Tiny Troops operates in 17 states, 50+ locations, with over 60 staff worldwide. She also founded Tiny Tot Soccer, expanding her reach in early childhood sports development. A dedicated mom of three, published author, and advocate for military spouse employment, Amy has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Military Spouse Magazine, and was named 2021 Inspirational Leader of the Year by The Rosie Network.
With expertise in program creation, coaching, and business strategy, Amy is passionate about helping fellow entrepreneurs build, scale, and lead their businesses successfully, just like she did.
