Why we built Fortify
Hi, I'm Claire McGregor, co-founder of Tiny Ideas and Fortify. Fortify started as a deeply personal project after a stretch of scary health news, a lot of research, and the frustration of not finding a strength training app that felt built for women over 40.
When health news got personal
At 41, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. A few months earlier, my mum had spent three months in a spinal brace after an osteoporotic fracture. Around the same time, bloodwork also showed I was at risk of type 2 diabetes.
None of that lined up with how I saw myself. I was slim, active, and had a background in veterinary science plus more than 15 years of Pilates training. Even so, I did not feel clear on what to do next.
What the research and training changed
I ended up spending hundreds of hours reading journal articles, books, and listening to lectures and podcasts on perimenopause, bone health, insulin resistance, and muscle loss. The advice aimed at midlife women often felt noisy and contradictory, but a consistent theme kept coming through: progressive strength training seemed worth taking seriously.
So I started lifting, despite having no real experience and no natural pull toward the gym. Stuart Hall and I began training at lunchtime, and I committed to three to four sessions each week. Over the next two years, I wrote my own programs, kept showing up, and saw changes that mattered to me personally: I was no longer prediabetic, a later DEXA scan placed my total bone mass in the normal range for my age, and I gained about 6 kg of lean muscle.
If you are exploring this space yourself, our guide on strength training apps for bone health covers the features we think matter most.
Why the app needed to exist
When I tried existing strength apps, most seemed to miss the mark. Many were built around men, while others aimed at women with light weights, generic classes, or little sense of progression.
I wanted an app that would guide a woman through lifting with more confidence, especially if she was new to it and wanted structure without feeling intimidated. That became the brief for Fortify: strength plans that feel clear, progressive, and realistic for women over 40.
Who we hope Fortify helps
Fortify is for women who want more guidance than a notes app and more relevance than a generic lifting program. It is for women who have had a wake up call, women who are rebuilding confidence in the gym, and women who simply want a stronger path through midlife.
If that sounds like you, this piece on how to choose a strength training app for women over 40 is a good next read.
Takeaway
Fortify exists because this story was too important to keep private. We built the app we wished had existed at the start: something that could make strength training feel less confusing and more doable for women in midlife.
This post shares one person's experience and is for general information only. It is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal guidance.