Founded in 2014 by Jill Wheeler and Colby Robertson, Wellfit Girls is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to providing opportunities for middle and high school young women to develop leadership skills, gain confidence, overcome hardships, and launch into successful adulthood. Over the past 10 years, 320 girls have completed the program – they’ve participated in weekly small groups and gone on adventure trips all over the world.
The organization is excited to announce its 10-year anniversary and continue to tell the story about its significant impact on young women in Southwest Florida. Neapolitan Family had the opportunity to talk with Robertson, Wheeler and Brooke Spencer, executive director, about how Wellfit Girls started, and how it has changed over the years to adapt to the unique needs of today’s young women.
Q: Why Wellfit Girls?
Robertson: We want to care for and mentor middle and high school young women. It’s rewarding and exciting to tell these girls’ stories – and to empower them to tell their own stories. When they get home from culminating trips, they’re so excited and empowered. Plus, it’s been so cool to see the difference Wellfit Girls has made in young women’s lives three or four years out from their participation in the program.
Q: What was the inspiration for founding the organization:
Wheeler: When I moved to SWFL with a toddler and an infant in 2007, I missed my outdoor adventurous lifestyle in Colorado. There weren’t many outlets for teen girls to get out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves in the outdoors. I wanted to bring my passion for the outdoors and leadership education to our community to show the world that teen girls can do hard things and serve themselves and others. It started with a documentary and a well-trained for adventure to Peru. Ten years later, we offer programming 6-8 months out of the year, including a summer camp that empowers girls as young as middle school in the Wellfit ways of sisterhood, service, teamwork, and healthy interpersonal communication. I am proud to see our leadership team, board, and programs increase and evolve each year.
Q: Tell us about the program. Who do you serve?
Spencer: Each year, we serve up to 17 girls in our high school program, which consists of an intentional small group program from January through June. This includes twice-weekly meetings. One day is devoted to leadership development and one day is devoted to fitness. The program culminates with a trip in June. Our desire is to develop high quality, deep, trusting relationships within the small group of girls. In 2019, we started a summer camp for middle school girls, which consists of two weeks of training in Naples and one week in Georgia. We wanted to reach girls at an earlier age so that by the time they get to high school, they know about the Wellfit Girls program.
Robertson: Students can come back and go through the program as a mentor. It’s not necessarily a one-and-done program. The longer they stay involved, the better chance they have of staying on the right road. Every young woman is at risk of that one decision that would change the trajectory of their life. We're not trying to get girls out of rehab or out of trouble – rather, we're trying to reach the average girl. We want girls to see they're capable of so much more.
Q: How has the organization changed over the past 10 years?
Roberston: Ten years ago, we started with a fitness mindset; we wanted to get girls moving and out of their comfort zones. We used fitness as a way to create discomfort and encourage growth in mindset and confidence. Now, we see that every adolescent girl is at risk. Now, they’re already in discomfort.
Ten years ago, there was not as much access to social media. Now, digital connection is overwhelming and anxiety is through the roof. So, we teach them about sleep, putting their phones down, showing up on time. We focus much more on basic skills. They are the most connected digitally and the most disconnected in terms of face-to-face relationships. Their desire to belong is so strong, but now we need to give them the necessary tools to form meaningful, in-person connections.
Spencer: We’ve seen an increase in [mental health] diagnoses at younger and younger ages since 2014. All the talk around mental health feels new. COVID created a rhythm of disconnect. Yet, we’ve stayed committed to in-person meetings. It’s who we are and what we cultivate.
Robertson: Another big change is that our expeditions are all domestic now; we’ve taken trips to Montana, Georgia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire in the recent past.
Q: What does the future hold for Wellfit Girls?
Roberston: We talk a lot about our desire for Wellfit Girls to be in any community around the country. Any girl can benefit from the curriculum. We would love it to grow beyond Southwest Florida. We want Wellfit Girls to be automatic, sustainable, and replicable, and we believe this could be life-changing for our society.
Success Stories. Where are They Now?
Jordan Ferrel
Originally from Fort Myers, Jordan graduated from University of Miami in 2022 and is now in her first year of Duke Law School. She completed the Wellfit Girls program in 2018. “Early on in Wellfit Girls, I was able to see myself take on something different and truly commit to it. With discipline, I proved to myself that I can do hard things and that there is something worthy on the other side. Now, I apply the lessons I learned to everything I do!”
Riley Zuccarello
Riley completed the Wellfit Girls program in its first year – 2014. She graduated from Florida State University and now works as senior manager of Culture & Community at a tech company in New York City. In 2021, she founded the Wellfit Girls Alumni Advisory Council to increase alumni representation and offer leadership experience to the organization. “I reflect on my experience with Wellfit Girls often. The lessons I learned still serve me today. Wellfit Girls taught me both resiliency and the power of vulnerability. Every one of us in that first year came out with a different takeaway, a new realization about ourselves. We came from different backgrounds with different life experiences, fears, strengths, and aspirations but all left with a shared sense of empowerment and connection.”
Riley explained the value of close friendships and community: “I wasn’t really that into fitness (to be honest, I’m still not!), and I didn’t really have a close group of girlfriends at the time, so committing to an all-girls program with “fit” in the name was a little daunting. But it was one of the best decisions of my life!”
Riley explained, “Wellfit Girls was originally founded as a transformational leadership and fitness program for ‘at-risk teen girls.’ At the time, I didn’t identify with being ‘at-risk’ and refused to be labeled as such. But in reality, life wasn’t perfect. I was in survival mode for most of my childhood and was pushing past trauma related to my parents’ divorce and life at home. Growing up in a wealthy town like Naples, I also felt a deep insecurity around our financial and living situation. I spent a lot of my energy trying to fit a certain mold, out of fear of being confined to another. I was terrified of being viewed as ‘less than.’ Through Wellfit Girls, I grew to understand the power of embracing vulnerability and overcoming adversity. Through it all, I also learned the importance of healthy self-worth. Wellfit Girls empowered me to step into my authentic self — something for which I will always be thankful.”
Next Steps
Want to be involved? Wellfit Girls is accepting applications through Nov. 15 for its 2025 high school program. Additionally, the group is celebrating 10 years with a golf tournament at The Quarry in Naples on Oct. 11, with the goal of raising $100,000 toward program sustainability and growth. For more information, visit wellfitgirls.org.