VeloFit

Trainer, survivor, athlete, alumna: VeloFit co-founder is just getting started

Mia and Simao in their gym spaceAlumna Mia Kairouz and partner Simão Santa Barbara opened VeloFit in Amherstburg in July 2026 (PROVIDED BY M. KAIROUZ/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

At just 24, Mia Kairouz (BA ’25) jokes that she’s already lived many lives. 

She’s been a lifeguard, a first responder, an endurance athlete, a personal trainer and a cancer survivor.  

In July, she became an entrepreneur, opening VeloFit Performance and Fitness Coaching in Amherstburg, with her partner Simão Santa Barbara. 

“In general, my goal is to help people,” Kairouz says.