KAYLA WEARS
TOP: ACLER, $295 (ACLER.COM.AU). SHORTS: SHOWPO, $54.95 (SHOWPO.COM). NECKLACE: BY CHARLOTTE, $199; BRACELET: $159 (BYCHARLOTTE.COM.AU)
WITH 7.1 MILLION INSTA
FOLLOWERS AND A GLOBAL
FITNESS EMPIRE, IT’S NO
WONDER Kayla Itsines^
CONTINUES TO GO FROM
STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.
BUT IT’S HER GLOBAL
COMMUNITY OF WOMEN
THAT KEEPS DRIVING HER,
WRITES SHARI NEMENTZIKD
oes this girl even need
an introduction? Not
only has Kayla Itsines
graced mag covers,
including Cosmo once
before, but she’s had two sell-
out world tours and recently
was named the ‘world’s most
inf luential’ fitness figure with
an estimated fortune of $46
million. Not bad for a personal
trainer from Adelaide who built
her empire by uploading before
and after pictures online.
At 26, Kayla is a force to
be reckoned with. So, how did
she get here? And by here we
mean the world’s most famous
f it-f luencer? ‘My cousin told
me Instagram was cool and I
needed somewhere to store my
clients’ transformation photos,
so I started uploading them
and people started following
me and requesting training
programs,’ she says. ‘I didn’t
have any training programs
so Tobi [Pearce, her boyfriend]
had an idea to create an e-book.
The e-book did well through
word of mouth. It grew and the
girls created a community: the
Bikini Body Guide community.’
It’s that very same squad
that has seen Kayla rise to the
top of the ranks and remains
at the core of her success – she
strives to offer them more and
genuinely cares about every
single member. Whether that’sher oldest PT client or a girl on
the opposite side of the world
using her app to get fit – they
all matter equally to her. ‘It’s
not about me,’ she says. ‘My
favourite thing is someone
telling me, “I can’t jump on
that box or do a burpee”, and
then a few months later they
do it – that’s what makes me
happy and proud. Nothing can
beat seeing people transform
and become more confident. I
love being a personal trainer.’
Kayla’s latest offering to
her followers is as a SWEAT
trainer, another brainwave of
Tobi’s. ‘Tobi presented me with
the idea of SWEAT, an app
that offers several workout
programs as well as nutrition
guides all in one,’ says Kayla.
‘It meant being able to help
more women worldwide along-
side Kelsey Wells (who focuses
on post-pregnancy training)
and Sjana Elise (SWEAT’s
resident yogi). Being a SWEAT
trainer means the world to me;
we all have the same mission- we’re about to change the
world.’ #lifegoals
One could argue she’s done
so already. The secret to her
success is the fact that her BBG
program works – millions of
women are testament to that.
Her global fitness revolution
can be credited to social media.
‘We would’ve never been able
to do this without Instagram
or Facebook,’ she says. ‘I’d
never have been able to reach
so many people around the
world.’ Yep, we’re impressed.
‘Work hard and
only do things
because you
love them’What does an average day
look like for you?
‘If I’m not travelling, I’m
creating content. We’ve got
the gym, and at the back we
have a studio where we do thephotos for the app and a lot of
content for media. Every day
is about research for me – what
my community wants, what
they feel, what they need. I run
my own Instagram account,
I don’t let anyone touch that.
I want people to meet me and
be like, “She’s the same person!”
I like to be very present in my
community, I think that’s one
of my weaknesses – I’m too
present, to the point where it’s
midnight and I’m still scrolling
through someone’s profile. I
like to know everyone in my
community, so when I see them
in the street like in New York
I can say, “Hi Kelly” and they’re
like, “How do you know who
I am?” I love that.’What was the first goal you
ever set yourself
at the gym?
‘To be fitter and
stronger. I really
love weights and
I tried to bring
that across on
BBG and now
on BBG Stronger
[ Kayla’s new
program on
SWEAT]. I
want women to
feel confident using weights.
BBG can be done anywhere
and Stronger is for women who
have access to a gym and want
to try to do weights and use
machines on the side. The app
really is a personal trainer in
your pocket.’Who do you look to for
inspiration?
‘Definitely Tobi. He is just so
hard-working and amazing.
He’s really passionate about
women’s health and that’s why
he wanted to do SWEAT. I
look to my family as well. They
are so beautiful and loving and
caring. I try to attract peoplelike that in my life. They keep
me grounded.’What are your top tips for
someone trying to build a
business on social media?
‘Be authentic and don’t build a
business because you want to
make money; build a business
around something you love and
let your passion shine – people
will see that. It’s easy to spot
someone who is not authentic
and doing it for all the wrong
reasons. Work hard and only
do things because you love
them, not because you think
it will get you somewhere or
in with someone.’Do you ever take a
day off?
‘Of course! I still
Instagram when
I’m off, of course,
’cos that’s never a
chore for me. I am
so proud of all the
girls. The way I
grew up was to be
proud of everyone
around you, and
encouraging.’When was your last pinch-
yourself moment?
‘I was at the pool in Bali and
a girl came up to me and she
said, “I’m one of your fans” and
she told me that she had had a
rough time and my programs
had changed her life. My best
friend was with me at the time
and she started crying. It’s
moments like that that mean
the world to me.’Where do you see yourself in
five years?
‘Doing the same thing I’m
doing now. I just want to
continue helping women.’ >COSMOPOLITAN SEPTEMBER 2017 91
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