Kayla Itsines has revealed the “scary” reason why her multimillion-dollar training program targets women.
The fitness queen became popular with her (now-renamed) Bikini Body Guide program, co-created with ex-fiance and business partner Tobi Pearce. Sweat, a health and exercise app, was sold to iFIT for $400 million in 2021.
In 2016, at 24 and 25, the former couple debuted on the Australian Financial Review’s Young Rich List with $46 million. They placed 10th with $486 million in 2019.
Itsines has long stated her desire to “educate and support women throughout their health and fitness journey, and help them to feel stronger and more confident in themselves”.
In a wide-ranging AFR interview this week, she revealed another reason for their being her target market: a negative experience the South Australian had when she was 18, training individuals in their homes.
“I rocked up to this guy’s house and he opened the door, wearing normal clothes, not exercise clothes,” the 32-year-old said.
He watched me read the consent form
Itsines told the man she needed something from her car and never returned. She exclusively trained women afterward.
The mother-of-two has also noted the misogyny she and her customers encounter in her field.
When I became a fitness trainer, ladies rarely entered the weight room. at Harper’s Bazaar, Itsines wrote: “While working in a women’s-only gym, I noticed most of my clients were using a workout program designed for men, altered for women.”
“Frustrated by the industry’s neglect of women’s needs, I became passionate about female fitness. I wanted to dispel women’s exercise myths.”
She noted that the Sweat community prioritizes “creating a safe space for women to engage with one another and feel supported on their individual journeys”.
Since having her first child, Arna, Itsines has rethought what it means to be “strong,” changing the name of the Bikini Body Guide in 2021.
“I founded BBG almost 10 years ago with the belief that every body is a bikini body. However, as co-founder of Sweat, she felt it was time to shift BBG’s approach and employ language that felt more positive for women.
Since having Arna, I’ve realized how crucial it is to empower women via words. I want Arna to grow up in a world where all women use positive, uplifting words. Over the past decade, I’ve learned that how we talk to women and what we say matters.
