An Interview with BBG Co-Founder Kayla Itsines

Kayla Itsines

We are inspired by successful women on a daily basis. Girl bosses, boss babes, whatever you want to call these incredible women, it’s a constant source of motivation and inspiration for us.

And when we think of successful, inspiring women, Kayla Itsines is at the forefront of our minds.

If you’re unfamiliar with Kayla Itsines (though, we’re guessing the majority of you are quite familiar!), she is the woman behind the famous BBG workout and you find her workouts within the SWEAT app. These famous 28 minute workouts have quickly become the go-to workout for women all over the globe.

You also might have seen Kayla on the list of TIME’s most influential people on the Internet! Truly incredible.

Aside from her app workouts she also travels around the world to do in-person, free workouts, and she was in Houston last month!

Carrie attended the workout (along with 1,000 other women!), and absolutely loved it. She got to meet Kayla and chat with her, and she immediately told us how down to earth and sweet Kayla was.

We’re so thrilled to have Kayla featured on our site today and we know you’re going to love our interview with her. So keep on reading!

An Interview with Kayla Itsines

First, congratulations on being named one of Time’s most influential people on the Internet! Wow. How do you feel about that?

Thank you so much! When I first heard about it I was shocked, I did not expect it. To be listed alongside such incredible and inspiring people is an honor.

We are so thrilled to feature you on our site, Kayla. You are such an inspiration and Carrie absolutely adored meeting you last month in Houston. The first thing she told us was how authentic you are. How have you been able to remain down to earth and genuine with all this fame and success?

It was such a pleasure meeting Carrie.

I grew up in a really close knit family in Adelaide, a small city in Australia. Being close to my family and friends has continued to keep me grounded. I like to keep it simple, and when I can, spend as much time as possible with my fiancé Tobi, mum and dad, and YiaYia and Papou (grandma and grandpa). They mean the world to me.

Tell us – What was your inspiration for starting your career? Did you always know this is something you wanted to do?

I’ve loved sport and being active ever since I have been little. I also loved the idea of being able to help others fall in love with health and fitness too, so becoming a Personal Trainer was a natural step for me. Almost 10 years later and I know I made the right choice. I really can’t imagine doing anything else.

We know your mission is to empower women, which is also ours here at CarrieColbert.com​, and we love that. What is your hope for the women who follow you?

I hope that women all around the world feel encouraged and supported. I hope that through the photos and stories I share, they realise there is no perfect body, no right or wrong way to be, and that everyone is different and that’s okay. I also hope to continue to educate women about health and fitness, whether that is introducing new workouts or suggesting a yummy meal to cook at home.

Truly, your brand has become a household name. Congratulations on all your success! What do you attribute your success to? 

Thank you. Together with Tobi, my fiancé and Sweat CEO, we have worked really hard to get to this point. I could not have done it without Tobi and the support of my team, friends and family. I also wouldn’t be anywhere without my incredible Sweat community. They are like family to me and have continued to encourage me on my journey. The Sweat community has now become the largest online community in women’s fitness around the world; what an achievement!

From a personal perspective, how do you balance personal and professional with you being the brand? How do you plan to continue to scale your business with there only being one of you?

I’m just like anyone else, when I finish work (whether that’s training with clients in the gym or filming content), I try to switch off and unwind. As Tobi and I live together we might end up talking about work over dinner, but it’s only because we both love what we do so much.

When I am out and about I love it when people come up and say hi, share their stories with me, or snap a photo. I genuinely love chatting to and learning about the women who use my programs, so it’s never a bother.

Tobi and I are continuously developing my BBG and BBG Stronger programs for users. We recently launched audio cues, which gives users an even more life-like experience.

Living in Australia and having followers and fans all over the world, I know social media is pretty big for you. How have you leveraged social media to build this brand of yours?

Social media has been key to reaching so many women all around the world. Each country uses different social channels, so it’s important for me to be present and posting in different ways to reach as many people as possible. My focus is always on posting content on social media that is useful and adds value to my followers.

It can be hard to get motivated to workout – what’s your advice for someone trying to get into it (or back into it)?

I have some awesome tips for motivation in my book, The Bikini Body Motivation & Habits Guide. One of my favourite tips for women at all points on their journey is to start small. If you don’t feel like going to the gym, just hop on the treadmill or a bike for 10 minutes. I guarantee you that once you start, you will get into it and want to keep going. Sometimes that first step is the hardest, but once you’ve taken it, you will find your stride.

We love that your workouts are 28 minutes! Everyone can make space in their schedule for 28 minutes to better themselves, mentally and physically. Is 28 minutes all we need to do daily or do you also recommend we run or walk or do something else outside of following along with SWEAT?

It’s a common misconception that you need to work out for hours everyday to see results, and it’s also really hard to find time for anything more. Each week both my BBG and BBG Stronger programs within the Sweat app provide users with 3 resistance sessions, 3 LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio sessions, 1 rehabilitation session and 1 rest session. There are also optional activities including a HIIT (high intensity interval training) cardio session, and a challenge. I encourage my clients to listen to their bodies. If you’re feeling really tired, schedule a rest day, if you feel like getting your blood pumping, try a HIIT session. Do what feels right for you.

Aside from fitness, what are other passions and hobbies you have?

I absolutely adore my two huskies Ace and Junior, and I love to take them for walks and play with them in my backyard. They bring me so much joy.

I am also interested in beauty trends and cosmetics. Even though I don’t often get an opportunity to glam-up, I love to play with new colours and techniques and often do my own makeup for events.

What inspires you on a daily basis?

The women from my BBG community. One of the first things I do when I wake up is I check what they have been up to on social media, and the stories they have shared with me.

On a personal front, congratulations on your engagement! How are the wedding plans coming along? And how is it being in business together with your partner? 

Tobi and I are very much in love, we feel so lucky to have each other. We plan to enjoy our engagement a little while longer, so we don’t have any major wedding plans just yet.

I love working with Tobi. We are so supportive of each other. I am so proud of him and the work he does everyday.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone wanting to launch their own brand?

Be authentic. Don’t try and copy someone else. Stay focused on what you want to achieve and what feels right for you. If you do what you love, that passion and authenticity will shine through and people will be drawn to that.

Can you tell us what’s next for your brand?

I’m going to remain focused on producing content that my community loves, including new workouts, recipes and educational information. Tobi also has some exciting plans for the Sweat app this year; watch this space.

In Closing

We hope you all enjoyed this interview as much as we did! Kayla is truly such an inspiration.

We’ll see you all back here tomorrow! Have a great day.