Kayla Itsines

At 32 years old, Kayla Itsines has this physical status:

Kayla Itsines (it-SEE-n) is an Australian personal trainer, writer, and entrepreneur with Greek roots, who was born on May 21.

She is the author of a series of fitness ebooks titled Bikini Body Guides, as well as a meal-planning and fitness app called Sweat with Kayla.

Sweat with Kayla generated more money in 2016 than any other fitness app on the internet, thanks to her popularity at leveraging social media to advertise her brand.

Itsines had eight million followers on Facebook and five million on Instagram as of October 2016.

Itsines and her partner, Tobi Pearce, were among the top Australians aged under 40 who had not inherited their money in October 2016.

In 2016, their fortune was estimated at $46 million.

Itsines is one of only two items on the 2017 AFR's Rich List that are of Greek origins.

Early life

Itsines traces her obsession with fitness to playing basketball and other sports. She remembers being initially scared and overwhelmed by the gym until a personal trainer told her to "start somewhere." She dropped her initial plans to become a beauty therapist after deciding that the workouts made her feel.

Personal life

Itsines is the niece of Anna and Jim Itsines, both teachers. Leah, Leah, who works as a personal trainer and food stylist, has one younger sister. Itsines' family roots are Greek, and she describes herself as Greek. Many of her food choices are attributed to her Greek upbringing.

Tobi Pearce, the Itsines' fiancé, met her fiancé at a gym. They have been married since 2012. They were engaged in April 2018, but announced their divorce on August 21, 2020.

Itsines quit smoking alcohol and hasn't had a drink since at least 2012. In 2019, she and Tobi's daughter had birth.

Itsines' Jae Woodroffe, a long-time acquaintance, proposed to her in July 2022. This was followed shortly by the announcement that she is expecting her second child, which is expected in early 2023.

Itsines and her partner, Tobi Pearce, were included in the BRW's "Young Rich" list of the top Australians under the age of 40 who had not inherited their money in October 2016. Their net worth was reported at A$46 million in 2016. According to the Financial Review 2019 Rich List, Itsines and Pearce's net worth was estimated at A$486 million. The Financial Review 2020 Rich List's Net Worth did not meet the A$472 million cut-off.

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Career

Itsines began working at a women's gym in Adelaide. Most women want three specific outcomes from education: smaller inner thighs, flatter abdomens, and more toned arms, although also concerned about becoming too heavy.

She began training her sister's friends so they could play Netball on their high school team, focusing on strengthening core strength and strong legs. She lectured them on diet and encouraged them to take before-and-after photos of themselves to track their progress. Itsines' 12-year-old cousin suggested using Instagram to organize the images. Itsines had gained thousands of followers in a matter of months and was getting regular calls for guidance and assistance. Tobi Pearce, her partner, suggested that she convert her routines into ebooks that could be sold online. They founded Bikini Body Training as director and Pearce as CEO in March 2013. They published the first two Bikini Body Guides in January, with Itsines' workouts included in one volume, as well as diet advice from dietician Julie Dundon and Anne Schneyder of Nutrition Professionals Australia in another. Itsines will eventually feature the guides as part of an affiliate program. The books had been downloaded over a million times by October by this time.

The BBG programme is based on 28-minute high-intensity workouts that can be completed three times a week. The workouts were based on a collection of 150 movements that were inspired by a variety of sports and other physical fitness exercises. The meal plans were originally only 1,200 calories per day, but they were later upgraded to 1,600 to 1,800. She puts the overall plan not aimed at either weight loss or muscle gain, but rather, the design of a specific look. The program is primarily targeted at women because Itsines believes she has a keen understanding of women's health and fitness aspirations.

She embarked on the "Kayla Itsines Bootcamp World Tour," a world tour that provides free group fitness lessons in 2015. The tour included tours of Australia's capital cities, New York City, Los Angeles, and London.

Itsines took legal proceedings against Leanne Ratcliffe, another Adelaide-based personal trainer, and Ratcliffe's partner Harley Johnstone for remarks they had made on their YouTube pages in February 2015. Ratcliffe, a magazine under the pseudonym "Freelee the Banana Girl," had claimed that the BBG diet plan required users to starve themselves, but Johnstone, who published as "Durianrider," said Pearce used steroids. The claims were defamatory, according to the companies. She obtained an injunction to block the further posting of the videos from being released. Judge Withers ordered the trial to proceed, but the matter was eventually settled out of court when it was heard in the Supreme Court of South Australia on March 23.

Apple Watch advertisements in April 2015 featured Itsines, demonstrating the product's heart-rate monitor function.

Pan Macmillan's first print book, The Bikini Body 28-Day Eating and Lifestyle Guide, was published in November 2016. In August 2017, she announced the forthcoming publication of her second book, The Bikini Body Motivation & Habits Guide.

Itsines attributes her success on social media to her followers and their fitness journeys rather than on herself and her journey. Part of her social media plan is to keep an eye on the body's transformation, and she therefore rarely posts photos of her smiling faces. She is also curious about how she is perceived visually by other publications, including refusing to photograph shoots that she finds incongruent with her image. She says she would never promote something in which she personally does not agree, pose provocatively or sexually, or publish advice that is limited solely to her own lifestyle in a statement of her own values. She is the only one who posts on her social media pages.

As of 2018, her net worth stands at $63 million.

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