There’s something about a big, milestone birthday that naturally makes you stop and take stock. As women, we so often measure success – and what’s truly important – by these invisible yardsticks, as we blow out yet another set of candles on life’s birthday cake.
At 20, I’d just finished powering through a journalism degree (having shifted from Sydney to Bathurst in Central Western NSW at the age of 17 to follow my passion for media) and lobbed back into Sydney in search of a foot in the magazine industry door. Not a fan of doing things by halves (understatement), on the eve of my 30s, I got engaged, got married and jumped onto the propery ladder, all in the space of six months. Yep, hectic.
Then at 40, after years of exercise ambivalence, I took up running – something that’s changed my life and my perception of what’s possible. Added bonus? It’s allowed me to see the world and introduced me to some of the best-quality humans I know, travelling to places as far afield as Bali, the Pilbara, Los Angeles and Uluru, making unforgettable memories along the way, which is also what makes this particular edition so incredibly special.
Kayla Itsines has been a part of the Women’s Health Australia family forever. Over the past decade, she’s appeared on our cover fives times (the only person to ever clock up that kind of count). And, while she may have been named the most successful trainer in the world by Forbes, building a fitness empire that’s changed the lives of literally millions of women, she couldn’t be more down to earth. Just one example? As you’ll read in our exclusive cover story from p.68, Kayla freely admits she’s just a girl from Adelaide who lives for family – including daughter, Arna, almost two – and who never thought that her programs would travel interstate, let alone go global.
Like many of us, Kayla had a tumultuous 2020. And as her 30th birthday approaches on May 21, she chose to open up and share her most personal, honest and empowering interview to date with our Features Editor, Alex Davies. From brave business decisions, to the hard lessons of her 20s – and her dreams for the next decade – as Kayla discovered over the past 12 months, it’s the challenges and tests we encounter along the road of life that reveal what we’re made of. And that can also unlock the kind of confidence, resilience and strength we need to ride out tough times.
This exclusive means a lot. In fact, it’s the greatest compliment we could ever receive that so many Aussie women (including Kayla) trust Women’s Health at the most pivotal moments in their life. I hope you enjoy her very special interview, and this issue.
The June issue is one sale now at all good newsstands!
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