Living a fitness lifestyle is a real balance. If you have ever wondered what it takes to create a world-class fitness physique and run your own business, then you should get to know this issue’s Status Fitness Magazine Cover model…..
Susie, congratulations on all your success on the WBFF world stage. What has this experience been like for you?
Competing with The WBFF has been such a positive and rewarding experience for me. The support network amongst the Pro family is incredible and the collective energy when we all meet together for the World Championships each year is something very special. I have now competed on the World Pro stage three times, making a top 5 placement each year. Each event is unique and unforgettable. It is a very humbling experience to stand next to the fitness models who inspired me to first compete and to now share the stage with some of my best friends and the biggest names in the fitness industry. Each one of us has a fierce competitive spirit on stage, but we are divas competing only against ourselves. The love and support transcend from the top and are very present amongst competitors, this is what makes The WBFF so unique.
You have evolved your physique every year. How do you do this?
My passion for competing represents personal progression. Each time I step on stage, I want to showcase my improvements and bring a fresh and new look to the stage. Fitness has become my lifestyle and I train consistently all year round. I work hard in my off-season to bring improvements and always have a clear vision of where I want to take my physique. I am never afraid of pushing myself to achieve everything possible at one given point in time. I am very proud of what I have accomplished to date but I always know that each year, my foundations become stronger and the best is yet to come.
I WANT TO SHOWCASE MY IMPROVEMENTS AND BRING A FRESH AND NEW LOOK TO THE STAGE.
What is it like running your own business in the fitness industry?
My career has historically been rooted in advertising and marketing. I worked agency side for many years and most recently combined my passion for fitness by moving client-side to launch lululemon fitness clothing brand in the UK. It was a role that really furthered my business and operational skills as well as grounding me in my own goals. I became clear in creating a legacy around inner empowerment using fitness as a catalyst and sharing my own experience to inspire others. It sparked a fire inside of me to start my own business that I could not ignore. Earlier this year I launched my own brand StrengthWithin and I’m working alongside a number of clients 1:1 and online around the world to achieve their goals. It is by far the most challenging project I have taken on but also the most rewarding. It takes a lot of time and dedication to set up effective business systems and to juggle investment with financial return however when you create a career from your passion, it never feels like work. It’s a blessing and a lifestyle that I could never change now.
IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND DEDICATION TO SET UP EFFECTIVE BUSINESS SYSTEMS AND TO JUGGLE INVESTMENT WITH FINANCIAL RETURN HOWEVER WHEN YOU CREATE A CAREER FROM YOUR PASSION, IT NEVER FEELS LIKE WORK.
What are your fitness goals?
To keep progressing and challenging myself in different areas of fitness. I do not focus on sport-specific training but I do incorporate a lot of variety into my training. Gaining strength to improve aesthetics is always the foundation of my training but keeping balanced feminine proportions is absolute key. It’s what has inspired me and what I want to continue to represent to inspire others.
Personal goal?
One of the things I love about competing with The WBFF is being able to bring my sense of style to the stage. I love creating new trends and always work very closely with my designers. I have a strong sense of style and was actively involved in providing feedback to the design team during my time at lululemon. I am passionate about creating my own line of activewear that has all the technical specifications to perform during workouts but also does not look out of place transitioning from street to evening socials. I’ve gained quite a reputation for my footwear so again reinventing performance trainers with my own unique and signature style will definitely form part of my own StrengthWithin activewear range.
What advice do you have for aspiring fitness models?
Invest wisely in a range of portfolio images that represent you as a brand. Choose photographers wisely and do not jump at any opportunity to shoot where you have no control over the images. Working with the right photographers can really open the doors with a number of brands and commercial opportunities. I have learnt invaluable knowledge from working with experienced photographers and which played a key role in helping form and shape my own brand positioning.
WORKING WITH THE RIGHT PHOTOGRAPHERS CAN REALLY OPEN THE DOORS WITH A NUMBER OF BRANDS AND COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES.
What does it mean to you to grace the cover of Status Fitness Magazine?
It has always been an ultimate goal to achieve an international cover shot and I could not wish for this dream to come true in collaboration with a more highly regarded and industry-recognized publication as Status magazine. It is a true honor to be featured alongside the biggest names in fitness and my own inspirations who have also graced the covers. I have been following Status magazine since I started competing in 2013 and it’s always provided such educational content and valuable knowledge. Status magazine remains true and reliable, generating mass appeal from the discerning fitness enthusiast through to professional athletes across multiple disciplines. I have always been inspired by the stories I have read from the featured athletes and there is no greater sense of reward to now have the opportunity to share and inspire others myself.
Name 4 things people don’t know about you.
-I’m a science geek at heart… I spent 3 years studying Chemistry at university before entering a career in advertising and marketing.
-I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some remote corners of the world… cycling across the Himalayan peaks to Everest Base Camp and kayaking down the Antarctica peninsula.
-Growing up I was not a sporty child at school but I did have a fearless mindset that took me into competitive ski racing for my university.
-I’ve always been fascinated with whales and had the opportunity to swim with humpback whales in Tonga and observe the unique stranding behaviour of Orca whales in Patagonia.
QUICK ANSWERS
Fav city?
Los Angeles
Fav Activity?
Dumbbell weight training
Occupation?
Fitness and lifestyle coach
Craziest thing you have done?
Skydiving over Namibia sand dunes
Fav supplement?
Reflex Nutrition Creapure Creatine powder
One obscurity about you?
My hypermobility makes me as bendy as I am strong!
What do you like in a man?
Hard work and ethics
What you dislike in a man?
Small calves(!)
Relationship status?
Single
Fav body part on a man?
Chest
Fav on women?
Glutes
Favorite motivation quotes?
To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear ~ Buddha
The body achieves what the mind believes.
Don’t dream of winning, train for it.