March 2023
Reclaiming
YOU! By Donna Aston
I
was tall and quite thin in my early teenage years, so I didn't pay much attention to my diet, exercise or the scales. But when I stopped growing ‘up’, I started growing ‘out’, and before I knew it, I’d gained over 25 kilos!
actually won the competition!
Like many women, I tried every crazy diet, only to fail at each attempt. I was dragged into a serious, blokey bodybuilding gym by a friend. It was a very intimidating environment at first, with large men throwing around loud, heavy weights. Definitely not in my comfort zone and I was one of the only females there. Reluctantly, I joined and soon realised that I absolutely loved weight training and was pretty good at it! I set myself a crazy goal to compete in a fitness competition (yep, bikinis on stage!!) and over the next two years I dropped 30 kilos and totally transformed my body – so much so that I
I started working with private clients, ranging from the severely overweight, to competitive athletes and celebrities wanting to get in shape for a movie role. My career led me to the USA and Europe working with private clients, which is when I began writing my first book. My clients used to say, “your teachings are so valuable, everyone should know about this stuff”, so six published books later, I was excited to reach many thousands of individuals and help them reclaim their health.
I then had dozens of men and women asking for my help with training and nutrition, so I first studied as a fitness coach, followed by a degree in nutrition.
Through working closely with so many clients over the years,
all from very different walks of life, different parts of the world, different cultures and a diverse range of personal goals, I realised there was a common thread – many were struggling with a loss of self-confidence and personal identity. The transformations were always about so much more than losing weight or dropping a few dress sizes. I soon realised that I had the privilege of helping people restore their self-belief and reclaim their identity as a strong, healthy, independent person. When a woman feels healthy and confident, she holds herself differently, has a powerful presence when she enters a room, is able to communicate with confidence, dresses with pride, commands respect from others and exudes an inner sense of calm. Witnessing this inner ‘superpower’ evolve, time and again, feeds my soul. WOMENSBIZGLOBAL.COM | 25
