She’s the Aussie fitness queen who turned burpees into a billion-dollar brand, but behind the glossy empire, Kayla Itsines says there’s one major thing she wishes she’d done differently.
The 34-year-old mother-of-two, who famously built her global Sweat empire from her parents’ backyard in Adelaide, has made a rare and candid confession about the $400 million sale of her business.
Speaking to street-style business interviewer James Dumoulin, founder and host of media platform The School of Hard Knocks, Kayla opened up about the realities of selling a company that was too closely tied to her own name and face.
As it turns out, her lessons in business had nothing to do with money but rather with freedom.
Greek-Australian Kayla, who first shot to fame more than a decade ago with her Bikini Body Guide e-book before launching the Sweat app, didn’t sugar-coat her experience when asked what she would change if she could do it all again.
‘I think I did it wrong,’ she admitted.
‘I think you should sell the company that doesn’t have you attached to it.’
Reflecting on the high-profile sale of Sweat to US fitness giant iFIT in July 2021 – and the emotional toll that followed – Kayla said she learned the hard way about what business insiders call ‘key man risk’.
Behind the glossy fitness empire, business woman Kayla Itsines (pictured) says there’s one major thing she wishes she’d done differently
‘If I could do it all over again, I’d remove myself as part of the company,’ she continued.
‘You want to sell it and be able to celebrate and relax, but for me it wasn’t relaxing.’
James was quick to jump in with an analogy that perfectly captured her point.
‘They call that the “key man” risk,’ he explained.
‘That’s why they say Disney’s the best business because Mickey Mouse isn’t in the negotiations.’
It’s a striking admission from one of Australia’s most recognisable fitness exports, and one who has never shied away from sharing the less glamorous side of success.
Long before Forbes lists and international expansion, Kayla was charging just $1 a minute as a personal trainer, running 30-minute sessions for $30 in her parents’ backyard.
‘I was in my parents backyard and I released an e-book online, which I thought no one was going to buy but it went absolutely viral,’ she previously recalled.
‘If I could do it all over again, I’d remove myself as part of the company,’ she continued. ‘You want to sell it and be able to celebrate and relax, but for me it wasn’t relaxing,’ she reflected on the high-profile $400 million sale of Sweat to US fitness giant iFIT in 2021
‘I come from a Greek family and the best thing you can be in a Greek family is a doctor.’
‘So, coming to my family as a personal trainer, that didn’t fly well with my parents… it took them about 10 years to come around.’
In 2024, Kayla landed on the Australian Financial Review Young Rich List at number 34, just behind Margot Robbie, cementing her status as not just a fitness influencer, but a serious business force.
Despite making millions through digital fitness, Kayla says the smartest move she ever made was stepping outside the internet altogether.
Asked how people should make their money work for them, her advice was refreshingly old-school.
‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. The first thing that ever made me money, that I was so excited about, was that I bought a petrol station – a gas station,’ she told James.
Kayla says diversifying her wealth has been key to her success, revealing she owns commercial real estate such as petrol stations and medical centres, alongside residential investments – and is now teasing the launch of a health supplement brand
After buying back her Sweat empire from iFIT in late 2023, Kayla turned her attention to Dogit, a dog-training app she co-created with husband Jae Woodroffe (pictured) and world-renowned trainer Leedor Borlant
‘I was like, wow. Out of all the millions of dollars, it’s so cool to see rent coming in from a gas station,’ adding that wealth diversity is important
‘One day the internet might shut off and it will all be gone.’
Today, Kayla’s portfolio includes commercial real estate such as petrol stations and medical centres, residential property, a women’s training app, a dog-training app called Dogit, and an upcoming supplements brand she’s only just beginning to tease.
For someone often portrayed as effortlessly successful, Kayla was also brutally honest about how close she came to burning out in the early days.
‘There were days when I would literally be found in a ball in the corner of my gym crying because I got overwhelmed.’
When James asked what she would say to someone at rock bottom, she shared one of the greatest pieces of advice she’s ever been given.
‘Someone said, ‘You know that you are under no obligation to be the same person you were yesterday,’ and I think that is really strong in the fact that you can make a change.
‘If you have a passion, go for it.’
In late 2023, she made headlines again after buying back her Sweat empire from iFIT, a bold move that proved she hadn’t just built a brand, but understood how to reclaim it.
