Podcast Episode 9: Kat Interviews Belinda Benn – Fitness Model & Inspiring Leader
Belinda Benn – from overweight to fitness model in her amazing life transformation
In this episode Kat talks with Belinda Benn, fitness model and inspiring leader about how she turned her life transformation into a thriving online business.
Belinda Benn already had an MBA and was working in corporate America when she was suddenly impacted by trauma in her personal life. This was the trigger that eventually caused her to evaluate her life and change her physical body, but even beyond that, achieve an entire life transformation.
Kat talks with Belinda about how she went from overweight to amazing fitness model and how she started her online fitness business, the Get Lean Program. Listen in while Kat and Belinda talk about how our lives are a blend of: Business / Body / Mindset
Wake-up Call
Belinda said she always lived her life full of the ‘should-bes’ –filling the expectations of husband, work, family, friends. She modeled her life around everyone else and got completely out of touch with the real her. She said she didn’t recognize the ‘real me’.
If you don’t get in touch with what your own goals and dreams are for your life, time goes on and you naturally fall into the trap of being what everyone else expects you to be. You get out of touch with yourself and out of touch with your body.
In her late 30s, Belinda was shopping for a bathing suit for a pool party. She says she realized her body had just disappeared. She had gained so much weight, and didn’t even recognize the person in the mirror. Her body transformation began at that point but the chain reaction that pushed her to change everything about her life was a devastating confession of unfaithfulness from her husband. Belinda suffered the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and was on edge all the time. This was the catalyst that propelled her toward transformational change, not just physically, but of her entire life.
Body Transformation Cover Story
As Belinda thought about how to create a business, she looked online to what other women were doing and wondered how they succeeded. It was like looking at a puzzle she couldn’t solve. She was told we all need to learn that things are never as they seem on the outside. You don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. You don’t have enough information. Guard yourself against judging and comparing yourself to others.
Right around the time all this chaos broke, Belinda took up surfing. She says she had always hated exercise and as a consequence her body was a bag of cellulite, soft and spongy. For six months she paddled her surf board, using it as a form of pain relief. This drove her to push though the barriers of physical discomfort which is most often the cause for women to give up on becoming physically fit. Women who want to transform their bodies need to go through the disciplines of physical discomfort and say no to food cravings. Motivation has to go much deeper than just how we look. Women who experience dramatic transformation are able to tap into the deeper motivators than just the superficial how they will look.
Overcoming Obstacles
Our bodies are capable of amazing change, but there will always be something that can’t be changed. One of the biggest obstacles is getting real about this and accepting the fact that despite exercise and despite eating only healthy foods, the mirror reveals that some things won’t change. For example, skin continues to grow and sag, even though exercise produces muscle to help minimize the effect. Obsessing about things we can’t change robs of us of happiness. Make peace with whatever it is that can’t be changed. Women need to focus on things they can change and do the possible. In this way they will project health and vitality which is what matters most. Celebrate and be happy.
Belinda tells us that her physical transformation was part of the bigger picture. She said she had to completely let go of the past. She didn’t want to be a person who carried around baggage so she did an assessment and realized her extra weight was not serving her goals of traveling and surfing and being self-sufficient. As a result of her intense training and hard work she entered a bikini competition and her photos were ultimately sold by bodybuilding.com for their advertising.
Go beyond the superficial and think about the deeper issues motivating you: physical transformation, online business, building wealth, getting to a healthy emotional place.
Beyond the Physical Change
Kat asked Belinda, what she has gained beyond the physical change. Belinda answered, freedom! After working in corporate America for 15 years, Belinda had no desire to return to the structure and claustrophobic lifestyle of the office worker. She made up her mind that she would do whatever it took to not go back into that working environment. When she ran up against walls she reminded herself that she was not going back, even though her credentials could have netted her a 6-figure salary.
Belinda’s life transformation has given her intimate knowledge of what makes her happy, freedom to live wherever she wants to live, freedom to schedule her days as she wishes, freedom from bosses to answer to.
Get Lean Program
Belinda’s resolve to never return to the corporate lifestyle was the impetus for launching her online business. Her Get Lean Program is a commitment she has made and is now helping thousands of women around the world to transform their bodies and their lives.
The Get Lean Program is the combination of a healthy eating plan and exercise program with workout options. Her program also includes a coaching site where participants receive coaching from Belinda, have a forum where they can connect with other women on the same journey, and a place where they can be held accountable. The overall advantage of the Get Lean Program then is not just the body transformation, but the prospect of making a life transformation.
Belinda offers this advice for women who want to experience complete transformation. Get out a piece of paper and do some deep thinking about why. You will never experience transformational change unless you know why you want it. If you get crystal clear on the why, the rest will fall into place.
Set your mind to what you want to achieve and go out and make it happen. Refuse to give in to less than what you really want and anything is possible.
Keys to Online Business
Belinda designed her business around these factors: Global, 24/7 operation, revenue had to be independent of the currency of the country she was living in.
The smartest choice Belinda thinks she has made is to stop trying to be the person everybody else expects her to be. She has learned to be herself, to be real, because it’s the real person that people connect to. Be authentic. People trust real. You’ve got longevity because you aren’t trying to reinvent yourself all the time.
Belinda and Kat talk about one of the most important things to bring success to business is listening to their customers. Don’t be arrogant. Pay attention to the feedback customers provide.
What keeps Belinda motivated and what she loves most about her work is seeing women overcome significant challenges to change their lives, not just physically, but in total life transformation.
Future Forward
Currently Belinda’s membership program is nutrition and exercise. She is expanding into skin care, body treatments, and alternative approaches to anti-aging.
Belinda is also working on her memoirs of how she leaned out her body, and leaned out her life.
In reflecting on her greatest key to success, Belinda says it’s one word. Determination. You will have many opportunities to give up, things will be too hard, you won’t have the support you need, and that’s when you have to be determined.
Kat says her big ‘why’ is pride. She wants to be proud of herself and what she’s able to do in business. Belinda says her big ‘why’ is legacy. She sees the changes in women today and they are already creating that ripple effect where goodness will be brought into the world even after she’s gone.
Outline of this episode
Wake-up Call
Body Transformation Cover Story
Overcoming Obstacles
Beyond the Physical Change
Get Lean Program
Keys to Online Business
Future Forward
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