Begin Again Part 5: Meet The BBG Community Member Who Inspires Me

‘This is the best part of my job’

I’ve been lucky enough to visit New York a few times now and I always feel a sense of wonder when I’m out eating dinner or walking around the city. 

Coming from Australia, there are so many sights that you grow up seeing in movies. Walking near the Brooklyn Bridge, visiting Central Park — all of it is an incredible experience. 

New York's always been important to me because there is such a big community here. They are so supportive and it's nice to feel like I've got sisters no matter where I go. 

As I’ve been a personal trainer for 10 years, I feel like I do what I do for my community. Meeting them in person, to be able to hug them and hear their stories — that's the best part of my job. 

Because the BBG Community in the US is so special to me, Tobi actually organised a bit of a surprise during my latest visit. 

The emotional meeting I wasn’t expecting

I walked into a gym in New York and had one of my favourite community members there — Sydney Torres. 

We have connected before via Instagram (her handle is @syd_journey) and I know her as Syd. Even though I already felt like we were friends, I had never met her in person. 

So when I saw her, it was a huge surprise! She popped out to say hi, and I was feeling such a huge mix of emotions — it was so nice to finally meet her in person, and we got along straight away!

Why I look up to Syd

Syd let me know she was going to be my trainer for the day, which was great. I loved following her workout. 

I've been following Syd for two years and she's like the biggest inspiration. We connected through the BBG Community and I've only spoken to her through Instagram. We actually direct message a lot, but it was SO nice to be able to meet up and talk. 

It's definitely emotional to meet someone from the BBG Community who tells you that you’ve changed their life. It’s an incredible privilege to be able to talk to them and hear their story. 

I can see that the things Syd's been through have been hard, and the way she's been able to overcome them are the reason I really look up to Syd. 

Everyone has been a beginner at some point

Through my experience as a women-only personal trainer, I’ve learned that so many women find it so hard to even begin training.

I wanted to know what had prompted Syd to start her health and fitness journey. 

She told the story of travelling from the US to Japan with her husband to attend his sister’s wedding. She found walking, even for five to 10 minutes, was really difficult. She would often have to stop and was out of breath. She told me that during the trip she decided to make a change. 

She said: “When I would go to bed it felt like there was an elephant on my chest, that's how bad it was. I was pre-diabetic, I had high blood pressure… I talked to my husband, I was like, I can't do this anymore, I was like, it's so hard, just being alive at this point.”

What I found so inspiring about talking to Syd was that she had so many changes that created a healthy mindset and positive outlook along the way. She talked about how she started to believe in herself, work hard — and that she was doing it for herself. 

The real transformation is in the way you FEEL

Syd’s transformation is incredible but the thing I loved hearing about the most was how confident and happy she feels after two years of BBG. 

That’s powerful.

Syd inspires SO many women, including me. I’m SO proud of her. 

Meeting Syd literally made my day, my week — my whole year! 

Meeting her has been a really important reminder of why I created BBG Beginner and Post-Pregnancy, so women have a program no matter where they are in their health and fitness journey. I want women to feel like they can do anything!

I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to share this moment with the BBG Community. Have you seen all five episodes of Begin Again? Comment below!