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Ash Lane

Meet the Fitness Trainer and Nutritionist.

Ash Lane (image supplied)
Ash Lane (image supplied)

It’s Winter… which usually means it follows with the saying that “Summer bodies are made in Winter”… are we right? Well perhaps not! We recently had the pleasure of getting to know Ash Lane, GC local, Fitness Trainer and Nutritionist, and what we found out about fitness and health is well worth the read. Read on and thank us later!

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I can’t believe it but it’s been 14 years! My husband and I moved up from Sydney in 2008 and have not looked back since!

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
The people… there’s a much more relaxed vibe that comes with living here that I never found in Sydney among the chaos. When we do return to Sydney we’re blown away by the difference!

Tell us how your successful 12-week program came about.
My business success has 100% come from a combination of my passion and my struggles in my own journey. After spending years going through what I now know to be a typical yoyo binge / restrict cycle – where I would lose weight, only to fall off the wagon and regain the weight. I finally began my journey of further education. I didn’t realise it at the time, but the majority of what social media was telling us we should be doing and how to achieve our dream physique, was not evidence-based (so yes this meant literally most of it was just made up). Things like the 30-minute protein window, and no carbs after 4pm, and fasting for fat loss, and cardio for fat loss and the list goes on! All had absolutely no evidence to back up these claims. Now it’s not easy to find out what’s real and what’s not – unless you go back to the grassroots and start literally reading studies and research papers one by one on each of the topics… which is what I did. Through this process, I was able to discover why so many of the ladies that trained at the cardio class gym that I managed, would lose weight, only to then regain it (myself included). I combined this research with hiring an expert coach, and I had unbelievable success (which included eating more and training less than I ever had).

Ash Lane (image supplied)
Ash Lane (image supplied)

From there I started coaching ladies that had been exactly where I had been, and were sick and tired of losing weight BUT THEN gaining it all back… I call these ladies ‘BUT THEN’ girls… I lost weight BUT THEN. My tribe of ladies change this to ‘BUT NOW’ girls… I used to lose and regain the same 5kg, 10kg or more, BUT NOW I hit my goal and set a new one! It’s crazy to think that we consider it totally normal to set the same goal over and over! I just want to look how I did during my Bali holiday, or Christmas last year. This is called ‘GROUNDHOG GOAL’. You should be setting a goal, hitting it and setting the next one… Not setting the same goal over and over. Using a mix of this evidence based approach, and showing ladies how to become BUT NOW girls… Very shortly my 1:1 coaching program was full and I was forced to create a group program to run alongside it, which now has over 500 ladies at any one time, going through their very own life-changing process. This group program is called TWA (Train With Ash).

And of course on top of that we have group coaches, other 1:1 coaches and of course I do some very limited 1:1 coaching too! Most of these ladies start by going through my free 5-day challenge, where I give away all of my biggest tips, tricks, hacks and most importantly show them step by step why they are where they are, and why it’s not their fault, and then what they need to do to fix that! I try to give enough information away so that the ladies don’t have to join my paid group. But for the ladies that want a little more support on their journey – that option is there.

Ash Lane (image supplied)
Ash Lane (image supplied)

What are 5 tips you would recommend to someone looking to be their healthiest self?
1 – Think about what your goal is. Be specific. And then ask whether the track you’re taking is actually the right way to get there. So often I see ladies using cardio for a fat loss goal, which we know while this might be useful short term – it’s not sustainable or scaleable long term, and is one of the main reasons ladies are continuing to start over and over again. AKA – BUT THEN girls.
2 – Place your physical goal first. So if you have a fat loss goal – rather than tackling both fat loss AND nutrition at the same time – let’s tackle the fat loss first. Now often along the way nutrition comes into line too. But attempting to turn your whole life upside down and eating in a way you don’t enjoy can be a big reason for failure. Learn energy balance (macronutrients) and get the process moving first, then let’s tinker with the micronutrients.
3 – Motivation will fade. SO make sure whichever track you take that you’re changing habits as part of the process. Now this doesn’t have to be a huge life change. Even just 1 new habit per month is 12 new habits per year. But that 1 new habit could be the one that keeps you on track when the motivation stops.
4 – Focus on raising the floor rather than the ceiling. Most people plan for their best days… for when everything is going right for them and again motivation is high. But what about your worst days? When everything’s going wrong? And you want to quit? If you can raise the floor just enough to stop you from giving up, then that’s 1000% more valuable than trying to improve on your best day.
5 – Educate yourself. Lots of ladies embark on a journey that has no education involved and where you’re essentially ‘tied’ to that program basically forever (like meal plans for example). What you really want is to be able to do this on your own – and the only way to do that is through education. So hire a coach that you click with and that you trust to help you get there. Don’t be scared that you’re not going to pick the right one – you don’t know what you don’t know and until you try someone you won’t know whether their approach is correct for you.

Meal prep (image courtesy of Unsplash)
Meal prep (image courtesy of Unsplash)

Can you really eat more but still lose weight – or is this a myth?
As ladies, lots of us have been dieting for years. 5 years, 10 years, some ladies it’s been their whole adult life! I call this group of people ‘lifetime dieters’. It’s a constant cycle of restriction followed by a binge. The length of the diet might vary, but the result is always the same. Binge. Restriction always leads to binge. This constant diet cycle year in, year out, can lead to a downregulation of your metabolism (metabolic adaptation). Which just basically means your metabolism is slower. This is usually where ladies are at in their journey when I work with them. Some ladies wonder whether they’ve broken their metabolism (this is honestly how I felt too). The good news is that no you can’t break your metabolism, and yes you can reverse that metabolic downregulation. Which does mean that over time we’re increasing the amount you can eat and during that process, you’re either maintaining your weight while eating more, or some ladies do lose weight too. This process is called ‘reverse dieting’. And became well known in the bodybuilding community well before the ‘lifestyle training’ community. Most ladies start a new program or challenge in a dieting phase, and often that’s the entirety of the program! Just another diet! If that was going to work then it would have worked by now (yes calorie deficits work – bare with me).

There’s usually a missing piece though. A calorie deficit (diet) is only a part of the puzzle, and it should be the smallest part. Most of the IG models that we might look up to or bikini competitors etc – these ladies, spend the least amount of their year dieting (in a calorie deficit) and the majority of their year either building or maintaining. And that’s where the magic sauce is! It’s not in the diet. Anybody can cut calories in half and lose weight (usually through the latest fad ‘named’ diet – like Keto or Carnivore or Fast 800 or any one of the 1000s of diets that use the same method) but the magic sauce is in the building or maintaining / maingaining phase. This should be step 1. Dieting is step 2. This might sound harsh… But lots of ladies have to earn the right to diet. If you’ve been dieting for most of your adult life – then the solution to fat loss for you isn’t more dieting. It’s time to give your body some love and earn the right to diet.

Ash Lane (image supplied)
Ash Lane (image supplied)

What meal are you loving at the moment?
I am going to share my fav meals… BUT – it’s important to consider these are my individual favourite meals… They might not be yours. And they don’t have to be! The types of foods we eat should be foods we enjoy. There’s no magic foods when it comes to fat loss. It’s simply total calories in vs calorie out! I hear people talking about bad foods vs good foods and cheat days for example. This is not going to create a good relationship with food. Imagine if we treated our relationship with our partner like we do food? I am just going to have a cheat day from my partner. That doesn’t instill much faith in the relationship. And the same goes with the foods we eat. If you want a good relationship with food, remove the ‘titles’.  There’s no such thing as good foods or bad foods. Unless you have an intolerance, like if you’re lactose intolerant, then yes lactose might not be good for you. But for me it’s fine. Sure – most people could do with more veggies in their life – but if we don’t balance it with both whole foods AND soul foods, then we’re heading down a track of restriction. And restriction ALWAYS leads to a binge (starting to see a pattern here..?) Currently I am loving a simple marinated chicken meal that takes a few minutes to make. I buy a jar of Thai Spicy Satay marinade from Woolworths (brand is Marions Kitchen) mix it with diced chicken, throw in some Jasmine rice and veggies and voila! Dinner for tonight and lunch for tomorrow!

Healthy balanced diet (image courtesy of Unsplash)
Healthy balanced diet (image courtesy of Unsplash)

What does your typical day look like?
Every day is vastly different, as I’m admin, coach, accounting, marketing, etc etc, but this will give you a rough idea.
4-5am: Wake up, get dressed, grab a coffee and go for a Mental Health Walk. This is my favourite way to start the day, the experience of going to the coffee shop and walking up Burleigh Hill to watch the sunrise brings me so much joy to start the day.
6.45 – 7.45 am: I’ll reply to my 1:1 clients private messages that have come in overnight and run through questions in my Train with Ash Facebook group – I call this reactive work.
7.45 – 9am: This is school drop off time (yes school drop-off is just over an hour round trip morning and afternoon)
9 – 12pm: Make a smoothie for brekky & continue on with 1:1 client private messages, Train with Ash Facebook group, Instagram DMs and new client enquiries & emails.
12-12.30pm: Lunch – I’ll either eat leftovers or prepare something new at home.
12.30 – 1.30pm: I will spend 1hr creating content, whether this is for an IG story, an article, or a social media post.
1.30 – 2.45pm: Gym – I train 3 times per week, and 1:30 is my gym time on those days.
2.45 – 4pm: School pick up time.
4-6pm: I’ll do another run-through of 1:1 client messages, Train with Ash Facebook group and if there was any other admin work that needed to be done to close out the day.
6-8:30pm: This is usually dinner and family time, maybe homework with our son, and some downtime too. However, on occasions, depending on the month, the workload will differ and I may dedicate more time here to admin, client replies, programming etc.

Female working out (image courtesy of Unsplash)
Female working out (image courtesy of Unsplash)

Tell us the best piece of advice someone has ever given you and why you consider it the best?
Picking one is hard!! I think that following your passion would have to be it. And that’s because it was a turning point in my life. When I let go of what I ‘should’ do, and started following what I was passionate about, it was so much easier to get out of bed and ‘feel’ like doing whatever I had on my to-do list. I think that the people that are most successful in life (and not just in business, because success can mean different things to everyone) understand their passion and find a way to spend as much time as they can there. Before I ever charged a single client – I gave away everything that I had learnt, for free. And I still do this today (in the 5-day challenge). Because it’s my passion. Find your passion – and follow that road! The rest will work itself out along the way.

What are you looking forward to the most in the next 12 months?
Our next family move! We haven’t revealed just yet what that is (sorry!) but in October this year our whole world is going to be turned upside down and at the same time business will continue as normal (and continue to grow)! Follow my IG if you want to see what this is! Trust me – it’s big!

Burleigh Beach (image courtesy of John Pryke)
Burleigh Beach (image courtesy of John Pryke)

What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café/coffee spot: Morning Coffees at Quest Burleigh!
Restaurant: This is hard! There’s so many! Hail Mary, Rick Shores, Light Years. And I can’t miss Pizza Fridays in our house which is usually Dominos Pizza!
Bar or place for a drink: This will be a shock – but I recently discovered a place called ‘The Miami’ that has the best Margaritas on the Gold Coast! Totally unexpected but if you enjoy a Margi then give them a try!
Beach: Burleigh beach – it’s our local and while the sand in my toes isn’t my most favourite thing on earth – walking on the path around the beach is up there!

How do you choose to spend your days off?
With my family! I have a husband and a 9-year-old son. And I read something recently that you only get 18 summers with your children. And that really hit home for me! Especially as half of those have passed already! So when it comes to downtime, it’s going to be with my family and quality time. Honestly, I don’t care where we go or what we do! It could be as simple as walking along the path next to the beach in the afternoon at Burleigh. That family time is my love language and fills my cup!

Emily Skye

Emily Skye (image supplied)
Emily Skye (image supplied)

If you haven’t already realised Mother’s Day is fast approaching – which means you better start thinking about how you are going to treat the number one lady in your life. The special day aside, we personally think that you should celebrate mum every day. Not only does she care and cook for you, she often has a long list of other responsibilities herself. Some mums even run a business too! And that is exactly what mum of two, fitness influencer and founder of James Cosmetics, Emily Skye does. No doubt you have seen Emily on Instagram as she has over a whopping 2.5 MILLION followers. Emily squeezed answering a few questions for Inside Gold Coast into her hectic work schedule. Read on to get to know Emily both personally and professionally!

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
8 years now!

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a mother of two beautiful kids, Mia and Izaac, and I also own two businesses, Emily Skye FIT, my fitness app, and James Cosmetics, my beauty company. Through my FIT app I’ve been able to reach and connect with millions of women around the world who are working together as a community to strive for a healthier, happier lifestyle. James Cosmetics are beauty products I truly swear by and use myself! I’ve always had a huge interest in the beauty industry and wanted to share products that I love with everyone! I also have an amazing community of women through my Facebook and Instagram pages who inspire me everyday!

Emily wearing her James Cosmetics eye masks (image supplied)
Emily wearing her James Cosmetics eye masks (image supplied)

How did both James Cosmetics and the Emily Skye Fit app come about?
I started Emily Skye FIT after a very hard time in my life where I struggled a lot with my body image and an unhealthy lifestyle. I was in a very bad place mentally and physically and wanted to make a change. I made healthy changes in my life and started eating healthy and exercising and it completely changed my life! I wanted to share that feeling with other women and made it my mission to share knowledge I had learned along the way with other women so they can make positive changes just like I did! Over the years, FIT has become such an amazing platform where we are just one big community, constantly encouraging each other and helping each other each day! The app has definitely evolved as well as I have, as a mother I really wanted to include a pregnancy program and post pregnancy, and these have had such a great response!

James Cosmetics is my beauty company and something I am so passionate about! I’ve always been interested in beauty and skincare, I even became a qualified beautician 15 years ago! The products we release with James Cosmetics are genuinely just products that I use and want to incorporate into my routine! We started with just our 24K Gold & Collagen Crystal Eye Mask, and it still remains as one of our best selling products!

Tell us what your proudest entrepreneurial moment is?
A couple of things would definitely be being named Forbes #3 influencer in the world, and featuring on the cover of Women’s Health Magazine in more than 20 countries! They are both definitely pinch me things that I’m very proud of!

Emily Skye with her children, Mia and Izaac (image supplied)
Emily Skye with her children, Mia and Izaac (image supplied)

As a very busy woman, how do you manage your time to really strike that work/life balance?
I’ve found the best thing you can do is plan ahead and have lots of structure. I was never really any good at structure before having kids, I was quite spontaneous and didn’t like planning anything too far in advance. I’ve had to change that since becoming a mother and having businesses. It’s all about prioritising and having a to do list to get through and sticking to it! I’m still learning of course, but having a routine has much a huge difference to my everyday life and my mental health.

What do you love the most about being a mum?
Being a mum is just amazing in itself. Having these little humans that you and the person you love the most in the world created together and they’re like a mini you but with their own personalities. It’s so cool seeing kids grow up and evolve and watch their personalities come out! I love being able to have an impact on someone the way I can with my kids, teaching them what I’ve learned through life and being a role model to them.

How are you planning on spending this Mother’s Day?
I’m looking forward to just spending time with the kids and being grateful for them and being proud of myself as well for what I’ve done and what my body has done! I’ll also definitely be showing appreciation to my own mother as well for the amazing job she did raising my sister and I on her own!

James Cosmetics Products (image supplied)
James Cosmetics Products (image supplied)

What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café:
BSKT
Coffee spot: Three Beans Cafe
Restaurant: Gemelli
Bar or pub for a drink: The only bar I’m familiar with is a barbell at the gym

How do you choose to spend your weekends?
Either outside with the kids playing in the pool or going for a walk along the beach with the kids with a nice coffee. I love spending time outdoors, especially living in a place with such amazing weather!

Georgie & Coopa Stevenson

Georgie and Coopa Stevenson (image supplied)
Georgie and Coopa Stevenson (image supplied)

Some would never imagine getting into business with their siblings, but some actually flourish in the partnership. Enter brother and sister duo, Georgie & Coopa Stevenson. These two are a force to reckon with; and are taking the health and wellbeing industry by storm with their Gold Coast born business, Naked Harvest Supplements. We were able to ask what it’s really like running a business with family and why both Georgie & Coopa love the Gold Coast lifestyle.

How long have you both been Gold Coast locals?
G: I’ve lived here for 2 years and Coopa has lived here for 3 years. Before that we were Brisbane locals!

Tell us how Naked Harvest Supplements came about.
G: Naked Harvest was founded by Coopa and I a few years ago, and the idea behind it was that we’ve both always had an interest in taking supplements to compliment a healthy lifestyle and wanted to bring to the market something that was natural, yummy and without any extra crap. We both personally have had issues in the past with supplements and our intolerances, so we thought let’s bring something to the people like us and that’s how Naked Harvest started.

Naked Harvest Supplements (image supplied)

What makes running a business on the Gold Coast so great?
C: We love the lifestyle! The fact that you can wake up, go for a beach walk, get into work so quickly with barely any traffic! I live so close to work and it’s just so easy getting around. I love to go to the beach in the afternoon as well, it’s just great that it’s so easy to get around everywhere!

What’s it like being in business with your sibling?
C: Working with a sibling can definitely be challenging at times but definitely comes with its rewards. We’re so lucky that we’ve also been able to bring our parents on board too, so the whole family is involved! The best thing about working with family is that you have a trust that comes so naturally, and that’s priceless!

Tell us what your proudest entrepreneurial moment is?
G: When we reflect and look back at all the things we’ve achieved with Naked Harvest, the community we have built is something we’re the proudest of! Having such a support system around our brand is something that money can’t buy and something we said from day one we wanted to focus on! Our community is the reason Naked Harvest is where it is today!

Georgie and Coopa Stevenson with their Sweet Strawberry Natural Pre-Workout (image supplied)

What is one message you wish you could share with people about their wellness?
G: It’s a journey, it’s not a destination. It’s something that constantly changes and it’s something you constantly work on and be in tune with and give your attention to. It’s not an end goal, it’s something we work on and it can constantly change!

What does the future have in store for Naked Harvest Supplements?
C: We have so many exciting things coming up for Naked Harvest! We want Naked Harvest products to optimise someone’s day from morning to evening and give our community everything they need for a healthy lifestyle. We’re always listening to our #NHgang and taking their feedback on what they want next, so watch this space!

What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café: G: Niche and Co – I love their Acai bowls! + C: Wildernis Cafe
Coffee spot: G: Custard Canteen + C: Jefferson Coffee Nook
Restaurant: G: The Collective + C: Las Palmas
Bar or pub for a drink: G: Burleigh Pavilion + C: Palm Beach Surf Club

How do you choose to spend your weekends?
G: My partner Tim and I might go up to Beechmont, we love the Gold Coast Hinterland and have a chill weekend getting off our phones and just relaxing. If not, our Sunday tradition is Sunday morning coffee on the beach with no phones with just us and the doggies.
C: I love to play golf and surf on the weekends! It’s why I love the Gold Coast so much, it’s so easy for me to do things I enjoy! I also LOVE spending time with my son Bohdi outdoors!

Amy & Emilee Hembrow

Amy & Emilee Hembrow (image supplied)
Amy & Emilee Hembrow (image supplied)

When we mention the name Hembrow, chances are, you know the family we are referring to. And rightly so! Because the family does have its fair share of noteworthy members. Two of which are Amy & Emilee. The sisters together are the founders of the award-winning skin clinic, SSKIN, located in Bundall. Which also happens to be one of the top influencer and celebrity hot spots on the Gold Coast.

We were fortunate enough recently to get to know the entrepreneurs and what it was like launching a holistic beauty business in the midst of the pandemic on the Gold Coast. Read on to find out more.

How long have you both been Gold Coast locals?
A- We were born on the Gold Coast, we lived here most of our lives but moved overseas when we were teenagers. We moved around quite a bit from Singapore to Geneva, but we ended up back on the Gold Coast eventually in our 20’s.
E- Born on the Gold Coast and then moved overseas in high school and traveled around with the family for a while then made our way back in my early 20s.

What do you each love the most about the Gold Coast?
A- The lifestyle. I love how close everything is and the beaches.
E- I love how relaxing it is, everyone is super chilled and easy going. Being super busy with the kids and work it’s nice that the Gold Coast is slow-paced.

SSKIN Interior (image supplied)

Tell us how SKINN Clinic came about.
A- Emilee came to me with an idea, she wanted me to contribute my business background and at first, I said I wasn’t interested because I was too busy but then I finished up working at Saski Collection and messaged her saying I was all in.
E- I honestly had no place I would recommend to friends and family to go, nor a place I felt comfortable going for my own treatments. I wanted to create a safe place to go with wonderful staff and all the perfect treatments under the one roof. I also wanted a quiet location, not on a main road or shopping centre so its private for our clients.

What makes running a business on the Gold Coast so great?
A- The sense of community. SSKIN is my first business that is face-to-face services and I love getting that feedback and having those touchpoints with the consumer.
E- I love working with such amazing employees, we are like a little family and they are all so great to work with. I also love that I now have a place to go for all my beauty/skin needs.

What’s it like being in business with your sibling?
A- It’s great! You always have someone to lean on and we both work to our strengths.
E- I think it’s really nice that I get to work with my sister, we both have such different ideas for the clinic so we bounce things off each other and get to be super creative together.

SSKIN Clinic (image supplied)
SSKIN Clinic (image supplied)

Being entrepreneurs, what are the biggest challenges you have both faced?
A- Balancing family life with work life, especially seeing as we are family. It can be hard to switch out of work mode.
E- Balancing mum life with working. Its a juggle that keeps me super busy!

What did you learn from opening a business in the middle of a pandemic?
A- That you need to be adaptable and to have contingency plans in place for when you may need to pivot in your business plan.
E- To be innovative! In life, things will pop up and you need to look at it as an opportunity to grow, not as a dead end.

What does a typical day in the life of each of you look like?
A- Every day is different for me it usually starts with coffee and breakfast with my family before heading into the clinic. In the afternoons I like to take my daughter to the park or for beach walks.
E- Every day is so different, some days I work from home with the kids. I will take them to a park or play centre to let them burn off some energy while I pump through emails. Sometimes I’m strict with the kids with no work allowed; and some days I get the kids babysat while I work, whether it be: work at SSKIN, photoshoots, events etc

SSKIN treatment room (image supplied)
SSKIN treatment room (image supplied)

Tell us the best piece of advice someone has ever given you and why you consider it the best?
A- That we all feel a sense of imposter syndrome at one point or another, it doesn’t mean you’re an imposter it just means you’re pushing yourself further out of your boundaries. I like this advice because it’s easy to let self-doubt cripple you from moving forward. I remind myself that if I feel a little uncomfortable to push through, I look back on moments and remember that feeling and I’m so proud for where I am now.
E- Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from reaching your dreams. Life and business is all about trial and error, if you dont try you won’t ever achieve your goals.

What are you both looking forward to the most in the next 12 months?
A- I’m having a baby so that’s a big one! Also growing my business, it’s not even 2 years old yet so it’s still got a lot of growing to do.
E- Being able to travel again!

SSKIN waiting room (image supplied)
SSKIN waiting room (image supplied)

What are your Gold Coast favourites…
A
Café: Paddock
Coffee spot: Canvas
Restaurant: Labart
Bar or pub for a drink: Apres Surf
E
Café: Bam Bam Bakehouse
Coffee spot: Manolas Brothers
Restaurant: Little Truffle
Bar or pub for a drink: The Tropics

How do you each choose to spend your days off?
A- Relaxing, pool days, hanging at my mum’s house with all my sisters and their kids too.
E- Going to the beach with the kids and my hubby.

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