Rebecca Louise is one of the top fitness and nutrition trainers in the country. And although she is originally from England, she has left her mark here in New York and across the United States. From awesome products to a successful fitness app called BTES that is changing lives for New Yorkers during the pandemic, The Levity Ball spoke with Rebecca about it all!
When did you know that you wanted to get into the fitness and nutrition industry?
Growing up I played every single sport that you can imagine, I was a South of England field hockey player, loved being involved in team sports and pushing my body to the max. When I was 17 years old I struggled with an eating disorder and weighed 86 pounds. After coming to America at 22 to get my commercial pilot’s license, soon after that I found it wasn’t my ultimate passion and I found myself back in fitness. Realizing my love for physical activity and my desire to help people overcome their own body dysmorphia, was what really fueled me and gave me my purpose every single day. When I came to America after I got my commercial pilot’s license and started to go for auditions in Hollywood to try and pursue being a tv host, I got an audition to be on a YouTube channel. It was a fitness channel and YouTube was new to me. What I realized was my one talent life is talking and working out at the same time and I’ve been doing that for the last eight years!
How has the BTS fitness app that you launch helped to change lives?
I never really grasped when I got started on YouTube creating workout videos, the type of impact that myself and the community that we’ve built would have. Our community is based on mindset, because I believe that when your mindset is right, you are showing up in a powerful state, living authentically, and loving yourself and others, you’re able to change your life and be a blessing to others. So yes, we help people with physical results, nutrition and getting their workouts in. The biggest thing that has changed for people is the way that they think about themselves, the way that they show up, and the confidence they have. Getting ABS is great, having more energy is great, loving yourself, having a positive mindset and living in an incredible state every single day is what makes the difference with lots of subscribers around the country, how’s your experience been directly with those here in New York. It’s so interesting that you asked this, I got to go to New York in 2019 numerous times as I was working on my book. I did a fit camp at Lulu Lemon at their main headquarters in downtown New York, and it was one of the most unreal experiences of my life. Growing up in a small town in England, you would look at New York and California as these incredible places where the most amazing people live. To be there in New York leading a live workout with a massive brand like Lulu Lemon was ultimately a dream come true. I got to meet so many incredible people in New York, and the energy was just infectious.
Do you visit New York at all and if so, where are some of your favorite places to go?
I remember the very first time I went to New York. It was on a school trip I was 17 years old. And if I’m going to be completely honest, it wasn’t the best experience. And that’s what’s so interesting is that sometimes we let first time experiences dictate our story about a certain place. There was a numerous different things that happened on that trip that I won’t go into detail right now, needless to say, it wasn’t somewhere I was desperate to go back to. However, over the years, I’ve gone back to New York four times. Some for travel, some for business. And I was able to get a book agent in New York too! The food, restaurants, energy and vibe is something you have to experience in person. And so I think it’s just an important message to say that just because you have a bad experience one time, don’t let that stop you from going back and experiencing all there is.
COVID-19 has hit us New Yorkers hard since the start, what advice would you give to those struggling during these times in business and in the fitness space, especially gyms?
It’s definitely been a very interesting last 18 months, that nobody could predict. And the biggest thing I can say is to look after yourself, look after your health, make sure that you’re filled up, fueling yourself with the best in nutrition and working out to increase your endorphins and release stress. It’s been a lot on businesses that have struggled during this time. And just know that we are going to get through this, remember why you opened your gym, remember why you opened your business. That’s going to be the most key part is coming back to your why because it’s going to give you the drive that you need to get out one more time and go, and who knows you might come up with a new idea, a new philosophy, a new way of thinking that could actually expedite your business and grow it to a place where it couldn’t be before. The second thing that I would say is if you are having a business, how can you adapt. How can you adapt to the current situation, it’s going to get you to be more creative, have more ideas. So instead of thinking as a negative, think how can we use this as a positive and creates an innovative way to level up our own business, remember we look at things differently, the things that we look at will change.
What new products and things do you have coming up for the rest of 2021?
We are always adding new features every single year to our app, in order for our community to help them thrive and get the results that they want. I’m excited about a new development with our app that’s going to take it to the next level, adding elements that people don’t have right now in the fitness space. In fact, in any apps! We have our Inner Transformation program that is happening again in October, a four week program that will help you break through your barriers and crush your goals, giving you the right mindset that you need to level up your life and achieve what you want.
And the final question: What do you want to be remembered for overall when people look back at you on the impact of this world?
Someone once said that people don’t remember what you said, they remember how you made them feel. And honestly, that’s all I can ask for is that when people meet me, they leave feeling better than they first did when they came into my presence. I want people to feel seen, heard, understood, and know that they matter. If I can just give one person that little bit of boost of confidence every day then that’s more than what I could be feel like I could be remembered for. The goal is to help people feel the very best version of themselves, give themselves the confidence that they need to get to where they want to be. Show them how to remove the excuses so that they could unleash finding that burning desire inside of them, and live the life that they’d always desired!
