Kayla Itsines: Why buying back Sweat was even more rewarding than selling it

Kayla Itsines arrives on our video call with 20 minutes of real life still trailing behind her. Fresh faced with her hair tied back in a ponytail, the Co-Founder of Sweat tells me she just dashed out to grab a sandwich, raced back home and ate it quickly before sitting down for our interview.

"Honestly, I can’t function if I’m hungry," she says, with a laugh. "I would’ve given you the most random answers."

Itsines is exactly as millions of women around the world have come to know her – warm, energetic and disarmingly down to earth. When complimented, she says thank you, and it reaches her eyes completely.

It’s easy to forget that Sweat – an app used by millions of women across the globe – began with a simple PDF guide created in her parents’ backyard.

And now, after a journey that took Itsines to a whopping nine-figure exit and back again, she’s leading the business into its next chapter on her own terms.

Coming home

The headlines in 2024 told the story plainly: ‘Kayla Itsines buys back Sweat after US$400 million exit.’ But the numbers have never quite captured what the moment meant to her personally.

"To be the sole owner truly means everything to me," Itsines says. "And honestly, it’s way more exciting than the sale ever was."

She pauses, as if still letting it sink in.

"When you’re so heavily attached to a brand, it’s like your first baby, something you’ve poured your heart and soul into.

"And when you go to sell it you have this hurrah moment and everyone’s happy for you. But then you actually sell it and you’re like, ‘Wait, that’s everything I built. That’s my heart and soul.’"

The loss of control was the hardest part. A self-described perfectionist, Itsines found herself watching decisions being made about a business she had spent years building from instinct and intuition by people who didn’t necessarily share her founding vision.

"Suddenly, it wasn’t in my control. And I wasn’t able to lead the business in the direction that I wanted to lead it in," she says.

So when the opportunity to reclaim ownership arose, she jumped at the chance.

"I’ve never been worked harder," she says. "Being the sole owner again, it feels like I’m back at the start – the same pace, the same excitement, the same passion. It’s all back. It’s so good."

From PDF to global platform

To understand the scale of what Itsines has built, it helps to go back to where it started in Adelaide, South Australia, in 2014 with her now infamous Bikini Body Guide.

"It feels so weird calling that first initial PDF a business," she admits. "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the business becoming what it is today."

What began as a simple response to women asking her how she was training her in-person clients, quickly became something nobody – least of all its creator – had planned for.

"It went viral," Itsines says, still in disbelief. "And it was a workout that was so hard that when you finished it, you were like, ‘I can’t believe I just did that.’

"It gave women this empowering feeling – that’s why it took off."

But the program’s success wasn’t purely about difficulty. It was about who it was for. At a time when the fitness industry was dominated by men, Itsines built something centered entirely around women.

"Women felt seen. They felt heard," she reflects. "There was finally something for them."

Rebranding to Sweat

The evolution from Bikini Body Guide to Sweat itself has also been a journey, Itsines explains. The original name came innocuously from the bootcamp at the beach where she first worked.

"I literally wrote Bikini Body Guide because that was what the bootcamp was called and at the time, I couldn’t think of a better name for the guide," she says.

But as the brand went global and conversations evolved, the name became a conversation she didn’t want to keep having.

"I remember going to America and everyone kept asking me to explain the ‘bikini’ part," Itsines recalls.

Feeling like the original name represented an outdated view of health and fitness, she decided it was time for something new and landed on ‘Sweat with Kayla’.

"Sweat. It’s hot, you’re sweaty. It’s what you earn," Itsines points out.

The name stuck, but the ‘with Kayla’ was eventually dropped. And the brand became what Itsines wanted it to be: clean, strong and universal.

"It’s empowering," she says. "And it’s exactly where I wanted the business to go."

Itsines’ clarity of mission – empowering women through fitness – has been the constant through every stage of growth. She credits it to her brand’s staying power, despite the turbulence of rapid early fame.

"If you rise to fame for the wrong reasons, you will struggle a lot," she insists. "I have really enjoyed the journey because my mission has always been the same – and I won’t ever sway from it."

The reality of leadership

Today, Sweat employs more than 60 people, with a wider network of external collaborators and specialists. Leading the company, while being the face of the brand and a mother of two – a seven-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son – is a different challenge than building it ever was.

"Back in the day, it was just me and my friends working on PDFs," she muses. "Now I’m leading a team."

It requires patience, strategy and the ability to welcome opinions – all things she admits she is still learning.

"In job interviews, they ask, ‘What are your weaknesses?’ For me, it’s that I’m a control freak, I’m way too passionate, and I want everything done yesterday," Itsines says, laughing.

Her videographer, she says, already knows the answer when he asks when she wants something done.

"He goes, ‘Yesterday, right?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, yesterday,’" she says.

It’s said with humor, but there is truth to it. Itsines is operating across multiple identities at once.

"You’re wearing a lot of hats as a woman in life, in general. I’m the mom, the leader, the face of the brand, the trainer, an innovator, a visionary," she says.

The balance isn’t always graceful, but it is relatable. She describes mornings with children who do not listen, followed by meetings where she has to reset and lead with clarity. Then she switches again, speaking online to women who may feel lost and need guidance inside the Sweat app.

She shakes her head, still smiling.

"It’s a lot, but hey – I’m still here," she says.

The future of Sweat

Now that she’s back at the helm, Itsines is approaching the business’ next chapter with the same intention she brought to the first – just with a decade of growth, two children and a much more nuanced understanding of what the women in her community actually need.

"The passion is back and I know I have a rare opportunity here," she says. "What I keep coming back to is our north star – what are we focusing on? What do women want?"

Those answers have evolved well beyond workouts. Itsines is now thinking about the broader challenges shaping women's lives, from perimenopause and menopause to financial independence, mindset and the often unequal burden of parenting.

"How do I solve these issues through a health and fitness lens for women?" she says. "I’m very excited because I feel like I’m hitting all these."

It will take time – "a year, maybe two" – but the direction is set. Sweat, in Itsine’s vision, will be the one subscription women keep.

"The industry is quite flooded. But people want someone they can trust," she explains. "And that’s what Sweat is – the trusted, no-bullshit app that provides what they need without being an influencer."

Lessons from the long game

For entrepreneurs watching Itsines’ story, she’s refreshingly honest about what the actual experience looks like from the inside.

"There are a lot of ups and downs," she acknowledges. "There are so many moments that leave you questioning whether you’re smart enough or good enough, whether you’re meant to be here.

"You lose friends. You see who’s really there for you. You build a circle that might not be the right one and then you build your elite five people that are your ride-or-dies."

The advice she offers is the same she wishes she heard earlier: Don’t try to be everything to everyone, don’t compare your chapter one to someone else’s chapter 20, and above all, know your north star and don’t sway from it.

"Be really set with your mission and what you want to achieve," Itsines says.

"Being an entrepreneur is a journey. But it’s such an empowering feeling to own your own business and do things on your terms."