Amanda Bisk

For those of you who haven't heard of Amanda Bisk, she's a former pole vault athlete-turned-fitness entrepreneur with an Instagram feed that could make the Jenners jealous and a life philosophy definitely worth a read. And she's my inspiration of the month because she has overcome some tough challenges when she had a choice to give up, like a lot of people would, and because she is a business badass who still finds time for her pups and relationships with people.

If you follow her on Instagram, not only do you get great advice and to admire her lean legs but you also get PUPPY VIDEOS!!!

So let's give a bit of background. Bisk started out
in sports very young, starting gymnastics classes at the age of 3 as an energy outlet for what her parents felt was a hyper toddler. This quickly backfired on them as she brought her new skills learnt at class home with her and had more energy than ever. At the age of 6 she was selected for an elite development program at the Western Australian Institute of Sport where she trained for a few years and this is where, she says, she learnt her love of structured exercise, competitiveness and discipline which she remains faithful to today. In her final year of high school she was selected for yet another elite development program, this time for high jump, in which she competed for a few years at an extremely high level before trying her hand at pole vaulting, where she found her passion.

Six months after having reached the Commonwealth games in India, 2010 however, she started to notice she was having issues with her energy levels and recovery after training sessions. After symptoms continuing to get worse over the following months she visited her GP where they were unsure of how to treat her as her tests were all coming up clear. This carried on for another couple of months, symptoms continuing to worsen, until finally she was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This she realised, meant she had to try the only thing she had not yet given a go and stop pole vaulting. Literally cutting it out from her life, which as you can imagine was extremely painful to do given the amount of training she had put in and her goals of the future.

Everything I love in one photo. Soooo jealous of that beach

This however is where, in my eyes, her truly impressive journey began. After being handed antidepressants from the GP to try and deal with her new way of life, Amanda returned home only to realise that this was not the path she wanted to take. She made a big decision in that moment, throwing the pills in the bin and never looking back. She became self educated on health and nutrition, gradually healing herself through yoga, healthy meals and gradually increasing simple exercise routines like walking and swimming. This became her new way of life and source of happiness. The fact she is an entrepreneur to an ever-growing business, selling thousands of books each year, through which she created a community of strong women who support and admire each other (you can buy her 12 week fitness plan through her website here: http://www.amandabisk.com) to me, signifies that for her, from failure comes growth and she will always succeed at whatever she decides to do and have a passion for. Because it is a choice. Enthusiasm for life and a work ethic are not built-in factors of genetics but something each of us has to work at to retain and is no easy-feat, so I congratulate her on her current achievements and hope with all my heart she reaches for more!

That's one more bad-ass woman ticked off, until next month <3
Love Helen