Ola Kiepura on Overcoming her own Weaknesses and Inner Female Strength

You are a personal trainer and you support people who strive to achieve their dream body shape. Do you see your profession as a mission?

Definitely yes. Ever since I got to know sport, I treat it as a mission in my life. This is something that helped me get out of a very bad situation, from a very pathological environment I was surrounded by. In fact, my sports coach showed me what true discipline is, striving for success and fighting your own weaknesses. I always tried to pass it on to my students, because although most often I was younger than them, I had the determination that they have already lost.

How do you try to motivate others to play sports? What is your idea for this?

I always try to approach each person individually. I am interested in psychology, sociology, methods of motivation. I also have been in the process of psychotherapy for two years, so I always use the tools I learnt. I also studied coaching, so for me, people are still in the field of interest. I used to think you had to motivate people by giving them some hard time and pushing them. For several years now, thanks to this acquired knowledge, I know that there is a completely different way for everyone. The fact that I or someone is motivated by a demanding coach who does not allow for breaks, doesn’t mean that this style will appeal to everyone. Some people are motivated by the logical sense of the whole training, calm conversation, understanding, which is why I approach it individually. 

Is motivating others and constant interaction with people not tiring in the long run?

My job is very tiring. Even one day is enough to be exhausted and stop paying attention to your emotions. When a person comes to a personal trainer, he never comes with the problem that he wants to lose weight, but it is also a process of getting to know each other. We very often get to know each other privately, because this is also what personal training requires. My clients become, to some extent, closer friends. 

When did you start training and what were the beginnings of your sports activity? Where does your passion for sport come from?

I started training as a kid. My mother signed me up for dancing and always said that I am very disorganized, that I quit and let go. It was because I didn't like doing it. My mother forced me to do it, I did not want to, which had an impact on my approach to sport and for many years I felt very discouraged. Although I won various athletics competitions in school, in running and long jump, so I was genetically predisposed to be fit. At the same time, I liked team games very much. Later, however, I started hanging out with the wrong people. There were also drugs, alcohol, skipping school, and avoiding responsibility. It was around the age of 13. At that time, I also used to smoke cigarettes until I was 17, it was hard. You could even make a series about me. When I was 17, I met a person who trained martial arts. It was my friend's cousin to whom I ran away from home for several months. I remember today, when he came there, he saw me standing with a cigarette and said, "Dear God, kid you will never accomplish anything again." I thought, "We will see about that" And he said: “Come to the training. You will end up crying". I was very stressed before my first session so I smoked three cigarettes. I went to training and I actually got such a kick. The coach turned me down then, because I was the only woman in these trainings, and he was a bit sexist, he did not tolerate women, especially such rebellious crazy women like me. I remember that I left this room crying then. I met with intolerance, but I started going to trainings anyway, first three times a week, incl. for MMA, boxing, and then every day. I had to commute home after school, then an hour by bus to train, I was still learning in the meantime and reading books. Over time, I isolated myself from my pathological surrounding. My friends until this day held it against me and wanted me to come back to them, but I didn't do it and I absolutely do not regret it. I can honestly say that it turned out to be good for me, because now I am where I am. My sports history began with these martial arts, through quitting all stimulants, and starting to learn. Later, the gym, training courses. With time, I became interested in every discipline, I started dancing, swimming, and a climbing wall. Everything I liked, I did. I used to ride a bike a lot, do yoga, do whatever I could. I just wanted to push my limits every time, I wanted to be the best at what I do.

How do these difficult experiences help you work with clients who may also have followed a similar path and want to get out of addictions or unhealthy habits?

These experiences allowed me to grow up faster, to communicate with people who are many light years ahead of me in terms of age, life and professional experiences. Very often it is different for them, because I think that most of the society does not start to party until college, and I partied until I was 16. I think I had already drunk enough in my life. That's why it was different in my case, it all showed me what I don't want in my life. Most people open up to the world, go out to people and move out of the house in college, and I already knew what it was like at seventeen. Then I started to strive for success, so this story also shows what kind of person I am and my clients who get to know me feel it from me. This is the energy that thrives, it’s something beyond words. When you start talking to a man, you know that he has lived a lot, that he is not an ordinary person, that is, a person who follows his life path according to standard priorities. It was different for me. I was and I still think I am a rebel. I always try to push my limits and people see it. 

Are you able to point out three key features that make it possible for you to be successful in sports?

Certainly discipline, stubbornness and vision. In sport you have to be a visionary, a person who is able to imagine something that is not there. Strongly realistic people who stand firmly on the ground. They are here and now, they know they have a goal to achieve, they are focused on it, but I think a professional athlete must be a dreamer, a person with great ideas and must have a very rich soul and determination. 

Do you follow any special diet? How do you recover after training?

I eat intuitively. I eat seasonally, regularly, without sugar and try to have low-processed foods in my diet. I was on a "diet" many times and I reduced my caloric balance to a minimum. Of course, I was able to build my muscles, but it did not bring me happiness. Regarding regeneration, I go to bed at eleven o'clock, I take care of my sleep hygiene and I try to go to a massage once a week. 

Currently, there are more and more trainers and instructors in the world of fitness, which makes it difficult to be original. How to stand out from the crowd?

I honestly admit that it is difficult to describe. There is no recipe. You may want to stand out, but never achieve it. I think a lot depends on luck and either we'll get something or not. Certainly, the courage to go after your dreams is also important.

You took part in the Hotel Paradise program. Why did you decide to take such a step and how has it changed your life so far?

I decided that this will be one of the adventures I want to experience in my life. As a child, I dreamed of being a journalist, so it was a step to get into television. I really wanted to go for it and it changed my life in such a way that I became a media person, recognizable and I can be such a journalist on my social media channels. 

Has your appearance in the program had a significant impact on your recognition? How did your TV appearance translate into your success as an influencer and your reach and number of followers on Instagram?

The program had a huge impact on my business. Previously, I practically had no reach, maybe 10,000 followers. I was a well-known trainer in Silesia, but not in the whole Poland, and I was not a famous person, so participation in the program determined my success. I can develop a lot in other branches now. Many people got to know me and that's why I am now in this place. 

Social media is a tool of your work. You have gathered nearly 184 thousand followers on Instagram. What were your beginnings, the purpose of your activity in social media and the target group?

The aim of my activity was to promote my Personal Training Studio, which I have been running since 2016. I focused on social media in terms of sharing my knowledge and competences. At that time, I also developed as a coach, I trained a lot, so I put professional stuff there. I didn't want to put anything else there, and now it's completely changed. My Instagram is more of a lifestyle because I noticed that people are not interested in my knowledge. I really wanted them to be interested in it, but they don't care. 

What was your goal when you set up your Instagram account? Was it supposed to be your "online diary" or, for example, a desire to build a personal brand?

In the beginning, it was just a personal brand. There was very little private stuff. Most of them were content, training issues, and then it turned into a lifestyle. It's more of a diary now. 

Many people wrote to you that your publications on Instagram give them a lot of energy and for many people you are an inspiration and an example - how do you feel when reading such words?

It motivates me a lot to keep doing what I am doing and doing it better and better. It gives me wings and makes me want to keep growing.

How do you react to positive comments and likes, and how to hate and negative reactions?

I can honestly say that I try to be neutral about both this positive reception and hate. The most important thing for me is the opinion of my relatives. If someone leaves a comment, writes something nice, it obviously gives me satisfaction, is very motivating and I am grateful for it, but I do not take it to heart as some indicator of my value. It does not make me proud, I do not feel that it should make me feel good as a human being. Hate does not diminish me in any way. At the beginning, when I didn't know this world yet, I was worried about it, and now I can deal with it. By "beginning", I mean the first two or three months after the broadcast of the program.

You are a person recognizable online and have a group of loyal and committed fans. Thanks to your reach, you inspire and engage your followers, and thus you have an impact on the decisions and opinions of young people. Does the fact that you enjoy great authority in the eyes of your audience have a lot of influence on you? Do you feel pressured about it?

Of course, my profession puts pressure. Because I'm recognizable, people watch my every move. You can't make the slightest mistake, because then there are scandals and understatements. People often misinterpret certain words and gestures that are not intended to offend or harm anyone. Whatever an influencer doesn't do is judged by how someone behaves. Nobody takes into account that each of us is a normal person, we work and must maintain this commitment in some way. 

Coming back to the topic of the most popular influencers and personal trainers, did you follow them at the beginning of your adventure with social media? Did they set an example for you and prove that you can achieve success by following a certain path?

For sure. I had some people I followed, whose profiles I liked, whether it was the color of the feed, the way of publishing, or the way of communicating with followers. Definitely, but it was not anybody from Poland. Usually, they were foreign trainers, or rather influencer-trainers.

Do you find creating content on social media absorbing? Does it require a lot of patience, consistency and commitment?

This requires a lot of time, consistency, and financial outlays in the form of various types of equipment, photographers, video makers, beauticians, hairdressers, especially photo sessions. It also requires sponsorship, clothes, and proper editing. Every detail matters here and even the recording location must be booked in advance. If someone wants to do it on their own, it very often requires a lot of effort. If you are not a rich person born in a beautiful house with bright rooms, where your parents fund everything, then you really need to spend a lot of time and money on all of it.

How do you build a community on social media? Do you have full control over it, and your actions are carefully thought out and you publish in accordance with a specific, predefined strategy and content calendar, or do you focus on total creative freedom, because it is primarily good fun for you?

I wouldn't say I have everything pre-arranged. Rather, I decide what form the publication will take on a given day, i.e. whether it will be a post, stories, or maybe a blog entry. I am thinking about what the colors there will be, what clothes I will have, where I will take the photo and what the subject will be. These are details, I do not set it very forward, because it is not possible to fully predict everything. Sometimes there are different situations that make it impossible to publish at a given moment, or something will simply come up. So, it is spontaneous combined with some strategy.

Your profile is attractive and valuable. How do you create content for your social profiles? How much time do you spend preparing published content?

I think about 3-4 hours a day.

Your photos are consistent and aesthetic. Do you use graphics programs and photo processing tools on a daily basis or do you experiment with presets, or do you choose a natural "look"?

I always use photo editing software. Light and colors are never perfect, so you always need to unify it in some way to make this feed consistent. I choose Canva for stories or graphics. The programs I use for editing are Lightroom, Snapseed, in which you can remove background elements. I also use CapCut to edit videos and it's a really great app.

Did you learn it yourself, or did you have any person who helped you to get into the world of social media?

I learned it myself through trial and error. I also used some tips, that I found or got from others, but generally, to be able to do it, you have to learn it yourself.

How do you communicate with your followers and how do you engage them? What does your feedback look like? Do you try to react on a regular basis?

I devote my time to it when I can. I do not force myself, I do not react to any strange comments or messages. It is always within reason, which is what I think is adequate to answer someone. For example, now I was away and someone asked me about the hotel, I replied that it was cool and I was satisfied. However, if someone asks me about my relationship, I ignore that question because I don't know this person and I don't think that it is interesting information for them in any way. It may be interesting, but I don't want to reveal it.

Instagram is more of a job or a hobby for you?

This has been a job for two years. Maybe it was a hobby at first, but now it's a job.

You publish a variety of content on your Instagram - not only sports and motivational, but also recommendations for videos or cosmetics. Do your followers often ask for your opinion?

There are often questions about cooperation. At the beginning of my journey, I got a bit lost and I didn’t know if something was worth advertising or not. For a year and a half, I have been paying attention to it and selecting what I put on the feed.

Considering the engagement with your posts, what content are your audience most interested in?

Mostly private. There are many questions about my relationship and why I am not showing my partner.

But people probably also ask for some training or life advice?

Yes, it does happen quite often. I do Q&A all the time regarding training and life tips, but the most important are relationship questions. I've noticed that this is people's biggest problem, that they just don't know what's going on in your bed.

Do you often place products and services on your social media profiles?

Yes, it is common. I always tag the post or report appropriately to inform recipients about the cooperation.

What are you guided by when undertaking commercial cooperation? Do you choose brands carefully and select offers, choosing products or services that are in line with your personal beliefs? Does it not matter to you?

I select it in such a way that I try to choose those things that I have contact with on a daily basis. These are supplements, diet, sportswear. Everything I like, I've always wanted to use, so I test it first, then recommend it. Of course, you can make money on it, but there are so many proposals that you need to properly select it, because you cannot advertise everything.

Do you remember when the first brand came to you with an offer of cooperation? What to be careful about and what to consider when selecting cooperation?

I certainly had some offers at the beginning when I set up an Instagram account, but it was so long ago that I can't remember. I think it was catering, clothes. Something like that, but when choosing, I am guided by whether a given brand is compatible with me, whether I would like to use certain supplements, whether I would like to wear given clothing, whether I need it at the moment. I once had an offer to work together to get my teeth fixed, but I don't accept such offers because I have nice teeth and I don't need it. Of course, I could still take the money for it and get new teeth, but I don't do it because I don't think it makes sense in my case, I wouldn't want to create any artificial complexes. I got breasts implants because I thought they were too small, and I always wanted bigger breasts, but if it wasn't for me, I wouldn't do it.

You work as a trainer, run an Instagram profile, publish e-books, write articles for your blog and sometimes post videos on YouTube. That's a lot for one person, and you often underline the word "BALANCE". So how do you manage to keep it by combining so many different responsibilities?

You have to be very well organized and simply manage several things at once. For example, you are taking a photo session, then you are making a video, or you are somewhere in a restaurant and taking pictures. It is work from morning to evening, everything has to be planned in terms of light, time, creativity, energy and it is not an easy job.

Do you think there are any character traits that help you lead such a life? Did you always have them or did you learn it?

You definitely need to have a specific predisposition. I have always had a strong will, learnt discipline, what I want and what I don't want. I think that my zodiacal lioness helps me a lot in determination, persistence. This is my core character - this stubbornness.

How does popularity in social media affect your sports career and the work of a trainer? Have you had any dilemmas and doubts about your activities on social media? What are the downsides to being popular in the digital world?

I had dilemmas, especially at the beginning, when I did not know how to choose cooperation and accepted a few offers that I did not agree with. Back then, I was wondering if it was for me or not, advertising this stuff. I also had dilemmas many times when people approached me in public, when I didn't want it at the moment. I'm sure I also start to doubt when I feel ugly on a given day and go to town or the gym and see people staring at me. I always think that someone judges me, maybe someone thinks that I do not look like in the pictures. But I feel like my thinking is changing and getting more and more mature, but it all comes with time.

You have already achieved so much. What pushes you to act and gives you that motivational kick not to stop? What do you consider to be your greatest success so far?

I am definitely motivated by people, but if I were to judge everyone the same, I couldn't call it a success. My development, everything that happens in my life, is a great success for me, but a driving force is this coaching career, recognition, the character that I have developed. Every day I am grateful for everything. I have never competed in any bodybuilding competitions, because it was never my goal to show myself to someone and be judged by some older men on stage. My goal has always been mental development, the ability to appreciate and accept myself, to have such support to feel safe with myself. It is not my body and my figure that determine what kind of person I am. My greatest success is certainly my Personal Training Studio, which I opened when I was 18. I took a subsidy for it from the employment office. It was my first business so I was very excited about the topic. I organized everything myself, although my ex-boyfriend helped me a bit, but it was entirely my initiative and I was more involved in it than he was. I am proud of it, because this studio is still functioning today, I still have clients there, it is fully equipped, you can do everything, the equipment is of the best quality and we did it with our own hands. Everyone always told me that it is impossible, and yet I am a person who believes that it is possible. I've never had a standard, regular job either, so I'm happy with that.  

Do you have any plans and what's next with your profile? Is being on social media a direction in which you would like to develop further? Or maybe there is an idea that you are already implementing?

In addition to sport, I fulfill myself in several professional fields. These are really different areas, because in addition to training I deal with influencer marketing, I handle individual clients who want to develop their personal brand. I lead them from point A to B, from branding to PR to copywriting. I do it relying on my own experience, a bit of a hobby, but I make money on it. I do it with great passion, like everything else. I've always wanted a down-to-earth business with something very stable. For several years, I was looking for something else that I could do, and I took up photovoltaics. I worked on the construction of solar farms, not as a constructor, but as an organizer. Now I have dealt with the field of eco-business and eco-energy sources. Additionally, I am interested in crypto: I invest heavily in various raw materials and currencies. I keep my feet on the ground and this financial security is very important to me.

So, the organization in your life is the basis?

Definitely. There is no difference if it’s Monday, Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday. I work every day from 5 am. I do what I love all the time, I try to connect with myself and rest in the meantime.

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