Petra Kolber is not only an author and motivational speaker, but also so much more. She's an innovator of fitness trends in the days before social media that have been built upon for boutique popularity today. In this episode, you'll hear from one of the most genuine, open and emotive guests we've had on the Escape Your Limits podcast.

Through work with Reebok, Equinox and more, she's built her brand and become the voice of positivity and overcoming anxiety for anyone, documenting her insight in keynote speeches and books such as The Perfection Detox: Tame Your Inner Critic, Live Bravely, and Unleash Your Joy.

Watch the full episode on YouTube – https://youtu.be/OGbOG0UZG-E

From growing up in West Kirby, near Liverpool, Petra found freedom to get out of the house in developing a dance background that would serve as a profession before her move into fitness.

While working as a cruise ship dancer, her responsibilities also included teaching Jane Fonda classes on the side. These were the days before step had taken off, and Petra followed her passion for movement to the US.

Petra created organic step workouts to live drumming – a class that she named "London Beat." Her exciting, risk-taking experiences drew international attention and paved the way for the birth of the boutique classes that we know today.

She was taken on by Reebok to star in video workouts and television appearances until moving on to build her own brand with a similar approach of instruction. Through this, Petra has won countless awards including Fitness Instructor of the Year, Best Female Presenter of the Year, Most Likely to Succeed, and more.

With the trends of HIIT and tabata coming in, Petra pivoted in her career to step off the stage and figure out how to do things she loved while still staying relevant to the needs of her audience.

Today, Petra's approach is all about finding healthy pride and positivity; being aware of your own accomplishments without the ago, while still nurturing your own personal growth. Her purpose is to guide you on what she calls the longest distance you will ever travel: from your head to your heart.

Petra's book, The Perfection Detox, is available from http://petrakolber.com/book-the-perfection-detox

Episode Highlights -

• How to stay relevant throughout your career, and pivot your position to align with your truth at any stage of your life.
• The importance of mindset when it comes to setting goals and achieving your dream, without losing happiness and joy.
• Why anyone can still not feel successful even if they've reached professional heights they would have never previously dreamed of.
• How to deal with failure, what failure is and how to dig down to a granular level in order to find out what you've learned along the way.
• Discover what your pain points are and how to overcome them, whether it's through coaching, mental processes or enlightenment by reading about the experiences of others.
• How negativity bias affects us long term, while others will have more likely than not forgotten about the point we're concerned about.

Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Petra Kolber…