The Bali-based CrossFit champion talks reductive views of female beauty, tropical island life and why post-sport recovery is Asia's next big trend
Warning: reading any further might leave you consumed with envy. Why? Because not only is she an impressively accomplished athlete and businesswoman, but Vanessa Budihardja might just have the perfect life. The thirty-two-year-old fitness coach, personal trainer, weightlifter, health-food entrepreneur and Nike coach made the move from Jakarta to Bali four months ago—and her average day in the Indonesian wellness paradise is envy-inducing.
Monday to Friday, Budihardja wakes up with the sun to teach her first Empire Fitness group class at 7am, followed by another one at 9am and a 5.30pm sunset class. In between are meetings and personal training sessions—and it is the one-on-ones that she finds particularly rewarding.
“It is a really special relationship,” she says. “Sometimes a client will call in the middle of the night in tears—you are psychologist and a nutritionist and a trainer all in one.”