Like many people during the COVID-19 pandemic, two-time European bikini champion Leanne Bartolo found herself questioning the various directions her life was taking. Her life too was rattled: business plans had to change, and her wedding had to be postponed. All this inspired her to fulfil a lifelong dream: to marry her psychology degree with fitness and wellbeing – to support others reach their goals.
Leanne Bartolo climbs onto the kitchen countertop at her parents’ farmhouse where she grew up, curls up in the corner and sips a cup of tea.
“This is what I love best. Being at home and enjoying time with my family,” she says with a radiant smile. The 33-year-old is dressed for the photoshoot and she confesses: “You know what the funny thing is? People who don’t know me always see me dressed up in the media, but people who know me know I’m a no-makeup, casual-clothes sort of person. I’m a tomboy who usually hates heels and makeup but, occasionally, I like to look glam and get dolled up.”
Her eyes beam through her signature positive smile – then she goes on to strike a powerful pose for the camera.
I find that the biggest thing that people need is support. I love having goals and I enjoy helping people reach their own goals.
This is Leanne Bartolo: a young woman who is shy and relaxed, but who can instantly transform into a determined powerhouse. These two complementary sides to her are evident in her career choice: she understands body and mind, having graduated in psychology but also having built a career in fitness. She understands that one is nothing without the other.
“If there’s anything my journey has taught me, it’s that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and put in the hard work,” Leanne states emphatically.
“I’ve always loved sports, but I was the quiet one in the back who would then compete and come first on race day. I played sports on the side until I became financially independent and able to pay for all the necessary courses. This had a snowball effect because it became part of my lifestyle.”
Listening to life
Leanne has grown to believe that everything happens for a reason. Life has a way of speaking to her – and she knows how to listen, just as she listened when the coronavirus pandemic came to Malta and disrupted her plans, along with everyone else’s.
“My fitness studio, Warehouse, had been growing during the last couple of years since it opened. I had decided to stop teaching, at the school where I had been happy, to focus on coaching. Then the pandemic hit. I was already feeling sad and guilty about leaving school but excited about the future. Then suddenly, I found myself unable to go to my studio and work during lockdown,” she says.
Her plans also included marrying her fiancé, David Schembri, on September 21 – but that too had to be postponed. “It’s OK. We were planning something small anyway – an intimate family wedding, nothing too big,” she says, confident that her ‘big day’ will happen eventually.
When it comes to life, Leanne is very relaxed – taking things as they come and not overloading herself and loved ones with unnecessary expectations.
Work, however, is a different matter – she’s a self-confessed perfectionist. So, when the pandemic hit, and her goals were shifted, she took this as a sign from life to “press the refresh button”.
She started by spending time with her family and friends who have always supported her. She needed to ground herself, so she spent lots of time at her family’s farm in Għargħur, the place where she was raised together with her four siblings.
“Even though I don’t technically live there now, most of my things are still there and I still call it home. To me it will always be the welcoming place that is completely irreplaceable. The place where my sisters and I sit on the kitchen countertop and have tea while our mother offers us one of her new, organic recipes made from the crops she grew on the farm… I love spending time with my family: we’re a lot, we’re loud and very fun. Spending time with them helps me feel recharged psychologically… COVID-19 has created quite a few obstacles for everyone,” she says. And in typical Leanne fashion, once there was an obstacle, she was determined to face it.
“After a couple of days of not being able to have clients at my studio, we found a way to workout together via Instagram live, quickly set up a mini recording space and a mic, and so the ‘lockdown lives’ were born. I kept my daily appointment throughout the lockdown, and was overwhelmed with the number of people that started to join in on the sessions, and the impact the sessions were having on the participants – they now had something to look forward to! I felt it was the least I could do when the country was going through such a turbulent period.”
Motivating others
Catering to sometimes up to 300 people a day, Leanne quickly earnt many new followers who would ask her for nutrition tips and other wellness ideas. This young woman with humble beginnings managed to build an international community, with people from all over the world joining her classes in response to her motivational content and positive approach.
Leanne realised it was time to implement an idea that had been brewing for years. She had always been looking for a way to bring fitness and mental wellbeing together – so Team Leanne was born, an online community that offers motivation and support to people, to reach their fitness and life goals.
“I find that the biggest thing that people need is support. I love having goals and I enjoy helping people reach their own goals. As someone who works daily to overcome her own struggles, I wanted Team Leanne to offer structure, motivation, and support to people who need it,” she says.
What I really want people to know is that there is no such thing as a perfect time for them to start being the best they can. They don’t have to start with big things immediately, but it’s important that they do start. We all need to stop waiting and start doing.
The feedback she has been receiving has been fuelling her positivity. “During those first three months when I was giving the free classes, I would receive so many messages and they made me feel useful. I wanted to continue the connections that I had made and build new ones.
“With Team Leanne, I can support people psychologically, offer nutritional guidance, send tips of the day, as well as impart information about having a balanced diet. I even send weekly shopping lists every Friday for people to be able to do their food shopping over the weekend.”
Leanne is following her passion with Team Leanne – a space that has inspired her to inspire others. People can register for free and receive newsletters, discounts as well as free workouts. If they want to take things a step further – and get a personalised plan, including recipes, or join the fitness challenges – they can sign up against payment.
“What I really want people to know is that there is no such thing as a perfect time for them to start being the best they can. They don’t have to start with big things immediately, but it’s important that they do start. We all need to stop waiting and start doing.”
Leanne would love you to be part of her online community. To join for free, and to love the person you see in the mirror, visit https://teamleanne.com/
This story was first published in Sunday Circle, a Times of Malta publication. You can read the full edition here: http://sundaycircle.tom-mag.com/28/index.html#issue/1