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Renowned for her television roles as the blue team trainer on SA’s The Biggest Loser, fitness guru on the Doctors’ Orders Show and health and wellness consultant on SABC 3’s daily morning show, Expresso, Lisa Raleigh is fast becoming South Africa’s unofficial face of wellness and healthy living.
Lisa’s enjoys writing for magazines and newspapers as well as regular radio features countrywide and added ‘author’ to her list of credits in 2011, with her best seller, No Fries on Us.
In addition to this, Lisa is the events director for parkrun in Durban, another free initiative for the public that offers a collective 5km run once a week, and of which there are now four offered in Kwazulu Natal. Currently, Lisa is focusing on her new public challenge: a one-of-a-kind online challenge called well i am, which entered its third season in July this year.
Lisa’s self-produced show titled ‘101 Exercises to Try Before you Die’ also launched early in the year, and she has since produced more shows for the channel, all enjoying exposure in over 107 countries. Lisa will be launching a unique pop-up and Catch Up channel on DSTV in the first quarter of 2015, titled The FLOW Network.
In an exploration of her biggest passion outside the wellness spectrum, Lisa will be launching her jewellery line, The Noble Collection in the final quarter of 2014.
We asked her a few questions about her work:
How did you end up working in your current position?
I remember sending my dolls to doll hospital and nursing them back to health at a young age, so I guess the wellness bug bit early on! As a teenager, I competed as an SA gymnast, which meant gruelling training hours, strict nutrition and plenty of discipline – supplying a solid foundation of understanding and respect for the body and how it works.
After school I was quick to complete a sports science degree – later supplemented by additional studies – and opened a mobile gym service, followed by actual gyms. Then came the call that changed my career significantly, offering me a position to be Blue Team trainer on SA’s The Biggest Loser.
What is your day to day like?
I’ve just relocated to Parkhurst, so my days have undergone quite a dramatic change! Perhaps one of the best things about my job is that no two working days are the same.
Some days are back-to-back meetings, others are spent flying between JHB, DBN and CPT for filming or meeting purposes, and others will require me to be back in Durban for brainstorming with my staff or recording health tips for radio. When I’m home, I try end each day with a run with my dog, Harley.
What are your biggest work challenges?
Having enough time to meet tight deadlines, cash flow and finding sponsorship for big projects, narrowing my focus when a lot of opportunities are on the table, and recruiting talented staff that are perfect for the job at hand.
What is the best part about your job?
I am my own boss, and my time is dedicated to following my personal dreams. If I have an idea, there are few obstacles standing in my way of working for it.
I love that every initiative I work on has the undercurrent of helping the greater good beyond just myself – it has real, valuable purpose. An adjustable schedule is also a big perk.
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