Jillian Michaels

SURE, JILLIAN MICHAELS IS THE TRAINER WHO WILL MAKE YOU do burpees until you nearly barf, but chat with the fitness phenom outside of the gym and you quickly realize that she’s funny, caring, and—when it comes to the two children she shares with partner Heidi Rhoades, daughter Lukensia, 6, and 4-year-old son Phoenix—sometimes she’s a total pushover (we were surprised too). In addition to being a devoted mom, Jillian presides over a multimillion-dollar empire with projects including a new book about pregnancy (Yeah Baby!), her fitness app, even a cold-pressed coffee brand called Lucky Jack Organic Coffee Co.Plus, she’s got an upcoming national live speaking tour, An Evening With Jillian. Like every busy woman, her life is a juggling act. The advice she gave us on how to pull it off and still take care of yourself is both forgiving and thrillingly sane.

- Monica Corcoran Harel

You’re shifting from being a fitness guru to being a total life coach. How are the two connected?

Fitness, for me, has always been a point of entry to help people feel worthy and capable of everything life has to offer. When you feel strong physically, it transcends into all other facets of your life. It boosts your confidence. It empowers you.

So doing 50 squats can lead to bigger things?

Someone may say, “I always thought of myself as weak or lazy or fat”—or whatever other crappy thing they tell themselves. All of a sudden, they run their first mile or they do their first pull-up and they say, “None of that was true. If I’m capable of this physically, what else am I capable of in other areas of my life?” As an overweight, bullied kid, that’s what fitness did for me.

So if it’s that transformative, why don’t people stick to their commitment to work out?

Because they don’t have a why. Motivation really has to come from within; it has to be something you care so much about that you can tolerate things that aren’t pleasant in the moment—because most of us don’t like working out. Most of us prefer pizza to broccoli, period.

What’s your why?

I’m a 42-year-old. I still like skinny jeans. I still prefer a two-piece instead of a one piece, but now I have two young kids. So for me, I want to be skiing down the mountain alongside my kids instead of waiting at the bottom for them. I want to see their children graduate from college. I want to meet my grandchildren’s children. These are my whys.

How do they affect what you eat?