Alice Veglio: A Winner Against All Odds

Alice Veglio is considered one of the most prominent international personal trainers and women empowerment activist in Italy and internationally. In addition she has walked down the catwalk at the most important fashion shows and posed all over the world for brands and photographers in prestigious locations such as Paris, Dubai, Rome, Maldives and Qatar just to give some examples. Her face is known for having presented important events broadcasted nationwide in Italy, having appeared in some of the most famous fashion weeks in the world and in numerous advertising campaigns and music videos including that of The Kolors and Shade in 2018.

From an early age, Alice started to pose for fashion brands for kids and at the age of 15 she had her model debut in her first fashion show for Vogue. Her CV also includes the role of poster girl for Juventus and Moto GP, until 2014 when she had access to the Miss Italy final, in 2016 won second place at Miss International Model, in 2017 again second at Miss Europe and in the same year Alice won the title of Miss Earth Italy Air in 2017.

In 2019 Alice Veglio reached 2nd place at Miss Multiverse World Finals in Punta Cana: the first beauty, intelligence, fitness and entrepreneurship competition in the world for 21st century women. Very followed on the web, in 2016 she began a career as a blogger and influencer boasting today over 210,000 followers.

Parallel to the world of entertainment and world class modelling, Alice has achieved important successes in studies: Double Italian-French graduation, degree in Holistic health sciences (top of her class) and a second degree in Economics and Business Management, Certification of Personal Trainer, Nutrition Science degree (Stanford University) and apprenticeships at prestigious United Nations offices (FAO, WGEO) and Dubai government offices.

Alice was project assistant and then sustainability journalist for the government office Dubai Carbon Center of Excellence. She had also the charge of junior project manager for WGEO at United Nations Office.

In 2018 she launched her Fitness Program counting over 30.000 members in Italy and worldwide just on the first year alone. Alice on her content not only shares high quality certified information about fitness and health, but she is also fighting hard to empower as many women as possible to reach their own potential. This mission takes his roots in Alice’s childhood when she was diagnosed with a serious and dangerous spinal disease. This ambitious project called “Bright & Fit Fitness Program” strives to bring to Italy an innovative concept of digital wellness and women empowerment with the first 100% Italian fitness program application available on the major stores Apple and Android.

Alice today is a demanded motivational speaker in women empowerment events, a successful entrepreneur and fitness coach well known for innovating the fitness field and an international athlete taking part to fitness events and Ironman races.

Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Alice Veglio an exceptionally talented Italy born model, personal trainer and women empowerment activist here she talks about her fitness routine, her diet, her beauty secrets and success story.

Full Interview is Continued on Next Page

This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.

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Namita Nayyar:

You were born in Italy. You have been a ballet dancer since the age of three. From an early age, you started to pose for fashion brands for kids, and at the age of fifteen, you had your modeling debut in the first fashion show for Vogue. Later on, you reached the pinnacle of success as a model by walking down the catwalk at the world’s leading fashion shows. You have had a remarkable journey as a competitor in different beauty pageants you participated. You reached the Miss Italy 2014 final, in 2016 you won second place at Miss International Model, in 2017 you stood second at Miss Europe and in the same year, you won the title of Miss Earth Italy Air. In 2019 you reached 2nd place at Miss Multiverse World Finals in Punta Cana, that being the first beauty, intelligence, fitness, and entrepreneurship competition in the world for 21st-century women. Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance as a fashion model.

Alice Veglio:

I’ve always had a passion for fashion since I was a child when I enjoyed sewing clothes for my dolls. Given this passion of mine, at the age of 5 I started doing my first shootings and fashion catwalks. I made my haute couture model debut in 2012 in a Vogue fashion show during VDA fashion week. In 2014 I had access to the Miss Italy finals gaining interest from various fashion houses for catalogues, shootings and music videos (I participated in the music video of Shade and The colors).

My path within the beauty contests continued with my second place at the finals of Miss Europe in 2017, my second place at the finals of miss earth Italy and the conquest of the crown and national title of miss multiverse Italy in 2019. The conquest of this coveted title allowed me to fly to the Miss Multiverse World Finals in Punta Cana and face tests of physical and mental endurance, tests of intelligence and entrepreneurship. It was an unforgettable experience that allowed me to overcome my limits and bring Italy to the podium of this competition for the first time with a second place and victory of the crown of miss power woman 2019. Miss Multiverse as well as being a competition is also a reality show whose episodes have now been shared internationally.

During my experiences in beauty contests I attended a double university course and worked as a model for numerous fashion brands and stylists taking part in numerous fashion weeks: Paris, Doha, Milan, Turin, Rome and Dubai.

Parallel to my career as a model and in beauty contests, my presence on social networks and my number of followers on you tube (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=alice+veglio), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/aliceveglioofficial/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/aliceveglio/?hl=it) have grown, thus leading me to new job opportunities as an influencer and blogger. This was for me a great premise for my future as an entrepreneur with the desire to use my influence on social media to convey positive messages of health and love for ourselves

Namita Nayyar:

You go to different countries for your professional career. A few of the locations are Paris, Dubai, Rome, Maldives, and Qatar. For a model to adjust to new countries with their own cultures it must be difficult and then to adjust to a modeling career in a new foreign land, what advice you can give to fellow models in a similar situation?

Alice Veglio:

My work as a model has allowed me to travel a lot and get to know many different cultures. Surely it’s not always easy to “feel at home” immediately when working in a different country but behind every experience abroad there was a huge opportunity for personal growth for me. I advise every model to seize these opportunities and deal with each country with the desire to learn new things. It’s wonderful to see how each country’s fashion is influenced by culture. Documenting and study the culture of the place in advance is a great help in immediately creating good working leadership with foreign stylists and achieving goals together. Respect and desire to learn are the basis for a successful career as an international model.

Namita Nayyar:

As a Warrior Princess you rose to overcome a serious health disease when at the age of thirteen years you were diagnosed with the vertebral rotation that would force you to give up physical activity for the rest of your life. This diagnosis led you to lose all security and hope for a free and happy future. You found her immobilized with a cast on your back. Once the plaster was removed from your back, your mission in life became to study in the best institutions and find valid tools to regain your freedom and be able to move and eliminate the fear of immobility from your life forever. For benefit of our readers, your ardent fans and admirers tell us more about what was the catalyst and motivation that led to this unbelievable physical recovery journey, the great achievements and milestones you established as an athlete in your career.

Alice Veglio:

Undoubtedly the diagnosis led me to a difficult moment in my life in which I saw my future prospects vanish. On the other hand, this difficulty that arose early in my life has become one of the greatest opportunities for personal growth that I could wish for. My spinal problem led me to reflect on the immense value of life from a very young age. Everyday life inevitably confronts us with difficulties and it’s up to us to choose whether to let ourselves be overwhelmed and defeated or to fight, to go beyond our comfort zone and discover that our potential lies after having conquered life’s battles. The back problem has taught me that you only live once and that beyond every obstacle that life offers us, there is always a way to realize ourselves.

Therefore, the secret to overcoming any difficulty in life is to remain so tied to your ideals and goals that you accept every day to take a small step beyond your comfort zone. In my specific case, going beyond the comfort zone meant getting back to moving, studying and deepening the methods to regain the mobility of my back and strengthen my muscles. The result of small daily steps has brought me today in a completely different physical and mental condition than in the past. Thinking about my diagnosis of immobility while competing in extreme endurance races and triathlons moves me every time and makes me believe more and more in each person’s infinite potential to be anything we want in life.

Probably if I had passively accepted the sentence to immobility and continued to be afraid of not being able to move, I would have resigned myself to a life that didn’t belong to me and didn’t do justice to life itself. It doesn’t matter where we start from or what condition we find ourselves in, it only matters where we want to go and how hard we work to get there. This philosophy is the foundation of my approach with my holistic fitness program. Probably without my back problem I wouldn’t be here today thankful and happy to be able to physically and mentally transform hundreds of women. Our greatest strengths often arise from our difficulties!

Namita Nayyar:

You have achieved important successes in studies, having done Double Italian-French graduation, a degree in Holistic health sciences (top of your class) and a second degree in Economics and Business Management, Certification of Personal Trainer, Nutrition Science degree (Stanford University), life coach international certification and apprenticeships at prestigious United Nations offices (FAO, WGEO) and Dubai government offices. How are these educational qualifications able to mold your career as an exceptional achiever as a world-leading international personal trainer and a fitness entrepreneur?

Alice Veglio:

My career path and studies describe my person very well. In fact, from an early age I have dreamed of being able to make a positive contribution to society and help people to be happy.

This mission has never abandoned me and especially after the difficulties overcome after my back problem I consolidated the certainty of wanting to study in the best institutions to offer the tools to as many people as possible in the future to feel good and live healthy and happy. My double diploma from a French international high school was a great premise for me to start loving different cultures and appreciating the diversity between people. This passion for the new then led me during my double university course in Dubai, the city where I have been living and working for the past 8 years.

My decision to undertake a double university education was primarily linked to the desire to have an economic education that would allow me to build a strong, organized company with a clear mission capable of reaching people’s hearts and satisfying a need in the market. On the other hand, my multiple certifications in the world of holistic sciences, fitness, yoga, mindset and nutrition have been the basis for increasingly in-depth skills in the field. Furthermore, having worked in UAE government offices dedicated to health, offices of the United Nations (WGEO) and doing apprenticeships together with doctors and experts has allowed me to have specific and in-depth training to offer the best methods in the sector. Study and training are for me a great carrying value of my days.

I never stop studying and improving myself. After four years spent working in prestigious government offices in Dubai (it was an immense honor for me at my young age to have worked for these important institutions) I decided to take a leap into the void and pursue my true passion that had prompted me to start my entire course of study: to open my company dedicated to wellness. This is how in 2018 I officially opened my company in the United Arab Emirates. I never thought in a few years to see such a huge growth of my company.

Namita Nayyar:

You are the leading entrepreneur, women empowerment activist, model, beauty pageant competitor, social media personality, athlete, coach, motivational speaker, and brand ambassador. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?

Alice Veglio:

I definitely have a very full and busy life. I have the great fortune to unconditionally love every aspect of my life but I admit that it has not always been easy to manage everything. Having to deal with the simultaneous study in two universities together with the work as a model from a young age has led me to develop great organization and planning skills over time.

My secret in planning is to scan my annual goals every month and create a list of ABC tasks in order of priority every day. Having clear ideas about the activities that are decisive for the goals I have to achieve is a great help for having high levels of productivity. Within each day, I plan in advance the spaces and times dedicated to work, training, rest and interpersonal relationships. It is essential in a busy life to make sure you dedicate the right amount of time to rest and recovery without ever leaving aside the value and importance of the many moments spent alongside relatives and friends.

Interpersonal relationships nourish the soul and give energy to our body and mind. I often wake up at 5 and dedicate most of my morning routine to study and workouts. The day continues with a full working immersion and scheduled breaks to dedicate myself to loved ones. It’s definitely a hectic routine but every time I’m tired I think about the reasons that led me to start!

My Programming Secrets and Tips are a tool I offer to all women enrolled in my program. I’ve done more than 30 hours of online master classes on the subject and since 2020 I’ve annually published a motivational agenda with graphics and tips to learn how to program successfully every day. We sold hundreds of copies with sold out in the first week on sale

Namita Nayyar:

What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?

Alice Veglio:

My training program perfectly embodies my holistic philosophy. In fact, it consists of 3 fundamental elements: holistic training, flexible nutrition and mindset. From a training point of view, in view of my triathlon competitions, I dedicate from 14 to 20 hours a week to physical activity. My workouts are dedicated to Yoga/flexibility (3 hours a week), Muscle toning (4 hours a week), and endurance activities in running, swimming and cycling (12 hours a week). To these hours are added the hours dedicated to recording my fitness program and the lessons I take with my students.

Being an athlete is not easy when combined with an entrepreneurial activity but organization makes the difference. As far as food is concerned, I follow a vegetarian and homemade diet. I love preparing genuine and fresh dishes complete with all the macronutrients. I see in every food I eat beneficial properties to give energy to my body and my mind. I love making easy, quick and tasty fit recipes within everyone’s reach and able to show that you don’t have to give up on taste when you follow a healthy diet. In fact, my program includes more than 2000 fit recipes and more than 15 hours of healthy and balanced video recipes to learn how to eat well and live better.

Mindset is the third pillar of my Holistic Routine. I dedicate the first minutes of the morning and the last minutes of the day to mindset exercises and meditation. My motto is “mens sana in corpore sano”. I could never think of feeling good about myself without dealing with body-mind and spirit in a synergistic way. This approach of mine completely permeates my holistic program allowing every woman to apply it to her own life. My Fitness program: www.brightandfit.com

Namita Nayyar:

You are the founder of “Bright & Fit” the first online Holistic Fitness program with medical certification in Italy. It was officially launched in January 2019 in the United Arab Emirates as your first start-up dedicated to holistic fitness and female empowerment today has more than 35,000 women registered and in its first two years has reached an enviable of over one million dollars in turnover. Elaborate more about this endeavor of yours.

Alice Veglio:

Bright & Fit is the program I created to embody my mission to make a positive and meaningful contribution to the world of women’s health and empowerment. In fact, in 2018 I decided to leave my role as Junior Project Manager within the United Nations Office in Dubai (WGEO) to fully dedicate myself to my mission. Initially it was a big leap of faith, many people considered me crazy to leave a coveted and confirmed job to create a new company but I would have denied my life mission if I hadn’t done it.

I started by creating a website with about ten workouts, about twenty recipes and some mindset advice. From the very first moment I decided to include a medical staff in the project that certified and still certifies each content giving an added value that no one offers on the Italian market. I started tirelessly creating content and educational master classes on my social channels sharing my very personal approach to fitness with tools to create a new level of well-being of body and mind. Already having a large international audience on my social networks has certainly been of great help to me for an exponential growth in subscribers.

Although I still do face-to-face coaching with VIP clients today, I have always believed in the potential of digital fitness even before the COVID 19 pandemic changed the market. In fact, I was the first to offer a program of this type in the Italian market. In February 2020 I was mentioned on Forbes Italia for my innovative business idea. From that moment on, and with the start of the pandemic, the market’s need for health and well-being tools online was answered in my program. Since then my company has had an even more exponential growth, the number of people actively working in the company has quintupled reaching 35 collaborators, my master classes have started reaching thousands of people every day and the program itself has quadrupled in terms of content included therein.

The success of our users has led us to gain international recognition and mentions including at Health 2.0 in Dubai in 2022, my inclusion among the top 10 visionary leaders of 2022 by World’s leaders magazine, my nomination among the top 10 most inspiring women of 2022 by Success Pitcher magazine and mentioned in numerous international magazines including Forbes India, International Business Times, Yahoo Finance, La Stampa…

To date, Bright & Fit is an entrepreneurial reality that includes numerous implementations made in just the first 3 years of activity:

• More than 30 trainings and personal transformation paths included in the platform
• More than 2000 fit recipes
• More than 500 hours of educational master classes
• Academy with more than 10 coaches trained by Bright & fit available for personalized courses with members
• Marketing and technical team composed of more than 35 professionals
• More than 40,000 satisfied users
• Creation of a native app available on Google store and Apple store
• Annual charity projects thanks to our brand new Bright & Fit Cares charity project
• Commercial partnerships with Fitbit and Superdry
• New web radio project completely dedicated to fitness and motivation

Namita Nayyar:

Yet again what apparently pushed you back was a heart disease caused by a viral covid infection: viral pericarditis. In the middle of your athletic preparation for the Ironman 70.3, you were forced to relive the traumas of the past and be forced to stop your athletic training. My positivity and determination allowed you after six months to recover completely and return to the best physical shape ever using the Bright & Fit method. What has therefore been a great difficulty in recent months has in fact now been converted into your greatest strength and belief that nothing can stop a positive and determined mind. Elaborate more about this remarkable comeback as an Ironman athlete.

Alice Veglio:

From the first day I decided to embark on the difficult journey of conquering an Ironman 70.3 race (one of the toughest physical endurance races in the world) I understood that my conquest of this milestone should have been a great message that I wanted to send to the world: we can be everything we want in life and it doesn’t matter from which condition we start, but only where we want to go. From the first moment, I found it extremely motivating to demonstrate that even a girl with spinal problems can transform her life by making fitness her job and making her back capable, with suitable fitness and training tools, to withstand such kind of endurance races.

So I started training with enormous focus and dedication without knowing that my challenges had just begun… I contracted 2 times (June 2021 and then in January 2022) A form of viral pericarditis that led me to give up my first race scheduled for March 2022 and stop all training for a total of 10 months. I had to face again my past monsters and my fear of having to give up my mission and physical activity. However, I have never lost hope anchoring myself to the desire to make this difficult path of mine full of challenges a great message of motivation for the people who follow me.

Over the past two years, in fact, I have begun to record a film together with a production team on my story and the difficulties that have arisen in my life to make me stronger and demonstrate that in life a winner is a dreamer that doesn’t give up. I am now fortunately healed and in March 2023 I will officially be one of the participants in the Ironman 70.3 in Dubai with physical preparation by Bright & Fit. Despite the initial premises of a weak spine and a heart unable to handle such an effort, I am ready to show how my spine and my heart can instead lead me in a 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike and 21 km of run with no stops. The film will arrive on the big screen at the end of next year and will bear the name of “Bright Iron”.

In June 2021 you started an important charity project called “Bright & Fit Cares” through which you offer concrete help to women with physical or social difficulties. Your first initiative was to support ANDOS, one of the most important breast cancer prevention and treatment organizations in Italy. Kindly tell us more about this aspect of your enchanting personality of giving back to the society that has been started by you.

My company is rooted in female empowerment and in the great desire to offer tools for physical and mental rebirth to every woman regardless of her physical, geographical and social condition. It is for this reason that every year with the Bright & Fit cares project we donate funds or training plans to women who need help and support in seeing the light in their lives again

Namita Nayyar:

Five foods you absolutely love and five you keep to a minimum.

Alice Veglio:

I love having a balanced and rich in everything diet. I do not exclude any food as it is always the quantity of each thing that makes the difference. 80% of the food I eat is natural, unpackaged and not industrialized food. 20% of what I eat I dedicate to foods that I love even if they are packaged and less healthy such as sweets, pizza and snacks. I have a vegetarian diet in order to protect animal and environmental welfare

Namita Nayyar:

You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your hair care and skincare routine.

Alice Veglio:

I dedicate at least 10 minutes every morning and every evening to my beauty routine. In the morning, I cleanse and moisturize my face by adding a protective cream to protect my skin from the sun and massage my face using a jade roller. I do the same thing with my body by exfoliating it 2 times a week and massaging it with a cream every morning. Once a week I do saline wraps and a draining massage.

During my morning shower I love alternating between hot and cold water to help circulation. In the morning I comb my hair and use protective serums to protect them from the sun and pollution. In the evening I cleanse and remove make-up from my face and I use vitamins and moisturizing serums, I do the same thing with my body. Twice a week I apply a moisturizing mask to my hair and leave it on overnight

Namita Nayyar:

Five skincare myths.

Alice Veglio:

• SPF in foundation is enough to have a protection
• Expensive products work best (I often create homemade products)
• You don’t need sunscreen on a cloudy day
• The order in which you use skincare don’t matter
• Oily skin doesn’t age as fast as dry skin

Namita Nayyar:

Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear.

Alice Veglio:

Superdry
Alo yoga
Nike
Adidas
Asics

Namita Nayyar:

Five travel destinations on your wish list.

Alice Veglio:

Los Angeles
New York
Maldives
Japan
India

Namita Nayyar:

You once wrote “Make sure you get a good quality of sleep: it does not matter how many hours we sleep but how well we sleep. From the age of sixteen, I have been implementing meditation practices to be able to have a regenerating sleep”. Elaborate on this aspect and your advice to beat sleep disorder or insomnia.

Alice Veglio:

The quality of sleep is even more important than the quantity as it allows us to have a regenerating rest and able to recharge our energies. I personally recommend paying attention to several aspects:

• Avoid screens 1 hour before bedtime. In fact, I put away the phone and the computer and devote myself to reading and training before going to sleep
• Sleep in a quiet environment that allows us not to wake up repeatedly during the night
• Eat away from the moment you go to sleep and avoid heavy foods in the evening
• Do meditation exercises before going to sleep to avoid muscle contraction and sleep disturbances
• Dedicate yourself to happy and motivational thoughts before falling asleep because the last things we think about before sleeping are the ones that influence our subconscious mind the most

Namita Nayyar:

You have won many awards like the healthcare leadership award in Dubai during the international event Health 2.0, Top 10 World’s Visionary Leaders 2022, and top 10 inspiring women by Success Pitchers Magazine. What responsibility do these awards bestow upon you in your future efforts and activities in the field of transforming other women’s life and being a role model to them?

Alice Veglio:

I attribute great importance to the values I share. The international awards I have received are a great pride for me and push me to give more and more in my sector every day. I want to create a positive impact in people daily and if every day I have been able to improve someone’s day I go to sleep happy! Representing innovation in the sector with my company and with my person value in the world of female empowerment and personal transformation is my greatest mission! I am and will always be grateful for these awards.

The real message of female empowerment that I want to convey is to demonstrate to every woman that it’s never too late to start loving and taking care of herself and that it doesn’t matter what condition we start from but only where we want to go! We can be anything in life and my daily mission is to prove that to as many women as possible and help them achieve an inner and outer transformation

Namita Nayyar:

What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and the message for its visitors?

Alice Veglio:

Never stop believing in your dreams and giving love to yourself and others. Stay attached to the values you want to share with the world every day and there will be no obstacle that can block your potential to make the world a better place!

Namita Nayyar:

Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding healthcare professionals and personal trainers, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of Holistic approach to women’s fitness?

Alice Veglio:

Never lose sight of the ultimate goal of our precious profession: to make a positive contribution to the lives of the people who cross our path. To do this, we must be able to be empathetic and personalize the theory studied in the university years on the needs and preferences of each person. The real secret of a successful healthcare practitioner is to make people fall in love with a new, healthier lifestyle and help them believe in their potential. Get out of the box, be human, share your experiences with your customers and take them by the hand on a journey not only of transformation but also of training…. you will be unique in what you do!

Namita Nayyar:

Tell us about your future pursuits and upcoming projects?

Alice Veglio:

2023 will be a big year of news for Bright & Fit! We have just launched a training academy for personal trainers and healthcare practitioners dedicated to offering all the tools in eight weeks to give added value to their patients with the tools of holistic fitness. It will be the first holistic fitness academy in Italy. After the huge success of the first Bright & Fit live event we are planning a second major event with thousands of people in a unique location.

Later this year, my documentary film “Bright Iron” based on my life story and mission will be released on the big screen. Numerous content and technological implementations will also be made in our app: every month there will be at least 2 great news! We plan to organize two personal transformation retreats with me in wellness centers and exclusive locations. We are also in the midst of launching our brand new web radio dedicated to fitness, motivation and personal growth! This and much more so stay tuned!

Alice Veglio website: https://aliceveglio.com/