She’s a familiar face to many Aussie households, but this is Tiffiny Hall unlike some have ever seen her before. Stepping out of her comfort zone by shedding her trademark activewear and sleek ponytail for WHO’s exclusive photoshoot, the former TV star and founder of online health and fitness program, TXO Life, admits that she is finally starting to feel like herself again.
“I just haven’t been in my body for so long,” the 39-year-old candidly confesses. “It took me so long to get fit again [after my last pregnancy] and I just thought it would never happen. So [this photoshoot] was a bit of a milestone … I’m back in my fit body and I feel good.”
It’s this honest admission that has drawn a large, loyal and loving group of followers to Hall’s social media and TXO programs. Back in January, the mum-of-two opened up on Instagram about feeling insecure about being in a bikini on holidays and was quickly inundated with praise. “I have a lot of loose skin because I added 40 kilos to my frame when I was pregnant. I’ve lost the weight so I’ve got loose skin from weight loss plus loose skin from stretching from being pregnant,” Hall explains of the post. “And I was super self-conscious of this at the beach and then I thought, you know what, stuff that – love the loose skin that you’re in! And I posted it and was flooded by messages.”
Although Hall’s post-baby transformation, if you will, is incredible, the idea that women need to “bounce back” after pregnancy is something the trainer has no time for. “I felt enormous pressure working in the media and being a fitness trainer to bounce back,” she admits. “And so I decided that I wasn’t going to do that.
“One day I had my first baby Arnold with me. I was trying to have a shower and I felt overwhelmed because just having a shower with a newborn is so hard. And I just took a photo of myself in my undies, and I was postpartum at the time,” Hall continues. “My husband came in and he said, ‘You’ve never looked so beautiful.’ And it really got me and I shared the photo online on Instagram, and I was flooded with messages from women thanking me for showing a postpartum body, for keeping it real. There was just so much support and desperation from women to just not feel that pressure. And so I’ve dedicated the past six years to bouncing forward.”
With her philosophy all about saying no to bounce back culture, Hall is on a mission to encourage women to be kinder to themselves, accept and embrace where they’re at and have self-compassion. And, she assures us, it’s not just for women in the throes of postpartum. “People have contacted me saying that the bounce forward is not just about after a baby but the bounce forward [for them] has been after a divorce or after they lost a job or after someone close to them has died,” Hall shares.
The star has been through many journeys of her own as well, making her well-equipped to pass on her wisdom and advice through her health and fitness programs and Bounce Forward podcast. Over the last six years, Hall has welcomed her two children – son Arnold, 6, and daughter Vada, 19 months – with husband Ed Kavalee, 44, and dealt with a myriad of health issues including a chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosis which she went public with in 2021.
“I’ve done it all, from being a Gladiator to a coach on The Biggest Loser to putting the 40 kilos on, losing the 40 kilos. I’m a guinea pig,” she explains. “I’ve been through pregnancy, postpartum, injuries, hormones, all pelvic floor issues … I’ve tested all of this on myself. And part of what I do is practising what I preach.”
That means, more recently, giving herself a little grace when it came to adjusting to life as a mum-of-two after the birth of her daughter in May 2022 – a journey that she admits was “a huge step” for her. “I think that because I had a child starting school and then a newborn … their routines didn’t marry up,” she confesses. “It was school drop-off and pick-up, parties, playdates, all that stuff kids do. And then I had a newborn with feeds and nappy changes, and it was just such a juggle.”
Almost two years later, Hall isn’t sure she’s mastered “the juggle” just yet. “I don’t know anyone who does,” she says. But the fitness trainer admits carving out time to boost her own wellbeing has been essential to finding herself again amongst the chaos of motherhood.
“What I’ve found being a mum, is that you feel like you’re losing yourself. And it’s important to connect with yourself a little bit,” she continues. “So the key for me, is fitness and health and wellness – it’s all of those things … It’s making sure that you put your own oxygen mask on before you fit your child’s. You make sure that your cup is full so that you can pour from your cup to help your child. I think it’s really important to remember that self-care isn’t selfish.”
That mentality has also served Hall well when it comes to her relationship with hubby Kavalee. Later this year, the couple will celebrate 10 years of marriage – a huge milestone, she says, they have reached by constantly holding themselves accountable. “We’ve gone from girlfriend and boyfriend to husband and wife to now parents. It feels like three different relationships and I guess seeing Ed grow as a person through those three relationships has just been such a joy,” Hall gushes of the Have You Been Paying Attention? panellist and radio star.
“I think the most important thing that I’ve learned is to keep showing up as the best version of yourself,” she continues. “It’s not easy to sacrifice time to look after yourself. It’s not always doable, but I’ve learned that when you do give yourself a little bit, like sometimes it’s 20 minutes a day for me, it just radiates out into the relationship and it makes it more positive and stronger … it does help the marriage, I think, after 10 years to stay spicy. And he does the same for me, he looks after himself and he takes time out for his own self-care.”
As for the “little family” that she’s built online, Hall says that she couldn’t be more grateful for the women who look to her for inspiration. But, she insists, it’s them who inspire her. “I don’t look at my community as followers or fans or anything because we learn from each other,” she says.
“These are women that are battlers, they’re fighters, they’re all just sharing their highs and their lows … It’s like a little family and they send each other care packages when they’re sick or they’re run-down or something doesn’t go right for them. They are always pumping each other up, always motivating each other, inspiring each other and that’s all I need [to inspire me].”
And with loads of new workouts to share on TXO Life and more episodes of her hit podcast to release this year, it seems that there’s a whole lot more to come from this busy mama. “The mental load for women is just enormous, and I’m trying to take the pressure off feeling like you have to look a certain way,” she adds. “I feel very, very lucky and very, very passionate about what I do … so that’s my whole aim – just to keep supporting women.”
Styling by Jana Bartolo (@janabartolo). Hair & Make Up by Julia Green.
Tiffiny wears Billini boots @billinishoes, Ginger and Smart trousers and crop @gingerandsmart, Swarovski Jewellery @swarovski, Pfieffer dress @studiopfeiffer, The Cut Jewellery @thecutjewellery, Zara @zara, Wynn Hamlyn @wynnhamlyn, Zara Boots @zara, Anna Rossi Jewellery @annarossijewellery.
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