Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw on how they launched their global fitness app

Aussie models Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw reveal their battle with body issues and how it helped launch their global wellness app.

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When models Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw embarked on their global wellness app Keep It Cleaner, they had one important message to share with women – and that’s “your weight doesn’t define you”.

Steph, one of our country’s most prominent models and social media influencers, kicked off her career with Chadwick Models Agency just before her 18th birthday.

While she has achieved great success, representing brands from Bras n Things, Bonds and Adidas, the now 26-year-old said a lot of her focus as a teen was on the way she looked.

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Fitness models and co-founders of Keep It Cleaner, Steph Claire Smith, 26 and Laura Henshaw, 27. Picture: Instagram/LauraHenshaw

‘WE HAVE BOTH SEEN THAT DARKER SIDE’

“Naturally you do (focus on your looks) if that is your full-time job, but I was listening to all the messages out there on particular diets I should be on and exercise regimes I should be following,” the Keep It Cleaner (KIC) co-founder told news.com.au

“And you can really get lost in it.”

In 2017, Steph released an emotional 24-minute video revealing her battle with body image as a young woman.

In the clip, the courageous model spoke about the destructive forces of the modelling industry, such as being pressured to follow a “super strict” diet and also went into detail about how she no longer allows her weight to define her.

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Steph shared a side-by-side image of how her body has changed since she was 18 – a photo she called ‘a different kind of before and after’. Picture: Instagram/stephclairesmith

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She said the main reason behind launching Keep It Cleaner was to let women know they have support and they’re not alone.

“We have our ‘why’ of Keep It Cleaner because we have both seen that darker side where obsession can kick into an unhealthy state and we just want to be there for the girls,” Steph said.

“We want to make sure there are messages out there on social media and online that are sending the right message and not getting them too obsessed with certain fad things.”

Steph and Laura launched Keep it Cleaner, a now global fitness community five years ago, not realising their “little” passion project of sharing healthy recipes and fitness tips would soon gain worldwide momentum.

“We noticed people started reacting well to the relatable content of what we were producing. It was never a business idea,” Steph said. “Yes we did sell ebooks but it was a passion project so we never fathomed we’d have a community as large as we do now with thousands of members.”

Steph began to gain fame online in 2013 when workout content she posted on Instagram started getting reported by ‘fitness inspo’ Tumblrs and blogs around the world.

Her burgeoning online fanbase which has now reached more than 1.5 million on Instagram, together with Laura’s clever and simple at-home recipes, played a huge role in their KIC success.

But as they will tell you, it’s the “relatable content” that keeps members coming back.

“It was crazy though, we had spelling mistakes (when we first started) but we learned so much from it,” Laura said.

“The photos we were posting were nothing like what we would produce now, they were so basic but I think our audience loved it because it was relatable and didn’t feel it was intimidating which is what a lot of the health space was.”

Following the launch of their ebook, the girls wanted to create a space where they could connect with their community and shortly after created what was then called Keep it Clean, before adding the “er” to form “Cleaner”.

“We wanted to create a place where we could produce more content for them and share overall wellness,” Laura said.

“Healthy eating is one part of wellness but not the whole thing so we started another blog and from then launched the app with exercise programs.”

RELATED: Brisbane mum loses 55kg after being overweight most of her life

The best friends battled personal transformations before launching their health, wellness and fitness app Keep It Cleaner.

‘I WAS AT MY UNHEALTHIEST’

But just like her best friend Steph, model Laura also went through a similar situation — with her experience also forming the foundation of their app.

Growing up, the 27-year-old was addicted to looking a certain way but for her, it was almost a “backward” transformation as she described it.

“We went from being really healthy and having no pressure on ourselves through high school because there was no social media, to finishing school and there being social media,” Laura told news.com.au

“Obviously that comes with a lot of pressure and for me personally I went through a phase where I was so strict.”

Laura would find herself exercising for a two hours a day, but mentally she felt her unhealthiest.

“I was at my unhealthiest so it took me a few years to get out of that and that’s our message with KIC because we know the pressures a lot of women in our community are going through.”

Laura said a lot of their clientele are young girls coming out of high school who feel the need to “look a certain way”, from them thinking they need to exercise excessively and not eat “to be skinny”.

Growing up, they both felt pressures of looking a certain way and one of the instigators behind their app is to change people’s relationship with food and fitness into something more healthier.

Through their KIC community, they want to let women who may be battling their own health and fitness demons that they have support and they’re not alone. Picture: Instagram/ Laurahenshaw

“You can exercise so much and eat so healthy but if your mind isn’t healthy then you are not healthy at all,” Laura said.

Even when she hit her early 20s she said her confidence and “health” progress was defined by the definition in her stomach such as how “flat” it was.

“I was so mean to myself; and allowed my confidence to be heavily affected by something that is so trivial and doesn’t matter at all.”

“It’s why we started KIC and why we are so passionate,” she said, emphasising that exercising is for health and eating well is what gives you energy, a clearer mind and confidence.

Laura said it took her years to overcome her ‘unhealthy’ mind and can understand the pressures a lot of women in their community are going through. Picture: Instagram/ Laurahenshaw

“It’s really not about how you look,” she said, adding it’s about creating a healthy mind.

“That’s our big thing with KIC and that came from our transformation.”

The girls understand there’s no “one size fits all” formula when it comes to workouts which is why they have developed a mixture of boxing, high intensity training and strength.

“We understand there’s not that one thing that works for everyone so having that mixture is a great way to stay motivated too,” Steph said.

One of the most common questions they get asked is simply “how do you stay motivated”.

Steph said it’s “so normal” to not always feel motivated especially when you’re sick or on holidays.

The way she looks at it is – “As long as I have the time and can recognise a rest day or if I am just being lazy. You get better at recognising that and you always feel better after a workout so try to remind yourself of that.”

When it comes to their personal fitness regimes, Steph is a lover of yoga while Laura enjoys running. You won’t find them doing much of each other’s passions.

“I love core ab pain so. I am someone who likes to be in pain when exercising. I am not one who likes to be out of breath so I do strength, pilates and yoga because I can feel the burn and that’s something I crave, where as Laura loves smashing herself in cardio,” Steph said laughing.

On International Women’s Day, both Steph and Laura joined their Keep It Cleaner community from around the world, hosting a global group workout.

They girls continue to use their platform to act as role models for young women through their modern health and wellness approach.

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