Steph Claire Smith - A Girl’s Guide to Kicking Goals

Contents

S o, you bought our book! Or was it a gift? Either way, we want you to know that weve put our hearts and souls into these pages and we hope you enjoy what we have to say. Were not professional gurus (if thats even a thing), but just a couple of normal girls who grew up with normal lives and followed our dreams.

This book traces our journeys towards finding balance, happiness and acceptance of ourselves in a digital world. We wanted to share everything weve learned and everything we wish wed known when we were growing up, to help equip you to be the most incredible young woman you can be. Please use our book as a guide to growing up in a world dominated by social media. We want you to know that being the best you can be is not about comparing yourself to anyone else: its about embracing who you truly are inside.

STEPH

My journey

If Im going to tell you my story, about the ups and the downs along the path to get to where I am today, then I have to start from the very beginning. I was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1994. I have an older brother, Murray, and two loving parents, Wendy and Russell. My family has always been incredibly supportive of me. My parents encouraged me in all the sports and hobbies I was interested in as a little girl and were always behind me when it came to my dream of becoming a model. My relationship with my brother Murray has always been strong, in fact Ive never understood siblings who didnt get along with each other. To me, Murray was superman, and I wanted to be just like him. Its fair to say that Murray inspired my love of team sports. He played basketball, so I played basketball; he played netball, so I played netball.

As for my parents, my mum is quite possibly the sweetest and most selfless person you could ever meet. We may have had our disagreements when I was younger but now she is easily one of my best friends and an incredible role model. My dad is hilarious and loved by all; I give him credit for my loud voice and confidence. He taught me to not be afraid to be myself, and to always chase my dreams.

I could eat anything I liked when I was a little girl, and so I did! I must have had a super-efficient metabolism.

I attended Boroondara Park primary school, and then Balwyn High, both public schools. When I was in primary school I dreamed of being a model or a singer but lets just say I should have stuck to singing in the shower and never in front of my school! Thanks to my overly supportive parents, I thought I was an amazing singer turns out, I wasnt.

When I was in high school I still dreamed of being a model, but also became interested in photography and animals; I even thought I might grow up to be a PE teacher. I was a sporty kid: I loved netball, basketball, soccer, Little Athletics, skipping, and the list goes on. But throughout my childhood, even in my teens, I didnt look at playing sport as exercise or as a way of staying in shape it was just something I did because it made me happy.

I began modelling at the age of 18 and that was when the changes started happening.

Things changed when I was around 18. I began modelling at exactly the same time as my body was becoming curvier, and I started working out for physical results. That was the first time I became aware of my diet too. As a child I always had a super-quick metabolism that meant I could eat anything and everything and stay slim. And I can assure you, thats exactly what I did. Funnily enough, the only insecurity I had about my body in my teens was that my stomach was boyish; I even wished at one point that I didnt have abs! Anyway, it wasnt until my body started to change at 18 that I began to really look at what I was eating and focus on a healthier diet. It wasnt easy though, and the routine Im in now didnt happen overnight, thats for sure.

If theres one thing I would love to teach younger girls as they grow into young women, it is that your body will change continuously as your lifestyle changes. No one routine will set you up for life: you need to alter it as you go. And know that you will have ups and downs on your way.

One of my own down periods was when I was 20 years old and I began modelling overseas. I had been modelling in Australia for a few years by this time and was working a lot, never having any issues with my measurements. So I was feeling confident when I moved to New York City. My confidence dropped quickly though when I discovered that the agency I had signed with a year earlier now wanted to change me. I was new to the international scene and I believed what the agency was asking of me was reasonable. I didnt fit the measurements the agency wanted, so they asked me to work on my body. I had to go into their office a couple of times a week to have my measurements checked. Being measured so often would undermine the confidence of the strongest of people, let alone an easily influenced young woman who had just moved to the Big Apple to chase her dreams.

I was already working out six days a week and eating well, so to make the changes they demanded was going to be hard

I knew I had to take it to another level to please the agency. At this point I was already eating a healthy diet and working out almost every day, but I started working out twice a day, every day; I stopped going out with friends, I stopped eating foods that I loved. And I did lose weight, but I also lost some other things, like energy and confidence. I went back into the agency and they were happy to see that I was getting smaller, but they wanted more. I realised I couldnt keep going. I didnt feel like myself and I was unhappy. I was the thinnest I had been in years and yet I was also the most insecure I had ever been.