Written by Kathryn Lekas, Editor-in-Chief
Photography by Paul Buceta
Hair & Makeup by Robin Kerri
Wardrobe Styling by Meltem Ulker
Skinny. Super skinny. That’s what certified Master of NLP, Hypnosis and Success Strategy Regan Hillyer really wanted to be when she was just 17 years old. So much so, in fact, that she was living off not much more than apples and coffee. That is, until the universe unexpectedly gifted her with the expertise of a fitness professional who changed her life trajectory. By teaching her that winning didn’t come from losing anything at all. To really start feeling successful, this STRONG Fitness Magazine Cover Athlete learned she had to make some serious gains. First with her weight, followed by her confidence—and she did, by mastering the power of manifestation, combined with massive aligned action. Now, widely regarded as the world’s number one manifestation teacher, Regan is helping millions of people dramatically transform their bodies, minds, and lives, too. She’s driven to help everyone learn how to have it all.
Seeing Regan as a global powerhouse leading thousands of people to success, including creating over 60 conscious millionaires, it’s near impossible to ever imagine this inspiring woman looking or feeling anything other than strong. But, the architect turned entrepreneur/international speaker, had humble beginnings. Not only did she have to digest the reality of seeing just $8.70 staring back at her from her bank account during an all-time low, the investment Regan so desperately needed to make in her body—to stop feeling so poor physically, mentally, and spiritually—ate away at her daily.
“There’s been a lot of moments in my life when I felt the opposite of strong. Life was happening to me, I was not in control of my reality,” Regan admits.
The moment that served as the catalyst to her own profound transformation, and as a result, the thousands she’s helped to shape? Competing in a Ms. Wellington pageant in New Zealand, where she grew up, when she was 19.
“Early on in my journey, when I was studying to be an architect, I wasn’t 100 percent sure what I wanted to do with my life and my dad suggested I enter the pageant—the idea of which, scared me to death,” admits Regan. But enter, she did. A testament, perhaps, to the bold confidence she would eventually easily project. “I got accepted into the pageant, and as part of the program, was given a number of personal training sessions. When I met my coach, Ryan, he asked what my physique goal was. Plainly, I told him, I just want to be skinny,” says Regan. “Despite the fact that I was already very skinny. I had severe body dysmorphia,” she explains. “After moving to London when I was 17, I put on a stack of weight, about 60 pounds more than now—not at all muscle—and I was afraid of ever going back to that. I was seriously battling an eating disorder.” Luckily for Regan, Ryan was not about to let her shrink away into the darkness of a distorted perception of fit to find her way on stage and into the spotlight.
“He went to the computer, pulled up a photo of a girl very much suffering from anorexia, and asked me, ‘You want to look like this?’” Regan says. “He pulled up more and more photos and unapologetically told me, ‘This is where you’re going.’ Inside, I knew I didn’t want to be like that, and I broke down in tears realizing I didn’t know why I was trying to look sickly. I really didn’t know what I wanted to look like,” says Regan. Then, Ryan started pulling up photos of fitness models. “He asked me, ‘What if you could look strong, like this?’ I didn’t think I could,” Regan says, but Ryan convinced her to try. “He completely looked the part—he embodied everything about fitness, and was unquestionably knowledgable about strength training,” explains Regan. “So, I trusted his guidance and got on with it.” With Ryan’s help, Regan focused on getting physically stronger by turning to lifting. “I started changing my body, and my relationship with food,” she says. “To lose the patterns of dysmorphia, I prioritized nourishment.” That simple shift, to fill herself, trickled into everything she worked on, delivering abundance. “I won the pageant, and the fitness body section,” says Regan, proudly.
“To lose the patterns of dysmorphia,
I prioritized nourishment.”
This was also around the time she started going to personal development seminars and events to improve other areas of her life. “It all started to link up,” Regan explains. “As I saw my body change from skinny to strong, I recognized my mindset was also evolving, and I dove into the power of manifestation as I started imagining how I could create an entire life I loved.”
Regan learned to trust that what she wanted was already hers, and that there
were a handful of steps to grasp in order to make it happen. Things she says anyone can implement:
1. Lock In the Vision
What do you actually want? What is your vision, at a soul level? What does it look like, and why do you want it?
2. Expand Your Capacity to Receive
We can only hold, energetically, what we have the space to actually hold. If you don’t create the space, then the manifestation will fly past and stay a dream. Dream bigger, with a greater manifestation that feels so powerful it’s uncomfortable, to help your system break past the edge of belief and make step one more attainable.
3. Evaluate the Internal Resistance
Consider what is blocking you from manifesting what you desire? Get real about the fears, the self sabotage patterns, and anxiety, and do what you need to do to release all of it. Clear it by writing it down, sweating or talking it out, meditating. Or just looking at it as enough and do away with it all.
4. Connect to the Highest
Version of You
We don’t get in life what we do, but we do get in life who we choose to be. There’s a version of you already out in our future that’s already manifested what we desire, and we can access that version of ourselves simply through our intention, so connect with that version and condition yourself from that place.
5. Take Aligned Action
The manifestation is done, so ask yourself what you need to do to simply speed up the process. Do the thing. Whatever it is, big or small, start and commit to that.
As she elevated everything, people around her started noticing the changes, too—and they started asking Regan about her success strategies. So, she shared them. “I knew then, as I started working with more and more people to transform, that I had discovered my purpose. It wasn’t architecture in the traditional sense, but still building—designing lives. I essentially loved the sense of creating something from concept to reality.”
Regan quickly got maxed out with her time working one-on-one, so she started speaking to groups, which led to events and seminars, and eventually expanded to offering her coaching services online. A year later, she had not only transformed her body and her career—her bank robustly reflected the shift to strong as well. Regan became a millionaire. At just 24.
As the creator of The Energetic Architecture Method—an internal strategy to help shift, rewrite, and manifest what you desire—and with the release of her popular book, Change Your Life In 3 Minutes—a counter approach to the idea that we can have it all, just not at the same time—Regan continued to gain notoriety. Helping countless people with coaching, business strategy, health and vitality, leadership and impact, love and relationships, mind and meaning, spirituality, and wealth and lifestyle, it’s evident her message resonated. More importantly though, her strategies worked. Why? “Everything is interconnected,” says Regan. “If you’re upgrading your body, it’s only natural that your mind, your work, and your relationships will all be elevated at the same time. We need to choose that over compartmentalizing all aspects of ourselves, and recognize that we are able, at any moment, to shift,” says Regan. “With just a few minutes a day you can elevate yourself by manifesting and aligning your actions. Even just seemingly small things done consistently can really shape your future. When you’re doing the things, all of a sudden you’re in the change. And then things become accelerated. Your efforts compound and you’re becoming what you envisioned,” she explains. “Everyone has three minutes a day. Everyone can do this.”
Aligned Action
You can absolutely have it all. It happens with manifestation and massive aligned action each day. Consider all the big things you want to conquer, and ask yourself if you’re incorporating all of the seemingly small daily habits that will help set you up for success.
My Top 10 Non-Negotiables To Maintain A Life I Love
1. Water
I have a minimum of one gallon of water per day, sometimes two. My water intake is supported by the amazing technology of my Lumivitae advanced molecular hydrogen water bottle.
2. Nutrition
I eat whole, organic, nourishing foods that fuel me, with a focus on protein and good fats, and I avoid refined sugars and seed oils. As an intuitive eater, I listen to my body and account for shifts such as my cycle or training. Even when I travel, which is four to five months out of the year, I stay organized with packable options such as powdered proteins or bone broth, and arrange meal prep to adhere to the standards I set for my daily intake.
3. Training
I usually train five days per week, focusing each session on different body parts; legs, shoulders and triceps, hamstrings and abs, back and biceps, and glutes. Paying particular attention to tempo has had a dramatic impact on my results. I love strength training and being in the gym. It sets me up for the day, and activates inner strength. If I’m traveling—which I often am—I don’t make excuses, I make use of whatever I can access, and pack a set of bands for efficiency.
4. Walking
I take at least 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.
5. Stretching
I make sure to stretch every day, and I practice yoga consistently.
6. Sleep
When the sun goes down, our own energy goes down as well. I choose activities and invitations that follow my circadian rhythm. Adequate rest is crucial for functioning optimally. I am not up all night, unless it’s a special occasion, so that I can get at least eight hours of sleep. I pride myself on being a sleep pro!
7. Nature
Spending time in nature is imperative for my well-being. It’s a big part of why I choose to live in Costa Rica. But, even when I’m traveling to big cities, I will investigate scenic surroundings so I have somewhere to revive.
8. Biohacking
I make use of everything I can at @thenestcostarica such as cold-plunging, sauna, inversion table, vibration plate, lymphatic drainage therapy, massage, vitamin C drip, and more. I am constantly exploring ways to elevate myself through science and technology.
9. Breathwork
Our breath is everything. Being
mindful about this throughout my day
is a game changer.
10. Connection I check in with
myself about my reality on a daily basis. It’s so important to make that connection, to assess if your actions actually fit your ideas.
Regan’s efforts to share her transformative expertise extend well beyond her coaching business and books. She and her husband/soulmate went so far as to also create The Nest—a retreat centre nestled amidst 600+ acres of paradise in Costa Rica. The Nest is carefully crafted to unlock your full potential using Regan’s manifestation methods combined with aligned action, and biohacking, offering everything from cold-plunging to an inversion table, a vibration plate, sauna, massage, lymphatic drainage therapy, vitamin C drips, and more. All elements Regan incorporates into her own high-level routine. “The Nest is a fusion of ancient wisdom, inner work, and technology. Built in the lush surroundings of nature with the idea that you come to The Nest and recalibrate, so that when you leave, you can fly,” says Regan.
It’s just the kind of place she would have liked her 17-year-old self to have been able to experience. “I wish my younger self knew that in order to actually be happy and create the life and the body I desired, nourishment is crucial. It’s not at all about stripping away, being in the nothingness, to step into your power. It’s the contrary. Life is all about fulfillment,” says Regan. But she doesn’t dwell on what wasn’t, she honors it by layering greater manifestations. “I recognize all of the struggles occurred in order for me to unlock the lessons, for myself and others,” Regan explains. Considering the conscious community she’s managed to nurture and grow over the years since her own inner awakening, Regan says, “It’s all a reflection of the impact my efforts are having and it feels really good. It also makes me ask myself, how I can be of more service, leave a bigger ripple of impact?” We’re curious, too, and can’t wait to find out what’s already waiting in the wings.
“Strong for me is a mindset, it’s a frequency, and it’s a vibration. It’s something that gets to be cultivated from the inside out, and when you really activate that frequency of being a strong woman from the inside out, your life begins to reflect that.”
