No one epitomizes the grit and determination required to prepare for a photoshoot like Kamie van Hoven. While she was already exceptionally fit before appearing on this cover, thanks to a love of outdoor hikes and a penchant for pickleball, that resolve pushed her to try harder, go further—and above all, build a pair of glutes that would be worthy of display.
The secret ingredient? The guidance and support of a virtual coach, in this case Laura Manganaro, who not only provided the mix of moves that got her into jaw-dropping shape but was also there to advise her on nutrition, strength training, and cardio—more so the first two, as it turned out, than the last. In fact, both Laura and Kamie admit that she was doing too much cardio, a reality that many other women in their forties can relate to.
“Now that I’m working with Laura, my entire routine has changed for the better,” Kamie shares. “I’ve learned there’s so much more involved [in building muscle] than I ever realized, especially with menopause. Things like breathing, slowing down reps, prioritizing rest days, and dealing with my nervous system. It’s a completely different approach, and I feel stronger and more in tune with my body than ever.”
One look at Kamie proves just how effective this change up was. But there’s much more to her story than a few simple adjustments to her squat form and pre-shoot nutrition plan. In truth, Kamie has been fighting for her goals, and for justice for those who society has thrown aside, since her teen years. All these experiences, challenges, and ultimate triumphs have shaped her into a role model for women everywhere—not just a set of strong legs on a vision board.
Writing Her Own Story
Let’s turn back the calendar to 2025, when Kamie first shot with STRONG for a feature in our November/December issue. It was a big deal: traveling abroad to Canada meant that for the first time ever she would require a passport. To celebrate the day’s success, she and her husband, Bill, visited nearby Niagara Falls, which stunned Kamie with its aquatic might. Later that year, they took a trip to the Dominican Republic, marking the first time she had stepped foot out of North America. It was a turning point in her life, when she felt her horizons were finally expanding beyond the border of Virginia, where she has lived for 40 years.
This time around, when the couple trekked up to Toronto for her landmark cover shoot, things were a bit more frenzied, to say the least. Nothing to do with the reason for travel itself, mind you, but because the date unfortunately landed smack-dab in the middle of the busiest season for their homegrown horticulture company.
“We’re in the greenhouse business, so it’s super busy in the spring,” Kamie explained over a video call a few weeks before her late April shoot, adding with a laugh, “I’m lucky we’re even going to Canada!” Spring, she explained, is where they make most of their money as, naturally, it’s when flowering baskets begin to surge in popularity. Thankfully for Kamie, and for STRONG, they were able to carve out a few days for a quick jaunt north of the border.
According to Kamie, this “dream come true” moment wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Bill, not only because he was by her side throughout the entire process, but because he reassured her that she was making the right decision.
“Some days I’m like, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this,’” she shared. “And then some days I’m like, ‘Why would I not be doing this? I can do this.’” And though much credit has to be given to Kamie and her willpower in seeing her goals through, it’s also a testament to her and Bill’s partnership that they have succeeded in their relationship, family rearing, and reaching the heights of a magazine cover. As Kamie says, “He’ll push me, and I’ll push him. We are truly partners, in every sense of the word.”
Building a Dream
Long before STRONG hit newsstands and became an item on Kamie’s bucket list, she was just like many women, entering into marriage (a young marriage, being only 18 at the time) and hopeful for all that life has to offer. But best laid plans, as they say, often go awry.
Following several heartbreaking miscarriages, Kamie and Bill decided to pursue adoption, a pathway to parenthood that had been on their minds for some time—quite literally, as it was a topic of conversation during their first date some years prior. Feeling their options were limited, they began the application process, despite the fact that there was some hesitation—and not just from them.
“The other couples who we sat in those meetings with [at the agency] were probably the age I am now, and they’d tried everything under the sun to have a child biologically,” she remembers. Though it felt strange, it also felt right, and thankfully they were accepted into the system. Soon enough, she was mother to a five-week-old baby boy, at the age of 19.
But back to those best laid plans and what they say about them.
Surprisingly, Kamie was able to get pregnant shortly after bringing home their new additon—and then again, and then again. Within a few years, they were parents to four children under four, and while they welcomed the miracle that it was with open arms, the challenge was daunting. Add to that two more adoptions—including a 14-year-old when Kamie was only 24—and another biological child, and soon their house was brimming with the raucous sound of sons and daughters at all stages of life.
Most women would be rightfully overwhelmed going zero to 60, motherhood-wise, in such a short span. Kamie, while admittedly stressed at times (who wouldn’t be), took to her new role with the poise she applied to every endeavor, even going so far as to tackle the immense challenge of homeschooling each child for a few years at a time, on top of the family business and her role at a nearby women’s shelter.
Today, now in her forties, she’s hung up her homeschooling hat and is grandmother to two happy, diametrically opposite grandchildren, at least when it comes to their personalities—think calm and collected compared to extreme curious energy.
“My husband’s like, ‘You’re retired. It’s okay, you can take a breath and have fun,’” says Kamie. “I’ve done 20-some years of homeschooling, and the kids are raised. Now I should be able to just enjoy life.”
It’s that exact mindset that brought Kamie to Toronto, and to these very pages. Yet there was still another hurdle to overcome: the belief that she just wasn’t cover athlete material, something that Laura and Bill worked hard to help her see as the fallacy it was.
“I feel stronger and more in tune with my body than ever.”
Putting on Her Game Face
Laura’s program put Kamie to the test—for the better.
“She changed a lot of the way I look at workouts,” Kamie says. “I don’t rush through them anymore, because sometimes you’re like, ‘Well, I only have 45 minutes.’ Now, if it takes 45 minutes, it’s fine. If it takes an hour and 10 minutes, it’s fine. If I decide to start cleaning up the workout area and then go back to it later, that’s fine!” This mental shift helped Kamie stick with the rigorous training she went through in the months leading up to the fateful shoot day—and her efforts obviously paid off.
Her cover shoot transformation wasn’t just for the “now,” however. Being in shape, and staying in shape, means that Kamie will have many more years to share with her husband and family, years that will be filled with the outdoor adventures and playful moments she cherishes.
“I still want to be active [in my later years],” she explains. “The drive to just do the best that I can do, or be the best I can be, is my approach, and my husband is the same. I think that just watching him. He’s just a couple years older than me, he’s 50, and still riding his dirt bike.
“I think we need to get the correct rest and the correct sleep, and treat our bodies like we want them to perform—they’re important to us! And I think that’s how you can lift heavy. You can bike farther. Like, I’ve done two bike rides that were 100 miles. Did I ever think I would do that? No!”
“The drive to just do the best that I can do, or be the best I can be, is my approach.”
With that attitude, and the support of those around her, who knows what challenge Kamie will check off her list next. Perhaps she’ll finish hiking all of America’s national parks, another of her goals, or finally visit Europe to trek the historic Camino pilgrimage routes that wind their way through the continent. No matter what, she’ll continue to give back to the community she loves through her charitable work, and will do so with a smile on her face.
“I am very, very thankful, and very, very blessed,” she says. “We worked really hard for a lot of years, and now financially, health-wise, and regarding our relationships with the kids, it’s all good. It’s kind of like, you can rest in the fact that you did well and your hard work paid off.”
Looking at all that she’s accomplished, we couldn’t agree more.
Written by Rachel Debling, Editor in Chief
Photography by Paul Buceta
Hair and Makeup by Lori Fabrizio
