Bounce Back Stronger Than Ever

The Gaia Kodituwakku youd meet now didnt come with her titles (think fitness guru, entrepreneur and radio personality); she was the girl you accidentally struck up a conversation with at a party and wanted to be friends with forever. Her humble dude attitude and strong female persona left me with the impression that she has persisted despite all obstacles thrown in her path.

- Yasodhara Kariyawasam

THE SO-CALLED SPOILT BRAT

Imagine an overprotected only child from a very conventional family who didn’t even know how to make herself a cup of tea by the time she went abroad for her higher studies. That was Gaia at the age of 19. Then life threw her a curveball.

She experienced abuse followed by chronic depression. And, just like any other young adult, she also faced an identity crisis to the point where her accent and handwriting would change according to the person she was talking or writing to. She was a chameleon – a confused one at that.

Then she stumbled upon fitness – where she encountered strong women lifting heavy weights shoulder to shoulder with men, challenging themselves out of social norms and rediscovering themselves. Gaia wanted to be one of them. “It was not just about losing weight, I wanted to become stronger,” says Gaia. She was adamant and highly disciplined with herself and underwent crazy routines.

YOU LOOK LIKE A MAN

Gaia didn’t always have the perfect body she has now. She underwent body issues and still goes through them. When she was a child everyone knew her as the ‘fat girl’ and when she started working out, she lost weight and became too skinny. When people started chiming in with the usual commentary on how a woman should not be fixated on a man’s occupation, she was loud and proud of it, although it wasn’t an easy journey. “People would tell me that I’m going to break something and that I’m not going to have children and other ignorant misconceptions.. It was an uncomfortable journey fighting against the norm, and it certainly wasn’t easy,” she reveals.