COVER STORY- Alex Hackett: Wife, Mother Of 3, Entrepreneur, IPL Pro Bikini Champion
“I think the best thing a person can wear is confidence. With that you can strut a paper bag and still look good! [Laughs]”
IPL newcomer, Alex Hackett is an inspiration. A wife, a mother to three children, an entrepreneur, and an IPL Pro Bikini Champion. The funny thing is Alex was hesitant to enter the August 2022 7TH Annual IPL Southwest Grand Prix contest in Phoenix, Arizona. She just simply did not think she was ready. But I knew that she was. And had to basically convince her to enter the show! Not only that but she doesn’t really consider herself to be very fashionable.
Alex would go on to earn her IPL Pro Cards in Bikini Masters 40+ and Bikini Open at the Grand Prix. Then go on to compete at the Pro level in that same show, winning Pro Masters Bikini and placing 2nd in Pro Open Bikini.
We had an amazing photo shoot the day before this contest which landed Alex on the front cover of this very issue, looking like a supermodel! Incredible accomplishments for someone who isn’t quite ready and doesn’t think she has much style. 
“IT TRULY STILL FEELS SURREAL. I WAS JUST EXPECTING TO HAVE FUN AND INSTEAD WALKED AWAY WITH PRO CARDS AND MET A SUPPORTIVE FITNESS COMMUNITY THROUGH THE IPL."
BEN YOSEF: Congratulations to you on all your success during IPL Southwest Grand Prix weekend this past August! Your amazing photo shoot, your two IPL Pro Qualifications and Pro Debuts, Pro Win, this stunning magazine cover. It has been four months now since that weekend. How are you feeling about what you accomplished? And has all the excitement died down for you yet? [laughs]
ALEX HACKETT: Thank you so much! It truly still feels surreal. I was just expecting to have fun and instead walked away with Pro Cards and met a supportive fitness community through the IPL. I’m definitely feeling proud and at the same time, determined to do better the next time. There’s always more we can do to improve ourselves.
BEN: Spoken like a true champion! And it has been so great welcoming you into the IPL community! So, you are mother of three? What are your children’s ages and what do they think about having such a rockstar mom?
ALEX: [laughs] Thank you, I am! Best job, hardest job, ever! I have two boys, 15 and 13 years-old. And a daughter that is 10 years old. They think it’s pretty cool. I know my oldest says it’s impressive how strong I am, but he’s stronger, of course. [laughs]
BEN: Love it! [laughs] What can you tell us about your entrepreneurial ventures?
ALEX: Well, I started my nurse injection business, Age Defying Beauty AZ, several years ago because I’ve always had a love for aesthetics. Last September I then started online fitness coaching, joining a good friend and nursing coworker, with the Slay Squad. I would say the beauty industry goes hand and hand with the health industry. Trying to help people feel confident in the skin they’re in and love themselves more. It’s always been a passion of mine.
BEN: Love that! Congratulations! On both of these ventures! Very exciting! I imagine there were challenges, as with any new business, getting started? Also, where do you offer the injection services? And what sort of injections do you perform? Do you have a boutique or spa?
“FROM PICKING UP OR DROPPING OFF THE KIDS, TO CLIENT APPOINTMENTS. IF I DON'T WRITE IT IN, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN.”
ALEX: Definitely challenging. As a new injector, it’s difficult to break through at a MedSpa so I decided to open my own business. Started with family and friends and before I knew it, I was seeing people that found me online based on my work. I offer injection services out of my home, got a separate casita with its own entrance, and inject for Uptown MediSpa in Chandler and Wildflower Beauty Bar in Queen Creek. I do toxins (Botox as everyone refers to it), fillers throughout the face and hands, vitamins, and facial services like micro needling and chemical peels.
BEN: How do you find the time to manage everything you have going on? How do you find balance?
ALEX: I sometimes don’t. [laughs] I have everything in my calendar. From picking up or dropping off the kids, to client appointments. If I don’t write it in, it doesn’t happen. But it’s not a perfect system. I still need to do better at managing my time. Especially when my phone is always going off with messages from clients that I am trying to get scheduled or that have questions.
That’s my goal for next year. Just be better organized with everything and have more business times in my phone. I have learned to be flexible with workouts and self-care because when I don’t get it in, I’m annoyed, patience is minimal and I’m overall uneasy. When I get my lift in, I feel better and feel I can do whatever I need to do for the day.
BEN: You got this! I get the feeling that 2023 is going to be an incredible year for you! I am always so impressed and inspired by people… mothers, fathers, folks that have so much going on and still manage to balance at all. I have never been married and do not have children. I can only imagine what it would be like attempting to do everything I’m doing while managing a family. Hats off to you!
So, this issue of SEAM is technically the “fashion issue.” You looked so stylish at our photo shoot. From your athletic wear to your other outfits. It’s funny, in speaking with you about fashion, you told me that you’re not really a fashionable person. I find that hard to believe! How would you describe your personal fashion and style?
“I PUT EFFORT INTO WHAT I LOOK LIKE DAILY. IF I LOOK GOOD, I FEEL GOOD.”
ALEX: Thank you! No, I’m really not. But I try! [laughs] My sister and DJ actually were a big help. They have a good eye for what looks good. So, if I pick something I’m unsure about, I’ll consult them, and I know they’ll be real with me. I would like to think I’m a classic kind of gal. I like timeless pieces. I don’t really like to follow trends, but I will sometimes. Like the crop top thing is my jam! That’s what I liked to wear in high school but would sometimes get in trouble because it violated dress code. [laughs]
But never into the mom jeans, don’t like over sized clothing in general and you won’t catch me wearing some crazy patterns. Only in the last few years have I even ventured into color. Before it was blacks, whites and grays. I put effort into what I look like daily. If I look good, I feel good. So, if you see me in workout clothes running errands, it just means I haven’t had the time to get ready. But at some point during the day, I will.
BEN: So, the key is to forget trends for the most part, and just be yourself? You kind of just answered this, but coming from a self-proclaimed non-fashionista [laughs] what tips would you give to girls out there and maybe even guys with regards to being comfortable in the clothing you are in?
ALEX: Like you said, just be yourself! People will judge you one way or another, good or bad, so why not just do you? I think the best thing a person can wear is confidence. With that you can strut a paper bag and still look good! [laughs]
BEN: [laughs] Yes! Well said! Alex, it has been really great getting to know you more through this magazine and interview. And again, many congratulations to you on your competition success as well as your lovely family and growing businesses. When will we see you back on the IPL stage? And any final thoughts?
ALEX: Thank you! I truly feel blessed with this whole experience. So many good people I’ve met through the IPL and they’re so supportive. I would love to be back up there come spring or summer 2023! Not sure exactly, but you’ll see this face again. SEAM
About the interviewer:
Ben Yosef
Ben is the Publisher of SEAM Magazine and the President & Founder of the International Physique League.
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