Dani Archer from Pāpāmoa earned her Pro Card for bodybuilding at the FMG Bodybuilding World Championships on Australia's Gold Coast, September 13. Photo / Dallas Olsen
Dani Archer from Pāpāmoa earned her Pro Card for bodybuilding at the FMG Bodybuilding World Championships on Australia's Gold Coast, September 13. Photo / Dallas Olsen
“We don’t have to put our dreams on hold.”
That’s professional bodybuilder Dani Archer’s message to other mums.
She’s a mum on a mission, encouraging parents to “pursue meaningful goals while being present for our children”.
The Pāpāmoa woman triumphed on the world stage for bodybuilding last month.
Sheearned her Pro Card after claiming two first places at the FMG Bodybuilding World Championships on Australia’s Gold Coast.
“In those last few weeks [leading up to the world championships], I had to rely on my husband for support. He was phenomenal when my energy was low, jumping in and helping out with our son.”
Archer’s training schedule works around her son’s nap time and work, incorporating early morning and evening sessions after bedtime stories.
From 4.30am to 6am, she would do either an upper body or a lower body session, 15 minutes on a spin bike, then start getting her steps in so “I didn’t have to chase my tail at the end of the day”.
“My son and I play follow the leader around the house after dinner if I still have steps to achieve.”
When she wakes her son up in the morning, Mason says, “Mummy, gym”, and Archer tells him, “Yes, Mummy went to the gym today.”
He gets involved with her journey, doing muscle flexes and trying planks in the kitchen.
“The most rewarding part isn’t the trophies or the Pro Card. It’s showing my son what it means to strive and achieve a goal, and it’s the messages from other mums saying they’ve started their own fitness journey because they saw what was possible.”
Now that Dani Archer has achieved pro status at the FMG Bodybuilding World Championships, she plans to make her debut in late 2027. Photo / Dani Archer
Archer documents her journey on social media with the @fitkiwimum handle.
“Many parents, particularly mothers, struggle with maintaining their identity and goals after having children. The pressure to be everything to everyone often means personal aspirations take a backseat.
“The key is showing children that parents are whole people with dreams and goals worth pursuing. It’s important to make that time for yourself.”
Exercise supports her physical and mental health. If Archer didn’t get to the gym while her son was a newborn, she said the day overwhelmed her.
Archer’s fitness journey began when she started CrossFit in 2018.
“I had my own business and hadn’t prioritised my health. So, I got into CrossFit, and then people started to tell me I could do bodybuilding.”
She didn’t think much of it until the 2020 lockdown, when she started training alone in her garage.
Once New Zealand came out of lockdown, she switched to gym training, started following competitive bodybuilders online and in 2021, decided to give bodybuilding a go.
Dani Archer from Pāpāmoa earned her Pro Card for bodybuilding at the FMG Bodybuilding World Championships on Australia's Gold Coast, September 13. Photo / Dallas Olsen
Archer put bodybuilding on hold when she fell pregnant in 2022 and restarted training last year.
She placed third at the FMG New Zealand Qualifier for the 2025 World Championship on August 30 at the Aotea Centre in Auckland.
“I pushed really hard between the New Zealand competition and worlds. My coach and I dropped my calories a lot, trying to tighten everything up.”
Archer met her Brisbane-based coach, Alicia Kyrgios, in 2021.
“I had really bad hormonal issues. I lost my menstrual cycle and everything.”
Archer was impressed with Kyrgios’ women’s health knowledge. Krygios helped Archer get her cycle back and fall pregnant. The two have been a team ever since.
“Your body fat gets low, and your body starts to shut down unnecessarily. There’s a lot of misunderstanding about the implications.”
Currently, Archer’s focused on recovery.
After eight weeks of recovery, she will increase her daily calorie intake to 4000 to build her glutes, quads, and lats.
“The pro stage is a huge step up.”
She has her sights set on international competitions in Dubai, Italy and the United Kingdom, and plans to make her professional debut in late 2027.
Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.
