Pamela Reif (30) is one of Germany's most successful content creators. A combined 20 million people follow her on Instagram and YouTube, with another 70 million accounts on Chinese platforms. On July 9, the fitness influencer turns 30 years old.
From Mirror Selfie to Multimillion-Dollar Business
It all started in 2012, at age 16, with her first selfies on the then-young platform Instagram, as Hessischer Rundfunk traces in its story podcast "Das Imperium Pamela Reif". She photographed herself at the gym and uploaded the pictures - "without a strategy", as she told "Spiegel" last year. "But daily. For years. I was always very disciplined." She graduated high school with a 1.0 grade point average, but quickly abandoned the idea of studying business administration.
In 2013, Reif opened her YouTube channel and quickly reached half a million people with her fitness lifestyle content. The big push came with Corona: She published workout plans for people in home offices and trained live on YouTube with tens of thousands simultaneously. Her channel grew rapidly, with her "Bauchtraining für Anfänger" alone being viewed more than 100 million times. "During that time I worked 14 hours a day, for years, without days off", she recalled. "I thought, this is my chance and I don't want to lose the momentum."
An Empire of Bars and Shampoo
Early on, Pamela Reif focused on translating her reach into her own products. In 2020, she founded a food brand with fitness bars, porridge, and nut butter; according to her own statements, she sold around five million of her bars last year. In addition, there's a hair care brand with natural cosmetic products that she developed together with her mother.
She also has books, a podcast until 2022, an app with hundreds of recipes - and international deals. In 2020, "Forbes" magazine put Reif on its list of "30 under 30", the 30 most successful people under 30 years old. Reif herself is sometimes amazed by her continued achievement in the fast-paced business: "A normal influencer has a shelf life of about four years. The fact that I've been doing this for more than ten years is against all odds."
The Karlsruhe native is also a welcome guest on TV and, for example, floated as an angel over the stage at Stefan Raab's (59) comeback boxing match. Behind the scenes, she had previously given him social media tips and even coached him as a fitness trainer. At events she also appears with other big names like actress Jessica Alba or tennis star Alexander Zverev, with whom she also enjoys doing a joint workout.
Everything Gets More Relaxed at 30
Her core business therefore remains what it always was: fitness. Reif still gets her community sweating with new workouts, tips, or recipes on Instagram and YouTube. Yet precisely on this milestone birthday, the fitness icon is striking quieter tones. On the podcast "Baby got Business" she recently reported taking a more relaxed approach to exercise and nutrition and deliberately gaining around six kilos. "I don't train as much anymore. I definitely eat a lot more too. Dessert as well", according to Reif. On Instagram she also emphasized: "Honestly, I feel really comfortable, beautiful and strong with more meat on my bones."
She's also now openly considering withdrawing from the spotlight. The fact that online stars today have to constantly manage their channels stresses her, she told "Spiegel": "Influencers today are supposed to be so approachable, give such real insights into the most private corners of their lives, as much as possible. I don't feel so comfortable in this world." She therefore largely keeps her private life out of the public eye; only her ex-partner Willi Banner, also a fitness influencer and "Let's Dance" contestant, confirmed in 2025 that the two were in a relationship for about two years.
