‘Biggest Loser’ trainer works to inspire, too

Jillian Michaels is known as a take-no-prisoners trainer on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”

But the personal trainer wants to give her fans a broader spectrum of her philosophies on her “Maximize Your Life” tour, which hits the Fox Theatre at 5 p.m. Sunday.

While Michaels has done a few speeches a year, she’s never designed a tour like this before.

“I love the interaction with the audience, the direct dialogue that’s unedited and unfiltered,” she said.

She describes it as “part show, part lecture, part Q&A. It’s very interactive. We have huge LED screens with graphics and video. It’s a little bit Tony Robbins, a little bit Dr. Oz. It’s all Jillian Michaels.”

The first half of the show will be about losing weight, her specialty. “We’ll talk about the science of metabolism and fitness techniques,” she said. But she also wants to give people the motivational push to actually pursue their goals.

“I want them to have an epiphany, an aha moment. I want to give them the tools and skills to achieve what they set out to do,” Michaels said.

But this is the Fox Theatre. There won’t be a group workout. “Stadium seating isn’t conducive for that, unfortunately,” she said.

Michaels said she grew up with a certain level of self-awareness because her mom has a Ph.D. in psychoanalysis. She has read every book from lifestyle gurus she could find, including classics such as Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

“I’ve learned from an early age that you have to have the information,” said Michaels, who is 39. “At the same time, you have to think you’re worthy so you can understand what makes you tick. Else, you’re not going to be successful. There is a skill set to build confidence and self-worth. These are not ethereal ideas. They’re tools.”

The biggest change in her thought process the past 10 years, she said, is food quality. “It’s not just calorie intake,” she said.

And she has had to struggle with her perfectionist streak. “The reality is you cannot do it all,” she said. “Or you can have it all but not at the same time. You have to give up something. Once you’re willing to show your flaws and embrace them and understand you’re human, it gets easier.”

Michaels said she also battles her own impatience: “I always think we have so little time on this planet and there’s so much to achieve … I have to learn to control my impulses so I don’t blow up.”

She has not participated in every “Biggest Loser” season but says now that it’s only one cycle instead of two per year, she has more time to stick with it.

“I can do this tour,” she said. “I can do a book tour. I can be with my kids. Doing it twice a year took up 11 months out of the year. Now that it’s once a year, it’s working out almost so smoothly, it’s scary!”