Bikinis After Babies

In today’s episode, we share personal updates, including Mandy's journey with IVF and her decision to focus on furthering her education and growing her family before returning to the stage.  We discuss the challenges of balancing bodybuilding with family life and offer practical tips for how to involve kids in meal prep, how to have positive language around food and body image, the importance of f...

In today’s episode, we are joined by IFBB wellness pro and mother of five, Dove Putterman.  Dove shares her fascinating story of juggling her career as a professional wellness competitor and dentist and how she stepped on her first competitive bodybuilding stage just weeks after her coach and husband convinced her to compete, taking the overall wellness title and earning her IFBB pro card in the s...

In this week’s episode, we’re covering a highly popular topic among women in the realm of bikini bodybuilding….GLUTES!!  We are addressing common misconceptions when it comes to glute growth including proper weight training techniques, programming, exercise selection, recovery and the critical role of nutrition in muscle growth and optimal performance. We also touch on the mindset required for lon...

In this week’s episode, we are each back from a little getaway and catching our audience up on what’s been going on in our busy lives and sharing some updates on our fitness journeys and plans for the 2025 competition season!  We also share how we had predicted the outcome of the Olympia to be and how those predictions compared to the actual results.  Being avid followers of the sport ourselves, w...

In today’s episode, we are joined by Celeste Rains-Turk, an industry leading expert in the area of food relationships, body image, post show struggles and mental health in the fitness industry.  Celeste is the host and founder of the “Confessions of A Bikini Pro Podcast”, the founder of “Build More Than Just A Body” where she guides competitors in their journey to making peace with food, their bod...

In today’s episode, we are joined by IFBB pro Daraja Hill-Weidemoyer.  We sat down with Daraja to discuss how she got started competing and her quick rise to the top from earning her pro card to winning her first two pro shows and taking the stage at the Arnold and Bikini Olympia within a years time!!   Daraja has competed at the Bikini Olympia each year since turning pro but we will not be seeing...

In today’s episode, we are joined by IFBB pro India Paulino.  India is a mother to six and half year old Breton and has an impressive career in the IFBB pro league both before and after becoming a mother!  India is considered one of the OG’s of the bikini division and has 16 pro wins under her belt and continues to remain at the top even whilst juggling her roles as a mother and multiple careers i...

In today’s episode, we are joined by IFBB pro Koa Robinson!  Koa is a wife, a mother of 3 and a grandmother who has been competing for 5 years and earned her IFBB pro card this year at NPC Universe.  Koa juggles the demands of her career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist with competing and taking care of her family responsibilities and shares many helpful tips and insight into how she “t...

In today’s episode, we are answering all of your burning questions from our comments section and our social media including how to get back on track after you cheated on your diet, how to go on dates while in prep, and finding balance in social situations.  We are sharing our top solutions and strategies to make life outside of prep balanced and to help you learn how to navigate the challenges we...

Have you set your sights on a competition and whilst training for the event, have to end your preparations for stage early?  In this week’s episode, Mandy and Gillian discuss their experiences of ending a prep early and not achieving their planned goals in bikini bodybuilding.  Circumstances often arise that make it necessary to “pause” prep and put off show day until the situation resolves and we...

In this episode, we are discussing common show day mistakes including our often hilarious personal stories of mistakes they made during our own competitions!  We share our favorite handy items to have on hand for back stage emergencies and we are even sharing our  packing list (see below) to help you organize your things for your big day!  We hope you enjoy all of the juicy nuggets of info shared...

In this week’s episode, we are answering questions we have received from listeners this past month and including: should you wear neon suits on stage?  What are our favorite upper and lower body exercises?  Do competitors need long hair or hair extensions for the stage?  Is training fasted more effective than training fed? We hope you enjoy all of the juicy nuggets of info shared in this episode a...

On today’s episode we are delighted to share the news that co-host Gillian Hughes competed at NPC Masters Nationals and won her IFBB PRO CARD!   We are so excited to bring this episode to our audience and share Gillian’s recap of show weekend and all the details of how the victory played out!  It has been an incredible journey and from our very first episode of this podcast, we have shared the hig...

This week we are joined by April Conley, IFBB Bikini pro who is a posing coach, a wife and mother of 4. April has been competing for 3 years and earned her IFBB pro card at North Americans in 2022.  April experienced the passing of her late husband and turned her pain into a passion for fitness after she realized that she needed a goal and something to look forward to in order to help her through...

In this episode, we are answering our most asked questions from listeners and our social media audience!  We discuss our favorite gym outfits, guilty pleasures, and favorite prep condiments and seasonings as well as answering you questions about booty growth and share our top tips for building glute muscles.  We’ll cover the factors you should consider when determining the length of an improvement...

In this episode, we are answering our most asked questions from listeners and our social media audience!  We discuss our favorite gym outfits, guilty pleasures, and favorite prep condiments and seasonings as well as answering you questions about booty growth and share our top tips for building glute muscles.  We’ll cover the factors you should consider when determining the length of an improvement...

In this episode, we are diving deep into the post show phase and talking about the experiences we have had and how we have conquered "reverse diets gone wrong" and post show rebound.   Today we are opening up about our personal struggles with post show eating, body image and how we overcame those challenges.  We talk about the different resources that are available to athletes who are struggling w...

 In this episode of Bikinis After Babies, host Mandy and Gillian are joined by a true legend Angelica Teixeira. Angelica is a 2x Ms. Bikini Olympia Champion and 4x Ms. Bikini International! Angelica took a break from competing after the 2020 Olympia to start her family welcoming her daughters Alyssa and Ayla in 2021 and 2023.  Angelica returned to the IFBB Pro Bikini stage at the Arnold Classic th...

In this episode, Mandy and Gillian are BACK from their competitions and hopped right on the mic to share all the tea and their feelings about their experiences from show day!  Mandy competed at the NPC Dual of Champions in Omaha Nebraska while Gillian traveled to DC to compete at the NPC DC Pro/AM on the very same day!  The hosts share all the exciting details about their show day experiences, the...

In this episode, Mandy and Gillian welcome IFBB Bikini Pro Fallon Wainwright, a wife and mother of 2 girls ages 14 and 5. Fallon is a clinical researcher who began competing in 2020 earning her pro card at Masters Nationals in July of 2022.  Fallon shares her experience beginning her competition journey just a year after the birth of her youngest daughter and her path to earning her pro card after...

You’ve been preparing for months for your competition….what happens if you’re not ready?  How do you know if you’re ready?  These are common concerns competitors have as they embark on their journey towards a competition and in today’s episode, hosts Mandy and Gillian share their insight pertaining to the mindset and head games we can experience as bikini bodybuilders.  The process of preparing fo...

The Struggle is real 🙂!  We are are a little more than 3 weeks out from our shows and feeling the prep struggles this week!  In this week's episode we are talking about the struggles of being in the final weeks of prep and dealing with sickness as well as strategies for dealing with cravings and snacking, the importance of seeking support and resources for food-related issues, and the process of...

On this week's episode of Bikinis After Babies. Host Mandy Rochon and Gillian Hughes. Interview Josie Kloppenberg, a first-time master’s bikini competitor. Josie shares her experience as she prepares for her first bikini competition at the NPC Midwest St. Louis Show. Josie did not prep alone, her husband also prepped for his first show alongside her. Listen as she shares great insight to how she s...

This week, Mandy and Gillian dive deep into the hard times all athletes endure in contest prep and discuss helpful strategies that create mental toughness that is necessary in order to be successful in reaching your goals 👊🏼💥 The BAB’s hosts share some of their most challenging experiences in prep and how they manage to persevere when calories and energy are low.   If you’re a competitor you kn...

In this episode, Mandy and Gillian welcome IFBB Bikini Pro and Masters Olympian Janine Herrera who shares her journey as a single mother of three daughters rising to the top of the ranks as a bikini pro!  Janine shares how getting started competing had a tremendous positive impact on her mental health as she navigated a divorce and adjusted to life as a single mom. Janine’s highest accomplishment...