Confessions of a Bikini Pro

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Gina Switzeny a lifelong athlete who started lifting after graduating university. She struggled with her weight in high school and university due to never having proper guidance on health and nutrition. In 2008, she started working with a nutritionist who taught her about meal planning and macros. In 2011, she entered a fitness model contest where she saw Bikini athlete...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Kasie Rodriguez, a 35-years-old wife and mother of two children. She has called Yuma, AZ for the past 15 years ago. She started competing in 2019 and has competed in 14 shows total,10 of which were National shows. She won two Pro Cards at the 2022 North Americans, where she placed 1st in Open & Masters 35+ overall bikini champion. Kasie is an online coach for lifestyle...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Kate Orara, a full-time Partner Development Manager for a point of sale solutions manufacturer. She is married to her high school sweetheart and is a mom of 2. She also works as the sales manager for Boss Bodies.   Her first competition in bodybuilding was in 2008 in figure. Once the bikini division was created, she switch and turned pro at NPC Universe in July 2021. Be...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Danielle Combs, a 35 years old college professor with a PhD in International Business, who was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She met my now husband while working on their PhDs at the University of Illinois. She doesn't have an athletic background and grew up primarily studying music.   She was never really interested in competing, but started working out and eatin...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Shaunta Miller who started competing in 2017 at the San Francisco championships where she placed 4th. She competed at regional shows for 3 years before stepping on a national stage in 2020. She recently earned her Pro card as a Masters competitor at the NPC Teen/Collegiate/Masters Nationals in 2022. She's a NASM certified personal trainer and also works in radiology. Sh...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Kayla Ashworth, a former volleyball athlete who stopped playing after her first year in college and decided to pursue bodybuilding. She always loved to workout, but wanted to take it to a competitive level and give herself a bigger goal. She competed in her first NPC figure show in 2020 where she got 4th in her class, then competed as a bikini athlete 4 weeks later and...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Becca Flachner. She started competing at the end of 2019 and prepped all the way until March 2020 when Covid hit and cancelled shows. As soon as gyms reopened she jumped into her first season, competing in three amateur seasons where she never placed below second place. She earned her Pro card in 2022 at Junior Nationals. Becca tells us about working towards judges' fee...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Allie Martens, a 28-year-old single mother and survivor of domestic violence. She started competing in 2016 and has done 8 shows total. She turned Pro in 2022 at USAs. Allie talks about how her life was when she first starting competing compared to now. She was in an abusive marriage when she first started her bodybuilding journey and has had many ups and downs during h...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Kristen Reilly. She was born and raised in Northern New Jersey and grew up with a super active/athletic background. She played almost every sport you can think of, but never really fell in love with anything except for horseback riding. Before her fitness/bodybuilding career, she poured her heart and soul into horses and competing in the show jumping arena. This was her...

Today I speak with Adam Atkinson, to talk about my first season competing with him as my coach and his philosophy and approach to prepping and improvement seasons. We talk about how Adam helped me with my hormones and finally decided to work with him for prep. Adam is so dedicated to the health of his athletes through stress management and picking shows that will work with their lives. We go throu...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Erin Kamm. She has been into fitness since an early age, having swam varsity swimming throughout Middle/High School; however, much of her life was overshadowed by a severe eating disorder that totally consumed her for over 15 years. But that all changed when she started weight training in 2015. What began simply as the desire to stay "skinny" and get abs, quickly turned...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Kaitlyn Ray, owner of AOC GYM, personal trainer and nutrition coach. She is a form police officer who won her Pro card at the 2022 USAs. Kaitlyn talks about how she developed her "Accept it. Own it. Crush it." mindset and how she has used it to get through hard times in her life. We hear how she went through may knee surgeries playing basketball in high school and conti...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro head judge and show promoter, Joe Pishkula. His genuine love for the sport and passion to support athletes is apparent from the moment you meet him! He started out as a competitor as a teenager in Ohio and has now most known for his role as an Olympia judge and promoter of the beloved Klash Series.     Topics covered include: -the role ritual plays in bodybuilding -havi...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Lawna Dunbar, who started competing in 2014. After taking 3 straight overalls, she competed at USA where she got last call outs. After a 6 year break from the stage, she continued her 1st place streak and the won her Pro Card at the 2021 Ben Weider Natural Pro Am. She then made her Pro debut at the Texas Pro, taking 5th place. Since then she has had a breakout debut sea...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Kristin Wright. She earned her BS in Dietetics from an ACEND accredited program. She coached people online to reach their fitness goals while learning how to have a healthy relationship with food. She has a long history of learning the hard way and feels it's her duty to share what she's learned with others. She is also the mom of two, wild boys! She spent 4 years in th...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Shawn Hektor-Lewis, owner of Shawn's Couture Cuties. She has been making waves in the industry for years both as a competitor and a business owner! She is the queen of Hair, Makeup, Suits & Posing and the founder of Cuties Conquering the Stage. I'm excited to announces I'll be speaking at the 2023 event! CCTS is in its 8th year and is the premier event for bikini, welln...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Lizzy Cunningham, a former collegiate track athlete who felt lost after graduating college. This feeling lead her to finding bodybuilding and reigniting a fire within herself she thought she had lost after track ended. She has been bodybuilding since November of 2018 and has been with Bair Aesthetics and Progressive Performance since then. She went pro at Nationals in 2...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Brittany Gillespie, a NICU nurse with a bachelors in healthcare studies and bachelors in nursing. She started competing in 2018 was the 2021 NPC Nationals Overall Winner where she earned her Pro Card. As a newer competitor, she still feels like she is finding her groove on stage. She talks about dealing with other people's expectations in the process of getting her Pro...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Angeles Burke, lifestyle and wellness consultant and VIP competitive coach and transformation coach for Bombshell Fitness. Angeles started competing in 2011 and earned her Pro status in 2013. She has competed in over 25 shows! In 2021, she returned to the stage for the first time since 2016! She talks about how the standards have changed in the bikini division since she...

Today I speak with Australian IFBB Pro Stephanie Hing. She recently spent 7 years living and working in Los Angeles, but is now back at home in Sydney, Australia. She competed in 2 regional and 3 National shows before getting her pro card in 2020. She works full time as a Senior Product designer. Stephanie talks about the mental barriers she experienced during her first and only national season wh...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Lynsie Hice who turned Pro in July 2021 after competing in 7 Regional shows and 3 National shows. She lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas and is a currently the lead expeditor for all NPC Oklahoma bodybuilding shows. Alongside her partner, she coaches other women and men to reach their goals of stepping on the bodybuilding stage. She is full time fitness professional and he...

Today I speak with Adam Bonilla of Team Elite Physique. Today we are talking about a VERY special event! We are hosting an event at the Contest Prep Center during the Olympia! We discuss the week-long calendar of events planned at the Contest Prep Center for the Olympia and the Build More than Just a Body event! Adam talks about how he has tried to make the Contest Prep Center an open and welcomin...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Taryn Flanagan, a 27-year-old from Canada who won her Pro card in 2020 at the Amateur Olympia. She has been competing since 2018 and is the posing coach for Team Elite Physique and her company, Pose with a Pro. Taryn tells us about turning Pro and the changes she wants to make to her physique to compete in the Pro League. We talk about how food affects how you feel and...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Karen Wall. She's 42 years old and currently live in Victoria, BC, Canada with her partner in everything,   Andrew Kersten. Who is also a bodybuilder, coach and business owner! She started competing in 2019 and turned Pro in 2021 at the Natural Canada Pro Qualifier. She then placed 4th in her Pro debut at the Toronto Pro Supershow in December 2021 and has since won two...

Today I speak with IFBB Pro Jordan Brannon. She graduated from University of South Florida in 2014 with her Bachelors degree in Exercise Science. There she met her husband Drew. After graduation, they opened up their own gym called Pinellas Ultimate Strength House in Largo, Florida. Drew and Jordan were introduced to the bodybuilding world through a mutual friend. Jordan prepped for her first show...