Confessions of a Bikini Pro Podcast

ASHLEY PARKER; Going Pro in First Year of Competing, Show Day Tips, Letting go of Leanness, Prioritizing Sleep and Body Work, Meal Tips and A Yummy Idea

2/28/2020

In this episode, host Celeste Rains-Turk sits down with IFFB Pro Ashley Parker, a soon-to-be 26-year-old who has been competing for two years and was the overall champion at Junior USA’s in 2019.

Even though Ashley had never been to a show prior to competing, this Tennessee woman shares how her competitive nature drove her to take on her first prep and how that determination helped her bring home the overall the first time she had ever seen the stage.

Ashley talks about how her commitment to the process helped her achieve the incredible result of not placing below second as an amateur, despite anxiety around not being ready for shows.

Ashley shares how it felt to transition from the amateur level to the pros as she became “such a small fish in a huge pond”. After the lowest placing she had received in her competitive career, she talks about the comments she received from the judges and how she built muscle without an extended offseason to fulfill the feedback.

As Ashley entered a recent offseason, she talks about letting go of that signature lean look and how she changes her mindset to embrace the new phase of her training. She also shares a few tricks she uses to keep herself feeling full and satisfy her sweet tooth.

Ashley also talks about feedback she received from her coach about her hips being uneven and how prioritizing body work such as scraping, foam rolling, ice baths and more has helped her to correct the imbalance and how prioritizing sleep has improved her overall physical and mental wellbeing.

Ashley shares how she maintains muscle mass in a conditioning phase, an awesome power stance and changes she’s experiencing in her life and circle of friends.

You will not want to miss this!

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY HERE: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyrae_ifbbpro/
CONNECT WITH CELESTE HERE: https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/

TIME STAMPS:
[1:38] Stage Ritual
[2:37] Handling Anxiety and Stress Leading Into a Show and the Positive Side of Stress
[7:24] Best Pieces of Show Day Advice
[13:36] A Rapid Rise from Amateur to Pro
[15:37] The Introduction into Competing
[20:57] Stage Inspirations
[22:49] Life Changes Since Entering the Competing World
[25:33] Embracing Judge’s Feedback Going into Nationals
[30:22] Body Work to Fix Muscular and Skeletal Imbalances
[34:24] Prioritizing Sleep
[36:16] Letting Go of Leanness and Embracing an Off Season Body
[38:06] Controlling Cravings and Feeling Good with Food
[43:10] The Importance of Going Pro in her First Year
[48:48] Maintaining Muscle Mass in a Conditioning Phase
[50:51] Accepting a Lower Placing Despite A Favorite Package

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RENEE HARSHEY; Announcing Switch to Wellness After Years of Fighting for Pro Status in Bikini, Benefit of Getting Uncomfortable in Weight & Macros, Unhealthy Extremes and Metabolic Damage

2/21/2020

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In this episode, Host Celeste Rains-Turk speaks with Renee Harshey, a coach at Pro Physiques, Certified Nutrition Specialist and owner of her own meal prep service Fit Choice Foods, mother, and IFBB Pro who turned pro in Bikini at the Arnold Amateur in Colombia in 2019.

Starting off the episode, Renee officially announces her decision to switch to the Wellness division after finally achieving her pro status in Bikini after 4 years and 16 shows.

Renee discusses how persistence played a role in her success to achieving the pro status but how her journey was not easy as she never had the “typical bikini” physique. She discusses how she always had to work harder to fit the judges criteria for that division and now how Wellness has opened new doors of opportunity for her to have a successful pro career.

Renee goes into detail about how her training and diet strategies have changed since making the switch and where she’s putting her focus moving forward. Celeste and Renee talk about the importance of reverse dieting and Renee shares how she found comfortability in being uncomfortable looking “fluffier” and eating more food to make the necessary changes to her physique as well as get her metabolism back to a happy & healthy place.

Renee shares how her experiences with binge eating and reverse dieting as a competitor and as a coach has helped her better prepare her clients for success by implementing and following a reverse diet correctly to achieve the desired goals, whether it be for lifestyle or competition.

They discuss how being open and transparent with your coach is vital for success and being a coach herself, she needs the right information to make the correct changes for her clients. Celeste talks with Renee about what she considers to be an unhealthy extreme and how Renee prioritizes her clients mental and physical health which she says is about always keeping it real & honest with them.

Renee shares how her experience as a social worker has helped her become a better coach and can better empathize with her clients and help them work through their difficult times. Celeste and Renee dive into the importance of research into coaching and why interviewing coaches and asking questions is key before making a final decision.

Renee talks about her journey to getting her pro card, how taking time off the stage and focusing on coaching & her clients actually helped better prepare her for that final push to get her pro card.

Celeste and Renee go into how Renee decided to have her own meal prep service, how it started and what it’s like to run a business on the side as well as being a mom, coach and professional athlete.

CONNECT WITH RENEE ON INSTAGRAM HERE: https://www.instagram.com/renee_ifbbpro/
CHECK OUT FIT CHOICE FOODS HERE: https://www.fitchoicefoods.com/

CONNECT WITH CELESTE ON INSTAGRAM HERE: https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/

TIME STAMP with Episode Highlights:
[4:50] Renee officially announces her decision to switch to the Wellness division for the 2020 season

[12:20] Celeste & Renee discuss how Renee’s training has changed to get ready for Wellness versus how she would train when going for her pro card in Bikini

[18:00] Renee discusses how she let herself get uncomfortable to allow her metabolism to “catch up”

[28:00] Why it’s important for coaches to have coaches & how the accountability helps her mentally with how she’s progressing.

[31:10] Renee admits to some changes she personally made during her prep without her coach’s knowledge and how it was not always the right choice, also something she now advises against.

[35:00] Renee explains why the coach - client communication is so important & gives an example of one of her clients.

[41:40] Why Renee & the Pro Physique coaches implement reverse diets for all their clients post show & why it is important

[42:30] Celeste asks Renee what she considers an unhealthy extreme

[52:00] Celeste & Renee discuss empathy, something Renee learned from her previous job as a social worker & Celeste emphasizes the importance of empathy when working with clients

[57:00] Celeste expands on why research on coaches is important because of how prep approaches have evolved over time.

[66:00] Renee discusses her persistence through her journey from hitting the national stage & taking a step back to focus on coaching & what she learned from taking time away from the stage

[76:00] Renee mentions the importance of strategy when choosing national shows

[82:00] Celeste & Renee express how a positive mindset & having that “winners mentality” is more than a surface level practice

[89:00] Renee shares why the details matter & competing is more than just a physique contest

[91:25] Celeste asks Renee about her meal prep service, how she finds balance, how did it start, etc.

[98:50] Celeste gets Renee’s advice for newbie competitors & advice for girls who are on their road to pro

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HERE

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JESSICA LYNN; Athlete Quality, Value Of Pro Status, Life Outside Of Fitness, Changing Appearance For Judges, Maintaining A Competitive Physique While Still Living Life, Pushing Through Illness

2/14/2020

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In this episode, host Celeste Rains-Turk speaks with Jessica Lynn, an Arnold
Australia competitor, dancer, hairstylist and makeup artist for over 11 years. Jessica has been competing since 2013 and earned her IFBB Pro Card in 2014.

In addition to competing for over seven years, Jessica is a small-town farm girl from Iowa and is married with two kitty fur-babies. While she is most often known for her notorious hair-flip on stage and bubbly personality, she is also an avid donut connoisseur, world traveler, music lover, and the only IFBB Bikini Pro living in Iowa!

Tune in to hear about Jessica’s thoughts on the evolution of bikini competitors physique on the amateur and IFBB Stage.

She discusses the ever-increasing competition in the pro division, the challenge of staying relevant to judges during off-season, the hunger for success, and the pressure of social media marketing.

Often known for her changing appearance on the stage, Jessica gives her opinion on hair color, complementing suit choice, and how it affects placing.

Jessica also opens up about her transition from crossfit strength training to lifting for aesthetic, giving credit to her 15 years of dance and competitive swimming for her stage presence and grace. She has also valued the importance of listening to your body rest to fight illness and finding the balance between rest and maintaining goals.

Jessica gives us insight on how to balance relationships outside of bodybuilding and creating a sustainable lifestyle.

She emphasizes the importance of mutual respect, communication, and compromise with her marriage and friends during prep. She opens up about post show rebound, temptation, willpower, and her struggles of falling off track.

She discusses the image she maintains on social media and keeping parts of her normal life offline. Celeste and Jessica also discuss the perspective of fitness influencers and the struggles of appearing consistently motivated/appeasing the audience.

Jessica gives Celeste and viewers her personal hair, skin, and makeup tips for show day. She discloses the most common mistakes with competitors and how hiring a professional may be necessary.

Jessica’s contagious and genuine personality provides an episode you do not want to miss!

CONNECT WITH JESSICA HERE: https://www.instagram.com/missfit_jesslynn_ifbbpro/

CONNECT WITH CELESTE HERE: https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/

TIME STAMPS:
[01:25] Stage Ritual
[08:12] Evolution of a Bikini Competitor/Expectations of a Pro
[12:15] How Jessica started in the fitness industry
[16:01] Building the physique from crossfit to bikini
[18:33] Jessica opens up about post-show rebound
[21:50] Building a life outside the stage
[26:10] Jessica speaks balance in relationships
[30:17] Willpower, saying no, and feeling guilty
[35:35] How to maintain muscle size
[37:02] Favorite memory as as competitor
[42:29] Favorite exercises for glutes, shoulders, and hamstrings
[45:34] Changing appearance to appeal for the judges
[53:23] Hair, Skin, and Makeup tips for the show
[56:20] Pushing through illness
[60:04] Coach and client relationship
[61:38] Tips for beginners/road to pro

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CARLA GARTHWAITE; Impact of Competing on Relationships, Prioritization, Why Hasn't There Been a Tattooed Olympian?, Taking in Feedback, Pressure in NPC v IFBB

2/7/2020

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In this episode, Host Celeste Rains-Turk has an intimate conversation with Carla Garthwaite, a posing and competition prep coach who has her own line of waist trainers, Cinched by Carla. She is known for repping girls with tattoos on stage and wants to be the first sleeved Olympian. This pro is married with kids and has proven time and time again that you can overcome challenges and recreate your life with consistency and the commitment to being better.

Tune in to hear Carla open up about the impact bodybuilding and chasing wins has had on her marriage and relationship with her kids. She opens up about realizing that she had put her hubby on the backburner and explains what happened that led her to stop posting about / tagging her kids on Instagram.

Carla also discusses the pressure she felt as an amateur compared to the pressure she feels now as a pro. She shares her experience in the pro league and tells us what prepping for nearly 5 years straight with hardly any time off has been like. She shares how much she is enjoying her time off now to focus on her family. With this, she takes us through a rough break she had and how the post show blues hit her hard sending her into a big breakthrough about future reverse diets, body dysmorphia, getting comfortable with eating more and filling out like the judges have asked her to.

Carla talks about what a normal day looks like for her as a full time mom, competitor, and coach. She answers questions submitted by you like if she could only pick one exercise to do for the rest of her life for shoulders, glutes, and hams what they would be.

We also discuss fit shaming and how to respond to people. Celeste explains how grief plays a role in this and Carla discusses what she does to handle it and how she has been able to move forward.

Because Carla takes pride in who she is, she explains how she helps her posing clients embrace themselves too and how she encourages other competitors to fit the mold without changing who they are completely. On this subject, she shares why she thinks there hasn't been a sleeved Olympian yet and then gives us insight into how she polishes her look in such a way that she feels has helped her land top placings.

While every episode is real and genuine, this one gets super raw and you won't want to miss it!

Make sure you are subscribed on your favorite streaming platform or bookmark this page so you can always come back for more every week!

CONNECT WITH CARLA:
MAKEUP: https://www.instagram.com/glam_by_carla/

CONNECT WITH CELESTE: https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/

LEARN ABOUT THE POST-SHOW PROGRAM CELESTE MENTIONED HERE: https://celeste-rainsturk.clickfunnels.com/postshowpersonaldevelopmentprograminfo

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ASHLEY PARKER; Going Pro in First Year of Competing, Show Day Tips, Letting go of Leanness, Prioritizing Sleep and Body Work, Meal Tips and A Yummy Idea

RENEE HARSHEY; Announcing Switch to Wellness After Years of Fighting for Pro Status in Bikini, Benefit of Getting Uncomfortable in Weight & Macros, Unhealthy Extremes and Metabolic Damage

JESSICA LYNN; Athlete Quality, Value Of Pro Status, Life Outside Of Fitness, Changing Appearance For Judges, Maintaining A Competitive Physique While Still Living Life, Pushing Through Illness

CARLA GARTHWAITE; Impact of Competing on Relationships, Prioritization, Why Hasn't There Been a Tattooed Olympian?, Taking in Feedback, Pressure in NPC v IFBB

Confessions of a Bikini Pro Podcast

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