Confessions of a Bikini Pro Podcast

ANNETTE MOUNTFORD; Celebrating Sobriety, Do's & Don'ts of Posing, Self-Coaching Approach, Gut Biome Post-Show, Leaving Expectations at Home

9/25/2020

In this episode Celeste speaks with Annette Mountford, an IFBB Bikini Pro who is also a pole dancing instructor, personal trainer, and posing coach who also helps women tap into their own inner strength, and who found and fell in love with bodybuilding after getting sober alongside her husband.

As always, Celeste starts off the episode by asking Annette about her pre stage ritual and Annette shares her belief in the power of mantras, a technique she also likes to teach her posing clients.

Annette also shares her thoughts on breath work and how she talks to her clients about the moments right before stage, how to channel their true source energy and nerves, and how to use them to positively impact their performance instead of viewing them as a negative.

From there, Celeste and Annette discuss visualization, and how visualizing every step of the process, not just the end result one desires, will help improve one’s overall performance. Celeste and Annette share many valuable tips when it comes to mindset and how girls can best prepare themselves before stage, even with the minute details, for example, getting familiar with as much of the event environment as possible.

After discussing how Annette prepares her posing clients for stage, Celeste asks Annette about how much she practices her own personal routine. Next, Annette talks about her posing business, A Team, the organic beginning it had and talks about the impacts and affects she has been working through amidst the Covid-19 situation.

Celeste then asks Annette if there are any pet peeves she has when it comes to posing and Annette explains why certain shoes could cause more harm than good. After sharing her insight on posing shoes, Annette talks about her background in pole dancing how that has influenced or helped her posing.

Switching gears from talking all things posing and stage presence, the women talk about body work and Annette expresses that she feels it has made a difference in her physique. Annette shares insight on the concept of giving back to your body and what that has looked like for her over the years throughout her competing journey. She talks about the toll training takes on one’s body and why it is so important to take the time to give our bodies extra care.

Annette shares an experience she had while traveling with her sponsor, Magnum, before earning her pro card and relates it back to her point of the importance of giving back to her body. From there, Celeste asks Annette about her experiences self-coaching and what made her decide to take the leap from having being coached to then coaching herself. Celeste asks Annette about any roadblocks she experienced while coaching herself and the strategies she took to approach and overcome those obstacles.

Annette opens up and shares more about her and her husbands background on their struggles with addiction and how their experiences at the Van Pro Show expo in 2015 was really the catalyst for them deciding to take charge of their health and get sober. She shares her husbands struggles with Type 2 diabetes and how one of his doctors visits was one of a series of “wake up” moments to the harm that they were causing their bodies. Celeste then asks Annette to open up about her addictions and how they manifested in her life.

Annette talks about growing up in Calgary, the lifestyle and social norms she and her husband were surrounded with, and how that led to their struggles with addiction. She recounts the memory of their fifth anniversary and how one “hiccup” of treating themselves to a bottle of wine with dinner led to years of relapse.

Celeste asks Annette about the relapse and if her and her husband sought therapy or support groups during their second attempt to overcome addiction and stay healthy. Annette explains how her and her husband tackled their new lifestyle, what mistakes they made during their first attempt to get sober, and how they adapted their methods the second time around.

Celeste talks with Annette about any feelings of guilt or struggles of feeling worthy of the success she achieved with her health given her past with addiction. From there Annette discusses how she started working with a coach and how the experience of prepping for and competing in her first show became a celebration of her and her husbands sobriety.

Then, Annette shares her views and opinions on placings and expectations, walking us through her first national show and what she learned from that experience. The two women then discuss the topic of expectations, how bodybuilding should be a celebration, and the importance of always staying connected to your why. Next, the conversation transitions into the strategy involved in competing, touching on why certain competitors continue to compete in multiple shows despite already having certain qualifications. While discussing all things strategy, Celeste asks Annette to share an analogy she uses when it comes to various aspects of competing, both in prep and the improvement season.

Annette shares her experiences with a negative post show rebound where she gained 35 pounds and what that taught her about her approach to nutrition and supplementation post show. Annette talks about the importance of understanding ones gut biome and how competitors should really be aware of and take care of it, especially when it comes to food sources they choose to eat post show.

Celeste then transitions the conversation to Annette’s past and asks her about her experiences with bullying and how that affected and influenced her to become the woman she is today. Annette talks about what it was like moving around a lot growing up and not having money to afford the same luxuries as her peers and the toll that took on her self-confidence.

She talks about how she was able to challenge the limiting self beliefs she had developed from those experiences growing up and how she loves to help her posing clients overcome that obstacle in their own lives. Next, Celeste asks Annette more about her experiences of moving out at sixteen and the logistics of where she would stay and finding financial stability.

Annette talks about how she fell into the party lifestyle, when she met her husband and when deciding to completely change their lives they came to find the beauty in their sobriety. She shares how that insight shifted her view and mindset on the vision she now has for A Team posing and decided what it is she really wants to teach her clients.

Celeste and Annette share a moment to acknowledge one another for their each other’s visions and their desire to help women in multiple aspects of life and on topics deeper than just surface level. Concluding the episode, Celeste asks Annette to share her best advice for first time competitors and girls on their road to pro.

CONNECT WITH ANNETTE:
PERSONAL IG:https://www.instagram.com/annette_corvette_ifbbpro/
POSING TEAM: https://www.instagram.com/a_team_posing

CONNECT WITH CELESTE:
IG: www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/
WEBSITE: www.celestial.fit

Time Stamps:
[2:05] Celeste asks Annette her pre stage ritual.

[3:15] Annette shares advice from her pre stage routine that she also teaches her posing clients.

[4:00] Celeste and Annette talk about breath work and nervousness before stepping on stage.

[7:00] Celeste and Annette discuss the importance of visualization.

[10:00] Annette shares some tips for what to do during athlete check ins or the night before the show to best familiarize yourself with the competition environment.

[12:50] Celeste asks Annette how much she practices her personal posing routine.

[14:30] Annette talks about the organic start to her posing business and how it has been impacted with COVID-19.

[20:20] Celeste asks Annette to share some of her posing pet peeves.

[24:00] Celeste asks about Annette’s background in pole dancing and if that has helped her approach to posing.

[25:20] Annette talks about the importance of body work and the difference it has made in her aesthetics.

[28:30] Annette shares an experience she had with her sponsor Magnum and how that relates to her point of giving back to yourself & your body.

[32:00] Celeste asks Annette about her experiences with coaches and Annette shares how she eventually became self-coached.

[34:30] Celeste asks Annette about the typical prep roadblocks she expected to experience and how she approached them while coaching herself.

[41:45] Celeste asks Annette to share her experiences with addiction and how it manifested in her life.

[49:00] Celeste asks Annette if she and her husband sought therapy and support groups while working to overcome their addiction and stay healthy.

[52:20] Annette shares if she ever doubted she belonged in the community or that she was worthy of the success she achieved with her health.

[57:00] Annette talks about her feelings and opinions on placing and expectations, sharing her experiences of her first national show.

[60:30] Celeste relates to Annette’s experiences and elaborates on the importance of connecting to her why in terms of competing.

[64:40] Celeste and Annette talk about strategy behind continuing to compete despite having particular qualifications.

[69:00] Celeste asks Annette to share an analogy she relates to competing, in terms of during prep and the period post show.

[73:30] Annette shares insight on her post show approach with nutrition and supplementation.

[85:00] Celeste asks Annette about her childhood and her experiences with bullying, how that affected her and influenced her to become the woman she is today.

[94:00] Celeste has Annette share more about her experiences of moving out at sixteen and how she figured out where to go and how to build up her finances.

[98:00] Annette talks about the mindset work she does and how she applies that to the goals and visions she has for herself and her future.

[103:00] Annette shares her best advice for new competitors and girls on their road to pro.

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DR. BRITTNEY DAYNE; Grace, Prioritizing Travel, Infertility and Depression, Reveal Your Truth

9/18/2020

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In this week’s episode host Celeste Rains-Turk sits down with IFBB Bikini Professional, Wife, Pharmacist, Esthetician and business owner Brittney Dayne to discuss how she Reveals Her Truth in her own journey.

With a history in ballet, Brittney finds being on stage to be a very natural experience. She shares how her knowledge in dance has helped her to recognize exactly what she needed to do in her own posing through how it feels and by paying attention to details. Even with all of this she stresses the importance of remembering that posing simply creates an illusion of how your body is “supposed to” look. She also discusses the importance of not falling victim to the comparison game and that photos on Instagram don’t tell the whole story.

As a world traveler, Brittney shares some of her most memorable trips, including an underwater hotel room in East Africa. She talks about how important it is to her and her husband to prioritize travel in their marriage. As both her and her husband are competitors, she shares how they time out trips so they can let the vacation serve it’s purpose: reenergizing and recharging.

Brittney talks a lot how her spiritual journey has helped her to recognize how things time out as God intends them to, whether that be receiving her pro card or starting a family. She shares how she and here husband struggle with infertility. After a failed round of IVF, Brittney heard the sermon she needed to hear on the importance of trusting God’s timing.

As a business owner, Brittney passionately talks about the natural skincare line she has developed called RYT Skincare, which stands for Reveal Your Truth. And although a big part of her brand is focused on the skincare, Brittney talks about another huge aspect which is Revealing Your Truth. For Brittney, this was sharing her journey of infertility and the depression that came from that. In revealing her truth she found a community of women who had been going through struggles similar to her own.

As the episode draws to a close, Brittney gives her best advice to both first time competitors and those on their road to pro. Although different, both pieces of advice have a similar theme, one Brittney feels very passionate about and is excited to share with the world: Reveal You Truth.

CONNECT WITH BRITTNEY:
https://www.instagram.com/drbrit_fit/

LEARN ABOUT RYT SKINCARE:
https://www.instagram.com/therytskincare/
https://www.therytskincare.com/

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

EPISODE TIME STAMPS
[1:58] Pre Stage Rituals
[3:44] Feedback from the Tampa Pro
[5:15] Post Show Weight Gain
[8:53] The Impotence of Giving your Coach time to get to know you
[11:02] Adjusting physically and mentally to a hectic prep schedule
[12:30] Giving yourself grace to rest when you need to
[14:32] Competition Journey
[18:17] Ballet Background and how it helps in posing
[21:59] Showing up for yourself every chance that you get
[24:42] Non-negotiables in her marriage
[30:40] Travel recommendations
[34:44] Prioritizing travel in her marriage
[38:15] Differences between vacation life and day to day life
[41:59] The decision to take time off from the stage
[46:22] Having fun on the stage
[48:57] Infertility journey
[53:44] Choosing to discontinue fertility treatments and trusting God’s timing
[58:45] RYT Skincare
[1:00:52] Overall Business Mission
[1:04:10] Returning to the stage for mental and physical health
[1:08:20] How to find RYT Skincare
[1:11:17] Developing the RYT Skincare formula
[1:15:04] Best advice for first time competitors and those on the road to pro

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SHENESE CASE; Demanding Quality, Self-Care Routine, Post-Show Eating, Training Split for Growing Glutes, Be Better

9/10/2020

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In this week’s episode, host Celeste Rains-Turk has the pleasure of interviewing IFBB Pro Shenese Case. Known for her killer glutes and high energy, Shenese has a passion for fitness and helping women achieve their goals. In addition to being a fitness coach, this Canadian bombshell is in prep for her Pro debut after winning her pro card at Vancouver Pro in 2019.

Shenese begins by acknowledging how hard she is working to achieve a better stage presence for her Pro Debut in September. She gives credit to Beyonce to obtain a more sassy and energetic stage presence. Shenese also mentions the importance of hiring a coach during this time to have “another set of eyes”. Her coach focuses on every detail from “hair to toenails”. Her coach emphasizes a good posing routine to show off her physique and how making posing a daily routine will help the stage become second-nature.

Celeste and Shenese speak about how she was able to self-coach to the national level Shenese explains how she was afraid to train upper body before hiring a coach because of the misconceptions of being too manly with big biceps and shoulders. She has also decreased lower body focused strength training such as quads/calves and increased upper body days to obtain the perfect balance of muscle.

For her pro debut, Shenese has now focused on bringing down her mid-section, facial expressions, and overall conditioning. During her off season, Shenese did not over indulge and enjoyed occasional cheat meals to keep her waist line down and manageable. Celeste and Shenese agree that there is more to life than “chicken, rice, and broccoli”. Shenese now uses this approach while she coaches other women about meal timing, macros, and practicing moderation and portion sizes.

Celeste and Shenese also discuss the “why” of competing. Shenese reminisces about the insecure girl she used to be and how fitness gave her the confidence she always wanted. Shenese encourages viewers to support other women in the beginning of their fitness journeys. Celeste and Shenese believe that competing gave them the inner strength and discipline to have a sense of purpose in life.

Finally, Shenese gives credit to her daily rituals. She begins the day by meditating 10 minutes journaling, lighting a candle, and setting intentions for the day. Shenese never wants to be remembered as “the moody person” during prep and wants to represent sport in the best light.

She states, “When you love what you do, it should be full of happiness.” She has leaned on her friends and family during stressful times to include losing her Dad and going through a breakup during competition prep.

Shenese is a wonderful representation for the IFBB and has an undeniable energy!

CONNECT WITH SHENESE:
www.instagram.com/shennxo_ifbbpro/
linktr.ee/Shenese

CONNECT WITH CELESTE:
www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/
www.celestial.fit

EPISODE TIME STAMPS:
[1:32] Shenese shares her stage ritual
[4:01] Shenese discusses her love for her team/importance of posing and stage presence
[8:04] Differences between self-coaching and hiring a quality coach.
[10:32] Training split/favorite shoulder and glute exercises
[13:05] Feedback provided by judges for her Pro Debut
[15:36] Traveling for shows internationally/during pandemic
[20:23] Difference between prep and off-season diet/bringing your best package
[25:31] Shenese’s “why” on competing/words of wisdom
[33:24] How Shenese stays inspired/motivated; Her day-to-day routine
[36:21] Keeping a positive attitude in prep, avoiding negative feelings
[41:37] Shenese opens up about heart break, losing her dad, moving during pandemic
[45:33] How being an IFBB Pro has aided her professional life
[50:25] How Shenese guides women to feel empowered/her coaching skills
[53:30] Shenese discusses her E-Book for better glute development
[55:56} Transitioning from cosmetology to fitness coaching
[58:27] Fear of post-season eating/being food focused
[1:05:33] Favorite meals/recipes/food freedom
[1:15:00] Shenese talks about her future plans, endorsements, brand deals

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KIM SERMENO; From Immigrant to Serial Entrepreneur, Treasuring Your Body, and Persisting through National Shows

9/4/2020

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In this episode, Celeste speaks with Kim Sermeno, a Salvadorian immigrant who learned English in three months, obtained US citizenship and her college degree in nutrition, and who is a soon to be gym owner who earned her pro card at North Americans in 2019.

Celeste starts off the episode in her usual fashion by asking Kim about her pre stage ritual. From there, Kim shares with listeners how she got started in fitness and competing and what led her to pursue achieving her pro card.

Kim shares that growing up she was always athletic, participating in various sports such as track, soccer, and softball. When she came to the United States she discovered the gym and it was then that she started the transition from being a runner to immersing herself in the world of weightlifting.

After being asked by other gym goers if she was a competitor, Kim started researching the sport and decided to give it a try. Next, Kim talks about her experiences with her first two competitions being self coached and the approach she took to her nutrition. She then goes on to share how she started off competing in smaller shows to allow herself to manage her nerves and allow herself to get comfortable with the stage and the sport.

Celeste asks Kim if her nerves have progressed as she’s climbed through the ranks from amateur to pro, yet Kim shares how she believes her background in modeling helped her feel comfortable on stage. Since Kim jumped into competing without knowing a lot about what bodybuilding entailed, Celeste asks Kim if, looking back, there is anything she wishes she had known prior to starting in the NPC.

Kim explains that her approach to nutrition has changed since she started, from being self-taught to now working with a coach who has her on a structured meal plan for competitions. Then, Kim gives listeners insight on how her approach to nutrition changes during the off season and she admits that she doesn’t track macros or calories. She shares that she doesn’t feel the need to count meticulously in her off seasons as this has become her lifestyle and she understands how to fuel her body properly regardless of her current “season.” Kim and Celeste discuss the concept of treating the body like a treasure and how that translates to leading a healthy lifestyle.

From there, Celeste transitions into Kim’s competing career and asks how her approach has differed over the years. Kim explains that she follows the plan her coach gives her and that she never sees competing as a chore, as it’s something she loves chooses to pursue.

She shares that although she does have cravings during prep, she never gives in and loves seeing how her body changes the closer she gets to a show. With that being said, Celeste asks Kim to share her favorite prep meals and the ladies discuss their shared love for meals including oats. Next, Celeste asks Kim to share her favorite exercises for glutes, hamstrings, and shoulders if she could only choose one exercise for each muscle group.

The ladies discuss how much they both love smaller isolation movements and band work as well as typical heavy compound movements, which many prefer to emphasize when it comes to building muscle. After discussing training, Celeste asks Kim to walk listeners through her experiences competing in various national shows and how she addressed the feedback given to her by the judges.

Kim shares how she took first her class at her first show, the Olympia Amateur, then from there proceeded to do well in other shows, almost achieving her pro card, yet at one national shows she landed in one of the last call outs, making her reconsider if competing was for her.

Despite being on the fence about her future in competing, Kim had already signed up for the next national show and also had plans to vacation with her boyfriend. Kim recounts her experiences of being on vacation and how the time away from her training and diet affected her physique. After coming home, Kim realized she was up 10 pounds being only 11 days out from her show and she explains how she and her coach addressed the setbacks and persevered regardless.

Kim felt a newfound sense of confidence in herself during the show after hearing other women compliment her physique backstage and how that was the day she achieved her pro card. Celeste and Kim reflect on the various challenges Kim faced before finally reaching her goal and how that only made her a stronger athlete. Celeste then asks Kim what she would like to accomplish with her IFBB pro status and Kim shares her hopes and aspirations to one day step on the Olympia and Arnold stages.

Switching gears from all things competing, Celeste asks Kim more about her journey to citizenship; how she ended up in the United States being an immigrant from El Salvador, and what inspired her to come to California.

Kim explains that growing up she was one of five children and after seeing how hard her mother worked to provide for her and her siblings, Kim knew she wanted a better life for herself. She also shares how life in El Salvador differs from that in the United States, stating that the weaker economy and lack of options and opportunities in terms of higher education and jobs limits ones potential. Kim sought a better life not only for herself but for her family as well.

She opens up and reveals that she originally came over as an illegal immigrant, recounting her experiences on her journey to the United States, which she plans to write about and publish, titling the book “29 Days,” as a tribute to the time it took her to cross the border.

Next, Kim talks about her plans to not only become an author but to open a gym in her city of San Juan Capistrano. She explains the reasoning and motivation behind wanting to open up her own facility as well as the some of the challenges she has faced thus far. Kim shares that she has always wanted to be a business owner and explains some of the other projects she is working on both in business and in education, yet how all her goals are interconnected.

Celeste then asks Kim how bodybuilding has helped her as both a business owner and a mother. Kim talks about how she admired her mothers hard work ethic and how that inspired her to be a hard worker, a good mother but also enjoy the fruits of her labor. Kim also mentions the point of the greater the risk, the greater the reward, and how she has taken that approach with her business ventures.

After discussing business, Kim shares how she learned English after arriving in the US not knowing the language at all. Kim shares her strategy of immersing herself in the language every way she could and how that helped her learn the basics before being able to take classes. Celeste also asks how Kim met her now boyfriend and how he and her son not only support her but keep her accountable during her competition preps. Lastly, as always, Kim shares her best advice for first time competitors and for girls on their road to pro.

Connect with Kim:
https://www.instagram.com/k_roxysermeno/
https://linktr.ee/k_roxysermeno

Connect with Celeste:
https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/

Time Stamps:
[1:45] Kim shares her pre-stage ritual with listeners.

[2:15] Celeste asks Kim to share how she got started in fitness and when she found competing.

[4:38] Kim shares how she prepped herself for her first two competitions.

[7:50] Celeste asks Kim if she’s ever experienced nervousness before hitting the stage as her competitive career continued to progress.

[9:20] Celeste asks Kim if there’s anything she wishes she had known prior to competing in her first NPC show.

[12:40] Kim shares her approach she takes with nutrition in her improvement seasons as opposed to during prep.

[14:00] Celeste asks Kim if she takes an intuitive eating approach during her off season, given that she doesn’t track her food or macros.

[17:25] Celeste has Kim share the differences, if any, amongst the various preps she has done.

[18:50] Kim shares why she loves bodybuilding.

[20:20] Celeste asks Kim about her favorite prep meal.

[22:00] Kim shares her favorite exercises for shoulders, hamstrings and glutes.

[25:00] Kim discusses her experiences competing in various national shows and how she addressed the feedback she received from the judges.

[32:15] Celeste asks Kim to share about her time on vacation before North Americans and her thoughts about the physique she felt she would bring to the stage.

[35:30] Celeste asks Kim if she felt she brought a different physique to each of her national shows.

[37:40] Kim talks about what it was like to compete at the Olympia amateur.

[40:00] Celeste asks Kim what she would like to accomplish as an IFBB Pro.

[42:40] Kim shares her path to citizenship and her journey from El Salvador to California.

[45:00] Celeste asks Kim about the actual citizenship process.

[49:00] Kim talks about her plans to open up her gym.

[52:00] Celeste asks Kim how bodybuilding has helped her as a business owner and mother.

[55:40] Celeste asks Kim how she learned English.

[59:15] Kim talks about how she met her boyfriend and how he and her son keep her accountable during prep.

[61:25] Kim shares her best advice for first time competitors and girls on her road to pro

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ANNETTE MOUNTFORD; Celebrating Sobriety, Do's & Don'ts of Posing, Self-Coaching Approach, Gut Biome Post-Show, Leaving Expectations at Home

DR. BRITTNEY DAYNE; Grace, Prioritizing Travel, Infertility and Depression, Reveal Your Truth

SHENESE CASE; Demanding Quality, Self-Care Routine, Post-Show Eating, Training Split for Growing Glutes, Be Better

KIM SERMENO; From Immigrant to Serial Entrepreneur, Treasuring Your Body, and Persisting through National Shows

Confessions of a Bikini Pro Podcast

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