Coping Through COVID-19; A Group Discussion with IFBB Bikini Pros: Anya Nicholson, Ashley Kaltwasser, Carla Garthwaite, Jennifer Dorie, and Phoebe Hagan

In this special episode, Celeste has the pleasure of talking to FIVE bikini pros that have been on the show before to discuss all things Coronavirus and lockdown related. Ashley Kaltwasser, Anya Nicholson, Phoebe Hagan, Carla Garthwaite and Jennifer Dorie come together and discuss how they’ve been affected by the lockdown and quarantine procedures, their mindset and mentality moving forward in terms of competing and their day to day life, the adjustments they’ve made with training and diet strategies in the home workout platform, their thoughts on the future of the 2020 competition season and more.
 
Celeste kicks off the episode telling listeners how the idea for a group episode came about when Anya brought up the idea in conversation once all the shutdowns and quarantine procedures started taking effect nation and worldwide. Anya thought that it would be a good idea for competitors to come together and discuss their experiences and the transitions they’ve had to make despite the uncertainty of the competition season.
 
Celeste first opens the floor to all the girls to discuss the topic of their mindset and mentality; have they had to readjust to the 100% all or nothing mindset they maintain during a “normal prep” or have they been able to keep pushing forward despite the circumstances? From there, Celeste asks the girls whether or not they still plan on competing towards the end of 2020 or if they will be transitioning into a reverse diet and improvement season instead. The competitors talk about how they have had to adjust their training and diet regimens to an at home setting, each competitor sharing their own unique adjustments and strategies they have taken on since making the transition. Celeste asks Phoebe of her competition plans in hopes of still being able to earn her spot to qualify for the 2020 Olympia.
 
From there the conversation transitions to how the girls have been affected in other aspects of life, in terms of their events & appearances, businesses, and even family life. Celeste opens up the conversation and the girls talk about their opinions on the changes that will be made to the qualifications for not only the Olympia, but for national level shows for amateur competitors, what they predict in terms of the turnout for the shows that do open up, and how they feel about going into those shows.
 
The girls collectively discuss how they’ve been dealing with their mentality and their anxieties not just in terms of competing and show cancellations and postponements, but in their daily lifestyle as well. Celeste and Ashley talk about how she’s been giving back to her community and the medical professionals the best way she can even with limited resources and being at home. Celeste then wraps up the episode with final thoughts from the girls and any other advice they have to give during this time.

For each athlete's individual episode 
Anya Nicholson 
Ashley Kaltwasser 
Carla Garthwaite
Jennifer Dorie
Phoebe Hagan

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Connect with everyone on Instagram:
Celeste Rains-Turk: https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/
Anya Nicholson: https://www.instagram.com/thebarbellbombshell/
Ashley Kaltwasser: https://www.instagram.com/ashleykfit/
Carla Garthwaite: https://www.instagram.com/garthwaitefit/
Jennifer Dorie: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferdorie_ifbbpro/
Phoebe Hagan: https://www.instagram.com/phoebehagan_/

Episode Timestamps
[1:40] Celeste reveals the IFBB bikini pros she will be speaking with about the COVID19 lockdown.
 
[2:20] Anya kicks off the podcast by telling us about how she came up with the idea to bring a group of pros together on the podcast to talk about the current coronavirus situation.
 
[3:48] Ashley talks about how she’s dealt with the changes post eye surgery & now with the COVID19 lockdown.
 
[5:00] Celeste opens the floor & asks the competitors about mindset: how they’ve adjusted, maintained, or had to get back to the 100% mindset or mentality they usually have under “normal” circumstances.
 
[7:03] Carla & Phoebe share how they’ve adjusted mentally since lockdown has started for them & their families.
 
[13:00] Celeste asks Jennifer how she’s had make mental adjustments & what her and her coaches decided for her plan given she was already prepping when quarantine started.
 
[17:10] Anya shares how she’s adjusted to the stay at home orders being a homebody, yet also where she finds herself struggling mentally with things such as diet.
 
[19:00] Celeste asks the competitors: are any of the “scratching” the season completely and switching to a reverse, or are they set on competing?
 
[19:15] Phoebe takes the floor & expands on the topic of her plans for the competition season.
 
[21:03] Celeste asks Ashley what she’s doing with her routine & to stay on top of her diet while being stuck inside all day.
 
[22:23] The competitors talk about grocery shopping and if they’ve had to change any foods on their plan because of the empty shelves.
 
[24:07] Jen leads the group discussion of how workouts have been affected & modified to the at home setting with limited equipment.
 
[29:50] Celeste brings up the topic of qualifying for the Olympia & Phoebe starts off the conversation with her strategy moving forward.
 
[34:15] Celeste asks Ashley how her scheduled events & appearances, sponsorships, etc. have been affected by the situation.
 
[35:20] Phoebe & Anya discuss how their posing businesses have been affected by gym closures & lockdown protocols.
 
[40:45] Jen discusses how she’s adapted her approach & strategies with her coaching clients since shows have been pushed back & canceled.
 
[45:00] Carla discusses how her & her family’s life has been affected economically by the quarantine & lockdown protocols.
 
[51:17] Celeste discusses the topic “restriction breeds fixation” and how food needs to be looked at beyond just physique goals.
 
[52:30] Celeste opens the floor for the girls to discuss their thoughts on the qualification changes for the Olympia and national level shows at the amateur level.
 
[57:30] Anya talks about how she’s changed her prep strategy as she had originally planned on doing her first show in April.
 
[59:00] The competitors share their opinions on their predicted turnouts for the pro shows in terms of number of competitors once shows open up again.
 
[66:45] Celeste asks the competitors about how they’ve approached overcoming anxieties during this time from a lifestyle aspect.
 
[75:21] Ashley talks about the ways she’s been giving back to her community & the medical professionals.

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