46 weeks & 5 days of improvement season 🥰 

I’ve never pushed myself to grow as much as I have in this season.

I started my reverse diet with the guidance of my coach then did my own programming for a few months then the last 16 weeks I worked with my coach again.

I treated the last of this improvement season like a pre-prep & gave even more to the process.

I’ve primed my mind to make the shift to prep mode bc not much has to change.

The goal is to step on stage maybe around spring or summer next year depending on how things come together.

I had a conversation with my coach, Joe, in improvement season after lots of my own reflection where I really made peace with not caring so much about a timeline.

If I’m ready for the stage, I’ll step on it. If it’s not time, it’s not time. I really want to be in this for the long run & am willing to do what It takes to be able to be especially as a natural athlete.

In this off season I was faced with many challenges but I found more peace in the gym than ever.

I can still remember the way I felt & the way the gym smelled on those hard days.

It meant so much to me because it was a place I could & can go to just be with myself & have no choice but to focus on the muscle fibers I'm using & nothing else.

It channeled my energy to the present moment which I needed.

I went from questioning “what’s the point of anything” after the loss of my mom to remembering that there is meaning in everything & the things we enjoy so much that even on our hardest days we can’t imagine not doing really do matter.

So for me, bodybuilding is the constant, I never stopped because it empowers me.

My goal in bodybuilding has been to bring mental health to the forefront & I believe I’ve only scratched the surface.

My journey as an athlete is part of a larger platform & I am grateful I get to do this & continue to improve.

The most helpful part of this growing season was the support & guidance of my coaches @teamedge1 @joediscuillo @ingridromero1 who came through for me when I really needed them, having training & posing posing sessions & lending an ear or laughing always on the days I seemed to need it most❤️