My story of becoming a trainer.
I was a shy, awkward, unathletic kid. I was insecure from years of bullying and did not have much confidence. I had been playing basketball since I was in third grade. I wasn't very good and always ran around on my tiptoes.
When I was 12 I began to train at this large sports complex with their skills trainer, and the weight trainer there. This extra training made me a lot faster, much more coordinated, and way more confident than ever before on the court.
I continued on for months until basketball tryouts that year. Before we even actually tried out I was pulled into a room with a few other girls, and was told by my coach that she did not see us ever getting onto varsity and that we should all quit. So I did... and I’m so happy I did.
When I was around the age of 14, my family was no longer able to afford the personal training. I remember bawling my eyes out to my trainers and they then offered me to do a trade with them, which was cleaning for training. I was so excited that I was still able to train.
At 15 I had began shadowing my trainers. I had became very interested in becoming one someday. They both had their college degrees and I had learned so much from them that I began to help them train athletes at the age of 16.
By the time I was 17, I did a program called work experience which allowed me to work for half of the day for credits in high school. I trained groups of adults in the mornings, and after school I would help them with their athlete groups.
Once I turned 18, I wanted to reach a wider range of clientele and grow my business. I had to make a decision during this time to look into bigger gyms where I could get more business and get my name out there.
I then found this massive gym close to me called Powerhouse Gym in Fenton MI. I had fallen in love the moment I saw the gym. It had photos of bodybuilding all over the walls and was unlike any Gym I’ve seen before.
I asked the owner of Kevin Law if he was hiring any trainers and they were. So I started working there in October of 2019.
THE START OF MY LOVE FOR BODYBUILDING.
By January 2020, I decided I wanted to compete in a bodybuilding show and asked the owner of the gym if he’d be willing to train me for a show.
I then began my first prep with him during the end of January. I was doing great and making lots of progress immediately and became addicted.
Then 2020 happened, and like millions of others in the world, the gym was taken from me. To rectify this loss, I bought an exercise bike from Walmart, created a makeshift weight room, and continued my prep.
I ended up competing for the first time on October 3rd at an all-natural competition in Ohio called the NPC Natural Northern USA. I won first in the teen division and got 6th in the women’s open class E with over 20 other women. I became addicted to competing, the process, the scheduled lifestyle, and all that it teaches you along the way.
In August of 2021, I competed again at a local show in Flint and placed second in the open. I was very proud of this look however, I messed up my back pose this show. I felt a lot more pressure at that show because a lot of my family, friends, and clients were watching.
I still qualified for nationals and decided to take that opportunity to experience what a national show looks like to see how I fit in.
Two weeks later was the NPC North Americans Nationals which I chose to compete in. My family wasn’t there in the crowd and I felt much less pressure. Though that’s something I need to work on. I ended up getting last callouts of the 40 of us on the stage for prejudging.
Later, when I looked at the results, I came to find that I was placed 16th but they, for some reason, decided to call me out last. This show motivated the hell out of me though.
I’m proud of myself for placing 16th out of that many grown women. I was still only 19 then, with only about a year and a half of true bodybuilding training. Previously I wasn’t training like a bodybuilder or eating like one.
I decided to take a very long off-season this time to grow which I needed. It’s been two years since I’ve competed and I plan to compete again soon.
I want to continue helping many more people and the point of this website, my Instagram, and all my platforms is in hopes to be able to reach larger audiences around the world.
I want to inspire young girls or boys like me to know that they can achieve anything that they work for in life. To know you have such a higher purpose in life than to allow bullies to bring you down to their level. I want young kids, teens, and adults to believe in themselves and do the work.
Even if you aren’t privileged or feel you weren’t given enough resources to be like your peers just know none of that crap matters. No amount of money or material items are going to make you into a good person or make you achieve your dreams. No matter what you’re given to start with, you can still pave your own path and I believe you can achieve great things.