Who are some of your inspirations?

I would say all strong women inspire me. This is in all realms. Whether it is music, fitness or in the professional world. I have the privilege of knowing a lot of powerful women including my posing coaches, powerful fitness trainers and amazing professional mentors (shout out to Daniela Munoz Alvarez). Women have a way of being empathetic, loving and holding on to light, but still standing in their power. This is what inspires me and the type of woman I aspire to be in all realms of my life. My weight loss journey was actually originally inspired by my mother who went through her own journey and offered me a lot of support and motivation. Love you, Momma!

What’s the best life advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice I have received comes from very wise women in my life. First is to love yourself, and second is to pay attention to your thoughts. I think if you cannot love yourself you will have a very difficult time finding success. When we do not love ourselves this projects outward and it impacts everything we do. This is the same with paying attention to your inner dialogue and thoughts. If you’re constantly thinking negatively or assuming you cannot do something or accomplish your goals, this will become your reality. Learning to love myself and control my thoughts is a continuous process for me. I have found that when I tell myself I can do this, I believe I am worthy of love and all good things, and I can achieve my goals.

Which fashion trends do you think should come back and which ones should die?

To be honest, I am not much of a fashionista myself. For fashion trends that should die, I am going to go with boyfriend fit jeans. Like the really baggie big ones that have too much space in the butt area usually, and chunky shoes! I just don’t think these are cute. For looks I think should come back, I personally really love Bohemian style clothing and 70’s type style. For example, there is those cute patterned dresses and you can get long necklaces. I definitely do not enjoy bellbottoms. Please, no!

In what sort of clothing do you feel most comfortable?

I am going to say leggings and T-shirts, all the way. This is my go to outfit for relaxing or doing anything. I also really love wearing flowy dresses. I am also going to throw in that earrings are very important to me. I LOVE a good pair of earrings and without them I do NOT feel comfortable.

What is next for you?

I am currently staying very focused on building my professional career and will be for the next two years after recently finishing my masters program. In terms of fitness, I am continuing to work on finding a healthy balance. But I also have long-term goals to keep building my body because I do feel passionate about the sport. I know I will step back on an IPL stage when I feel ready on a physical, mental and spiritual level. I am also currently supporting fellow competitors with posing at my gym (shout out to Templo Fitness in Tucson, AZ).

Any final thoughts?

I would add that I am grateful to the International Physique League because it provides so many powerful folks a space to challenge themselves and reach their potential. SEAM