SEAM Magazine COVER STORY - Sunny Eclipse: 52-Years-Young Mother Of Five & 6X IPL Pro Champion - Natural Bodybuilding Competitions

COVER STORY - Sunny Eclipse: 52-Years-Young Mother Of Five & 6X IPL Pro Champion

“…my heart and mind connection, my self-talk, my self-care, my self-LOVE, my worth, my SOUL. I was emotionally and spiritually rock solid.”

Images captured during the weekend of the October 2022 6th Annual IPL West Coast Pro/Am in Sacramento, CA. At this contest Sunny slayed in both Pro Masters & Pro Open Evening Gown, adding two more IPL Pro titles to her resume.

AMBITION, STRENGTH, LOVE

INTERVIEW & PHOTOS BY BEN YOSEF

BEN YOSEF: OK, Here we go! Where do we even start?! [laughs] First congratulations…on basically EVERYTHING! What a year 2022 was for you! How are you feeling about all that 2022 brought you?

SUNNY ECLIPSE: 2022 for me started in January and I was coming back with a determined, relentless and laser-focused action step. “TAKING IT ALL BACK!” After the great shutdown we all experienced, I stayed out of gyms and literally focused on maintaining a HEALTHY MINDSET through the complete madness and chaos. I was not anxious about not having access to gyms. I already knew how to build myself back up to what I built for the 2019 IPL season.

Consistency was all I focused on once I stepped into the gym from January to April. Putting on muscle was the MAIN GOAL, as I lost everything I had built in 2018 for the 2019 season. In May of 2022, I decided to step on stage for the October 29th show in Sacramento before my Pro Card expired. In this time frame I also started to work on a DREAM PROJECT that I’ve wanted since 2012. Timing is everything and when timing is right, we are capable of more than we ever imagined.

After three months of comp prepping, this business opportunity landed in my lap and I couldn’t let it pass me up. So, from August to October 29th I was steadily dialing in my results, building my Nutrition Club business and coaching a couple competitors in their posing. All of this while enduring a divorce and single parenting. I am telling y’all now, every one of us is equipped to handle multiple storms, multiple projects and come out stronger than ever.

"...it feels like I truly received the end RESULT from choosing to step into my 'Spiritual Body'..."

BEN: Love it! What a powerful year and list of experiences! I am so happy for you and proud of you. So, this is officially the “Spirituality Issue”, and who better to grace the cover than Sunny Eclipse! You have always projected such amazing energy and super good vibes. Ever since you first came onto the IPL scene at the 2019 California Championship, I have been a fan and have considered you a friend. I appreciate you.

We had such a great time at your photo shoot the day before the West Coast Pro/Am contest this past October. As usual you had such great energy during that hour and the vibe was just so amazing. You are literally the inspiration for this issue. Talk to me a bit about that contest weekend and where you were spirituality and emotionally…

SUNNY: Thank you so much Ben, sincerely. I’m truly honored for being chosen to grace the cover for the Spirituality Edition. To be completely honest, it feels like I truly received the end RESULT from choosing to step into my “Spiritual Body” from the beginning of 2022.

I recall a feeling that came over me or a familiar voice calling me to DO THE WORK, TRUST THE PROCESS AND SHOW UP, unapologetically! I’ve learned that every comp prep is different and will bring a NEW VERSION of ourselves to stage each time. I was on another COMEBACK tour. Clean muscle GAINZ was the mission after losing all the muscle I worked for at the age of 49 from the 2019 IPL Championship season.

"Gentle with myself, no expectations, proud of myself. Exude LOVE, and just SHINE."

Heading into this competition weekend was like “butter baby.” Gentle with myself, no expectations, proud of myself. Exude LOVE, and just SHINE. Everything starts with ME. My perspective, how I embrace my past and present experiences, my heart and mind connection, my self-talk, my self-care, my self-LOVE, my worth, my SOUL. I was emotionally and spiritually rock solid.

BEN: LOVE THIS! All of it! As someone who has given birth to five children and being able to achieve this look and level of health and fitness into your fifties, you are certainly an inspiration. Of course both you and I know what is possible when the mind and body are in alignment. But it’s safe to say we are the minority. Most people, both men and women, don’t think it’s possible for them to achieve. And I am talking about people who are maybe even in their late 20s or 30s, let alone 40s or 50s. From your perspective, what are some of the keys to unlocking one’s potential?

SUNNY: Unlocking one’s true potential requires one to be WILLING to let go of everything they know, think they know and do the unlearning of a lifetime of programming by a system outside of ourselves. It’s in the emptiness, the aloneness, the void space where we begin to recognize the version of SELF in present time. As we sit in our stillness, conscious of our breath, here is where we hear, see and feel a whole universe within. In this space we are no longer blind to our true nature. We get down to our core purpose, and we now learn about our gifts. And now activate new held frequencies that attract everything we need in order to serve LIFE and show up in our highest version of ourselves. We get to continue stepping into whatever is out of our comfort zones and keep investigating every area of ourselves. We are made of so so much. It’s an exciting adventure, to say the least.

"Rising above the negativity and relentlessly choosing to exist in the highest frequency there is, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and AWARENESS."

BEN: Where does your spirituality and insightfulness come from. Have you always had such clarity?

SUNNY: We all have clarity. Born with it. It’s a matter of one day finding yourself somewhere in life and not understanding or even believing you are where you are, unimaginable. Leading to asking, “How did I get here, what happened?” And the journey INWARD begins.

I’d say for me it was experiencing a few hard knocks early on, some seasons of struggling to stay above water, losing my freedom, my son, my marriage… These places were on my road map. It took these places for me to spend time and to get the full experience and literally learn how to still have peace in my body, love in my heart and an optimistic mindset… Rising above the negativity and relentlessly choosing to exist in the highest frequency there is, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and AWARENESS.

After experiencing so many cold, difficult, hard places in my life, it was not difficult to choose JOY LOVE, ABUNDANCE, LAUGHTER, HAPPINESS.

BEN: Wow, that is all so very powerful. I am so incredibly proud of you and inspired by you and your journey. And all of this makes me think about some of my own personal challenges, especially over the past couple of years, and how I have fought to overcome them, and rise above. I appreciate you! Tell us more about where you are now and these new projects you are working on…

SUNNY: Ok, so moving forward, while I was prepping for stage after 2.5 years being out of the scene, I was also signing a 5 year lease for my NEW Nutrition Club business and still wearing the Super Mom cape. [laughs] I returned home from the Sacramento competition and literally dove straight into the final 5 days of getting my Nutrition Club ready for my grand opening.

I experienced my mental capacity levels expanding while I was juggling my top 5 priorities: myself, my children, my dreams, my passion and my friends and family. Looking back, I have learned how to set strong boundaries, hold myself accountable, be laser-focused, no distractions, align myself with discipline and enjoy every moment of all of it. Energy was flowing all around me and I was able to operate with BALANCE. I was very happy with my competition results, my club is up and operating smoothly, my children are great, my health is great, my friends are great. As this issue is being released, I will have just turned to 53 chapters in this lifetime and I am now stepping back into my weight training and gym life after taking a 4 month break. I gave myself that time to focus on my business.

BEN: There is a lot we can all learn from you in the “Balance” category! And again, just, wow. Congratulations on your 53rd, which you just turned a few days ago! How did you spend your born day? Where do you see things with your business within the next say, 3 to 5 years? And where do you see your health, fitness, and competition status in that time frame?

"Find whatever INSPIRES you, hold on tight and no matter what, don’t let go! Ride this INSPIRATION WAVE all the way to the shore."

SUNNY: Balance is key. Thank you for my 53 birthday wishes. I spent my born day at my Nutrition Club where birthday balloons, flowers, and a delicious White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt cake showed up. Thank you for all your kind words and thank you for providing the opportunity and stage for natural drug-free competition. I am looking forward to what I absolutely know will be one of my TOP 5 Priorities for the next 5 years. I am excited about what my future business is going to look like. I am manifesting a solid thriving nutrition club that my community absolutely LOVES and that will be expanding outside the California borders. I will be working with my Team club owners and sharing our life changing opportunity.

As far as my health and fitness, I will forever be active in the weight room. I plan to execute the GRACEFUL AGING formula: smart nutrition, healthy activity and Mental Wellness exercises. It’s just the way I believe we get to experience our BEST LIVES. In this timeframe, I totally see the stage showing up in my future multiple times. I love the comp prep season, I love the structure I get to follow and the discipline that comes with it is amazing because it leads to the RESULTS. I am thankful that I’ve gotten to experience the art of Natural Bodybuilding. It has kept me BALANCED.

BEN: With the energy that you bring to the world I am quite certain that all the successes in health, wellness and business that you desire will be realized. It’s simply the circle of energy. You know? What you put out comes right back your way. Sunny, it is always a pleasure spending time with you and learning more about you. You are such a beautiful being in every way. And by the way, this cover feature is now 10 pages long! It’s huge! [laughs] I’m sure that everyone who reads this will be inspired. Thank you so much! Any final thoughts for SEAM Magazine?

SUNNY: Ben, really though, thank YOUUUUUU. What I really do hope for other men and women is that they get to experience the life-changing breakthroughs that so many of us who’ve already graced the IPL stage have. The way that we all now see ourselves and how this sport has changed our lives over the last 10 yrs or so. I say, DO IT SCARED! Find whatever INSPIRES you, hold on tight and no matter what, don’t let go! Ride this INSPIRATION WAVE all the way to the shore. The ride is life-changing, it was my Phoenix Rising. Thank you, Ben Yosef. SEAM

About the interviewer:

Ben Yosef

Ben is the Publisher of SEAM Magazine and the President & Founder of the International Physique League.

Share this post:

More From SEAM Spring 2023 Issue

SEAM Magazine – Beginners Guide To Meditation

Through meditation, we gain better concentration, spontaneity, creativity, happiness and peace of mind.

SEAM Magazine – 8 Reasons Why Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Laughter has got a major role in maintaining good health including a healthy mind.

SEAM Magazine: Forty-six-years-young Mother Of 2 & IPL Athlete Jiren Mosqueda

“Life is too short. Enjoy the moment. Be present, keep going and don’t ever stop.”

SEAM Magazine COVER STORY – Sunny Eclipse: 52-Years-Young Mother Of Five & 6X IPL Pro Champion

“…my heart and mind connection, my self-talk, my self-care, my self-LOVE, my worth, my SOUL. I was emotionally and spiritually rock solid.”

6X IPL Pro Champion Sunny Eclipse Lands Cover Of SEAM Magazine!

“As an athlete and during my competition prep, I’ve discovered that my physical training has been my main spiritual practice. It has been my sanctuary for my mind when chaos was stirring, as well as my playground for my mind, body and spirit. Thank you, IPL, for providing this Natural Drug-free opportunity for all the athletes.”