Jul 3, 2020
In this episode Celeste has the pleasure of speaking with Emily
Parris, an IFBB bikini pro who started competing in 2017 and
competed in seven national shows before earning her pro card. Emily
has her Masters Degree in Speech Pathology and works as a Regional
Director of Operations for Reliant Rehab as well as a coach for
competition and lifestyle clients.
Celeste starts off the episode by asking Emily about her pre-stage
ritual and from there the conversation transitions into how Emily
ended up competing for the first time “on a whim.” She shares that
she was ready for a new challenge in her fitness journey and was
drawn in by the sparkly bikinis, the hair, makeup, etc., yet even
after signing up for her first show, had no idea what the NPC was
or exactly what competing entailed.
From there, Emily goes on to tell listeners about her experience
living abroad in Asia; how long she was there, what she did while
living abroad, what made her decide to do so, and why she chose
Asia. After sharing her experiences using her skills in speech
pathology abroad, Celeste asks Emily to share how she got into the
medical field and ultimately chose speech pathology as her
career.
Emily then talks about how she manages her time between competing,
life, and her full time job and how she organizes her days. Next,
Celeste and Emily discuss the importance of consistency and
commitment and how that is such a vital aspect of making the
lifestyle work, and Emily shares her experiences of a time she had
a hectic schedule being on prep and traveling between California
and Utah for work.
Next, Celeste opens the conversation to the topic of relationships
and asks Emily about not only her current relationship, but
experiences she’s had with people who may not have been supportive
of her lifestyle as a competitor. Emily talks about how growing up
in Atlanta her desire to train for and participate in a bikini
competition wasn’t widely understood and accepted right off the
bat. She also opens up and talks about her fiancé Jeff, and the
impact her lifestyle as a competitor has on their relationship.
After getting personal, Emily answers the fun question of what her
favorite exercises are for shoulders, hamstrings and glutes and why
she loves those exercises. Emily also admits that she has a least
favorite exercise that her coach includes in her training program,
yet she does them anyways!
Celeste asks Emily to share more about her coach, how she chose him
and why she decided to switch coaches before competing in Universe
and earning her pro card. Emily also talks about her experience
competing at Wings of Strength and what it was like standing next
to pros she had admired for years on social media and during her
journey to becoming a pro herself.
Celeste and Emily then talk training strategy and the approach
Emily took in terms of her training and time off to really
transform her physique and hit the national circuit and eventually
turn pro.
From there, Celeste opens up the conversation to the mindset aspect
of the sport and asks Emily to share with listeners about her
struggles during her off season in terms of mindset and how she had
to learn to switch her perspective from “prep mode” to “improvement
season mentality.”
Also, Emily talks about a setback she had during her first off
season and explains the changes she has made to have more
successful off seasons in the future. Emily and Celeste discuss the
importance of living a healthy and balanced lifestyle, no matter
the goal, as long as there as passion and self fulfillment attached
to that goal.
Next, Emily talks about what she learned about her body, herself
and the sport during her journey competing in various national
shows before finally achieving the coveted pro status. She mentions
respecting the sport and respecting the process instead of just
trusting it and how understanding that respect made a difference in
her outlook on her journey.
Emily also shares why its so important to have love for the sport
beyond just attaining the pro status and shares some goals that she
has for this 2020 season, all while wanting to keep her
expectations in a specific realm of where she feels personal
success - whether that means making it to the Olympia stage or
simply achieving callouts in her shows.
Emily then talks about posing and presenting her physique on stage
and her experiences working with a male posing coach as opposed to
a female posing coach. She mentions the distinction she makes
between criticism and feedback and how she uses that to continue to
make necessary adjustments to present her physique the best way
possible, whether that be with a male or female posing coach.
Finishing off the episode as always, Emily shares her advice for
the first time competitor as well as her advice for girls who are
on their road to pro.
CONNECT WITH EMILY
HERE: https://www.instagram.com/eparrisfitness/
CONNECT WITH CELESTE
HERE: https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/
EPISODE TIME
STAMPS
[1:40] Emily shares her pre-stage ritual.
[2:50] Celeste asks Emily to elaborate on how she ended up doing
her first competition “on a whim.”
[8:00] Emily tells listeners all about her experience living abroad
in Asia; why she decided to go and what she did while living
there.
[12:20] Celeste asks Emily what led her to choose a career in
speech pathology.
[16:00] Emily goes into detail about what exactly she does as a
speech pathologist.
[20:30] Celeste has Emily share how she manages her time between
work, competing, and life.
[23:30] Emily shares how consistency is so important to make this
lifestyle work, regardless of how busy she is with work and
training.
[26:40] Celeste and Emily talk significant others and Celeste asks
Emily if she’s had experiences with people in her life who didn’t
support her goals and visions.
[30:45] Emily tells listeners her favorite exercises for shoulders,
hamstrings, and glutes.
[33:40] Emily shares when she decided to switch coaches and the
reasoning behind it.
[34:40] Celeste asks Emily what it was like to stand on stage next
to pros who she had looked up to before reaching that level.
[37:30] Celeste asks Emily to share what she felt made the biggest
difference in terms of transforming her physique during her time
away from the stage before finally earning her pro card.
[43:00] Emily shares insight as to how she shifted her mentality
from a strict prep mode into a more relaxed off season/improvement
season mindset.
[49:50] Celeste asks Emily how she overcame some setbacks from her
initial post show experience to her current improvement season.
[54:15] Emily talks about what she learned about herself, her body,
and the sport during her time between her various national shows
before finally achieving the coveted pro status.
[59:00] Celeste and Emily discuss the importance of not just
trusting the process but respecting the process and the sport.
[61:40] Emily mentions how this current off season has been her
most successful and how it’s helped with her goals for this
year.
[66:20] Celeste asks Emily about her experiences working with a
male posing coach.
[70:00] Emily shares her advice for girls who want to get into
competing and the competitors on their road to pro.