Mar 12, 2021
In this episode, Celeste speaks with Aimee Velasquez, the 2020
Ms Bikini USA who earned her pro card at her 4th show in only her
first year of competing, who overcame various mental health
struggles with depression, ADHD, and mood changes amidst troubling
times in her life and is also a proud mother to her
toddler.
Celeste starts off the episode by asking Aimee if she has a routine
or ritual that she performs before her heel hits the stage. While
staying on the subject of competing, Celeste asks Aimee about how
she was feeling going in to USAs. Celeste touches on the fact that
Aimee competed in front of the same panel of judges at each of her
shows this year, and asks Aimee to explain the reasoning behind
that strategy. Aimee then recounts her experiences at Universe, her
first national show, and shares all that went wrong leading up to
prejudging and also addresses what she changed going into
USAs.
After hearing how the results at Universe were far from expected,
Celeste mentions the evolution of Aimee’s posing between Universe
and USAs, asking her what strategies she used to perfect her
routine. Celeste also mentions the confidence Aimee presented on
stage and asks at what point in her journey Aimee felt she started
to embody a “pro mentality.” Aimee walks listeners through her
experiences and growth throughout the quarantine, finding her
coach, Jourdanne, and also the emotions running through her when
she received both her pro card and overall award from her
coach.
After discussing the events leading up to winning her pro card,
Celeste talks with Aimee about how her goals and mindset have
evolved since she rose through the ranks so quickly. Aimee
shares the growth she’s seen in herself, mentioning that she is now
considering the idea of getting into coaching, something she
originally hadn’t pictured herself doing.
Acknowledging the fact that Aimee has overcome much self doubt,
Celeste asks Aimee to share three tips for women that are
experiencing the same emotions and limiting beliefs. Next, Celeste
asks Aimee to share what typical day looks like both during prep
and during her improvement season. Aimee shares a typical “day in
the life,” then discusses the different phases she has experienced
along her fitness journey both before and after pregnancy and how
her priorities changed once she committed specifically to
bodybuilding.
Next, Aimee discusses how her boyfriends business took off and
started to have success around the time she really dove into
bodybuilding. She mentions that she had to make the difficult
decision to put a hold on her schooling and give up working full
time to fully dedicate herself to her goals as a bikini athlete and
to her daughter.
Celeste asks, despite the difficult decision, what it felt like to
relinquish all financial responsibility to her boyfriend. Celeste
also recognizes the strength and mental fortitude that both
motherhood and bodybuilding require and asks Aimee if she sees any
parallels between the two. Aimee shares the positive influence she
feels that becoming a bikini competitor has had on her daughter and
upon hearing this, Celeste asks how the other relationships in
Aimee’s life have changed or evolved since adopting this new
lifestyle and habits.
After hearing Aimee’s story Celeste acknowledges the changes that
occurred in Aimee’s life since finding bodybuilding and she asks
Aimee if, reflecting on her “old ways,” she recognizes the person
she used to be.
Celeste also recognizes Aimee’s ability to reflect on her past and
be courageous enough to make the conscious decision to improve her
situation, and asks about any red flags she looked for while
searching for a new coach before finding Jourdanne. Aimee
emphasizes how she values the importance of being able to openly
and comfortably be able to ask her coach questions regarding her
plan without being reprimanded in their response.
Based off of the experiences shared, Celeste is curious to know
what types of questions Aimee typically asks her coach to assure
herself that she’s constantly learning as an athlete. After sharing
her client-coach experiences thus far, Celeste asks Aimee about her
current goals and what her game plan looks like for this year. To
conclude the episode, Celeste asks Aimee if she has any other
advice for both first time competitors and girls on their road to
pro.
CONNECT WITH
AIMEE:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/fitnessbyaims/
RESOURCES: https://linktr.ee/Fitnessbyaims
CONNECT WITH
CELESTE:
IG:https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/
WEBSITE: WWW.CELESTIAL.FIT
Episode Time
Stamps:
[0:45] Celeste introduces Aimee.
[1:35] Aimee shares what she does before stepping on stage.
[2:45] Celeste asks Aimee how she felt going into USAs.
[4:20] Celeste asks Aimee what it was like getting in front of the
same judging panel at each of her shows.
[6:00] Aimee talks about what went wrong at Universe and what
improvements she made going into USAs.
[10:00] Celeste asks Aimee which athletes posing she studied and
how that influenced Aimee’s view of herself & her routine.
[12:50] Celeste asks Aimee at what point she felt she embodied a
pro
mentality.
[17:20] Aimee shares what it was like to have her coach, Jourdanne,
present her award at USAs.
[19:10] Celeste asks Aimee what was going through her head when
standing on stage waiting for the results of the overall.
[21:45] Celeste asks Aimee how her mindset and goals have evolved
since she became pro so quickly.
[24:15] Aimee gives three pieces of advice to women who experience
self doubt.
[26:50] Aimee shares what a normal day looks like in prep and
during improvement season.
[29:45] Celeste asks Aimee how things changed when she recommitted
to fitness with the focus on bodybuilding.
[33:05] Aimee talks about what it was like to relinquish financial
responsibility and let her boyfriend become the soul
provider.
[36:20] Celeste asks Aimee if there are any parallels between her
experiences as a mother and as an athlete.
[39:10] Aimee discusses how relationships changed once she adopted
this new lifestyle.
[41:40] Celeste asks Aimee if, looking back at her old self, she
seems unrecognizable when seeing where she is now.
[45:00] Aimee shares some coaching red flags that she took into
consideration before finding & hiring Jourdanne as her
coach.
[50:50] Celeste asks Aimee what types of questions she asks her
coach to assure herself that she is always learning.
[54:00] Aimee shares her current goals and game plan.
[56:20] Celeste asks Aimee her advice for first time competitors
and girls on their road to pro.
[59:00] Aimee shares where listeners can connect with her on social
media.