Nov 20, 2020
In this week's episode, host
Celeste Rains-Turk welcomes IFBB Pro, holistic nutrition expert,
and Puerto Rican bombshell Mia Sanchez. After finding her
passion in bodybuilding, she quickly rose to the ranks by winning
her pro card at Universe in 2016.
In addition to her love for fitness,
Mia has her bachelors in Communication Studies, is an excellent
writer, painter, and a great advocate for mental health in the IFBB
division.
Celeste and Mia begin the episode by discussing Mia’s journey into
fitness. Mia explains how she was an overweight child and was made
aware of her food choices since age 13. After removing red meat
from her diet, Mia began to feel confident in her new shape which
gave her the courage to start a fitness journey. Mia states that
bodybuilding opened her eyes to everything she can achieve
aesthetically.
Celeste asks Mia about her journey into bodybuilding. States she
found an advertisement in a magazine several years ago. Mia states
she was initially laughed at by her peers, however she persisted
and grew her passion and fell in love with the bodybuilding
atmosphere.
This passion grew even more after placing well at her first show.
Mia’s current goal is to be invited to the Arnold Classic or be
qualified for the Olympia. Mia openly discusses with Celeste about
feeling exhausted during prep. She has learned to “embrace the
suck” while keeping focused on beating her best package.
Mia tells viewers to appreciate the outcomes, follow the plan, and
be proud of the journey. Mia explains her post operation breast
augmentation complications. She states she has had to have several
reconstructive breast surgeries throughout the years. Mia started
her social media accounts the morning after her breast augmentation
for other competitors to follow her recovery. She admits to feeling
pressured to have a social presence after winning her Pro Card and
felt as if
she had to share her whole life to the fitness world.
Over the years, Mia let go of the pressure to be an influencer and
focus on impressing the judges instead. In addition to
bodybuilding, Mia’s true passion is writing, painting, and being
surrounded by loved ones. Mia opens up about her coach,
grandmother, and dog passing away last year.
She explains to Celeste the began to doubt her presence in the IFBB
professional stage and worry about hiring a new coach. Mia made the
choice to take time off, visit family in Puerto Rico, travel across
the United States, and prioritize her mental health by seeing a
holistic psychologist.
Mia admits to not knowing the feeling of “being off a diet” before
taking time off and believes her diet break helped her achieve an
amazing package. For her next competition prep, Mia explains to
Celeste how she will be putting primary focus on
her recovery.
She loves the process of getting ready for stage, but admits she
needs to also love the recovery part. Mia is excited to get
massages, take a few days off from cardio, practicing yoga, and
laying on the couch. In addition to physical rest, she will be
keeping her journaling, story writing, and painting as a
priority.
During her coaching, she encourages quiet time and advocates for
her clients to prioritize her Mental Health. She recommends her
clients have five obtainable, positive, and simple goals to reflect
on each week, especially for her lifestyle team members.
Intrinsic motivation, confidence, and discipline is hard to teach,
and recommends coaches to be slow on their approach. Not focusing
on her negatives and acknowledging her fears. Mia and Celeste end
the episode by giving her best advice to women who are new to
competing.
Mia’s interesting journey to fitness, nearly 5 year history in the
IFBB division, and unique perspective on recovery makes an episode
you do not want to miss!
Connect with Mia
Sanchez:
https://www.instagram.com/miaifbbpro/
Connect with Celeste
Rains-Turk:
https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/
EPISODE TIME STAMPS:
[1:42] Mia’s pre-stage ritual
[5:46] Mia’s approach to getting shredded/stage ready
[8:47] Celeste asks Mia her journey into bodybuilding
[11:15] Mia’s challenges with prepping/bodybuilding
[14:32] How Mia has changed her approach to prepping/recovery
throughout the years
[21:50] The pressure of social media when joining the IFBB
[28:25] Mia’s hobbies outside of bodybuilding
[38:43] Mia’s opens up regarding her coach passing away, stepping
back from the stage, and
prioritizing mental health
[49:28] What Mia will be focusing on for her next prep
[1:00:04] Mia’s approach to coaching in regards to Mental
Health
[1:11:13] Mia’s struggle with Social Anxiety Disorder, public
speaking, and interviews
[1:19:06] Mia’s best advice to new and upcoming
competitors