From picking up a hockey stick at the age of four Trish Ross was on a path to hockey greatness including competing for age groups representative teams regionally as well as for New Zealand. In her twenties having made the New Zealand Academy (effectively the B team) Trish was asked to attend a New Zealand Olympic trial though unfortunately that's where her Olympic dream ended for reasons she discusses in the show.

I originally invited Trish along to Mental Strength Conversations to chat about her mental strength when preparing for and competing in body building competitions. But as the conversation progressed I learned so much more about someone I've played hockey with and against for a number of years including in the Wellington and New Zealand 35s Masters teams as well. Body Building is something I've always been fascinated with due to the extremes body builders put themselves through to compete - which Trish details in this episode from both a mental and physical perspective.

So it's like a two for one - we talk about both Trish's hockey and body building, including how Trish stayed playing hockey despite not achieving her goals of representing New Zealand in an Olympics something she'd been committed to for years. We talk about how Trish approaches her training for body building all year long, what it's like to compete as an individual athlete vs. an athlete in a team sport and what motivates her to stay with body building now. Plus some of the issues she faces balancing body building and job... including the meal synonymous with body building - chicken and broccoli. Sometimes it's funny what you learn when you ask people the right questions... and I certainly learned a lot so sit back, relax and enjoy this episode of Mental Strength Conversations with Trish Ross.