Coaching & Cocktails

In 2016, Brandi and Tina published their all encompassing guide to competing in physique competition, 'What to Expect When You're Competing.' It's your "no B.S. guide to everything you need to know from making the decision to compete through what happens when you step off stage. 

In this new 4-part series, we take it a step further and dive deeper into the lifecycle of a successful fitness/physique competitor. 

• Part 1 - Pre-Prep, Off-Season, Building
• Part 2 - Cutting Phase (Prep) 
• Part 3 - Peak Week and Show-Day
• Part 4 - Recovery and Reverse

To quote Brandi, "you mean I have to do all this work to get ready to do all this work?" Yup!

In today's episode we talk about "Pre-Prep" which encompasses all the time spent preparing your physique prior to selecting a show or in between shows (often called the off-season). This is the "not-so-glamorous often boring and likely tedious" part of prep but also THE most important aspect. It's what you do with your training and nutrition consistency during your off season or before you ever make the decision to step on stage that will determine your success in prep and on stage. 

Listen to Coaching & Cocktails podcast anywhere you stream your favorites: Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes, and more.

Follow us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachingncocktails/
Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/170062690920751/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingncocktailspodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachncocktails
Web: https://www.centerstageathleticscoaching.com/coaching-cocktails-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

Coming to you live from Tina's bed (you have to listen to find out why), Brandi and Tina discuss how beauty standards and bias can impact placement in a subjective sport like physique competition. We also discuss how our own bias toward what we see as beautiful, in ourselves as well as others, can have an impact on our own self-image outside of any sport.

Listen to Coaching & Cocktails podcast anywhere you stream your favorites: Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes, and more.

Follow us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachingncocktails/
Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/170062690920751/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingncocktailspodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachncocktails
Web: https://www.centerstageathleticscoaching.com/coaching-cocktails-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

Brandi and Tina are taking a quick break this week, but we'll be back before you know it on our regular day next week! Stay tuned!

Quick reminder of our contest going on! Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Snap a screenshot and email it to us [email protected] to win some amazing stuff!

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

In this quickie episode, Brandi and Tina launch their first ever listener contest for some pretty nice prizes, if we do say so ourselves! If you want to know what you can win and how, you have to listen!

Contest details will also be posted in our Facebook discussion group (see below).

Listen to Coaching & Cocktails podcast anywhere you stream your favorites: Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes, and more.

Follow us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachingncocktails/
Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/170062690920751/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingncocktailspodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachncocktails
Web: https://www.centerstageathleticscoaching.com/coaching-cocktails-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

Ladies and gentleman, the eternal snow day we call the COVID-19 pandemic is OVER! Well, not really over but what we mean is that it's time to stop pretending we'll "go back to normal" any day now and all the fun foods, alcohol, and lack of activity we've been partaking in will just magically disappear. We've been at this thing about 4 months now, and it's time we take back control (or gain control if you never had it to begin with) and get those extra pounds we gained "accidentally without looking."

In Episode 32, Brandi and Tina discuss why and how many of us have put on a few unwanted pounds in the last few months, even while many are getting more activity than they may have had pre-pandemic. We'll also discuss some strategies, we not only use with clients, but also use ourselves (we are NOT immune) to get on track or get back on track and lose the unwanted weight.

Listen to Coaching & Cocktails podcast anywhere you stream your favorites: Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes, and more.

Follow us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachingncocktails/
Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/170062690920751/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingncocktailspodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachncocktails
Web: https://www.centerstageathleticscoaching.com/coaching-cocktails-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." -Maya Angelou.

In Episode 30, Brandi and Tina continue their special Life Athlete series with Pillar 4 - Personal Growth. Now, more than ever, it's important to learn more, do more, and grow more. With the current state of the world - pandemic, politics, racial and social injustice, it's not enough to continue with the status quo of what you know. To be the best life athlete you can be, personal growth and continued knowledge and learning is of the utmost importance. If you aren't taking the time for personal growth now, in these uncertain times, you may very well continue to be a part of the problem, rather than be a part of the solution. Take the first steps to listen and grow with us!

Listen to Coaching & Cocktails podcast anywhere you stream your favorites: Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes, and more.

Follow us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachingncocktails/
Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/170062690920751/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingncocktailspodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachncocktails
Web: https://www.centerstageathleticscoaching.com/coaching-cocktails-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

In this second episode of a very special two-part episode of Coaching & Cocktails, Brandi and Tina, along with long-time friends and former clients, Raima C. and Heather T., sit down to have a conversation about the racial inequities in the United States and to take a personal look at the Black Lives Matter movement and our personal responsibilities to be more intentional in the fight against racism.

In an NPR article interviewing the author of "White Fragility," Robin DiAngelo says: "Humility is key, you can't know all you need to know. It is a bit like asking how to get in shape by Monday morning. You won't be. You can only get started by Monday. And it will be a multipart process. Diet, exercise, sleep and so on. And you will never be in a fixed state of shape. It is an ongoing practice that must be integrated into your life. Anti-racist practice is an ongoing practice, says DiAngelo. You will never "arrive." It is a journey, not a destination.

The four of us having this conversation is just the beginning of the journey. Just as we've practiced daily for years to train our physical selves, if we are to make a change, we (the collective we, meaning all of us) must start to integrate these conversations into our daily lives. We cannot change what we do not acknowledge within ourselves. This conversation was brutally raw, honest, vulnerable and humbling. Truly life-altering for each of us.

Educate yourselves, as Raima says, "Google that shit," then take an honest look in the mirror, have hard conversations and understand that it is no longer ok to just say that you are not racist; you must understand it and actively do something to change it. As DiAngelo says, "check your white fragility at the door." Before you can check anyone else, you must first check your own bias, experience and actions. We can only do better, when we know better. Remember, if you are not actively being a part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.

Heartfelt thanks to our special guests:

Heather T. - creator of Blank Canvas Talk podcast/vodcast; available on most streaming platforms and founder of Let Us Reason Apologetics LLC.

Raima C. - Personal Coach and owner of Intentionally 360; [email protected]

Listen to Coaching & Cocktails anywhere you stream your favorite podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more.

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

In this first episode of a very special two-part episode of Coaching & Cocktails, Brandi and Tina, along with long-time friends and former clients, Raima C. and Heather T., sit down to have a conversation about the racial inequities in the United States and to take a personal look at the Black Lives Matter movement and our personal responsibilities to be more intentional in the fight against racism.

In an NPR article interviewing the author of "White Fragility," Robin DiAngelo says: "Humility is key, you can't know all you need to know. It is a bit like asking how to get in shape by Monday morning. You won't be. You can only get started by Monday. And it will be a multipart process. Diet, exercise, sleep and so on. And you will never be in a fixed state of shape. It is an ongoing practice that must be integrated into your life. Anti-racist practice is an ongoing practice, says DiAngelo. You will never "arrive." It is a journey, not a destination.

The four of us having this conversation is just the beginning of the journey. Just as we've practiced daily for years to train our physical selves, if we are to make a change, we (the collective we, meaning all of us) must start to integrate these conversations into our daily lives. We cannot change what we do not acknowledge within ourselves. This conversation was brutally raw, honest, vulnerable and humbling. Truly life-altering for each of us.

Educate yourselves, as Raima says, "Google that shit," then take an honest look in the mirror, have hard conversations and understand that it is no longer ok to just say that you are not racist; you must understand it and actively do something to change it. As DiAngelo says, "check your white fragility at the door." Before you can check anyone else, you must first check your own bias, experience and actions. We can only do better, when we know better. Remember, if you are not actively being a part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our conversation to be released Friday, June 26th.

Heartfelt thanks to our special guests:

Heather T. - creator of Blank Canvas Talk podcast/vodcast; available on most streaming platforms and founder of Let Us Reason Apologetics LLC.

Raima C. - Personal Coach and owner of Intentionally 360; [email protected]

Listen to Coaching & Cocktails anywhere you stream your favorite podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more.

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

WARNING: Reflections in the mirror may be distorted by socially constructed ideas of beauty.

Definition:
bod·y im·age (noun) the subjective picture or mental image of one's own body.

In this episode of the Coaching & Cocktails podcast, Brandi and Tina unpack the truth about body image, what it is and what it isn't as well as the bullshit lies we tell ourselves pertaining to our image of ourselves. Wikipedia says that Body Image is a person's perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. It involves how a person sees themself, compared to the standards that have been set by society. This last sentence is key here.

Listen in as Tina has an epiphany regarding her fear of aging and insecurities as a coach in a sport judged on aesthetics, while Brandi admits to her own secret fears of inadequacy in her athleticism. Learn how body image isn't always what it appears to be on the surface and how to transfer the negative energy spent on "hating your belly fat" into something far more meaningful.

Listen to the Coaching & Cocktails podcast anywhere you stream your favorites: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes and more.

Join us afterward for conversation in our Facebook discussion group.

Need help unpacking your own body image thoughts? We'd love to hear your stories. Drop us a line via our website: www.centerstageathleticscoaching.com

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas 

Let's talk about stress baby, let's talk about you and me. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be.....let's talk about stress (sung in my very best Salt-n-Pepa "Let's Talk About Sex" tune.

What is stress and why should you care? Because it can quite literally KILL you ....seriously....it can! However, stress isn't ALL bad, we NEED some stress in order to thrive and grow as human beings; but too much of the wrong kinds of stress, even the stress we may not KNOW is stress can silently wreck your best laid health and fitness plans. 

In Episode 27 of Coaching & Cocktails, Brandi and Tina discuss what stress is (some things might surprise you), what it does to your mental, physical and spiritual health, and how you can counteract the potentially negative impacts of it. We talk about the science (yup sometimes we go there) and our own experience working with clients as well as how managing and lessening stress has impacted our own lives.

Even if you think you aren't stressed or are already managing it effectively (ahem...overtrain and over diet much), take a listen because you may just learn you aren't doing as great a job as you think!  

Listen to the Coaching & Cocktails podcast anywhere you stream your favorites: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and more.

Need help managing your own stress or don't know where to start? Shoot us a message about coaching on our website: www.centerstageathleticscoaching.com

Looking for a coach to help you be YOUR best self in bodybuilding or just in life? Let's get in touch!

Team CSFP

IG: @teamcsfp
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teamcsfp

To reach out to Tina @ Center Stage Athletics

www.centerstagethleticscoaching.com

[email protected]

To reach out to Ginny @ Thrive NutriFit

www.thrivenutrifit.com

IG & FB: @ginnygrivas