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In this  episode, Jade opens up for the first time in relation to her decision to step back from bodybuilding for an indefinite length of time, to prioritise other people and elements of her life.

This episode exposes much of Jade's ongoing struggles with her identity beyond being an athlete, the feelings and thoughts she has had to experience and try and come to terms with, whilst she navigates a stressful and emotional time in both hers and her family's life.

These thoughts and feelings can materialise in different parts of an athletes journey, whether that is dealing with and recovering from an injury, the post show period where the loss of one specific and direct goal can often leave us feeling a little lost, redirecting our priorities to building a family or committing to other endeavours, and so many other areas in our lives. It's for that reason that Jade has taken the opportunity to share something extremely personal and often painful, in the hope it makes others feel less alone in these circumstances.

In this episode, Jade covers:

• Her most recent competitive season and how her life has changed over the last 9 months;
• The impact this has had on her commitment to bodybuilding
• Choices she had made as a result of a change in priorities and how that made her feel 
• Current actions she is taking to try and mitigate the impact and what her training looks like now 
• What the future looks like, aspirations and goals in bodybuilding and a realistic look at how achievable that might be

This is a vulnerable topic for Jade, one that has felt very isolating but she hopes that in sharing it, she will make it okay for others to speak out about this topic. Please let us know or feel free to reach out to Jade directly if you have been impacted by this episode or have any feedback.

 It’s important to remember that all that makes you an incredible athlete, also makes you an incredible friend, partner, family member, colleague etc and that will always be enough. If there is anything Jade wants to hammer home in sharing this story, it’s exactly that! 

Make sure you keep up with the podcast on social media for previews and details about upcoming guest speakers.

Instagram: @thebackstagebikinipodcast
Host: @jadeleahegarty

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube and Amazon Music.