Fourteen years to turn pro. A switch from Bikini to Fit Model. A Masters Olympia qualification at 50. Tabatha Kirkegaard’s journey is a reminder that progress doesn’t have to follow anyone else’s timeline.

In this episode of the Masters Bikini & Fit Model Podcast, Lacy Green and Kyla Faye sit down with Tabatha to talk about staying in the sport because you love it—and trusting yourself enough to try something new.

From celebrating her 50th birthday with a trip to the stage to navigating suit frustrations, changing bodies, and the demands of prep, Tabatha shares the victories and everyday realities behind her success. Expect plenty of laughter, candid competitor talk, and encouragement to keep pursuing the goals that matter to you.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it too late for me?” pull up a chair.

Follow the podcast so you never miss an episode, and send this conversation to a friend who needs a little courage to keep going.

Connect with the Masters Bikini & Fit Model community:
https://www.MastersBikiniFitness.com

What happens when chasing your biggest bodybuilding goal begins pulling you away from the people and life you love?

IFBB Bikini Pro Carla Fort joins Lacy Green and Kyla Faye for an honest conversation about the triumphs, sacrifices, and complicated emotions behind her rookie professional season.

After competing for more than a decade, Carla earned her IFBB Pro card in a division where she had already counted herself out. But after months of dieting, missed celebrations, and growing disconnection from her family, she faced another defining decision: stepping away from Masters Worlds to protect her mental well-being, reconnect with her family, and build toward her Olympia goal with intention.

Carla shares the unforgettable story of turning pro, the imposter syndrome that followed, the realities of balancing prep with marriage and motherhood, and the mindset shift that taught her to take full responsibility for her choices. Drawing from her work as a mental-health therapist, she also offers powerful insight into hormones, communication, relationships, and recognizing when determination has crossed into depletion.

This episode is a funny, vulnerable, and deeply relatable reminder that becoming undeniable does not mean competing at every opportunity. Sometimes the strongest decision an athlete can make is knowing when to pause.

Follow the Masters Bikini & Fit Model Podcast so you never miss an episode, and share this conversation with a woman who needs to hear it.

Join the Masters Bikini and Fit Model Collective! www.MastersBikiniFitModel.com

Rosada Plummer was preparing to step away from bodybuilding when unexpected feedback opened the door to an entirely new chapter.

After years as an IFBB Bikini Pro, Rosada transitioned to Fit Model, learned new posing in just 14 days, and stepped onstage at the Tampa Pro. What happened next changed everything: she qualified for the Masters Olympia.

Rosada joins Lacy and Kyla for an honest conversation about trusting the pivot, competing as a natural athlete, protecting her long-term health, navigating prep and hormonal changes, and balancing the demands of bodybuilding with motherhood, marriage, coaching, and faith.

She also shares the unforgettable stories behind earning her pro card, getting stranded in Pittsburgh with her trophy, and hearing her name announced as a Masters Olympia qualifier.

This episode is for every woman who has wondered whether her opportunity has passed her by. Rosada’s journey proves that staying true to yourself, listening to wise guidance, and remaining open to a different path can lead somewhere greater than you planned.

Follow the Masters Bikini & Fit Model Podcast on Spotify so you never miss an episode.

Strong does not expire, and dreams do not retire.

Join the Masters Bikini & Fit Model Collective: www.MastersBikiniFitModel.com

Some dreams happen quickly. Others stay with us for years while life happens around them.

For Megan Freeman, the dream of stepping onstage in a sparkly bikini began in 2015 — but motherhood, military life, loss, grief, rebuilding, and a new chapter of life all came before she finally made that dream a reality.

In this episode, Megan joins Lacy and Kyla for an incredibly open conversation about what it means to pursue bodybuilding as a Masters woman while refusing to let the sport become her entire identity.

They talk about the pressure to keep up physically, Megan’s decision to take the long road toward an IFBB Pro Card, balancing bodybuilding with family and ballroom dancing, training from home, navigating comparison, and understanding that progress takes time.

The conversation also takes an important turn into competitor culture, women supporting women, vulnerability backstage, and Megan’s personal experience with bullying and harassment — including why she ultimately decided that staying silent was no longer an option.

Through all of it, one message keeps coming back:

The long road is not a failed road.

Success doesn’t require sacrificing every other part of your life. You can chase an extraordinary goal while still being a mother, wife, friend, professional, dancer — and an entire person outside of bodybuilding.

This one is for every Masters woman who has ever wondered whether she started too late, is progressing too slowly, or needs to choose between her dream and the rest of her life.

You don’t.

Strong does not expire, and dreams do not retire.

Join The Collective! www.MastersBikiniFitModel.com

What if your labs say you’re “normal”…but you know you don’t feel like yourself?

In Episode 13 of the Masters Bikini & Fit Model Podcast, Lacy Green and Kyla Faye sit down with Dr. Courtney O’Brien, a board-certified family medicine and sports medicine physician with a special focus on women’s health, perimenopause, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy.

This episode is for the woman who is doing all the right things—training, eating well, managing stress, taking care of everyone else—and still wondering why she feels off.

Dr. O’Brien breaks down:

• Why perimenopause can begin earlier than many women realize
• Why hormone labs can be just a snapshot in time
• Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—and what each one actually does
• Brain fog, mood, libido, motivation, and cognition
• Weight gain fears and body-composition concerns around HRT
• Muscle loss, bone health, and why staying strong matters so much after 40
• How long HRT may take before you notice benefits
• Why individualized care matters
• And why sometimes the first clue is simply: “I don’t feel like myself.”

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation:

“You can be the best exerciser and the best eater and the best meditator in the world. None of those things are going to reproduce estrogen.”

This is an honest, practical, evidence-based conversation about what women over 40 deserve to know about their hormones, their options, and their long-term quality of life.

🎙️ Listen now, and if this episode helps you, follow the show on Spotify so you never miss a new episode.

💗 Want to go deeper than the podcast?
The Masters Bikini & Fit Model Collective is our private community for Masters Bikini and Fit Model women who want education, encouragement, exclusive content, community, and a place to belong.

Founding Membership opens September 3.
Join the waitlist at mastersbikinifitmodel.com

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical care.

Jen Popatia’s bodybuilding journey began with a first show so chaotic that police shut it down—but she didn’t stop there.

In this episode, Jen shares how she earned her open IFBB Pro card at 43, competed in five major shows, and qualified for the Masters Olympia three times. She opens up about embracing strong competition, developing unwavering discipline, and discovering that training had become more than something she had to do—it was something she needed for peace and connection with herself.

Jen’s story is a powerful reminder that age does not diminish ambition. It can make us even more fearless.

After the sudden and heartbreaking loss of her husband, April Conley faced a choice: remain trapped in her pain or give herself something meaningful to fight for.

She chose bodybuilding.

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, IFBB Bikini Pro and 2025 Masters Olympia fourth-place finisher April Conley shares how lifting helped her reclaim her strength, rebuild her life, and discover a version of herself she had never known before.

April opens up about grief, anger, forgiveness, surviving an abusive relationship, and why creating structure through bodybuilding gave her a sense of control when life felt completely out of control. She also takes us behind the scenes of her remarkably fast rise—from her first competition in 2021 to earning her IFBB Pro Card one year later—and what it felt like to represent Masters Bikini on the Olympia stage in Tokyo.

We also discuss:

• Turning personal pain into purpose
• The hidden pressure that follows competitive success
• Why comparison steals the joy from bodybuilding
• Competing against younger athletes as a Masters woman
• Rebuilding after a serious meniscus injury
• Learning to appreciate a healthy, capable body
• Why it is never too late to take up space and chase a dream

April’s story is raw, funny, inspiring, and a beautiful reminder that strength is about far more than the physique we bring to the stage.

Subscribe to the Masters Bikini & Fit Model Podcast for honest conversations celebrating the women, stories, and experiences shaping Masters bodybuilding.

What happens when a woman who once believed she simply wasn’t built to develop muscle decides to find out what is truly possible?

In Episode 10, Lacy Green and Kyla Faye sit down with IFBB Bikini Pro and two-time Masters Olympian Niccole Guggia. Niccole began training seriously at 36, entered her first bikini competition in 2018, and earned her pro card just two years later at her first national-level show. Since then, she has competed in more than 25 IFBB Pro League events, earned multiple Masters Pro victories, and finished in the top 10 at the Masters Olympia twice.

Niccole speaks honestly about building her physique rep by rep, navigating painful losses, competing in Masters versus Open, understanding judging preferences, choosing shows strategically, and why posing can make or break everything an athlete has worked to build. She also discusses the realities of competing after 40, protecting her health, balancing bodybuilding with motherhood and family, and taking a true offseason so she can return stronger.

This conversation is a reminder that you do not have to win everything for the journey to change your life. Stop waiting for the perfect moment, allow yourself to enjoy the experience, and do not let fear of failure keep you from beginning.

As Niccole says: just start.

Follow the Masters Bikini & Fit Model Podcast and join a community where Masters women never have to walk this journey alone.

Love you, mean it.

Do you need to look like a competitor before contacting a coach—or is coaching how you get there? In this Masters community Q&A, IFBB Pros Lacy Green and Kyla Faye answer your questions about beginning the competition journey, adjusting training and recovery after 40, handling comparison with younger athletes, and keeping prep from consuming your relationships and identity.

This is an honest conversation about what it truly takes to compete in midlife while honoring your body, your goals, and the people you love. Because being a Masters athlete isn’t a disadvantage—life experience makes us elite.

Eleven days before an IFBB Pro Qualifier, Rachel Farganis shattered her big toe in three places. Unable to wear a posing heel—but unwilling to quit—she created her own solution, stepped onstage in an orthopedic boot, and earned two IFBB Pro cards and a national overall title.

Rachel joins Lacy and Kyla to share the remarkable story behind that win, but this conversation goes much deeper than the boot. She opens up about beginning bodybuilding in the Masters division, missing her Pro card by one place three times, navigating self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and rediscovering herself after years devoted to motherhood.

Now the 2026 Indy Pro Masters Bikini 40+ champion and a 2027 Masters Olympia-qualified athlete, Rachel also shares her perspective on competing in Masters and Open, the financial burden placed on Masters professionals, and why women over 40 should never assume it is too late to pursue something for themselves.

Rachel’s story is proof that success does not always come quickly or easily. Sometimes it comes after losses, setbacks, broken bones—and the decision to keep going anyway.

Her message: You are not too old. If it’s a dream you have, you might as well chase it.