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