Welcome back to the podcast! We are excited to have our first-ever guest, MMA fighter Alivia Bierley, join us today. Alivia shares her incredible and inspiring story of how she got into Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), starting with a desire for self-defense after a harrowing experience in college with an ex-boyfriend. She recounts an incident where he cheated on her began stalking her, and eventually physically assaulted her in public.

She also tells the terrifying story of being followed in a Walmart parking lot late at night during the 2020 pandemic. This fear and anger fueled her decision to start training MMA, initially to learn self-defense and then it grew into a passion and career. Alivia discusses her competitive spirit and athletic background in basketball, track, and gymnastics.

We dive into:

* How being beautiful sometimes attracts "interesting people"

* How Alivia realized she had a "fight or flight" response

* Her first time getting "rocked in the face"

* Training with male partners and being in the heaviest women's weight class for the UFC, which is 135 lbs.

* The rush of adrenaline she experiences during a fight

* The moment she realized fighting was a platform to inspire and advocate for others Alivia made her amateur debut in August 2021 and discusses her professional debut on Mother's Day 2024 where she fought a bigger girl and had her nose broken in the first round.

She finishes by stressing the importance of sticking to the game plan as she won her next fight in the first round by following her coach's advice.

Guest Bio: Alivia Bierley is an MMA fighter who competes in the UFC's heaviest weight class for women, 135 lbs. She began her journey to learn self-defense in 2020 and made her amateur debut in 2021.