JOY SHEPPARD

​Today Celeste speaks with Joy Sheppard, a mother and nurse
practitioner who started competed in 2014. She turned pro in 2018
at North Americans when she won the Overall.


Joy talks about the feelings she has before stepping on stage and
how gratitude plays into her whole prep. In speaking about her
journey as a competitor, going through life struggles has really
forced her to look at herself and make major changes. She
recognizes the importance of really knowing why she wants to
compete and playing the long game.


In recounting the experience of her first show, Joy says that it
was all a blur but remembers feeling how fun it was. Over the
years, her definition of fitness has changed to include way more
that just a physique. She now prioritizes mental health instead
of tying her worth to how hard she works.


After earning her pro card in 2018, she felt lost in her identity
and decided to start therapy, which has been paramount to her
current outlook on life. It helped her learn how to feel and
understand her feelings, and now she doesn’t even recognize her
old self.


Joy talks about how she used to use the gym and shows as
distractions from her pain and unhappiness.Taking inventory of
her own life allowed her to make the changes she needed in her
life. She can now make conscious choices on how she responds to
things. Joy notices many people put too much stock in prep and
don’t give enough effort to rest and time to grow.


Joy’s ultimate goal is to make it to the Olympia stage! Because
she knows herself better and repeats the sport, she feels more
confident setting challenging goals!

Topics Covered Include:
-Overcoming hurdles to compete
-Taking time off to improve
-Why she competes
-Separating her identity from the stage
-The importance of mental health
-The difference between an obsession and a healthy
commitment
-How Buddhism helped her parents change
-Making mindful choices
-Normalizing offseason bodies
-Being ready for the National stage
-Competing with tattoos

You don’t want to miss this incredible interview! Joy’s story is
so powerful!

CONNECT WITH CELESTE:
Website: http://www.celestial.fit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/
All Links: http://www.celestial.fit/links.html
CONNECT WITH JOY:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joysheppard_ifbbpro/

Time Stamps
[1:00] introduction
[2:50] pre-show ritual
[4:55] journey as a competitor
[8:40] first prep and first show
[11:59] committing to bodybuilding
[15:40] prioritizing mental health and getting therapy
[22:00] having a strong sense of self
[25:20] having parents who are Buddhist and how they
changed
[31:22] how her parents’ change impacted her view of family
[39:00] changes in training over the years
[44:00] challenges of an offseason
[50:20] shaking the victim mentality
[53:00] Being ready for the national stage
[64:00] Competing with tattoos
[70:00] Advice for competitors


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