MIA SANCHEZ

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