JESSICA DOLIAS

 In this week’s episode, host Celeste Rains-Turk sits down
with IFBB Bikini Pro and Coach Jessica Dolias. As a certified
holistic nutritionist, Jessica shares insight on how holistic
nutrition has helped her own mindset and relationship with food
and how she passes this insight on to her own clients. Jessica
stresses the importance of eating foods that make you feel whole,
both mentally and physically, instead of cutting things out of
your diet.

As Jessica shares how her interest in holistic nutrition began,
she dives into her past with disordered eating. She talks about
how the numbers she constantly chased (the scale, the macros, the
calories) had negative effects on her body image and her eating
style. Jessica explains about the moment she recognized that
something had to change in her current lifestyle as she noticed
the lifelessness in her own reflection.

Jessica proudly discusses how she worked through her recovery by
herself and how her mentality made a shift from focusing on
eating as little as possible to instead focusing on eating
healthy. Although this shift has been made, Jessica talks about
how it wasn’t an instant shift. She talks about how although she
has been recovered for 10 years, she still finds herself dealing
with disorder thinking and shares some of her best advice to
competitors who may be going through what she has in the
past.

As the episode progresses, Jessica talks about her career and her
education. When she lost her job due to her company shutting
down, Jessica decided to seize the opportunity to start her own
business so she would be able to pursue her dream, training
clients and becoming a coach for Bombshell Fitness. She shares
how her background in dance has aided her to becoming a posing
queen, with one judge giving her the feedback that when she is on
stage posing, she “lights up the room”.

Like many of us, Jessica has had to make adaptation in the recent
months due to quarantine. She shares how her unorthodox gym has
helped create a new passion and drive for the sport. While she’s
squatting with tree trunks she recognized that the quarantine
only reinforced her passion because although the circumstances
have changed, the excitement for the sport has only grown.

Finally, Jessica shares her own journey to the stage. As she
fought her way to the top through 10 shows, three of which were
national levels, she shares how important it was for her journey
to get a “less than optimal” placing. Her 16th place at her
first national show made her realize how badly she wanted to push
harder to earn her pro card. She also talks about how important
it was for her own journey to be involved in the industry outside
of her own training and coaching. She talks about the passion she
has developed for the sport in things such as working with the
tanning company and expediting the stage. She shares how
important it was for her to take her competing career to the next
level by working behind the scenes.

In this insightful and powerful episode, Jessica reinforces the
importance of building a life that competing fits into and
visualizing your way to success.

CONNECT WITH
JESSICA:https://www.instagram.com/jessicadolias/

https://bombshellfitness.com/b-competitive
​
CONNECT WITH CELESTE:
https://instagram.com/celestial_fit
www.celestial.fit

EPISODE TIME STAMPS:[2:17] Pre Stage
Rituals
[3:14] The Importance of Daily Visualization
[5:20] Holistic Nutrition and its Definition
[6:53] Living with and without an eating disorder
[8:50] Eating Disorder Recovery
[9:55] Choosing to study nutrition
[13:20] Recognizing the Goal Value of Food
[14:14] “Coming out the other side” of an Eating Disorder
[17:43] Importance for Competitors to be Mindful of their
Relationship with Food
[20:49] Reinforcing healthy behaviors and thought patterns
[23:21] Being Mentally Prepared to commit to competing
[26:31] The Journey to Becoming a Competition Coach
[31:42] Starting a Business
[33:03] Obtaining a degree from the Fashion Institute Technology
(FIT)
[35:00] A Dance Background’s Impact on Competing
[36:59] Feedback received from the judges
[38:40] Favorite Exercises for Glutes, Shoulders and
Hamstrings
[40:21] Evolving with the Bikini Division
[43:44] Prep under lockdown
[47:57] Maintaining an unwavering commitment to the sport for
over five years
[51:30] Journey to becoming an IFBB Pro
[53:48] The Experience of winning the overall at NPC
Universe
[55:29] “Leveling Up” and creating new goals
[56:23] Spousal support in the competition world
[58:20] Pets and easing into the farm life
[59:37] Ways to become more involved in the industry
[1:01:34] Best Advice for New Competitors and Competitors looking
to go pro


Jessica Dolias
Competing in 2015, 10 shows before winning pro card at Universe
(3rd national show) in 2017, certified nutritionist and
holistic nutritionist, has degree in fashion, works with ICE
tanning hair and makeup and works as expidiotr  [[2:17]
Prestage Rituals: gets into her zone, gets quite and visualizes
herself on stage, when lining up she likes to perk herself up and
talk to everyone around her, get conversation going [3:14]
Importance of daily visualization, using it as fuel and motivation
Holistic Nutrition [5:20] Definition [5:27]: eating foods that make
you feel better and incorporating foods that are full of nutrients
that help make your life better Following a diet that makes you
feel whole, not cutting stuff out of your diet [6:53] differences
in life with/without an eating disorder ~9-10 years ago, her main
focus was not about the food but the control of the food, she is an
“OCD” person Focusing on numbers, macros, getting it really low and
not paying attention to the food, just looking for low numbers “How
can I get food in so that people don’t realize that I am
undereating?” 5’4” and under 90 pounds, [8:50] recovery: one day
she actually saw herself in the mirror, noticed the lifelessness in
her own eyes and she missed the life in her eyes “I am who I am and
I have a lot to offer for life” [9:55] how she got started in
studying nutritionTurned discipline from eating low calories to
eating healthy, that’s when she started studying nutrition Started
focusing on her health and that it’s okay to enjoy different foods,
but it’s important to life wholefully. Choosing foods based on what
she likes and what will help her build the physique she wants
[13:20] Recognizing the Goal Value of the Food (i.e. enjoying a
part of life that isn’t focused on how it’s going to help you
change) [14:14] when she realized she had “come out the other side”
of the eating disorder It wasn’t instant, it took years to get to a
point to where those thoughts don’t creep in and they still do try
to creep in, 10 years later. It took YEARS to get to the point
where she was feeling good about her eating choices. First ~3 years
it was a constant battle, recovering from that on your own is so
difficult You HAVE TO give yourself grace Don’t know of anyone that
has recovered and has been able to instantly change their mindset
about it. You have to be able to have a rational conversation with
your thoughts about what you really want This is a daily, hourly,
by the minute decision to change. [17:09] full recovery is possible
but you have to be prepared to handle these thoughts and give
yourself grace [17:43] Importance for competitors to be mindful
with their relationship with food Competing is so regimented that
negative relationships can creep back in There is a fine line
between having a good relationship with food and competing, you
have to be able to disconnect yourself from the regimen and not let
it control your life YOU ARE CHOOSING TO DO THIS AND YOU HAVE
CONTROL OVER IT, IT DOESN’T HAVE CONTROL OVER YOU Once you can
learn what you need and are able to communicate it with your coach
you’ll be able to choose your relationship with food is [20:49]
reinforcing healthy behaviors and thought patterns Learning from
experience, how to eat well, fuel yourself well, looking at your
fitness as an overall picture as opposed to just the eating or just
the training What you fuel yourself impacts everything, your
emotion, your decision making, your energy You are free to be fit
and free to be healthy. [23:21] don’t forget about the passion,
love, fulfillment and lessons that comes with competing [23:35]
being mentally prepared to commit to competing Girls have to
already have a decent relationship with food, yo-yo dieters or
those fresh out of an eating disorder are likely not ready for an
eating disorder. Not about pushing people to the stage if they’re
not ready for it. If you’re not read for it, it can be so
discouraging. Best factors: You enjoy training, you are an athlete,
you like competition, not seeing competing as a diet or to reach a
certain weight [26:31] the journey to becoming a coach Bombshell
fitness coach Started competing in 2015 doing her own prep, was
inspired by the bombshell athletes. Started as an athlete after her
first show, it’s a powerful sisterhood that takes an individual
sport and turns it into a team thing. Visualize herself being a
bombshell coach. Lost her job when company closed in 2016 so she
ended up opening her own computer programming business to help pay
the bills while she was starting her own personal training
business, what she was doing when she turned pro Dream to turn pro
and dream to work for bombshell BECAME A PRO July 2017 Started
working with bombshell as a posing coach, then asked her to be a
coach [31:42] Her own computer programming business Certified
programmer, is a service provider for her business, program “smart
home” systems and design graphics for it [33:03] degree from FIT
(fashion institute technology) Moved to manhattan to earn the
degree, wanted to be a professional dancer, injured herself in high
school and it helped her see things she enjoyed beyond dance
[35:00] does the background of dance help with bodybuilding 1000%,
reason for starting competing was because she missed being on
stage, when she got into weight training she was able to combine
her love for the stage with the love for weight training Dance
background helped a lot with posing, it’s a forte of hers because
it comes naturally with her dance history. [36:59] Feedback from
judges Been told her posing is great and when she’s on stage posing
she “lights up the room” with it. Been working on building up legs,
has built her glutes up way too much and her glutes overpower her
legs and shoulders (upper body width) [38:40] one exercise for
shoulders, glutes and hamstrings Shoulders: lateral raises
Hamstrings: sumo deadlifts Glutes: reverse lunges, but if she was
doing heavy glute training, she would pick hip thrusts [40:21]
changing her diet/training to evolve with the bikini division
Focuses on going heavier “old school” training for heavy compound
lifts, i.e. squats, deadlifts, presses Higher reps, heavy weight
Eating a lot, more food volume Everyone should have a different
approach because all of our bodies are different [43:44] Prep under
lockdown No access to gym, hasn’t been in five months  This
has been her best/favorite prep yet Training at home has allowed
her to focus more Unorthodox gym Bench, dumbbell, squat racks,
husband cut down some trees and she is literally squatting with
tree trunks, a pulley system made with cinder blocks Reinforced her
passion for the sport because she feels able to still prep for the
sow under these unknown circumstances, this was a “blessing in
disguise” for her competitive journey [47:57] maintaining a
commitment to the sport for 5 years without wavering Loves it that
much Sees her own athletes go through ups and downs, You have to
power through it and it takes years to get there, before you hit
your “normal”. You have to be patient with yourself because you are
completely changing your lifestyle and your mind doesn’t change
overnight. [51:30] Journey to IFBB pro 10 shows, 3 national shows
[51:45] most memorable part of journey to IFBB pro Got
16th place in her first national show, it made her realize how
much she wanted to push and had to work harder to earn that spot
Developed a new approach, mindset going into next year (2017) Got
overall in two prestigious NPC shows and rode that high into NPC
Universe Everything felt “right”, it felt like her time [53:48]
experience of winning the overall at NPC Universe Most overwhelming
feeling of chills/butterflies, thinks she cried but isn’t sure When
having a bad day she visualizes that experience and brings herself
back there Surpassed what she dreamed of happening [55:29]
“Leveling Up”, what her new goal/accomplishment is Placing at a pro
show, earn points Make it to Olympia (I don’t care how long it
takes I want to make it happen) [56:23] support of her husband in
competing [57:20] using shows as a reason to travel together
[58:20] Pets and easing into the farm life Importance of Food
Relationship Making Dreams Reality Ways to get Involved in the
Industry [59:37] and the impact in the experience as a competitor
and coach Work with tanning company, expedite the stage, takes it
to the next level to be behind the scenes as well as on the stage
[1:01:34] Best advice for one who isn’t competing but thinking
about it and road to pro Never competed: look into getting a coach
who is involved in the industry and understands it. They’ll help
you prep better and if they understand the industry they’ll know
what the industry is looking for Looking to go pro: keep going, if
it means that much to you, do not give up, don’t live or die by the
win of each show.