In this episode, Celeste has the pleasure of speaking with Alejandra Ballesteros, an IFBB Bikini pro who won her pro card at North Americans in 2018, who has overcome many adversities and hardships in her life to get to where she is today. Besides being an IFBB Pro coached by Ryan Hinton, Alejandra is also an in-person & online trainer for both lifestyle and competition clients. As always, Celeste kicks off the episode by asking Alejandra if she has a special routine or ritual she runs through right before her heel hits the stage. Alejandra shares her perspective on channeling her inner performer and the energy she brings and exudes when she hits the stage. From there, Celeste asks Alejandra to share, in her own words, her life’s mission. Alejandra dives into how exactly she wants to use her platform as an IFBB Pro to help inspire others to prioritize health and discover and channel their inner champion. She then goes on to explain how she represents and embodies an inner champion on a day to day basis and the significance that role has in her own life.  Next, Celeste asks Alejandra to share her experiences with being bullied and how she used that as a motivator in the gym. The two briefly touch on the importance of self efficacy and how it translates to self confidence both in bodybuilding and life. Then, Celeste goes back to Alejandra’s experiences with bullying and asks Alejandra if it ever caused her to struggle with body image. Alejandra shares many details about the bad habits she developed when she first wanted to get in shape, yet she really started to educate herself once she found the weight room and the gym. She also shares that along with the physical and mental changes fitness became more of a safe haven and representation of commitment instead of solely being something for her physical body. Celeste then asks Alejandra if she feels she would have the success she has today in both competing and her career had it not been for her humble beginnings. Celeste asks Alejandra to elaborate more on her commitment to growth when it came to her career in fitness and Alejandra shares how her original job as a front desk worker at the gym evolved into pursuing a career in personal training. She explains how the first few opportunities came her way before she felt fully ready to explore the world of personal training, yet after her experiences and relationships she built at the 6th Street Gold’s Gym, while still in college, she finally decided to open the door the next time that opportunity came knocking. Alejandra shares the struggles she faced while pursuing personal training, something she found she had a passion for, while studying government at University of Texas. She talks about the depression she fell into while learning how to manage her conflicting feelings on her educational path. After hearing more about her beginnings in the professional side of fitness, Celeste asks Alejandra what inspired her to make the decision to compete. Alejandra then goes on to tell listeners about how she met her current hair stylist who encouraged her to compete and reach out to a local trainer on Instagram, Lauren Flodquist, who through winning a giveaway, ended up becoming Ale’s mentor and role model. Through the mentorship she met coach and Texas bodybuilding legend Dave Shockterly and worked with him up to her first competition where she competed in both figure and bikini. After competing for the first time she fell in love with the finesse of bikini, deciding that would be the division she pursued. Although falling in love with competing after her first show, Alejandra found herself in a tough financial situation yet at the same time yearned for the stage and to continue progressing. Feeling lost and unsure of where to go, she reached out to her friend, Lauren, her former mentor, and Lauren encouraged Alejandra to reach out to a few different coaches. Alejandra then got in touch with Team Legacy coach, Ryan Hinton, and s