In this episode, Celeste speaks with Kim Sermeno, a Salvadorian immigrant who learned English in three months, obtained US citizenship and her college degree in nutrition, and who is a soon to be gym owner who earned her pro card at North Americans in 2019. Celeste starts off the episode in her usual fashion by asking Kim about her pre stage ritual. From there, Kim shares with listeners how she got started in fitness and competing and what led her to pursue achieving her pro card. Kim shares that growing up she was always athletic, participating in various sports such as track, soccer, and softball. When she came to the United States she discovered the gym and it was then that she started the transition from being a runner to immersing herself in the world of weightlifting. After being asked by other gym goers if she was a competitor, Kim started researching the sport and decided to give it a try. Next, Kim talks about her experiences with her first two competitions being self coached and the approach she took to her nutrition. She then goes on to share how she started off competing in smaller shows to allow herself to manage her nerves and allow herself to get comfortable with the stage and the sport. Celeste asks Kim if her nerves have progressed as she’s climbed through the ranks from amateur to pro, yet Kim shares how she believes her background in modeling helped her feel comfortable on stage. Since Kim jumped into competing without knowing a lot about what bodybuilding entailed, Celeste asks Kim if, looking back, there is anything she wishes she had known prior to starting in the NPC. Kim explains that her approach to nutrition has changed since she started, from being self-taught to now working with a coach who has her on a structured meal plan for competitions. Then, Kim gives listeners insight on how her approach to nutrition changes during the off season and she admits that she doesn’t track macros or calories. She shares that she doesn’t feel the need to count meticulously in her off seasons as this has become her lifestyle and she understands how to fuel her body properly regardless of her current “season.” Kim and Celeste discuss the concept of treating the body like a treasure and how that translates to leading a healthy lifestyle. From there, Celeste transitions into Kim’s competing career and asks how her approach has differed over the years. Kim explains that she follows the plan her coach gives her and that she never sees competing as a chore, as it’s something she  loves chooses to pursue. She shares that although she does have cravings during prep, she never gives in and loves seeing how her body changes the closer she gets to a show. With that being said, Celeste asks Kim to share her favorite prep meals and the ladies discuss their shared love for meals including oats. Next, Celeste asks Kim to share her favorite exercises for glutes, hamstrings, and shoulders if she could only choose one exercise for each muscle group. The ladies discuss how much they both love smaller isolation movements and band work as well as typical heavy compound movements, which many prefer to emphasize when it comes to building muscle. After discussing training, Celeste asks Kim to walk listeners through her experiences competing in various national shows and how she addressed the feedback given to her by the judges. Kim shares how she took first her class at her first show, the Olympia Amateur, then from there proceeded to do well in other shows, almost achieving her pro card, yet at one national shows she landed in one of the last call outs, making her reconsider if competing was for her. Despite being on the fence about her future in competing, Kim had already signed up for the next national show and also had plans to vacation with her boyfriend. Kim recounts her experiences of being on vacation and how the time away from her training and diet affected her physique. After coming home, Kim realized she was up 10 pound