Today, Celeste chats with Jessica Johnson, an Australian Pro who is also an online and in-person fitness, nutrition, and posing coach. She begins talking about how before she steps on the stage, she takes a deep breath and reminds herself she put in all the work and she deserves to be there. In university, Jess studied psychology and takes mindfulness into everything she does. Jess talks about her previous experience in the Air Force and that is still a Reservist. She explains how living the Air Force life made it difficult to settle into a routine and train. Before Jess joined the IFBB league, Jess was a Pro in two natural federations. After she competed in the Natural equivalent of the Olympia, she returned to Australia and decided to switch to IFBB for more opportunities. When Jess was competing in the natural federations, she was told to compete in Figure because she was too muscular for bikini. She was glad she did figure but her heart was in bikini. It taught her how to be a chameleon, to change her posing to change her body. When she does virtual posing classes, she uses different camera angles so she can see what they are doing, there are advantages and disadvantages to virtual posing. She loves the challenge of catering to different learning styles. Jess talks about placing third at her first pro show only and hour after she earned her pro card! It gave her the confidence to push forward and improve as a pro. In the whole country of Australia, there are only three Pro Cards given in a year. Jess speaks to her struggles with IBS and how it affects her preps. Because of this, she is very sensitive to carbs. She and her coach have open discussions about when the plan needs to change and when it needs to be followed. Communication is key to coaching. She always talks with a potential client on the phone before committing to coaching them. Jess explains the effect doing 12 back-to-back shows had on her and how mindfulness was the key to pulling herself out of a restrict/binge cycle. Moving into an improvement season, Jess likes to stay consistent but with less structure to help herself not fixate on the food. When in prep, she likes to do longer preps to allow for diet breaks to help her metabolism stay healthy. In her youth, Jess used to get called harsh names making fun of her thin figure, she never thought she would  be know for her glutes! Jess talks about the techniques she used to grow her glutes and offers some things to avoid. It’s not always about adding more weight. Work smarter not harder! Jess leaves us with advice for new competitors to find a good coach and work with them to put on muscle before prepping. For competitors on the road to pro, Jess says to be consistent and persistent. If you want to be a pro you have to act like a pro. Just don’t give up! 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 JESS: instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessjohnsonfitness/ business instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldgymburleigh/ all links: https://linktr.ee/jessjohnsonfitness Time Stamps: [1:00] Introduction [2:01] Importance of mindfulness [3:25] Jess talks about her time in the Air Force [7:40] Difference between the Australian and American bodybuilding leagues [10:20] Benefits of competing in IFBB [13:00] How past experiences influence current outlook [15:05] Virtual posing classes [17:11] Jess talks about her journey to pro. [22:10] Competition structure in Australia [29:20] Feedback from pro debut [31:55] Jess talks about how her body responds in different scenarios [38:00] Knowing when to change things from your plan [40:05] prioritizing communication in a coaching relationship [45:50] Daily mindfulness habits [51:27] Red flags that you may struggle post-show [52:25] Shifting mindset from prep to improvement season [57:10] Success through consistency and taking yo