MY NEXT STEPS AS A FIT MODEL IFBB PRO

This week marks the beginning of a short sharp mini cut (a welcome mental reset to my build phase before we continue for a big stretch ahead of my next prep) as I'm 18 weeks post show since stepping off the stage at my IFBB Fit Model Pro debut in Japan. When I walked off that stage, in my 2nd ever season of competing, I was lucky enough to be a part of creating history in that 1st Fit Model Pro show and my feedback was simple: grow. Grow more density. Build a stronger physique. Come back better. If I'm honest, hearing that initially felt disappointing. I'd not had any experience with losing in the sport since stepping into the space only a year ago, and while winning feels good I felt grateful for the loss because I know that failure is where there's most opportunity for learning, growing and evolving. While winning feels good for the ego, my reason for coming into the space was never to feel good - it was to evolve through discomfort. I think more than the loss, my disappointment came from the notion that I associated an improvement stage away from the stage with being less connected to the sport and community I have grown to love so much. Looking back now, I couldn't have been more wrong. The past 18 weeks in offseason have challenged me in ways I never expected—not just physically, but mentally. Of course, the focus has been training harder than ever. Learning to execute every exercise with intention, improving my form, pushing my intensity and trusting that the small things I do every day will eventually create the physique I can showcase the next time I take the stage early next year. But the biggest growth hasn't happened inside the gym, it's happened outside of it. Instead of being consumed by my own prep, I've had the opportunity to experience bodybuilding from a completely different perspective. I've been fortunate enough to appear at seminars, most recently in Thailand Pattaya ahead of the Pattaya show, spend time helping Fit Model athletes through their own journeys, share my experiences, as well as watch the very first year of IFBB Fit Model Pro shows unfold. I've cheered from the sidelines, celebrated other athletes' wins, watched women step into their pro careers while continuing to work quietly on my own. Somewhere along the way, I've realised something.. Being involved in this sport isn't defined by whether you're six weeks out or six months into an offseason. The community doesn't stop because you're not competing. If anything, I've fallen even more in love with bodybuilding during this season of growth. One of the things I love most about the Fit Model division is that we're all building something together. This division is still so new, which means every woman who steps onto the stage (and every woman who chooses to spend a season improving instead of rushing back) is helping shape what this category becomes. Yes, we're competitors. That's the reality when we stand under the lights - But outside of that, we're also a community. Every athlete standing beside me has sacrificed things, overcome challenges and pursued the same dream. Every woman who earns her place on that stage deserves to be there. As our division continues to evolve, we'll undoubtedly see the standards for physiques continue to rise which is an exciting part of the evolvement of this division and a big part of this sport as a whole. But I also hope we continue raising another standard - the standard for how we show up as people as much as we show up as athletes. To be relentlessly driven in our own goals while genuinely celebrating someone else's success, to pursue excellence without allowing comparison to steal our joy, to compete fiercely on stage while remaining supportive, encouraging and respectful off of it. Because I truly believe those things aren't mutually exclusive. This week may officially mark the start of my mini cut, but in many ways it also feels like the beginning of another chapter. One where I continue building not only the physique that can take me back to the Pro stage, but also the mindset, perspective and character that I hope I'll carry with me throughout my competitive bodybuilding career. I've come to realise during this time away from the stage but still working steadily towards it that growth isn't always loud. Sometimes it looks like another set in the gym, putting your head down and getting to work while patiently waiting for your time. Sometimes it looks like standing on the sidelines, cheering as loudly for someone else's dream as you will one day cheer for your own.