My First Natural Bodybuilding Competition:

My first natural bodybuilding competition – this may seem like an odd blog post coming from an interior designer.

But if you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I don’t believe transformation begins with paint colors or furniture.

Whether I’m designing a home or rebuilding myself, I’ve always believed the same thing:

Our environments shape us; but so do the challenges we’re willing to accept.

This bodybuilding journey wasn’t separate from my work.

It reinforced everything I already believed about intentional living, discipline, identity, and becoming the person you’re meant to be.

That’s why I’m sharing it.

What My First Bodybuilding Competition Really Gave Me (Hint: It Wasn’t a Trophy)

There are experiences in life that you can explain.

And then there are the ones you have to live before they’ll ever make sense.

This wasn’t a “quick digest” kind of experience.

It’s taken days to even begin processing what happened.

People keep asking me, “How was the show?”

The honest answer?

I still don’t fully know.

It felt like nothing I’ve ever done before; equal parts exhilarating, terrifying, emotional, empowering, and completely surreal.

Like the biggest roller coaster imaginable.

Ironically…

I’m not even a roller coaster person.

We Started at 40.9% Body Fat

When I began this journey, I wasn’t chasing a trophy.

I wasn’t trying to prove something to anyone else.

I simply wanted to see what I was capable of.

Over the course of this journey which began in September of 2024, and then to prep, I went from 40.9% body fat to stepping onstage for my very first bodybuilding competition.

On paper, that’s an incredible physical transformation.

But if that’s all you see…

You’ve missed the best part.

My First Natural Bodybuilding Competition | The Greatest Transformation Wasn’t Physical

The biggest surprise wasn’t seeing my body change.

It was watching my mind change.

There were workouts I prayed my way through.

Days I felt completely depleted.

Moments where my only goal was putting one foot in front of the other.

I wasn’t motivated every day.

Far from it.

I was committed.

There’s a difference.

For months my life looked incredibly simple.

Chicken.

Oats.

Training.

Cardio.

Posing.

Repeat.

Again.

Again.

Again.

People see the highlight reel.

Very few see the hundreds of ordinary decisions that create extraordinary results.

Then Everything Clicked

It wasn’t until about three or four weeks before the competition that everything started making sense.

Not just physically.

Mentally.

Emotionally.

Spiritually.

I finally understood why people willingly put themselves through something this difficult.

Bodybuilding has a way of stripping away every excuse, every distraction, every habit that no longer serves you.

You’re left with yourself.

And that’s both terrifying and beautiful.

I Didn’t Find a Better Body

I found a better me. Somewhere during prep, something shifted.

It’s funny; this is the same transformation I witness in my design clients. They often come to me believing they need a more beautiful home, when what they’re really craving is a home that reflects who they’ve become, or who they’re becoming. That’s why my work has never been about decorating. It’s about creating environments that support your next chapter. If that resonates with you, you’ll probably enjoy learning more about my Sanctuary Concierge Intensive™, where we help uncover exactly what’s no longer serving you and create a clear, intentional path forward.

A more grounded version of me emerged.

A more healed version.

A more confident version.

Not because life suddenly became easier.

Because I stopped running from hard things.

That’s a lesson I’ll carry long after my stage tan fades.

The Stage Wasn’t the Achievement

This realization has stayed with me ever since the competition.

The stage wasn’t the achievement.

It was the receipt.

The achievement happened months earlier.

The moment I became someone capable of doing something this hard.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped measuring success by what happened on one day.

Instead, I started measuring success by who I had become.

That perspective changes everything.

The Part I Didn’t Expect

As meaningful as the physical transformation has been…

The thing that has impacted me the most has been watching how this journey has affected other people.

The messages.

The conversations.

The people telling me they finally signed up for the gym.

Started walking.

Made healthier choices.

Believed they could change too.

That humbles me more than I can put into words.

Because at some point, this stopped being about bodybuilding.

It became about permission.

Permission for someone else to believe they’re capable of more than they thought.

That’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly.

What Bodybuilding Actually Taught Me

I learned that motivation is unreliable.

Commitment isn’t.

I learned that discipline is an act of self-respect.

I learned that consistency beats intensity.

I learned that growth rarely feels exciting while you’re in it.

I learned that healing isn’t always soft.

Sometimes healing looks like keeping promises to yourself.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

What’s Next

One of the biggest gifts this experience gave me is perspective.

I’m not chasing perfection.

I’m chasing growth.

Recovery is now part of the process.

Building is part of the process.

Learning is part of the process.

The next chapter isn’t about becoming smaller.

It’s about becoming stronger.

Physically.

Mentally.

Emotionally.

Because now I know something I didn’t know before.

I can choose something incredibly difficult.

I can stay committed.

I can finish what I start.

No trophy can ever teach you that.

 

Final Thoughts

If you’ve followed this journey from the beginning…

Thank you.

Whether you’re considering your own first bodybuilding competition, rebuilding your health, growing a business, navigating grief, or simply trying to become a better version of yourself…

I hope this reminds you that transformation is rarely about the destination.

It’s about who you become while you’re getting there.

The competition lasted one day.

The woman who came out of it…

She’ll be here for the rest of my life.

Reflection time…

Looking back, I don’t think this journey was ever about bodybuilding.

It was about alignment.

About becoming someone whose daily choices matched her aspirations.

Funny enough, that’s exactly how I approach design.

The homes I create aren’t meant to impress people.

They’re meant to support the life you’re building.

Whether we’re rebuilding a body, redesigning a home, or stepping into a new season of life, the question is always the same:

Who are you becoming?

Once you can answer that…

Everything else starts to fall into place.

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