Brandy Jean's journey to her WBFF Diva Bikini Debut

Finding home away from Home 

When Brandy moved to New York from Washington, D.C.  in 2011, it was a very hard transition.

“I grew up in Washington, D.C. and it has always been “home” for me. I was surrounded by long-time friends and family. Unsurprisingly, that manifested itself in my outlook and physical condition. I worked out regularly (and even competed at the collegiate level in my sport of choice, Cross Country). In short, I was happy, healthy and comfortable.”

When she moved to New York, however, things changed. She disliked New York from the outset and immediately fell out of her comfort zone. It took a long time for her to make new friends and she grew increasingly depressed. She stopped exercising and gained a lot of weight. That slowly began to change one day in 2012, when one of her friends invited her to attend a Phoenyx Fitness “Boot Camp” class. It sounded interesting and she purchased a "Groupon" for several classes. The class was very challenging and made her realize how out of shape she was. Unfortunately, at that time, she was not quite ready to dedicate herself and she stopped attending classes. After the Groupon expired, she started a new job, which was highly stressful and involved long hours, and she fell back into a personal slump. she lost even more confidence, stopped working out entirely and had a terrible diet.  She never forgot, however, how great the Phoenyx “boot camp” class made her feel. The “seed” of change had been planted (even if it would take some time to grow).

By late 2012, she was the heaviest and most of out of shape she had ever been in her life.

“My clothes no longer fit me and I “maxed” out at 145 pounds. So-called friends, family and colleagues continuously made rude comments and reminded me about my appearance. On top of this, I found out from my doctor that I had high cholesterol. In early 2013, I had reached my breaking point. In short, I was finally just fed up with myself! I decided to make maintaining a healthier lifestyle a priority, to become the BEST me that I could be and step out of my shell. I remembered at this point how much I had enjoyed the Phoenyx classes I had attended and ended up signing up for several kettlebell classes in January of 2013. I looked forward to attending each class. But, naturally, I was anxious to find out just how far I could push myself.”

One day after a kettlebell class, she noticed that a few girls from the class had put on clear high heels and overheard them talking about bikini suits. When she asked them what they were talking about, one of the  girls told her that she was a member of a fitness team named “Elite Heat” and told her about a fitness competition they were training for. At once, she knew that that was what she wanted to do. 

" In fact, it felt like a sign. Years ago, when I was in college, I met some women who trained for fitness competitions. The women were very inspiring to me and made me realize that I wanted to compete someday. I knew that the discipline involved in becoming stronger, maintaining a healthier life style and building the self-confidence needed to compete would be amazing! Competing in fitness competitions has been on my “bucket list” since that time (i.e., 2003)."

After hearing about the Elite Heat team, she expressed her interest in joining the team to the instructor of her kettlebell class (and, coincidentally, the Elite Heat coach and leader), Malenna Saunders. She accepted her with open arms and she joined the Elite Heat team in the middle of February. 

" Since that time, Malenna and my  Elite Heat teammates have been amazing! I have attended several competitions supporting my teammates. In July, I decided that I was ready to accept the challenge - - to compete in a fitness competition this year (and cross that off my “bucket list")!  In the last few months, I dedicated my life to achieving my goal. I changed my diet, began working out extensively, and generally cut unhealthy or negative things out of my life. By October 2013, I had lost 30 pounds and changed my outlook completely. Last week, I competed in my first fitness competition and placed! Although I am excited that I placed, I am more proud that I accomplished my goal of making it on stage in the first place. "

Needless to say, surrounding herself with the positive and inspirational people at Elite Heat (who are now her “Fit Family”) has been integral in helping her reach her goal. In addition, her boyfriend, family and close friends that have been very supportive has helped her through the challenging process. ' I am very thankful for their support. ' 

" My “Fit Journey” has been a life-changing process for me. It has given me self-confidence and allowed me to realize one of my life-long goals. It has also allowed me to grow to accept (and even like) New York and to realize that life is entirely what you make of your situation(s). Although there were times when it was difficult, and I don't expect everyone to understand my journey, that is okay with me. It is and has been "MY" journey. I have come a long way and I am proud of myself for all I have accomplished this year. Hopefully, what I’ve done may inspire others to take “fit journeys” of their own. I am already looking forward to a stronger year for 2014!"