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In this episode, Mandy and Gillian welcome IFBB Bikini Pro Fallon Wainwright, a wife and mother of 2 girls ages 14 and 5. Fallon is a clinical researcher who began competing in 2020 earning her pro card at Masters Nationals in July of 2022. Fallon shares her experience beginning her competition journey just a year after the birth of her youngest daughter and her path to earning her pro card after much perseverance and dedication! As a mom of two, Fallon shares with our audience how she juggles mom life with her professional career AND her career as a pro bikini athlete! Fallon also discusses the unexpected loss of her father during her 2023 season and how she overcame grief to find renewed purpose and passion for the sport of bikini bodybuilding!
We were so inspired by this conversation with Fallon and we hope you find value in this powerful interview!! Make sure to rate, subscribe, and leave us reviews on how much this podcast has helped you 💕 We’d love to hear from you about future topics you would like us to discuss so please leave us a comment or reach out to us with your questions and suggestions!
Contact our guest, Fallon Wainwright
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearlessly_fit_fallon/
About Momshell Method Fitness:
Ready to embark on your fitness journey? We would love to help you reach any fitness goal from losing the baby weight to crushing your competition goals!
Follow this link to schedule a discovery call with one of our team members and learn how Momshell Method Fitness can provide you with the tools you need to be successful with customized nutrition and training plans for busy moms → http://bit.ly/loseweightgetsexy
Contact your hosts:
Mandy Rochon
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Gillian Hughes, IFBB Bikini Pro
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What is Bikinis After Babies?
Bikinis After Babies is the one and only podcast where real moms talk about their bodybuilding contest experiences. We are sharing the inside scoop, the nitty-gritty, the hardships and the victories as we navigate the rigors of competition prep while juggling family and careers. We’ll be joined by IFBB bikini pros who share their incredible stories of managing many responsibilities as athletes while defying stereotypes as women who compete in bikinis after babies!
Whether you’re a new mom thinking about stepping on stage for the first time, or a mom looking for inspo and insight on how to manage contest prep as a busy mom, this podcast offers helpful tips and inspiring stories for moms with big goals!! Make sure to rate, subscribe, and leave us a review to let us know how much this podcast has helped you 💕
About Momshell Method Fitness:
Ready to embark on your fitness journey? We would love to help you reach any fitness goal from losing the baby weight to crushing your competition goals!
Follow this link to schedule a discovery call with one of our team members and learn how Momshell Method Fitness can provide you with the tools you need to be successful with customized nutrition and training plans for busy moms → http://bit.ly/loseweightgetsexy
Mandys Posing Sessions
1:1 In Person (KC Posing Studio) → https://bit.ly/inpersonposingwithmandy
1:1 Virtual Posing → https://bit.ly/virtualposingwithmandy
Posing with Gillian Hughes, IFBB Bikini Pro
1:1 In Person (St Louis Posing Studio) → https://bit.ly/stlposingwithgillianifbbpro
1:1 Virtual Posing → https://bit.ly/virtualposingwithgillianifbbpro
Contact your hosts:
Mandy Rochon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandyrochonfitness/
Facebook: Mandy Rochon
Gillian Hughes, IFBB Bikini Pro
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianhughes_momshell/
Facebook: Gillian Hughes
Momshell Method Fitness Supplements → https://www.momshell-method-fitness.myshopify.com
(Use code “BAB” to save 15% off your order)
Toxic Angelz Bikinis → https://toxicangelzbikinis.com
(Use code “GILLIAN” or code “MANDY” to save 15% off your order)
Squeeze Me Skinny Waist Trainers → https://www.squeezmeskinny.com
(Use code “MOMSHELL” to save 10% off your order)
The Shoe Fairy competition heels → https://www.shoefairyofficial.com
(Use code “momshell” to save 15% off your order)
Labwork and Personalized Recommendations: Practitioner Depot: https://bit.ly/practitionerdepotxmomshell (Use code “momshell” to save 5% off your order)
Our Amazon storefront- fitness outfits, more supplements, beauty items and competition needs → https://amzn.to/3zySJ4C
Mandy (00:00)
Hello everyone and welcome back to Bikinis After Babies. I'm so excited to bring to you another fantastic episode. Of course, I am Mandy Rashawn joined by your other beautiful blonde host over here.
Gillian (00:13)
Hey everybody, thank you so much for tuning in to another episode. It's actually Memorial Day here today, so I hope you're all having a safe and fun holiday and really excited about today's episode. We have a very special guest with us today. Today we are joined by Fallon Wainwright. She is a wife and a mother of two girls, ages 14 and five. Fallon is a clinical researcher who began competing in 2020, earning her pro card at Masters Nationals in 2022.
Fallon took home first place at her pro debut that same year. And this year she already has three top three pro placings, including first place at the Girl Power Pro in April of this year. We are so excited to have her on the show today. Welcome to Bikinis After Babies, Fallon Wainwright. Yay. If we had a producer, we would have like applause. Yeah, we're so excited to have you on today and you are fresh off of the clash this past weekend where you placed
Mandy (00:59)
Welcome. I like to like a little clap.
Fallon (01:00)
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you guys. I'm excited.
very much. Yep.
Mandy (01:10)
Mm.
Gillian (01:12)
third, is that correct? Yes. Awesome. Well, congratulations. And you're six days out from Miami, right? Yeah. Awesome. That's so cool. Well, we're really excited to see you continue to crush it. And so I kind of like to start each episode with having you just kind of talk a little bit about how you got started on your journey competing.
Fallon (01:14)
Third, third and masters. Yep. Yep.
Mandy (01:16)
So exciting.
Fallon (01:18)
It was fun. I am. Yep, Miami will be Saturday.
Yeah, sure, sure. So I had a girlfriend, Yvonne, who competed in 2019 and I was fresh out of having my little one, Veda. And I went up to Charleston to support her at her first show and I immediately fell in love with it. I thought, okay, this is the stage. I'm pretty sure I can do this. I love competing. I love the glitz and glam.
And Yvonne took me under her belt. She kind of coached me through my first year in 2020. As everybody knows, 2020 was a super, super tough year. Don't know why I chose that year, but I did. That's when the gyms closed. That's when COVID came around. And my first show was the Dexter Jackson here in Jacksonville, which was, I think it was June at the time. And the gyms closed, I think in March.
Gillian (02:08)
Yeah.
Fallon (02:29)
So all my training was done at home from March until show day with 40 pound dumbbell weights. That's it. I was doing leg extensions off my couch. I was getting reams of paper and using them as a deadlift platform. It was insane. But my first show, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was committed. I was all in. It was do it or what else am I gonna do?
Mandy (02:36)
Wow.
That dedication's real.
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (02:58)
But it was great. Dexter Jackson was so much fun. It was a great first show. I did Novice and I took home second in Novice, or true Novice, first in Novice. And I think that was it. So that was 2020 and I went on to do a national show in Charleston and whew, I just wasn't ready for it, but it was still a lot of fun. A lot of growing to do.
My following year, what was that? 2021 is when I did get my pro card at the Masters National. That was a hike. I felt like I was constantly go, go, going, improving, improving. And it was great. Masters National, my pro card. It was phenomenal. I mean, the words were speechless when you get that pro win. It was really fun. Yeah.
Gillian (03:51)
Yeah, that's amazing. Someday. So prior to learning about competing and whatnot, were you like always an athlete? Like, do you have an athletic background?
Mandy (03:52)
I can't imagine someday, someday.
Fallon (04:00)
Yeah.
I do, I cheered from fourth grade into my high school years. Again, it's something about that stage, something about just showing off what I enjoy, what I love. I was a flyer as a cheerleader, a Tumblr, and it just makes my heart happy to be up there. Just driven, focused, cheering was...
Mandy (04:26)
Mm.
Fallon (04:32)
you know, top level back then when you're when you're doing the competition squads and it changes in high school because it's a different game out there. What was it middle school in elementary school? It's just some pep rally fun and pop Warner. But yes, I've always been athletic swim team and cheerleading was were my two sports.
Mandy (04:49)
Mm.
Gillian (04:55)
Yeah, so that's awesome. I'm surprised that you didn't think about competing, you know, beforehand. I'm sure like, yeah, you know, but that's just it's so interesting how like our our journeys take us to, you know, thinking about competing. Yeah.
Fallon (05:01)
Sooner. Yeah.
Mandy (05:02)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (05:07)
I decided to have a baby instead. I wanted a baby by 25 and I was damn determined to get one.
Mandy (05:10)
Ha ha ha.
Adamant.
Gillian (05:16)
Yeah, that's awesome. So that's like, you know, what we do often see, you know, in the fitness industry, you know, when they always talk about each girl kind of crosses the stage and it's, she's a nurse. she's a personal trainer. she's a nurse. You know, you kind of get those like commonalities and you're you work in clinical research, which is a bit different from the fitness industry. So does it feel like, you know, you've got sort of two hats that you're wearing with your professional career and then your career as a professional athlete? Yeah.
Fallon (05:18)
Yeah.
Mandy (05:30)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (05:32)
Thank you.
for sure. I think I'm having, I have like seven hats, but yeah. You do find a lot of the competitors are nurses or some kind of health background. And I do have that health background with clinical research, but it's not, it's not at the level of the RNs or the MAs that you do see a lot of the girls competing. Totally new field for me. Don't know anything about nutrition prior to this. I'd be in the gym, but.
Gillian (05:45)
Yeah.
Mandy (05:45)
Yeah.
Fallon (06:11)
I didn't know what I was doing. It's just throwing around some weights to be able to eat pizza and burgers and beers in your 20s. But yeah, it's definitely different clinical research, still a healthcare field, but more on like a drug study side.
Mandy (06:19)
Right?
Gillian (06:29)
Yeah, that's cool. Awesome. So you did your first show like pretty soon after the birth of your second child. So and also I think it's unique that you prepared for your first competition in such different but maybe that was like an advantage because you didn't have anything to compare it to. Like the rest of us were like, well, I cannot train without, you know, my hip thrusts and all the things that I typically use. So what was that like, you know, getting sort of
Fallon (06:46)
It was.
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (06:53)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (06:56)
not only back in shape after a baby, but getting in show shape after a baby.
Fallon (07:00)
It was, it was different. And I honestly, looking back, didn't know really what I was getting ready for. meaning, so I did start competing literally right after VEDA who's, who's the youngest turn, turn one. and I just did what Yvonne told me to do. Hey, do this when you can at home. And I was macro based at the time. So I was still eating what I wanted.
just within that macro friendly. Things have definitely changed since then, but the advantage was a lot of people didn't think to work out at home or they had a true home gym or they had a hookup where some of the gyms were on the sly still open. But it was definitely didn't really have any expectations and it was honestly just a bucket list item at the time.
Mandy (07:42)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (07:48)
Yeah.
Mandy (07:49)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (07:58)
Yeah.
Fallon (07:59)
And that bucket list is no longer. It's a permanent thing in my life is competing and the whole lifestyle.
Gillian (08:05)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mandy (08:11)
I see that a lot because I expedite the shows here in the Midwest. So I travel all around and all the time at athlete meets, we will meet people that have it as a bucket list. It's like just something they want to check off. And many times after they step on stage and they step off stage, they're like, this is this is no, yeah, this is not a bucket list. I how do I grow or get bigger? Yeah, how do I do this again? It's like, here's our next show.
Fallon (08:19)
Mm -hmm.
This is great. Yeah. Yeah. How do, yeah.
Gillian (08:26)
I'm hooked.
Fallon (08:33)
Yep. Yep. Yep.
Gillian (08:34)
Yeah, that's awesome. So you did a lot of shows in between that very first show and then earning your pro card. And I noticed there was a hair color change in there as well. So can you tell me a little bit about that? And then also like the feedback that you were working with to go from an amateur to pro.
Fallon (08:44)
Yep. Yep. Yep.
Mandy (08:45)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (08:51)
So the hair color even in my younger years, I was a blonde with like hot pink underneath. I just get in these little moods when it's time to go darker and it's usually I go darker in the summer and then I'll blonde it up in the winter. There wasn't anything in particular this time, but I was just like, I'm gonna give my husband a new wife today and...
He came home and thought there was a stranger in our kitchen cooking him dinner. Yeah, yeah. I like to keep him on his toes.
Mandy (09:22)
That's hilarious.
Gillian (09:23)
That's so funny. Same.
Mandy (09:25)
Yeah. Jillian and I were just talking about that as you get leaner for your shows. It's like we transform into different people for our husbands. It's like they don't know.
Fallon (09:33)
We do. We do. Yeah. yeah. My damn body.
Gillian (09:33)
yeah, it's like 50 shades a Jillian. Yeah. Yes.
Mandy (09:40)
It's so true.
Fallon (09:42)
So there wasn't any feedback as for the hair. It was just something that I did. My coach at the time didn't even know I was doing it. And I did a check -in photo and he was like, where'd this come from? You didn't want to communicate this with me. But the brown looks really, really good on stage for me. It looks more, my word for myself is more elegant.
Gillian (10:03)
Yeah.
Mandy (10:05)
Yeah, your photos look amazing.
Fallon (10:11)
on stage. My blonde was very hard for me. I think looking back at my photos, it still looked great, but there is just there's a different look and I like the brown on stage.
Gillian (10:24)
Yeah, it really brings out your features. It's like you elevated from 2021 to 22. You can just see, you know, there's probably a lot of mindset shifts and a lot more training, more preparedness as well. But just like that was like, you know, you definitely like found your look because some people will play with different looks, different suit colors, you know, trying to figure it out. And of course, we see so many brunettes on stage. So, you know, I wasn't.
Mandy (10:26)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (10:29)
Mm -hmm.
for sure.
Lately, yeah, the last two years.
Mandy (10:47)
Yeah. I've always had brown hair. I'm like, well, no, for the stage, yeah. But I went blonde one time.
Gillian (10:49)
Yeah, so, you know, and have you?
Yeah. I was like, brawned last year. And it was just like, I always tell people like, you've got to be like bright red, dark brown, platinum blonde. Like the in -betweens just sort of like with the lights. I had purple hair on stage one time. Judges hated that. That was a really bad idea. That was a really bad idea. But I gave it a go. I was like, it'll be fine. It was not fine. So.
Fallon (10:58)
Yeah.
Right, doesn't work.
Mandy (11:08)
Mm.
Fallon (11:14)
Yeah.
Mandy (11:18)
Heheheheh
Fallon (11:18)
I tried to suit change last year. I tried to, you know, you get an itch, you get a bug, you want to change it. And I went for this purple and it was okay, but the blue, the blue is mine. The blue, the royal blue is just unmatched. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Gillian (11:24)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mandy (11:35)
It works.
Gillian (11:36)
Yeah, I'm always curious about that for the pros. Like I know, you know, when once you get a color, you might have like four or five different sort of in that color family. Do you stick to like one particular suit, suit, stone, everything, or do you have different ones in that color family? Yeah, that's awesome.
Fallon (11:46)
Mm -hmm.
Nope. Just the one. I had the blue my very, very first year and I wore, I wore her, I wore her for the two years and she, I bought her used. So she started falling apart here and there and I sent her back to CJ and CJ just made me a whole new blue suit. Same, same palette, same brighter stone, but it's it. I love it. Mm -hmm.
Mandy (12:00)
Thank you.
Gillian (12:11)
Yeah.
Yeah, once you find your color. And then I think too, like if you're showing up repeatedly and you're changing too many things, like don't you think that can be a disadvantage? It's like, well, you know, yeah, very interesting. So that summer you turned pro, that was 2022, you did two national shows and then you finally got that win. And then did you decide right away to just jump into a pro show or what was your strategy after that?
Mandy (12:18)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (12:25)
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
I did Daytona's right down the road from me. 30, 40 minute drive and my team, Team Flawless, Fizik, it's kind of one of their family shows where we have a lot of people go to and they were all going and I thought I can either be a show mama and show up and just help or I can do both. And that was also the year that Hurricane came through.
Last year we had a terrible hurricane come through Daytona, flooded the streets, things were closed. The show still went on, but there was, there's a lot of people that couldn't make it cause flights were canceled. But Mike didn't cancel this show. So we showed up and the hotel didn't have a sea. The rooms floors were still wet from the, from all the water coming in.
It was a crazy experience, but I just jumped in it and thought, why the hell not? And that was my first pro. It was 35 and a pro win.
Mandy (13:44)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (13:45)
Yeah.
Yeah, that's awesome.
Fallon (13:51)
It was definitely a different experience. I mean, we're sweating. No AC in there. It was crazy.
Mandy (13:57)
But it's so nice to kind of hear those stories though, because you have so many amateurs that with like, if they have like some obstacles, you know, whether it's in their control or not, it's like, I need to stop prepping right now because it's, yeah. And it's like, no, you're always going to have obstacles, whether you can control them or not, you're going to be faced with adversity. It's how do you overcome that adversity to get to the goal, right? And it's nice to be able to hear that, like, exactly. You just, you did, yeah.
Fallon (14:04)
Mm -hmm.
devastating.
Gillian (14:08)
Yeah.
Fallon (14:12)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm. Yep, yep.
Gillian (14:20)
You gotta just roll with it.
Fallon (14:24)
We did. My family came down the following day. There were fans being blown into the hotel rooms to try to dry the floors. Sleeping with the doors open to get some kind of breeze because there wasn't AC. Going through flooded streets. It was an experience, but I do it again. It was still fun. Yeah, yeah. Yep, I was still there.
Mandy (14:47)
Yeah.
Gillian (14:47)
Yeah, it's like part of the story, right? Of just like, all this shit went down, but I still, you know, had fun and showed up and showed out. So, so kind of shifting gears a little bit and maybe kind of tagging on with that last topic of kind of talking about adversity and things that happen. 2023, you know, you revealed was sort of just not your best year. You had some things that kind of went on in your personal life that.
Fallon (14:55)
Mm -hmm, mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (15:12)
just made things a little bit difficult for your journey. So can you share a little bit about what that year was like for you?
Fallon (15:21)
Yeah, so official pro debut minus at Daytona Pro 2023 started off a little rough for for my family and I. I was away out of the country celebrating the husband's birthday and I got some terrible news that my father had passed away unexpectedly. Not being home and something like that happening, especially when you're I mean, I say especially, but.
your father passes away yes or yes it's it's it's terrible it's I remember just not being able to breathe at one point the husband was trying to comfort me but literally could not catch my breath to to speak I couldn't do anything I wasn't there you can't just go to the hospital I'm in another country
Gillian (16:16)
Yeah.
Fallon (16:17)
Thankfully, I have a really, really good support system. I have friends that I can call and, you know, make sure things are still running okay until I get back. But that was in May. And I think my first show was slated for June. And I knew that I needed to stay, I needed to stay focused in something. But I definitely can look back and know that last year's showings weren't.
There was something off. There was just something that I wasn't bringing. And I don't know if it was a confidence or just a lackluster, but I knew if I was going to the gym and keeping my mind busy, like that was super helpful at the time. but having to make arrangements because my mom wasn't well and still isn't well, is also really, really difficult for, for a daughter to do for, for her father.
it especially with the girls as well. My oldest was very, very close. We called him pop up very close with pop up and coming home from out of town just to just news like that is is devastating. I couldn't even fathom the words just speaking it out loud.
It was, I couldn't, I couldn't like tell her. And it was, yeah. Thank you, thank you. It was.
Gillian (17:37)
Yeah.
Mandy (17:42)
I can't even imagine, I'm so sorry. Like I'm so, so sorry for your loss.
Gillian (17:43)
It's so difficult. Yeah, I'm so sorry. Had to be such a shock and it's just the worst phone call you can ever expect. And yeah.
Fallon (17:52)
It wasn't real. It truly wasn't real. Yeah.
Gillian (17:58)
Yeah. And I think either way, you know, if you had decided to, you know, put things on pause, you know, everybody would have understood, but I think there for a lot of people just needing that place of, you know, something, just a bit of a, a bit of me that is a constant, you know, even if it's not going to be how other preps are, and it isn't going to be enough to, you know, bring my best physique yet, you know, you still showed up that shows like a lot of, a lot of strength and.
Fallon (18:08)
for sure.
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Gillian (18:27)
you know, I think that that shows a lot of character and a lot of courage. And you looked phenomenal at all of those shows. So it's not as if you showed up and you know, you were a hot mess and you know, but inside I can imagine just dealing with all of that. And that's stuff that that takes time like to lose anybody. Yeah, it's not quick. So, you know, I think that it just, yeah, that had to be really difficult.
Fallon (18:33)
Thank you.
Right.
to heal.
As cliche as it sounds, I know he wouldn't just want me just sitting around. It gave me purpose to, yeah, I'm a mom. Yes, I'm a wife, but for myself, it gave me purpose. Okay, get your ass up. Go bust out that leg day, you know, come home and then like, take your, take your minute, go cry in the shower or, you know, need a little extra cuddle time. But I knew not doing, not doing it wasn't going to benefit me in the long run.
Mandy (18:52)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (19:17)
Alright.
Mandy (19:17)
Yeah.
Fallon (19:17)
So I definitely made sure to self care in that way basically.
Mandy (19:21)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (19:22)
Yeah, and to show your girls too, like, hey, you know, this is how I'm coping with something, right? Yeah, yeah, that's.
Fallon (19:24)
Yeah, life doesn't stop for us. It just, you have to keep pushing and going and it definitely was shitty.
Mandy (19:25)
Yeah.
It's one of the hardest things about losing someone so close to you is I think like the realization, I was really close with my mother and I lost her a long time ago and realizing the world doesn't stop. Like you have, yeah.
Fallon (19:51)
Mm -hmm. You feel guilty. You feel like remorseful that you're feeling that way.
Mandy (19:57)
Like you, and you have to keep going. My son was three at the time and it's like, he just lost his grandma and, and, but it keeps going. You gotta keep waking up. You gotta keep, you know, working. You do. Yeah. And you look back and you're like, just like you said, they're, they're looking down on you and on us and seeing like,
Fallon (20:00)
Mm -hmm.
Mm.
Yeah, feeding yourself and yeah.
Mandy (20:22)
They're proud, you know, we didn't, we didn't throw in the towel. You didn't, you know, you're there for your girls. You showed them, you know, even through something so, so hard that you showed up and you accomplished your goals.
Fallon (20:24)
Yeah.
Yeah. Yep. That's what I'm hopeful they see. Maybe not today, but down the road. Down the road.
Gillian (20:38)
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Mandy (20:41)
They do.
Gillian (20:47)
Wow, that's incredible that you pushed through. And then coming back this year, did you kind of go into 2024 with renewed purpose and a new set of goals?
Mandy (20:47)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (20:59)
I did come in with some new goals. I came in with a different space, not so heavy. I felt a little heavy looking back last year that just not as we'll say grounded, kind of aloof, a little lost in my own head. But I came back lighter and with a little more oomph, I guess I could say. And.
Gillian (21:18)
Yeah.
Fallon (21:26)
My goal was to go to Masters Olympia. Sadly, they're planning on doing it every other year. And last year they did it, so they won't be having a Masters Olympia, but that's okay. I'll do it next year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's my goal.
Mandy (21:43)
next year. Yeah.
Gillian (21:44)
2025. Yep. Yeah.
Well, it definitely shows like in your stage presentation, like I can see, you know, from, you know, of course we have, we're so fortunate we have Gilco has these beautiful videos of everybody. You know, we never had this years ago. I was told we were so lucky to have it on the live streams. You can just watch it. It's incredible, you know? And like, I'm, when Mandy did the clash in May or on March, I was screen recording all of her routines so that we could like, you know, sort of like reverse engineer it and like, like look at everything. We're just so lucky to have these resources.
Fallon (21:57)
my God, so great.
Mandy (21:57)
Yeah.
Fallon (22:01)
the live streams.
Mandy (22:03)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (22:05)
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (22:17)
It's so helpful.
Gillian (22:18)
but to see your favorite athletes up on stage. And I've followed so many people's journeys and to see their evolution, but you can definitely see in someone's stage presentation when they are truly in a good spot, they're enjoying it. Yeah, do you think that's made a difference in how you show up on stage, just that persona, that energy?
Fallon (22:19)
It is.
Enjoying it in a good spot.
Mandy (22:32)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (22:40)
For sure. I also, I'm very music -like, I will dance and dance and dance. My DJ at Clash is, he's fire. He's been really, really good. And music gives me a little more pep in my step. I think I'll be the only one dancing back there sometimes. And when you just feel good, it definitely shows on stage. And that's how I've been feeling these last shows. It's just really, really good.
Mandy (22:51)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (23:09)
Lots and lots of food, which is also helpful. I eat like a grown man. Yeah, I get a good bit of water now. My first two years I felt a little depleted, wasn't getting a lot of water. But now between food and water, I don't get those tension headaches. I'm not hungry. So that also helps.
Gillian (23:16)
That's awesome.
Mandy (23:17)
That is helpful though, that is very helpful.
Gillian (23:35)
Yeah. Have you always been like that? Like have you always been able to sort of like eat a lot on your preps or is that kind of new or maybe as you've evolved as an athlete?
Fallon (23:42)
This is...
As I evolved, I've never been without food, especially in prep. But my first couple years as my coach was learning my body and trying to figure out where food was going, it was nowhere near as much as I'm getting now. My day before show and show day, I'm consuming so much food. I think this last prep I was...
a good bit into like 28 to 3 ,200 calories for the week. It was great. It was delicious. Yeah, I got up.
Mandy (24:19)
That's a lot, that's awesome. It took my brain a minute to be like, wait a minute.
Gillian (24:21)
Yeah.
Do you think like as you mature in the sport like and in your body because I tell you all the time like as I've gotten older like I eat way more now than I did when I was in my 20s you know just because you have more muscle and also more experience do you think that's true for you as well like just as you've gotten you know more experience as an athlete?
Fallon (24:25)
Yeah, yeah.
Mandy (24:35)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (24:35)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
yeah.
Absolutely. And I think with the muscle maturity and growth there, my body needs it. My body doesn't, it's like, this, this just isn't enough food. You need so much more to fuel these massive muscles I now have.
Gillian (24:52)
Yeah.
Mandy (24:52)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah, but I feel like we're learning that as we get older and we get these masters categories and there's so many more masters competitors because I've learned that personally to myself. You know, I look back when I first started competing in my 20s and I didn't eat nowhere near what I eat now. And in fact, it was for me personally, it was an accidental find. Like my coach is fantastic and I just did a refeed meal and we're like,
Gillian (25:02)
Yeah.
Fallon (25:18)
Near as much. Yeah.
Mandy (25:27)
we're having great progress with this one refeed. What if we do it again and again? And now I've done that, you know, but like, it's like you said, it's like, okay, well, you put more size on, you know, we're older, our hormones are different. Maybe it's not like when we were in our twenties, maybe we don't need to be down to 1100 calories, 900 calories, but everybody's different. You don't know, but like, as we kind of get older and we experiment with food a little bit more and, you know, growing lean muscle tissue, it's kind of interesting to learn that.
Fallon (25:29)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
You don't know then, yeah?
you
Yeah. And as you mentioned, everybody's body's different too. Backstage this last show, the two girls before me between prejudging and finals, they came back and they were like, all I had was rice. And I was like, I had a burger and fries and, and I feel and still look great.
Mandy (25:58)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (25:59)
Mm -hmm.
Surprise.
Fallon (26:19)
So it just depends on how our metabolisms are like fired at that moment.
Mandy (26:20)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Gillian (26:25)
Yeah, absolutely. Would you say then like, you know, having experience and being a pro, like, do you feel like your relationship with your coach is like very collaborative when it comes to your prep and your body and how you're feeling and such? Yeah.
Fallon (26:37)
yeah, I can almost know now what he's planning on doing. My coach is Steve with Flawless Physique, so he's been in the business. I think actually I made mention, Jillian, that I was doing a podcast with you guys and he's like, I know her, she knows us. But yeah, working with him now for the three and a half years.
Gillian (26:51)
Yeah.
Yeah, he's awesome. Yep.
Fallon (27:03)
He knows my body like clockwork. He knows my body before I check in, where my food is, what my weight is. And I mean, you tell him everything, you know, from when your last period was, or when you've had a bowel movement, or what like, what's going on in your life, your stressors. And it just, the relationship works really well. And he's able to dial me in.
Mandy (27:27)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (27:31)
overfeed me to where I'm so stuffed but I still wake up and I'm lighter. I don't know the science. I don't know how it happens, but he does. So hats off.
Mandy (27:40)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (27:42)
Yeah, that's great. That's great when you find that fit and someone who understands you and you know, and also that respects your opinion too, because I do hear so many athletes that are just like, they don't want to say anything and they have a feeling, but they just can't speak up. So that's, you know, it's great to have that sort of collaborative relationship. You know, that's good. So what is the feedback that you're working with from your shows this season?
Mandy (27:43)
That is great.
Fallon (27:45)
Yeah.
Mm.
So of course, muscle density in the glutes, it's always gonna be there, I think, until they explode out of my butt. I mean, upper glute, upper glute, upper glute. Yeah, yeah. Let's see. This time, conditioning, conditioning, I feel like...
Mandy (28:14)
Hahaha!
Gillian (28:15)
When do they not say that? They're always saying upper glute, upper glute, upper glute to everybody and everyone. Yeah, I know.
Because conditioning, like, you got it. Like, your conditioning is always good.
Fallon (28:33)
I wish my core could be a little, I know I'm not like gloat, this is no gloat or anything, but I wish my core could be softer. It's just, it's so tight all the time and I know they're looking for this like softer belly. And I don't know how to get that. He can feed me and feed me and feed me. And it's just, hey, ab ab ab ab ab ab ab. And I'm like, go away. I don't want you there.
Gillian (28:40)
Yeah, I've heard you say that.
Yeah.
Fallon (29:03)
But it's good though. I'm not complaining too much. But yeah.
Mandy (29:10)
Mm -hmm.
It's like a good, it's a good problem to have, just not a good one to have for this stage. Like, but in real, in like normalcy, it's, yeah.
Fallon (29:20)
Right, and normal life, my 40 year old self, I still have abs. This show, Mo gave me feedback. She said she wishes I would stand a little taller. And she said it looked like I was a little scrunched in my abdomen area and I was pushing to my glute, which probably was the case because I, you know, you tell me you want more glute, I'm gonna.
Mandy (29:28)
Yeah.
Gillian (29:28)
Yeah.
Fallon (29:49)
put everything I can over there. And then she said if she could be really, really picky, a tad more conditioning and that glute hamstring tie in, which is always kind of my problem child. So we're working on that.
Mandy (29:51)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (30:03)
Yeah. Yeah. And that like tiny little bit can be just what it takes to tip over into that, you know, first place spot. So, cause everybody's so good at that level.
Mandy (30:03)
Yeah.
Fallon (30:11)
Yeah, yeah. Everybody, it's just like these little fine little details that you look and you're like, yeah, I got it. actually, it's not there. It's not there.
Mandy (30:16)
Yeah.
Gillian (30:25)
Do you think that there was like a difference in the, I don't wanna say standards, but I've had people talk about this before about the way you need to look to get a pro card and then the way you need to look as a pro. Do you think they're different? Because I think in a lot of ways they are. I feel like on the national stage, everybody is, I feel like we're smaller. I feel the conditioning is like over the top.
Fallon (30:39)
yeah.
for sure.
Gillian (30:51)
And then it's different because of course at the pro level we're not measured by height anymore now at least we've got the different age categories But you know, we've got five foot girls mixed in with six foot girls, you know, so what do you think the difference is?
Fallon (30:51)
here.
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. Well, looking back, when you guys asked me to do this podcast, I look back at my pro win, and I look at myself, and I look nothing like that woman anymore on stage. The maturity, the muscle maturity, the muscle density, like you said, we'll say at that time, over -conditioned, but it still looked phenomenal on stage. Obviously enough for the judges to go,
All right, she's getting her pro card. But if I look back at that right now, I wasn't, to me, that's not pro ready. That's not a pro girl. Thankfully, they gave it to me. But there's definitely a difference with that pro card win and the pro girls. Those ladies that come off a pro win and take a stage four pro and then.
Mandy (31:43)
You
Fallon (32:00)
know, top call -outs and pro. I don't even know how they do that. That's incredible. But the thickness of the pros, that density, and they're not over conditioned. They've found that perfect balance of just enough cardio and keeping the glutes with that softer belly in the pros is, yes, majorly different.
Mandy (32:04)
Mm.
Gillian (32:26)
Yeah, that's interesting. What do you feel like is the difference than competing as a in the Masters Pro versus the Open Pro?
Mandy (32:27)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (32:36)
The difference, the competing against the 20 year olds in open and 30 year olds, you can definitely tell like for me that they're able to, I don't know, push harder. They're able to dedicate more. I don't know if like, if they have sponsorships and they're able to just.
put more into it because they don't necessarily have a husband and children and a career outside of competing because they are younger and maybe they haven't reached that next step of life to where they're not having to cook dinner every night for their kids, and meal prep for themselves and take their kids to middle school, and high school and school. So maybe there's just a different.
Mandy (33:09)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (33:32)
dedication, which that's why there's open for them. And we do now have our masters because it is a different playing field. It's hard for me to compete in that open class with the early 30 year olds that that's their, this is their profession. This is what they're doing for a living. And that's great because they're making bank too. And that's their job.
Gillian (33:50)
Yeah.
Mandy (33:57)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (33:57)
Yeah.
Mandy (34:00)
I think you said that very, very well because, you know, I have quite a few friends here in Kansas City, younger girls that I go to the gym after I dropped my son off at school. I dropped him off at school. I go to the gym Monday through Friday, eight o 'clock. So some of the girls there that they don't have kids, they're young, they're in their like 22, 23, you know, I'm 35 and.
Fallon (34:09)
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (34:21)
It is completely different responsibilities and a different, whole different lifestyle than what I live. And it's funny, we crack a bunch of jokes at it, but thinking of it like that, it's not that they take it more serious, it's not that they have more dedication or heart in it, it's just a prioritization. It's a folk, yeah, it's just in a mental load too, because...
Fallon (34:28)
yeah.
Mm -mm.
the responsibility.
Gillian (34:44)
Yeah.
Mandy (34:48)
They don't have the mental load of my kids cheer, soccer, dinner, groceries, work, homework, laundry, laundry, fricking laundry. Do you have?
Fallon (34:54)
shoes, clothes, laundry, yeah.
Gillian (34:58)
Laundry.
Mandy (34:59)
Laundry. we have a cheer soccer thingy. do you have clothes? Do you have the right uniforms? Did we do laundry? do you have food? Do I have my food? Do I have enough food if for something happens to one of my meals and he just keeps going and going. Whereas like you look at, you know, somebody in their younger 20s or in their 20s and don't have that. It's like, I got to go to work. Maybe. Maybe. Yeah, it is. It is. We.
Fallon (35:00)
Yeah.
Maybe, maybe, which is cool. You got it. But like you, I get up before my house wakes up. I get up at five o 'clock. I'm home before my girls leave for school. So I can, I feel responsible that I need to, not that I need, I want to say goodbye to them. I want to kiss them goodbye and have a good day for school. Those girls that don't have children, they can sleep in, get their food in, go back to bed.
Gillian (35:20)
Maybe. Yeah.
Mandy (35:29)
We all do.
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (35:49)
then get up and go to the gym. Again, cool. But that's not my life.
Mandy (35:52)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (35:52)
Yeah.
Yeah, no, I mean, recovery is like, sorry, go ahead.
Mandy (35:56)
Well, and then we also deal with the... no, I was gonna say we also deal with the mom guilt too. And that's why we all get up at four or five a or we stay up really late or like we fit all this stuff. Cause the mom guilt we feel of like, we slightly prioritize ourselves just a little bit and we feel like shit for doing that.
Fallon (36:02)
yeah. Yeah.
Gillian (36:02)
Yeah.
Fallon (36:12)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
Gillian (36:16)
Everyone we talk to though is the same. There's this perception of it's this selfish sport. And it's really, it's not because what we really do is we do everything that we need to do before everybody gets up or while everybody's off at school or while everyone else is taking care of. Yeah, and then go about our day. Which I think for me, my brain never stops anyways. So if I didn't have five kids to worry about and all this stuff, I'd be sitting around just thinking about the show.
Mandy (36:19)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (36:24)
It's not.
Yeah. And still handle shit.
Mandy (36:34)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (36:43)
I'd be bored.
Mandy (36:45)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (36:46)
day, which I'm thinking about it a lot anyways, but I think I drive myself crazy, you know? And I do see that. I've seen younger girls sort of like go a little bit bonkers because in all their spare time, they're on social media comparing other people, looking at past shows. It's like just, you know, busy yourself with something else, which is kind of what moms do. Yes, come over to my house and help me with some laundry. And so yeah, so that's really interesting. So you have what looks like a very...
Mandy (36:48)
Yeah.
Fallon (36:49)
Right.
No.
Clean. Clean. Yeah.
Gillian (37:14)
and healthy marriage. You talk about your husband all the time and he's crazy about you as well. So I sense that there is a really good relationship, good healthy communication. So I think even your last poach, in my last post you said that he was like the best show hubby ever. So what is, yeah, so what has his support meant to you on all of your preps and show days?
Mandy (37:16)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (37:17)
Yeah.
We're growing. We're growing.
Mandy (37:28)
I'm going to go to bed.
Fallon (37:32)
He's my show daddy.
His support is amazing. He also kind of got into the lifestyle fitness. He saw my first year and into my second year he was like, man, I gotta shit or get off the pot. I need to keep up with this woman. There's about a six year age difference. I am a little older. So he's like, if I don't take care of myself, like...
What are we gonna do? So he stepped up and he started the whole gym thing and he signed up with my team Flawless and did the whole lifestyle and now he's doing it on his own. He's kicking ass with it. And the first couple years was difficult to travel, him travel with me. He came to a couple of the local shows but again, with the girls, you know, if...
Mandy (38:07)
Ha ha ha!
Hmm.
Fallon (38:34)
If we don't have somebody to watch them here, we both can't go. and we have to make those arrangements or he stays home. So my first couple of years competing, he'd come to one or two shows, but he's determined and his goal is to come to every single one of my shows and be my show daddy this year. He helps me with my tan, packing the car. He's my muscles. He's, he took care of the girls this past weekend and bless him.
It's so hard to travel with the girls and like get ready for a show You know, you got to creep around in the hotel room to not wake them up at five o 'clock in the morning I forgot my banana. I forgot my pump stuff. I forgot their shoes. I forgot my shoes But He he's great and he's super supportive and he's very very proud he brags and boasts to anybody and everybody about
Mandy (39:13)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (39:14)
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a lot to think about kids on show day.
Fallon (39:32)
what I'm doing and how much he appreciates everything that I do for the girls and myself and him.
Gillian (39:39)
That's awesome.
Mandy (39:40)
That's so sweet. I like that he's your show daddy. It's so cute. I know.
Fallon (39:41)
Yeah.
It is. I love it. He loves it.
Gillian (39:48)
That's awesome.
Mandy (39:48)
lot of help from my husband too. One of the biggest things like he supports everything I do. We've been together for almost 10 years but he cooks my chicken. That's probably my biggest. Yeah I know right? Right? So he we got a smoker a couple years back and he'll he'll take like 12 chicken breasts and smoke them.
Fallon (40:05)
and get him ready. See, I prep all my hubby's food. I work from home, so I'll have all his food prep. So I get all his food prep and then he takes care of me on show day and show week. Show week, he steps up to game on. I'm like, baby, it's time to be show daddy. He's like, I got you, I got you.
Mandy (40:11)
Mm -hmm. Yep.
Gillian (40:20)
Yeah.
That's so great to like alleviate that stress on that last week is because there's so much that week and you know, oftentimes you feel better, but it's still like, you know, you're counting down the days and getting those last workouts and trying to remember. Yeah, like I wouldn't forget this and whatnot. So.
Fallon (40:27)
It is. It is.
Yeah, I get antsy.
Mandy (40:37)
Yeah. Well, and when you forget stuff, it's so helpful to have that extra pair of hands. Like, I love when Aaron comes with me because of that, because there's so many times I'm like, I forgot tablespoons, or I forgot this. And he's like, I'll go to the store. But like you, like, he tries to go to every single show. And it is so helpful. I try to say, I'm like, you don't have to. Like, it's OK. Stay home with Carson. And he's like, he really, he's so cute, because now he's like, well, what if you forget something? I'm like,
Fallon (40:39)
I forgot everything.
Mm -hmm.
Yeah. Mm -hmm.
It's so helpful.
Awwww.
Mandy (41:07)
I can go get it. I promise I can. And he's like, but like, I gotta get it for you. I'm like, my gosh. So, but it's.
Gillian (41:08)
haha
Fallon (41:13)
Mm -hmm. It'll be 930 at night. Baby coach said I need fries and he'll go get me Arby's or Checkers fries. And I'm like, this is nice. But then I also don't know what to do with myself while I wait for them. There's no kids. I don't have anything to do, but it's nice though. It is nice.
Mandy (41:19)
Yeah.
Gillian (41:27)
Yeah.
Yeah, it is nice. My husband, he just knows I don't want to be alone, but I don't want a lot of chaos and commotion. So like he's there, but quiet, not asking me a million questions. How are you feeling? He'll take off and go sightsee. Like he'll like go do a little like a food tour of Pittsburgh. Like when we were at Masters Nationals and he's like, do you want a photo or not? I'm like, no.
Mandy (41:33)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (41:45)
Yeah.
Mandy (41:45)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (41:54)
but we're gonna go there on Sunday when I can actually eat. So that support is so, yeah, I think even if your partner just knows what you need is very helpful. And that might be a lot, it might be just, I just be there. And not on show day like, when are you going on stage and what's going on? I don't need a million questions, and that's very helpful too. Somebody who understands, yeah, that's awesome.
Fallon (41:57)
and enjoy, yeah.
Mandy (41:57)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (42:06)
Yeah.
No. He's just there.
Mandy (42:14)
Yeah.
Fallon (42:15)
drive me there and wait around and...
Mandy (42:17)
Especially if you know they're having fun. I know we, I did a show in Las Vegas one time and Carson and Aaron, that's Carson's my son, they came with me and during my whole like show day until finals, they like went down the strip, they did a bunch of fun things. And just knowing like they were having fun on a day that really was like all about me. It made me feel good. Like that, you know.
Fallon (42:39)
Yeah.
Mandy (42:40)
I'm on stage doing my thing and they're swimming at whatever pool and at the factory and it's like a good time. So it's, it is nice. Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Fallon (42:46)
Yeah. And it's a bonding moment for them. That's good. Yeah.
Gillian (42:51)
So what do your girls think about the shows and the bling and all the glitz and glam of it all?
Fallon (42:57)
The Veda, the five -year -old, she is so cute. She will try to hit my poses and she, you know, she really doesn't know what's going on when our nanny will put the live stream on. She thinks I'm on TV. She literally thinks like mommy's like on the TV show and she loves it. She was hooting and hollering. I heard her over everybody at the last show in Clash this weekend.
Mama, mommy, mommy. The 14 year old, she enjoys bragging. She, she, you know, she's 14. Teenage years are difficult. One moment she's in love with it. Yeah, yeah. One moment she's in love with it and the next she's like, mom, can you not be in a bathing suit? Can you put some clothes on? I'm like, I'm posing babe, can you?
Mandy (43:38)
Thank you.
Gillian (43:42)
Yep, we know.
Mandy (43:43)
We're all like, yeah.
Fallon (43:57)
Give me a minute, like, thanks. But she's always loved it. She loves that I come home with new bling, with my Tiaras. That was also a goal. I need to get a Tiarra. I want a Tiarra. And then the little teddy bear that they gave at Girl Power, my five -year -old wants to take it. But yeah, they're both, they both enjoy it.
Gillian (44:01)
Yeah.
Fallon (44:26)
I enjoy and I'm hopeful that they see it in a different light later in life too. With the food, the nutrition, that's okay to be strong, it's okay to have muscles. You gotta work for it though. Like, you can't just wake up and be here.
Gillian (44:41)
Yeah. So do you have like a way that you talk about nutrition in your home, like with your family? I think that's something with girls, because I have three daughters and so, you know, we're going through puberty and there's body changes happening. And so I think like the language is really important and like, I'm sometimes eating different things than my daughters are. And just, you know, I think it's a bit delicate. So kind of how do you approach that topic with your family?
Mandy (44:41)
Yeah.
Fallon (45:08)
It is delicate. I find it most difficult with Kendall, the oldest. She's very picky eater. And of course, in the teen years, they don't really listen to mom anymore. So I try to have like an aunt or the doctor or a grandma or somebody else she may look up to, to kind of give her some, some insight. Hey, it'd be good if you added some vegetables to your diet or.
You know, maybe you should drink more water or like you see how food fuels my body. Like you, you visually can see it. and you know what it takes and how I can get here. And it's all by food. It food is 90 % of what we do. The gym is the gym to me is just. That part's easy. It's just prepping all the food. we let her, you know, protein and how, how important that is.
Mandy (45:44)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (46:05)
You know, she's not really hearing it right now, but again, maybe one day she has her times when she gets into the mood of, okay, I want to eat like my mom. I want to eat like my mom. And then, and then it stops. Veda, she's too young. She's too young. She's too young to understand what food is. She just wants ice cream and candy and everything she shouldn't have.
Mandy (46:23)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (46:24)
Yeah.
Right.
Mandy (46:32)
Yeah, I feel like boys are relatively similar. Like with that, like my son, you know, right now he'll be 15 here in August. And the one thing that I absolutely am so grateful for is I started doing this when he was three, three, four. I took him to my shows. I he watched me in bikinis, like posing, all that stuff. He watched, you know, food, the gym.
He has such a respect for women. Like the way, as he kind of went through pu, you know, going through puberty and a lot of his friends, you know, that year 12, they're like, ooh, cheerleaders, ooh, girls in shorts, ooh, like all this stuff. He's like, this has been my life for like ever. What is like, he, it's just the respect for women that like I've always, I've really loved.
Fallon (47:01)
Mm.
Yeah. Yeah.
Gillian (47:21)
Come.
Mandy (47:21)
I always had some moms that are like, why would you look like that? Because I always wear crop tops and stuff like that. Like, why would you look like that in front of your kids? It's like, no, why not? Yeah, why not? But back to the food. My son's the same. He'll come in my office sometimes and be like, how do I, you know, eat better and bulk up? And I'm like, this, this is what you do. And then the next day he'll be like, I don't feel like eating today. Like, okay. Yeah.
Fallon (47:28)
Why not? Why not?
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Yep. Yep. Yep. Kendall will make, she'll get her protein mix and make protein pancakes three, four days and then, and then stop.
Gillian (47:46)
Take me to Chick -fil -A.
Yeah, I want them to have that balance. Yeah.
Fallon (47:57)
Well, how'd you feel when you were eating that? How'd you feel when you were eating that? I felt really good midday. Okay, well let's do it again. If you felt good, do it again.
Mandy (48:00)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (48:06)
Yeah, focusing on that I think is huge. Like how you feel and you know, you had more energy and you didn't have a tummy ache. Like I think those things are so important. People are always surprised that, you know, with the way I eat that my kids, you know, eat all like normal food, I guess. But I think if anything, I just want them to have balance and I want it to feel like a choice, not like, you know, I grew up and we had just lots of diet food and there was no treats and I would go to friends' houses and like just like gorge myself on all these things that I couldn't have.
Fallon (48:09)
Mm -hmm.
Right.
Yeah.
Mandy (48:30)
Mmm.
Fallon (48:34)
Gorge out.
Gillian (48:36)
And so I want them to know like there is a lot of healthy food, but there's also treats and it's a balance and you know, but I think it's just, it's delicate with, with us as competitors and our bodies, you know, like we're so, you know, lean and we have to get to a certain level of body fat. So sometimes I think, you know, each person just has to approach that differently as, as to what, how they talk about it, you know,
Fallon (48:40)
Yeah, that's my motto. Balance.
Mandy (48:42)
Yeah.
Fallon (48:56)
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandy (48:56)
Well and kids are always different too. Some kids are more sensitive than others. Some kids, you know, girls and boys are different too. Cause I can be real hard with my son, you know, and be not as careful with my words, but I know plenty of exactly. I know so many girls that can't. Yeah.
Gillian (49:01)
yeah.
Fallon (49:12)
I can't with Kendall. Can't with Kendall. I can't with my five -year -old. Nah, with my 14 -year -old.
Gillian (49:14)
Yeah, they're so different.
Yeah. So, well, one question we always like to ask all of our guests is, what is your number one tip for success as far as getting it all in as a wife, as a mom, having a career, and then being a pro athlete? If you have one tip for anybody that is kind of struggling to figure out how to get it all done.
Fallon (49:42)
My one tip, I will go to my recent post and I just mentioned it and I think balance, balance in everything you do. You don't have to put all your worth into fitness. You don't have to put all your worth into nutrition. You need to make sure that you step outside that bubble for a little bit and explore outside of that. Go have that Dairy Queen with your kids or
Mandy (49:50)
Mm -hmm.
Fallon (50:12)
Go take that trip to Tulum because you might not get that anymore. Enjoy the structure of bodybuilding, but then don't forget it's okay to take that break and to step away from the stage. It doesn't have to be for nine months. It doesn't have to be for a year. Take however long, take that break and balance your life and everything with work, with playing, with traveling, all of it.
My husband and I are yin and yang to each other. If he's going hard in the paint, I'm like, all right, it's time to chill for a little bit. And vice versa. If I'm going hard, he's like, all right, baby, it's time to slow back down. Just balance.
Gillian (50:58)
Yeah, I like that. I think what you're saying too is that like you identify definitely as like a pro athlete, but that's not all that you are. Like you have these other passions and these other things that that keep you, you know, well rounded. I think that's like a great takeaway. And if someone's listening and they don't have kids yet and they're like all in and they're literally just giving it all they have, like it's okay to like have other things that you're passionate about. Yeah. It doesn't mean that you can't be successful because look at the success that
Mandy (51:00)
Edit 2.
Fallon (51:05)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Take a step back, yeah.
Mandy (51:23)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (51:27)
you have had and you know if anything I think it enriches your experience because you know you've got this other life that you look forward to outside of the stage. I think that's really important.
Fallon (51:27)
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Gillian (51:40)
So tell us, obviously you're prepping for the, is it the Miami Beach? What's it? Miami Pro?
Fallon (51:44)
Miami .I. Miami International Fitness Expo.
Gillian (51:51)
That's right, it's a big expo. That's June 1st. I heard that.
Mandy (51:52)
cool.
Fallon (51:55)
I hear it's huge. I hear it's massive. So I'm a little nervous, but excited.
Mandy (51:57)
Expos are just so much fun.
Gillian (52:02)
You're going to, it's going to be awesome. So what happens after that? I know that you had mentioned that you are, have your sights set on that Masters Olympia whenever they announced that it is. So what are your like ultimate goals with the sport?
Mandy (52:03)
You're gonna do so good. Yeah.
Fallon (52:16)
The coach and I, Steve and I, we were kind of seeing what happens in Miami, but I have also mentioned to him about doing Sandy's show June 22nd. It's her first time. I think she's calling it World's, is maybe what it's called. I can't be for sure. It's in Chattanooga. And I kind of mentioned that one to him to see how he felt. And he's like, that could be a good one.
Gillian (52:32)
Yeah.
Fallon (52:47)
But I don't really know 100 % after Miami what's happening. The husband told me to keep knocking out shows, which is cool. I think he just wants to travel. But we're going to see what happens this weekend. There's a couple more shows here in the area. The Charleston show, it's a class show in August. And then of course we have Battles of the Body.
Gillian (52:51)
Yeah.
Mandy (52:57)
Hahaha.
Fallon (53:16)
in Fort Lauderdale, which I'm kind of interested in doing that one. It looks fun. And then Daytona is right here. It's hard not to do that show. It's literally in my backyard. It's closer than Orlando. But we'll see. I mean, this will be show four in four months. I've been doing a show.
Gillian (53:17)
Yeah.
Yeah, that's Janet's show, right? Yeah, that's awesome.
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandy (53:30)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (53:37)
Yeah.
Fallon (53:43)
once a month since March. I'm not burned out or anything. I still feel really, really, really good. So I'm going to keep going.
Gillian (53:51)
Yeah, why not?
Mandy (53:52)
Yeah, exactly. Why not? We'll have to follow you on Instagram for all of the shows you may do. And then of course, what is your Instagram so our listeners can be able to follow you as well?
Gillian (53:54)
Awesome.
Fallon (53:58)
Yeah, yeah.
It is fearlessly fit Fallon.
Gillian (54:07)
I love it. I have to know, how did you get your name? Where does it come from?
Mandy (54:07)
So.
Fallon (54:11)
Fallon? It came from my mom used to watch a soap opera called Dynasty back in the 80s. Yep. Yep.
Mandy (54:16)
Yeah.
Gillian (54:17)
That's it. I knew it. I knew it. I'm like, you know, I kept mixing it up with, gosh, I can't think of it now. Like another popular like kind of 80s name because, well, I'm in my 40s also. So, and I was like, man, I know I've heard that name before. I just couldn't remember where it was from. That's cool. It's a cool name.
Fallon (54:33)
Yeah. I guess my mom used to talk about it and my dad was like, ooh, Fallon. I like that name and here I am. I love it. I love my name.
Gillian (54:42)
Yeah, I love it. It's very unique. I love it. Awesome. Well, we cannot wait to get to you to watch your journey this season. And it was so amazing having you on today. Thank you so much for sharing your story. We're totally inspired and it was great to learn about, you know, all of all of your successes and just how you get it done. So thank you so much.
Mandy (54:42)
I can't hear you. Yeah. It is.
Fallon (54:51)
Thank you.
Thank you guys for having me. I very much enjoyed it.
Mandy (55:06)
Yeah, thank you so much for joining and all your information will be posted in the show notes for all you listeners so that way you can follow Fallon as well. So thank you guys for listening and we'll see you next time.
Gillian (55:08)
Awesome.
Fallon (55:18)
Bye guys.
Gillian (55:19)
Bye everybody!