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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 reviews on how much this podcast has helped you
Ready to embark on your fitness journey? We would love to help you reach any fitness goal from getting the baby weight off to crushing your competition goals! Click on 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 from customized nutrition plans, training programs, as well as motivation, accountability and support on your fitness journey! → Coaching by Momshell Method Fitness
Contact your hosts:
Mandy Rochon
Instagram: @ mandyrochonfitness
Facebook: @ Mandy Rochon
Gillian Hughes
Instagram: @ stl_momshell
Facebook: Gillian Hughes
Momshell Method Fitness Supplements → momshell-method-fitness.myshopify.com Use code “BAB” to save 15% off your order
Toxic Angelz Bikinis → toxicangelzbikinis.com Use code “GILLIAN” to save 15% off your order
Squeeze Me Skinny Waist Trainers → squeezmeskinny.com Use code “MOMSHELL” to save 10% off your order
The Shoe Fairy competition heels → shoefairyofficial.com Use code “momshell” to save 15% off your order
Our Amazon storefront- fitness outfits, more supplements, beauty items and competition needs → amazon.com/shop/momshells
MuscleEgg Discount Code→ Use code “MandyRochon”
Mandy (00:00)
Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Bikinis After Babies. Thank you so much for joining us. We have another fantastic episode today with an amazing guest. But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Mandi Roshan and I am here with your other stunning co -host.
Gillian (00:19)
Hey everyone, thank you so much for tuning in today. I'm Gillian Hughes and I'm really excited that you've joined us for another episode. We have a very special guest today. I've been so excited to bring her on. I would like to welcome Janine Herrera.
Janine is an IFBB Bikini Pro, a mother of three girls, a board certified nurse practitioner, and online health and wellness coach with Team Alpha Aesthetics. Janine has been competing for almost four years and earned her IFBB Pro card in 2021 at North Americans. She is a favorite on the IFBB circuit with numerous pro wins under her belt. And she traveled all the way to Romania in 2023 to the Masters Bikini Olympia, where she took home second place. I am so excited.
Janine Herrera (00:33)
Hi!
Yeah.
Gillian (01:02)
excited to have her on the show today. Welcome to Vickini's After Babies, Janine Herrera. Yay!
Janine Herrera (01:07)
Aw, thank you for having me, Jillian and Mandy. Hi.
Mandy (01:08)
Welcome.
Gillian (01:11)
Hi, thank you so much for coming on today. I'm really, really excited and several of our listeners have requested that we bring you on and pick your brain and you know, I'm not alone in saying that. I'm just in awe of all that you do and so today I'm really looking forward to learning like just how you pull it off because you're so, so busy. But I would like to kind of get started just learning how you began your journey competing.
Mandy (01:25)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (01:37)
So I began my journey, I've said this many times before, post divorce, but also right before COVID, right? Or during COVID, rather. I was an ICU nurse during COVID and I had, it's like one thing flowed right into the, flowed right into the other, right? Divorce ended, COVID started. And it was kind of like this angst of like, knowing that I hadn't processed the emotions yet, but now not having the ability to because I,
was now on the front lines is something the world had never seen. And just kind of to save my own self and my own mental health, found the gym, you know, a small gym that was open here in Miami and started working out. The owner became my coach. And at first it was just more or less workout to look the part. And I wasn't sure that I had the confidence to do it. And I think he got a little bit annoyed because it was like,
Gillian (02:09)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (02:35)
you should do this, you know what I mean? And then eventually him daring me and that led to hopping into my first show, you know? So it was a coping mechanism that turned out probably to be honestly, and I don't say this in a cliche way, the best thing that ever happened to me, you know?
Gillian (02:54)
Yeah, yeah, that's amazing.
Mandy (02:55)
Mm -hmm. Thank you so much for working through that. I can't, I can't imagine. Like I just can't imagine being in a hospital, let alone being like on the front lines and the ICU. Thank you so much for doing that.
Janine Herrera (03:06)
Awesome. My pleasure, my pleasure. Let's hope we never go through that again. Right. But it was, it was, I think, I think it also brought about different things in different people, right? Because I think after that episode, it being the worst thing we've probably ever gone through, a lot of people started to understand human connection and the value of it. Right. And we probably hugged people close to us a little tighter because all of a sudden we went from
Mandy (03:11)
Yeah.
Gillian (03:12)
Yeah, no, absolutely.
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Mandy (03:30)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (03:36)
you could be outside, you could be sociable to now if you touch somebody you might die. At one point it was really that scary. So as bad as it was, it also gave a lot of people a sense of purpose, I think, and allowed a lot of people to put more value into certain things, being with their families, being with their loved ones, the value of connection as opposed to just...
Mandy (03:41)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (03:41)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (04:05)
you know, always on social media or something, so.
Gillian (04:07)
Yeah, absolutely.
Mandy (04:08)
Yeah, and I feel like it helped us put an emphasis more on our health, like as individuals, you know, we started seeing how, you know, if we live life a certain way, how much sicker we possibly could be in a in a situation that is so unprecedented, and we don't and we're scared, and we don't know how to do it, like how to handle or what's going to happen to us. And it makes us kind of think like, okay, well, maybe, you know, drinking more water could possibly help me, you know, even the minor things that makes you start thinking of
Janine Herrera (04:12)
Yes.
Mandy (04:38)
those.
Janine Herrera (04:39)
Well, I think people also use that as a segue to dive into their own family history, right? Because at that time, so many people were coming to the hospital and you would find one family member really debilitated by it, but a distant family member not.
Mandy (04:44)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (04:54)
And it's just like, well, what was the difference? And people started learning about comorbidities that ran in their family that they had never even thought of before. Oh yeah, you know, my mom had diabetes and now those things came into question. Now those things were important pieces of information that prior everybody was just like, yeah, I think that's in my family history or my dad had that or now it became so important. And I think it's driven the way people handle their health in a different direction now, right? Because now you hear it.
Mandy (04:54)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (05:00)
Yeah.
Mandy (05:07)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (05:23)
family saying, oh yeah, my father had this, my mother had this. Like they actually know their family history. Whereas I can remember prior to COVID, people coming in the hospital and you're doing their assessment any prior this in your history and they're like, I don't know. I don't think so. You know what I mean? So it did open up a lot of conversations and it definitely has changed the way that we interact as human beings, the way we perceive things now and perceive our own health and how important that is. So out of...
Gillian (05:30)
Yeah.
Mandy (05:38)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (05:53)
something horrible, there have been good things to come out of it, you know? So...
Gillian (05:57)
Yeah.
Absolutely, I think it's interesting because there is definitely like sort of like two groups of people. There's people who it really set them back and I hear all the time and I'm sure you do as well as a coach like, oh everything was going well until the pandemic hit and then I gained a bunch of weight, I lost my routine and then you hear this other group of people that are like, that was like the thing like I decided to commit to my health and really prioritize making better choices and whatnot and for you it led to you know a journey to the stage. So tell me what it was like because
Janine Herrera (06:24)
Yeah.
Gillian (06:28)
Let me back up a little bit on that question. You know, a lot of times people get started, you know, in their 20s, like, oh, that looks fun. I saw this girl on Instagram and she looked great and I want to compete. Right. But I think it's super challenging from a mindset perspective to begin this journey after children having a career, you know, competing in the masters categories because it's sort of like, oh, like, should I have started by now? So what was that like for you? And did that ever impact? You know, did you have feelings of self doubt getting started later?
Janine Herrera (06:45)
Yeah, absolutely.
So it's funny, initially for my first competition, there was none of that, right? There was no, the self doubt was more or less, could I do this? Right? I wasn't concerned about my age. I wasn't concerned about anything else. Not even the other competitors. I think because I was so green, right? You're so green, you're just giddy to be going through the whole process. But once I went through the, my first competition and...
Gillian (07:16)
Yeah.
Mandy (07:19)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (07:24)
I mean, I look back at my posing from my first competition, I gotta pose it. I have to post that at some point. But you realize how carefree you are and you're just spinning up there like a little ballerina. Not a care in the world. I think reality set in after my first competition, I'll be honest. Because prior to that, I was very green. I barely knew anything about the sport and it wasn't until my first competition doing well and then the head judge, Tim Gardner, being...
so encouraging that I continue, then it was like, this man's a total stranger. But then hearing his accolades, hearing who he was, you know, like, it was like, okay, so maybe if he's saying I should continue, let me do a little bit of research. And then I started realizing how young these girls in this sport are. Prior to that, it seemed like it was a mix, right? The people that I knew were...
Gillian (08:13)
I'm sorry.
Mandy (08:13)
Hahaha.
Janine Herrera (08:22)
my coach's wife at the time who's in women's physique and she's older. But then I started realizing there are a lot of masters in the sport, but bikini, not so much. So that's when I started paying attention. And my second competition I did, I can remember having more fear, more angst, right? Actually, if you, if I post pictures, you'll see in a lot of my pictures or videos, I was doing this.
because by the time I did that second competition, I was aware that the majority of women in the sport were much younger, that there was a master's division, that a lot of the people I'm going up against don't have kids. They don't have the schedule I have. So it's funny because when I was making those sacrifices initially and I wasn't aware of those things, it wasn't a lot of pressure. Happy Go Lucky and working towards this goal and...
Gillian (09:14)
Yeah.
Mandy (09:15)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (09:18)
And then all of a sudden it's like somebody comes in your ear and says, yeah, but guess what? You're starting off with kids and you're a master's and then you're like, ah, and then the pressure sets in. So it was from about my second competition on that I started to really feel pressure per se. Um, but that's also when I made up my mind. If I'm going to do this, I am going to go.
Gillian (09:25)
Hey.
Mandy (09:26)
It's -
Gillian (09:38)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (09:47)
all the way, like I'm not going to, because then it really made me realize, okay, if I'm gonna commit to this, I need to do it in a structured way that I satisfy my goal and I don't take anything away from my kids and I'm still able to balance everything, you know?
Gillian (10:02)
rate.
Mandy (10:02)
I feel like that's the best decision we make as athletes and moms. Like when we make that decision that not only do we wanna go all the way, but we have to balance and we want to balance how can we be the best mom and the best athlete and not sacrifice either one. Rather it's waking up early, prepping more food, scheduling more time, being more dedicated, being more disciplined.
Janine Herrera (10:13)
Yes.
Mandy (10:27)
But in that sense, you're gonna be the best for your kid and for yourself. Like, I couldn't agree with you more.
Janine Herrera (10:34)
Yeah, from early on I set boundaries. I remember, you know, once I switched coaches, one of the things that was important to me to share with my second coach was I told her, I'm not going to compete when on the weekends I have my kids. Right? So obviously I'm divorced and we have a split parenting plan. And every other weekend is when I would compete. I would absolutely not compete when I have my kids. That was like my golden rule. You know?
Mandy (11:02)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (11:03)
And it's funny because there's so many mothers that I've met in this sport, moms who are married and moms who are single, right? And I think there's a certain amount of strength to be said about being a mom and being able to balance this because as moms, I feel like we are hardwired to put ourselves last. And I do it constantly, even making dinner. You know, one of the things I noticed my oldest picks up on a lot now is she's like, why do you always make your plate last, mom?
Why do you always see us to eat and then you come and eat or they'll be eating and I'm at the, I'm physically sitting with them, but I'm not eating because I'm finding out how it was school and how was this. And then it's my, my oldest is always like, why do you do that? Why do you put yourself last? Or I'll stand in the kitchen eating, you know, while they're putting their things, their stuff in the sink because I want to go do bedtime, you know? So it's as women, we are so hardwired to put ourselves.
Mandy (11:32)
Yes!
Gillian (11:33)
Yup.
Mandy (11:44)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (11:57)
Thank you.
Janine Herrera (12:01)
after our spouses or significant others or our kids that for a woman to be in this sport and really like balancing it all, I mean, kudos, kudos to them, you know?
Mandy (12:14)
So true. Oh yeah, absolutely.
Gillian (12:16)
Yeah, it's true. I mean, and fitting and posing. Yes, yeah, the guilt is a big one too, but you know, I think.
Janine Herrera (12:19)
We won't even talk about the guilt.
Mandy (12:25)
I feel like the guilt is why I get up at 4 a .m. and so I don't bother anybody.
Gillian (12:29)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (12:30)
Yeah, the guilt will drive you to do certain things where you're just like, wow, you know, am I really, what other thing could I be doing for them instead of me doing this for me? You know? That's why I choose to go to the gym. People are like, why do you go in the middle of the day? Because kids are in school in the middle of the day and I won't feel guilty, right? But you asked me to go in the evening and it's like...
Mandy (12:45)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (12:54)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (12:58)
It's a sense of guilt unless it's like a night where I don't have them then it's like, okay, but I try as much as possible to balance things so that it can never be said, well, mom was doing this so she wasn't around for us to do, you know?
Mandy (13:12)
Yeah, I started competing when my son was four, four or five. And that was my number, like you said, golden rule, is I never wanted to sacrifice, I love cooking, so I never wanted to sacrifice cooking his food or making his meals or taking him to school, things like that, and to this day, I do exactly what you said. I cook his breakfast, lunch, dinner.
play everything, same with my spouse, like I do all of it and like I never, I never will let it interrupt like my personal goals but I'll also never sacrifice from them because I enjoy doing that and they appreciate me doing that as well.
Janine Herrera (13:51)
Yeah. And I think it's a matter of perspective, right? Remembering that these relationships, these, these things that you're nurturing in this side of your life are, have more longevity than what you're doing in this sport. So, so it's a driving factor, right? Because on one side, you're going to work hard because you don't have a long time in the sport. But at the same time, you're going to remember that your priority is nurturing what's over here, because that is your life, not just a sport, right? So.
Gillian (13:52)
And I think, yeah.
Mandy (14:10)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (14:20)
Yeah, I think you have to like lead with the...
the belief in yourself that you can do it and you just have to stay really strong because it will be hard. But I also think too, like, you know, having, and you've, you know, now been in the sport a long time, you know, my kids don't know anything else. Like they, they just, they see me eating chicken and the food scale and like all these things and the verbiage is, I think what I've learned is the most important is how I talk about it. Cause I don't want them to hear words like dieting or lose weight or fat loss, or I can't have that. Like I really just, you know, I want it to be positive.
Janine Herrera (14:28)
Yes.
Mandy (14:49)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (14:53)
and so that they see, you know, they see me working hard and they know when I'm packing up my suitcase and getting on the plane, like I'm gonna go and get a trophy and like they think it's like really cool. They just don't know anything, anything different. So I think that's a big piece of it too is just, I think accepting that it's going to be hard and making those sacrifices, but juggling and women do it all the time. I think you just have to get to that place in your head, like, you know, okay, I'm doing enough and you know, and not let that guilt eat away at you for sure.
Janine Herrera (14:59)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, I love my middle daughter loves to tell me, look at my muscles. She's so cute because she's very much into staying active now, right? And it's funny, because sometimes when I listen to the conversations between my two oldest, it surprises me. Like I think the other day, my oldest said something to my middle, like, oh, you're like working out too much or something. And my middle daughter goes, because I don't want to get diabetes later on, Anya. I don't want to be up.
Gillian (15:25)
Hehehehehe
Mandy (15:25)
Oh, so cute.
We're...
Janine Herrera (15:49)
part of society that is obese. And I'm just like, where are you hearing this from? And then there's the other side of it. Like, I love, honestly, I say this all the time and I mean it, I love the camaraderie of the women in this sport. I think the camaraderie, I can't speak to any other division, but among the bikini women, especially the bikini masters athletes, we are so loving and we are so sweet and supportive and empowering of each other. And I love -
Gillian (15:54)
Hehehehe
Mandy (16:04)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (16:12)
Yes.
Mandy (16:18)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (16:19)
that my girls get to see that dynamic, you know? I think personally it's made them a lot softer and sweeter, you know? I've seen, you know, my daughters with their friends and they're just like, I'll share that with you. I'll help you. You could totally do that. I could totally see you doing that. And just some of the verbiage they use, I'm like, yeah, that's me talking to Ashlyn or Ashlyn. I mean, I can hear it already, you know? But, no, I love it.
Gillian (16:42)
Yeah, like girls lifting each other up. Yeah, totally. Yeah.
Mandy (16:46)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (16:46)
I love it and I love to see them that way because they are in team sports and stuff so it's just like to hear them like, yeah Kayla you could do this! Like you just, it's so sweet, you know what I mean? So I love it. I love being in this sport because there's so much female empowerment.
Mandy (16:59)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (16:59)
Yeah, I remember my daughter had like, um,
Oh, totally. 100%. I think it's interesting you said that about the verbiage. My daughter had like a just like, you know, some kids get that little injury in the back of their heel when they're growing and it made tumbling like really difficult for her. And she had a little competition coming up and I was like, OK, we're going to ice it like you're going to be OK. You got this. And she's like, I can do anything for two and a half minutes. And I remember like, you know, some points in my prep, like I can do anything for 12 weeks. That's fine. I only got four more weeks, you know, like it's fine. So I think it's it's neat that they're always listening, right? Like they're picking.
Janine Herrera (17:29)
Yeah.
Mandy (17:34)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (17:34)
up on the way we talk about what we're doing or our friendships and interactions. And overall, I think for me, this sport and this lifestyle has made me a more positive person, like a more present mother, because I'm healthier and I'm more confident when I'm taking care of myself. So I think that's an important thing for people from the outside looking in, or a lot of our listeners are maybe contemplating competing and haven't embarked on it yet, but just kind of knowing that there's so many positives.
Mandy (17:40)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (18:03)
Yeah, absolutely. There's a lot of positives in this sport that bleed into other areas of your life. Because as you go through the prep process, I think prep is such a defining time, right? Because your body is transforming, your mind has to adapt to the new images it's constantly seeing of your body as your body changes. There's that awe and awareness of like, wow, my body is actually capable of this, of these changes, of looking like this.
Gillian (18:04)
that come along with it.
Mandy (18:09)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (18:32)
And then there's that mental strength, right? Where you have to like buckle down mentally and know that you can do this and remind yourself why you're in it. Um, and block out all the self doubt or self sabotage that might come in. Just that entire process. Once you've gotten through it, you're like, I'm one bad mama. You know, the confidence. I did this, you know? So it's like.
Gillian (18:53)
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandy (18:54)
Right? Like when you're back there, you're like, I did this, man.
Gillian (18:58)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (19:02)
I think once you've had that, then you approach other things in your life differently, whether it's your career or other situations that might come into your life. You're just like, I had the mental fortitude to go through that. Oh baby, I could figure this out. You know what I mean? So I've always been one of those women. Like my catchphrase is, I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I'm gonna get it done. You know? So.
Mandy (19:19)
Oh yeah, absolutely.
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Janine Herrera (19:29)
I love the characteristics that it builds in people that enter the sport.
Gillian (19:35)
And you juggle not only your career as a professional athlete, but working in healthcare and then you are also a coach. So kind of starting with healthcare because a lot of our listeners are also in that line of work. How do you juggle those demands and the stressors with everything you have going on?
Janine Herrera (19:56)
Well, I'll tell you, let me backtrack because now that I'm a nurse practitioner, I'm working with someone we're getting an actual brick and mortar clinic set up. So of course now I get to more dictate my schedule, right? Won't be able to till the summer, but we're working on that. And it's a lot different. I'm now the practitioner as opposed to the nurse taking the orders, but being in healthcare throughout pretty much most of my bodybuilding career, being a nurse, I...
Gillian (20:09)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (20:25)
was blessed to have a group of colleagues who, even though they may not have understood my desire to be a bodybuilder or the process, they respected and supported and encouraged my passion for it, right? And so what does that mean? 12 hour shifts, I would have nurses come in by my desk, because they knew I ate every three to four hours going, hey, Janine, you may wash your patients so you can take a break.
You know what I mean? And it's like, cause you have, in ICU you have two patients, sometimes three depending if one is vented, two are not, but you know, it's, you constantly have to be looking over your patient. So you have to have somebody cover you if you're going to even take a break. And yes, I learned to eat food in 15 minutes flat or less than, you know, you learn to speed eat as a bodybuilder. But I was blessed to have a group, like whenever I did a competition, you would hear in huddle, morning huddle.
Mandy (20:52)
Aww.
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (21:20)
As much as I would be in the back trying to hide, somebody would have said it to our manager. And so she'd say, and guys, if you're not doing anything, Janine's in a competition this Saturday, make sure to get the link from her to watch, or if you're going to be in Orlando or wherever it is. And I'm like in the background, like, because that's the funny thing is as much as I was in the sport and participating in it, they were, they always were like, you're so strange. You never come to work and talk about it. We always have to ask you. And I'm like,
Gillian (21:33)
Aww.
Janine Herrera (21:50)
Yeah, because I'm not a very boastful person, I'm also a very private person. So I would try to keep the world separate, but people would be like, hey, I saw you, I turned into a live stream. And I'm like, oh my gosh. So I was fortunate in that aspect. I had colleagues who were rooting for me, they would always make sure that I had my time to go eat my meals. And so the rest of it was just up to me, prepping and staying on schedule with my meals. But...
Gillian (22:01)
Hehehehe
Mandy (22:06)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (22:20)
It can be hard, I'm not gonna lie, because I remember at one point, you know, I was working both night and day shift. And that switched from your body, and then I have to remember, okay, if it was really days, I would have this much period of fasting, so I need to do that at night. And it kind of threw my schedule off a bit. I was trying to be helpful in picking up hours, because we were short after the pandemic and stuff like that.
Gillian (22:29)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (22:49)
But I realized early on, I can't complain. I'm choosing to extend myself like that, right? Because I know what it was like to work with teams gone during the pandemic and it was just a bare bones team of us. And so if I said, yes, I'll stay and work tonight, I've signed up for that. Like, I'm not gonna take that out on anybody else. You know what I mean?
Mandy (22:57)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (23:17)
and it's up to me, I would always tell myself, well, you signed up for it, so now you gotta sleep your four hours and still make it to the gym. You know? Yeah, it's.
Mandy (23:27)
I love that mindset. Like, cause that's so true. Like we pick our hard, you know? We pick, or we choose, like you said, you choose to sign up for that shift to help out. You know it's the best decision for your team. You have the capability to help out. Once you get there and you're in the grind of it and doing it, like, why complain about something that you chose to do that it's good?
Janine Herrera (23:46)
Yeah. Right. And don't get me wrong. There were mornings I woke up after doing like shifts like that where I worked a day, then went home a little bit, then came back and worked night shift. And I remember like, I remember once I'm lifting my head up cause I was in my bed and I go, I am never doing this again. And it was funny cause it reminds me of, you know, how some people drink and over drink and the first time they have a hangover, they're like, I'm never drinking again. I don't drink.
Gillian (24:06)
Heheheheh
Mandy (24:06)
you
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (24:16)
So it's like I did, I think I had done something like four days back to back, but then on the fourth day also did the night and did like three nights back to back. So it was like, my body was just like, you know what I mean? But yeah, we pick our hard. That's the thing. We choose our hard, you know? There are certain circumstances you can't avoid, but.
Mandy (24:33)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (24:33)
Yeah.
And when you're so... Yeah.
Janine Herrera (24:45)
For the most part, we choose our hard, you know?
Gillian (24:47)
And you're so driven too, I think like, and I think you know for yourself when I'm, okay, I'm burning the candle at both ends, but I'm the type of person I just, I wait till the candle's like errrr before I like really acknowledge that. So I think that that's just something that each athlete has to really gauge kind of where they're at. And then also like temperature check on where everybody's at at home, you know, like there's been certain points and different preps where I'm like, you know, I think I really need to.
Mandy (24:47)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (24:53)
Yeah, absolutely.
You
Gillian (25:13)
take something off my plate and it's not gonna be work because work's you know number it supports the family but I'm gonna have to like just take a little pause from competing it's okay it doesn't mean I'm gonna stop training but I'm just I'm not I'm not gonna be traveling to shows you know throughout this period of time because my family just needs me and I'll pick back up but I think it's just kind of taking things one day at a time when you're trying to juggle a lot and like you said that overarching theme of like I'll figure it out and we're all fixers as moms like we do just you know we got a problem okay I'll figure it out you know and so same thing with
with prepping and juggling everything.
Janine Herrera (25:45)
And I think we have to feel okay. I think we need to like start supporting women when they say, I have too much on my plate, right? And I'm gonna pull back from this and not shame them. Because I feel like there's a sense of guilt or shame sometimes in moms who pull back or dial back or say, I'm not competing this year. There's nothing wrong with that. That woman is not a shit show.
Mandy (25:53)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (25:56)
Yeah.
Mandy (26:06)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (26:08)
That woman has her stuff together and is doing what she needs to do in her life season. And I've seen so many times where people pull back because of family or they need to just take care of things in their life. And then they're looked at as if they're some sort of mess. That's not true. There shouldn't be a stigma between us competing and then deciding for a moment, okay, I'm gonna pull back.
Gillian (26:08)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Right.
Mandy (26:26)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (26:34)
focus on my family, focus on my business, or focus on something else, or maybe I just don't want to compete right now, you know? But I feel like I've seen so many times, like on social media, where somebody may have been competing, and then they took a break, and then everybody's like, what happened? What happened? You know, it's like, nothing happened. She's living her best life. It does.
Mandy (26:40)
Right.
Gillian (26:40)
Right.
Yeah, what's going on? What happened? Yeah.
Mandy (26:52)
What happened to the, yeah.
Gillian (26:56)
Yeah, life. I know. Well, this war takes so much dedication and concentration and your heart has to be fully in it. I've done and...
cut off preps that my heart was not in it. I was I was I wasn't giving it my I didn't have my whole ass and it was half -assing it. Um and and you don't get the result unless you're fully dedicated and committed and that takes a lot of um just mental strength and it's not to say that you're weak if you're taking it off the table like it's totally it's totally okay and also the sports not going anywhere and
Janine Herrera (27:09)
and.
Yeah. Yeah. Let's, let's say the other thing. It's not, it's not, it's funny because I was kind of like with that with myself. I remember when Ashlyn said, okay, you're going to have a long off season. And I was like, why? What happened? What, what, what, what, what, what are we doing right now? And she's like, you did like eight or nine competitions last year. And I'm like, yeah, but I feel fine. She's like, you're taking a long off season. Right. And it's like, yeah, you're right. I can't like tell people about rest and recovery when I'm like,
Mandy (27:27)
It's not, yeah.
Janine Herrera (27:53)
not rested and recovering myself, you know? So it's like, it's also fighting that thing in my head, right? Because it's like, I'm not used to a long off season. So I'm working out and I'm doing everything. But then it's like, ah, this kind of feels weird. I want to go back to the stage.
Gillian (28:10)
And I'm sure your social media is like, where are you at girl? I didn't see you on that list. When are you competing again? Yeah.
Janine Herrera (28:13)
I know, I know. Everybody's like, when are you competing? I'm like, not anytime soon. And they're like, oh, you know, but I'm settling, I've settled into off season. I'm enjoying it. And like I said, you know, I have a lot on my plate with a clinic getting open soon. And, and so it's just, it's been nice to be like, okay, well, these other things have my attention for the while, you know, and I'll jump back in when it's time.
Mandy (28:14)
Yeah. Or if you're at the gym.
Gillian (28:35)
Right, yeah. Yeah.
Mandy (28:36)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (28:39)
Exactly. No, I think that's great. I think everybody has to know when it's like, you know, and it's good for our bodies to take that time. And as long as you don't feel like in a rush, because I've also seen where people did put too much and they pushed way farther than they should. And then they end up having to take that time to do a really long health phase. So I don't think that's smart either. Like, you know, we're proof of it. I'm still going and 44, you know, it's not going anywhere. And I see women all the time that are, you know, crushing it well into their 50s. We all know that.
Janine Herrera (28:44)
Yes.
Love.
Mandy (28:56)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (29:01)
Yeah.
Gillian (29:09)
that building this physique and this muscle is anti -aging. So, if you don't stay in the gym, you'll be good, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. So tell me about juggling, adding the coaching element into it as well, because now you're taking clients and you're coaching. Do you coach lifestyle and competitors, or just one?
Janine Herrera (29:13)
Yeah, yeah, it is. It is. The stage will always be there.
Mandy (29:18)
Always.
Janine Herrera (29:29)
I do. So I started coaching with my former team last year in April. It was something that, it's funny because the reason why I say this became my life purpose. So when this is to share something that probably nobody knows, when I was going through my divorce, which was probably the most life -changing event that I can say that I went through other than having each of my kids, right?
Gillian (29:34)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (29:57)
I had, I will be honest, a very toxic divorce, a very traumatic divorce, but I'm also a very faithful person, faith -filled person. And one of the things that I did throughout my entire divorce was I prayed every night that God would use that experience, sorry, I'm like getting emotional, to help me help other women, especially single women, right? If...
Gillian (30:19)
I have two.
Janine Herrera (30:24)
if he could give me a purpose for my life. And I wasn't asking what it should be, but I was just basically saying, if you could give purpose to my life, I would like it to be, to use my life as an example for other women. And it's funny because my divorce ended, went through the pandemic. The way that I found the gym to me was very coincidental. It wasn't, you know what I mean? So then from the gym doing competitions and then...
Mandy (30:49)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (30:54)
loving it so much, loving the camaraderie of the women, the support that I felt from the women, and then realizing this is something I wanted to do, but I wanted to help other women find themselves as well. It didn't necessarily have to be in competing, but just the way that the gym, the way that fitness, the way that taking care of your health could help you overcome so many other things. So it kind of like...
Mandy (31:13)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (31:23)
evolved into a passion of where I knew then that I wanted to help other women on their journeys. And then I was fortunate enough to become a coach last year. And I loved it from, from, from like day one, you know, I had always helped the nurses that I worked with, but that's different when people come to you and you help them and family and friends to now like absolute strangers trusting me on their journey and them loving their results and, and everything. And, and now for me, I,
I love to say that I always wanted to be able to mix my career with something I'm passionate about, so that it doesn't feel... And I certainly think that I have done that now, that I've been able to do that. I love helping women, and especially a lot of my clients happen to be moms. It just gets me right there. So that's...
Gillian (32:08)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (32:21)
For me, that's my life purpose now and being in this sport and having met so many women whose hormones are not well taken care of or they don't understand it or the importance of it or they just think, well, I'm perimenopausal so all this stuff is normal or should happen to me or I'm postmenopausal so, you know, me not having a libido, that's norm. No, we can still be thriving.
Mandy (32:32)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (32:48)
just virile like women all the way into our later years. You should still have desires. You should still have that vitality and youthful feeling. You don't have to settle for feeling a certain way. So now that I'm a practitioner, it's exciting to me to be able to like now marry two sides of this that I'm passionate about.
Mandy (32:51)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (33:11)
Yeah, that's so cool how it came full circle. Yeah.
Mandy (33:13)
I can just imagine how many people you help. Yeah, it did. Like I got the, like, oh my gosh, like the amount of women you help like has to be astronomical. And the fact that you came through such a dark time in your life and you utilize that. And it's like, you didn't know like your faith, you didn't know what it would take you to. And then it took you to that. And now you look at everything like that's absolutely beautiful.
Janine Herrera (33:38)
Yeah, that's, it's funny because it's like, you, it's one of those things where they say sometimes when you're going through the darkness, you can't even, you can't even picture the light, right? Or where it's like, you know, sometimes you're going through something and you're just like, you know, heavenly father, like what, what is the purpose for this right now? You know, but, and I could have never imagined that out of something so dark in my life that that would
Mandy (33:51)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (34:08)
be what came from it. You know what I mean? Like I said, I walked into a gym, coincidentally, you know what I mean? It's like, I walked in, yes, with the purpose of looking a certain way, but I didn't know it would lead me down this journey to meet so many women and be in a community where I am so passionate about being encouraging and supporting and empowering while helping people take care of their health. And you know what I mean? It's just...
Mandy (34:33)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Gillian (34:37)
Yeah.
That's a cool story to just really, yeah, thinking about just how one decision, like you're one decision away from like a completely different life, you know? And I tell people that all the time, like, what if you don't give up? Like, what will happen if you just keep going and you just push through this really crappy time? Because it is, it always ends up working out if you really, and I think that comes with age, you know, kind of seeing on the other side of things, like everything really in the end works out the way that it's supposed to. But I do think it takes a lot of mental,
Janine Herrera (34:38)
For me, it's a dream. It's a dream.
Mandy (34:38)
And you have your... It is.
Janine Herrera (34:47)
life.
Gillian (35:08)
strength and faith to believe that that is so because I think some people really have a hard time when they're really in the in the trenches of things really sucking to believe that it's gonna be okay but I think also like women like you that share their stories and inspire motivate other people give women hope and that's another huge reason why I'm so happy you're here today because there's somebody listening who needed to hear you know what you just shared so so thank you.
Janine Herrera (35:30)
And don't give up. It's like I just recently at Clash met a contestant who, oh my God, I love her story, Marina Ross. She started, you know, her journey way back and then life interrupted, right? Life interrupted for many, many years for her. And so it's like, now she's living the dream. Now she's achieving the goal, right? She just won the Masters 50 at Clash and to give her the medal and crown her.
Gillian (35:44)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (35:59)
was just, I think we were both there standing, trying not to be emotional. If you know me, I get emotional like for other people, like really quickly, but I knew she was going to win because she just has such a stage presence, such poise. So after I saw pre -judging, I was like, that's it. I think she nailed it. And just to be on stage, like I kept looking at Jodie so that the water in my eyes would go away because I knew they were about to call her as the winner. And just, I mean, she hugged me and
This was our first time meeting too, and she just kept saying, oh my gosh, you're such an inspiration. And I'm thinking, you are such an inspiration to me. Look how many people start this journey and life happens and they never get back to it. But she pursued it and she never lost that passion for it or sight of the goal as long as it took her. You know? So.
Mandy (36:33)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (36:39)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (36:50)
Man, I was just so happy to crown her and it's just like people like her are like a dream come true. Like you're watching them live their dreams. Life can interrupt you a million times. Stay the course, you know? Stay the course.
Gillian (36:58)
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
Mandy (37:03)
Absolutely.
Gillian (37:06)
So I did have a question to pick your coach brain. This is something Mandy and I were talking about this morning. So what do you tell your clients when they're really feeling defeated or feeling like they want to give up or maybe cutting corners and really not seeing their full potential? How do you motivate them to understand the potential that they could reach or how to not give up on themselves?
Janine Herrera (37:10)
Yes.
So whenever I kind of see a client going through something in their check -in, I'll decide to give them a call, right? It's more of a check -in response call, but it's me checking in on them. And I call it like a heart -to -heart call because it's like, explain to me why you're not doing the things that you know you're supposed to be doing, right? I'm not here to babysit you, we're both adults, but where's this self -sabotage coming from? Where's this unworthiness? Because you're self -sabotaging yourself.
Mandy (37:50)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (37:58)
from reaching your full potential. So that tells me there's something inside of you that's telling you on repeat that you're not worthy of achieving this. So let's get to the root of that, right? Because you told me you were committed. If you're committed to something, you're going to do what it takes. If you told me I'm interested, that's different. Let's talk about your interests because that's going to waver. That's going to change with emotions. You might wake up today, it's sunny, I'm interested. Tomorrow it's raining, I'm not, you know? So, but when you...
came on as an athlete or as a transformation client and you said to me, I am committed to transforming my body. I am committed to getting healthy because my uncle just passed or whoever just passed. You signed a contract with me to hold you accountable, to reach your potential, right? Not just your God given potential, but your worth. So you tell me right now, what is making you self -sabotage? What?
Mandy (38:42)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (38:56)
what's playing on your mind that's letting you know that you're not worthy of this because I need to remind you that you are. You know, and usually then you they start opening up, right? Well, I've been binging because the kids are eating and this and that. Where's that coming from? I just don't feel like I have time and then I wonder why am I depriving myself? Okay, so let's talk about your self -talk, right? Let's talk about when you get anxious or your fight or flight.
Gillian (39:07)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (39:24)
Your sympathetic nervous system is activated. Let's talk about what triggers it and what are the things we can get back to parasympathetic mode and calming you down, right? And not indulging, not picking while you're putting their lunches together, you know, because at the end of the day, I want you to realize that when you stand on that stage, you want to be competitive. You don't want to just stand on a stage and you want to be competitive and have all your hard work show and not be worried about
Am I placing this way because I stole a little bit of a cookie the other? Like, are you going to let a little cookie determine your placing? Because that's what you're doing. You know, and by then everybody's like, man, you put it in such a way that Janine is like, I'm just here to tell you the truth and hold you accountable. Because at the end of the day, as coaches, that's the biggest thing that we give our clients, right? Yes, we give them our time. Yes, we give them our energy.
Gillian (39:59)
Yeah.
Mandy (39:59)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (40:08)
Yeah.
Mandy (40:15)
Alright.
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (40:24)
But holding that person accountable, you know, everybody needs that little chair leader to let them know you can do this. Not everybody has it, you know. You're worthy. You're worthy of it.
Mandy (40:32)
Yeah. Yeah.
Gillian (40:34)
And that you're worthy, I love that too. Because it's sometimes hard for people to see the potential. Like we see it all the time. We see these amazing stories. Like weekend after weekend, like a girl goes and does a show, she's lost 100 pounds, or overcome like some fatal disease and then ends up competing. Like we see it all the time, so like we can believe it, but it's like for them to be able to see that. So I like the, using the word of worth. I think that that's really powerful, so.
Mandy (40:53)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (40:59)
Yeah. I mean, there's a process as human beings that we go through, right? Whenever we've, most human beings, not all, whenever we go through adversity, we have the tendency to think that that adversity means that we are not worth, that we've now lost some self -value, right? Why am I going through this? Or why am I, you know, we have a tendency to go inwards, right? Whereas like, I...
It's took me a long time, long, long time. Now, whenever I'm facing adversity, the first thing I say is thank you, God. Even if, you know how they say, fake it to make it, I will be on the verge of tears. I will be literally in tears sometimes, but I continue to say thank you because I know that whatever I'm going through is meant to either shape me, teach me, mold me, bring me to a different place.
Mandy (41:54)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (41:56)
So I just need to endure what it is. And it's hard to do that as human beings. It's hard. We want to throw that, oh, woe is me, pity party. Now I'm not valuable. Some of my self -worth is lost. But, you know, like I said, I'm a faith -filled person. If you could just quiet your mind and just say thank you, just keep saying thank you because you don't know what that is meant to do to your life, how it's meant to shape you.
Gillian (42:01)
is.
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (42:26)
but just trust that there's a higher reason for it, you know?
Mandy (42:31)
Absolutely. Yeah. Right.
Gillian (42:32)
true. I have all the feels right now. I really do.
Janine Herrera (42:33)
Yeah.
I can't wait for like Marina's story. You guys should have Marina on. You really should. Oh my gosh, yeah. Her story. Yeah.
Gillian (42:41)
Yeah, I actually is on my list of people that I wanna reach out to just to, because I do think that's interesting to have stepped away and then come back. You know, again, it's always there for you. And I think just with the evolution of the masters categories, like Sandy recently gave a statistic on a podcast. I don't have the exact numbers. I think I might have even texted you them, Janine, when we were setting this up, that it's like 60 % of amateurs are masters.
Mandy (42:49)
Mm -hmm, come back.
It's...
Janine Herrera (43:09)
Thank you.
Mandy (43:11)
now.
Gillian (43:11)
Just at like 45 or something of pros or masters. That's amazing, right?
Janine Herrera (43:15)
You see, that's a lot. That's a lot. I mean, listen, I'm not going to say that we are the future of the sport, but think about it. You know, this sport is not a cheap sport by any means. You know, you do have to have your finances in order and you will find that, you know, the majority of the people able to turn to this.
Mandy (43:16)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (43:30)
Yeah.
Mandy (43:31)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (43:40)
whether it's now that they're settled in their finances, settled in their career, what have you, are going to be over the age of 35, because you know, 35 and up are masters, Mandy.
Mandy (43:48)
Mm -hmm. Yeah. Hey, I just turned 35 March 1st, and I kid you not, my hashtag was, my very first hashtag on my 31st birthday was like, Masters. Like if you look at my birthday post, it's MPC Masters.
Gillian (43:49)
Welcome Mandy. I know.
Janine Herrera (43:51)
I'm sorry.
I know that's what I'm saying, I'm like, wink, wink.
Gillian (44:03)
Hehehe
Janine Herrera (44:05)
I was so ready to claim it, Masters. But it's true, there's a lot of Masters competitors entering the sport, you know, and a lot of the legacy competitors are soon going to be Masters, you know, they're going to hit that 35 mark pretty soon. So I love the fact that Masters Olympia returned. That was a huge blessing for me. And I say blessing because from the minute I heard about it, I...
Gillian (44:08)
Yes!
Yeah, exactly.
Me too.
Mandy (44:28)
Mm -hmm.
Janine Herrera (44:35)
It was part of my prayers every single night for it to come back. I think it gives legacy to the sport, longevity to the sport. I have three little daughters who, yes, they know who Jen Dory is and Lorelie Chapados, but how great would it be for, my redhead always says, I'm gonna be the first redhead, Miss Olympia. Slow down, Kimo Sabe. I think Seabum's wife got that one. But it's like, you know.
Gillian (44:37)
Yeah.
Hehehehe. Hehehehe. Hehehehe.
Mandy (44:56)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (45:02)
How awesome would it be for her to be competing years from now? I mean, she's only eight years from now. And then the people that she knew as competitors, whether it's Laura Lee or Maureen or Jen Dory or Ashlyn are now still competing, but it masters, you know, longevity of the sport. And had kids, yeah, yeah. My middle is, my oldest wants to be a judge. She swears she's gonna take Sandy's job.
Gillian (45:19)
Yeah.
Mandy (45:19)
Yeah. And then they may have stepped away and had kids and come back too.
Gillian (45:26)
Yeah.
Mandy (45:33)
Ah.
Janine Herrera (45:34)
She just, she literally heard me one day mentioning to someone that I think Sandy Williams said she's gonna retire. And ever since then, we've gone to shows and watched shows together. And she's just like, yep, when Sandy leaves the sport, I'm gonna be the judge. I'm like, there's a lot of years in between. You gotta grow up some, you're 11, you know, but.
Gillian (45:43)
You
Mandy (45:44)
Hahaha.
Gillian (45:52)
Heheheheh
Mandy (45:53)
Oh my god.
She should have the live stream and rank and try and try to match it and then pull up the score card.
Gillian (45:59)
Yeah, test judging.
Janine Herrera (46:02)
I know! She wants to go to Olympia so badly, so maybe this year. I keep, I'm kind of iffy on it, because she's 11, you know? But at the same time, it's astounding, because she goes to shows, and she's very much into watching the men as well, too. You know, that's usually where I'm like, okay, let's go take a break. No, she's like, Mom, he's coming in kind of flat. And I'm like...
Gillian (46:20)
Yeah.
Mandy (46:20)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (46:28)
The lingo. She gets it.
Janine Herrera (46:29)
The late she knows the lingo, she'll be like, they should move him to center. And she's like, she's at all the shows and she's like, uh -uh, his last bread is, mom, did you see this? And I'm like, I don't even watch the men. Where are you getting this from? You know? Um, but it's funny because my oldest wants to be a judge. My middle wants to be a competitor. And my daughter, my youngest, the five -year -old is just like, is there a tiara? Is there a princess tiara? She could care less about any parts of it, you know?
Mandy (46:34)
Oh, that's cool.
Gillian (46:40)
I'm sorry.
Mandy (46:43)
Alright.
Gillian (46:54)
Hehehehe
Yeah
Janine Herrera (46:59)
Just give her all the frowns and that's it.
Mandy (46:59)
Oh my gosh, could you imagine as they get older and then they like, then the one is the competitor and the one is the judge and be like, ah, ah, and they have to like do shows together. It'd be so great.
Janine Herrera (47:08)
I know that that that's...
Gillian (47:09)
Yeah.
That's so neat.
Janine Herrera (47:14)
That would be so interesting. It's funny the personalities they have and just how they differ and but they love the sport, you know. They think I'm like a superhero or something when they see me because it's like mommy transforms and at home I'm like mom, you know. So...
Gillian (47:23)
Yeah.
Mandy (47:28)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (47:29)
Yeah. Yeah. And it must have been so cool to see the Olympia. I mean, and you traveled all the way across the world to get there and so to get up there and then to place second, which is like amazing. So tell me a little bit about that experience from like putting in your application to like actually getting it together to go because I mean, that's a far journey. It's not a cheap trip either. So what was that whole experience like?
Mandy (47:32)
It is fun.
Janine Herrera (47:44)
element.
Mandy (47:44)
That's incredible.
Janine Herrera (47:56)
It was amazing. So from the time I remember my old coach mentioned back in the day that you said Masters Olympia, I put it on my prayer list. I think it was on my prayer list. So I started praying for it to come back and people were like, well, you know, it's a long shot. Nothing's impossible for my God. So it came back and funny enough, classic Janine, I prayed and prayed for it to come back and I wasn't going to apply.
Gillian (48:26)
No.
Janine Herrera (48:26)
I was not going to apply. I just kept thinking, I mean, so many pros are going to apply. I'm a new pro. Why would they look at me? Like I was just very in my head. And between my coach, Jamie D Bernard at the time and a friend of mine, Kaz, who's a photographer, he said, you should do it.
So many people doing it. I don't, I don't think he's like the worst that could happen is that they say no. Right. You've been praying for this. Now you got it. And it's almost like you're like slapping God. Like, well, I prayed for it, but now I don't want it. So I was like, all right, you're right. So the deadline was something like Sunday at midnight. And I hit send on my application at 10 PM. That's it. I was like, waiting, waiting, waiting.
Gillian (49:12)
Oh my gosh.
Janine Herrera (49:17)
Then they gave one announcement date. Then they changed the announcement date to another announcement date. And I was just like, and I remember when they announced it, I was at powerhouse gym here in Miami. I think everybody thought something happened because I ran a full lap around that gym just screaming. Because I was like waiting for my name. And then I remember Tarek was calling all the names and I'm looking at him like, my name's not on there. I got sad. And then he goes,
Gillian (49:36)
Hahaha!
Janine Herrera (49:47)
I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, that's wellness. That's the wrong list. And I was like, whew. And then my phone started ringing before I had even seen my name. And I was like, yes. So then it became, okay, God, you answered the prayer for it to come back. You answered the prayer for me to go, right? So then my last prayer was if I placed well, you know, I would do X amount with the funds. And all the way through, it was just an amazing experience. I got to Romania.
Gillian (49:57)
Yeah.
Mandy (49:57)
Ugh.
Janine Herrera (50:18)
made friends with a women's physique competitor who I spilled water all over on my flight. And it just so happens we became friends, you know, because it was like, I spilled water all over her and thought, oh my God, I was helping her clean up. But then where was my seat? Right next to her. So on the way back, we became Evie Hearn. We became, you know, friends. We hung out with each other.
Gillian (50:38)
Oh man.
Janine Herrera (50:45)
The entire experience over there was surreal because you're literally in this foreign country with people who obviously all love the sport as much as you. But that's your, that's the one thing bonding each of you, right? Cause you're in foreign surroundings. Let's face it. None of us knew. We would get down in the lobby and be like, did you go to the mall yesterday? Which, which way was it? How did you walk? Like, you know,
But it was something that kept us all like grounded and just you saw people and you're like, are you so and so? Because you see them on Instagram and you know what I mean? It was such an amazing experience. The people of Romania were super sweet to us. They were super nice. The venue was amazing. I mean, the work that Jake Wood and Alina Popa put into it, I was... It was what like, I was always inspired to go to the Olympia.
Gillian (51:16)
Yeah.
Mandy (51:23)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (51:23)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (51:43)
But that just fueled it even more. Cause I was like, look at this production, you know? For check -ins, the host, Billy, was like acting if it was the real show, announcing all of it. It was just, from beginning to end, such an amazing experience. I loved every minute of it. I loved it.
Gillian (51:46)
Yeah.
Yeah. Wow, that's really cool. That's so neat. It was great watching it. And then of course, I knew you'd be in the mix. Like you had came out as a pro and just like winning your first pro show and tons of pro wins. I'm like, oh my gosh. And so such a huge honor. So do you know they confirmed if it's coming back again? I know it's not this year for sure.
Mandy (52:06)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (52:10)
Thank you.
Thank you.
No, it's, it's supposed to come back for 2025. Um, I'm really, really hoping that it does. I have met so many people who are my clients, not my clients, just enthusiastic about this, enthusiastic about the sport that have been like, is it coming back in 2025? You know, one of my, um, things that I'm like proudest about is I remember having, uh, somebody Instagram me a message.
Gillian (52:30)
Yeah.
Mandy (52:44)
Mm.
Janine Herrera (52:55)
Two years ago, when I started, and he said to me, it's a gentleman, he said to me, you know, I became inspired watching you work out. He goes, I used to work out and compete many years ago. And then because of things that happened in the sport, I kind of got sour over it, which he saw as more politics. And he goes, I stepped away from it. And he goes, but watching you on your journey has made me go back to the gym. So after Romania,
He competed in the first competition in 30 years and he won. He's in Canada, William, Danny is his name. He won and he wrote me and he literally said, had it not been for you and just how much you promote masters athletes and you're just so motivated to like be in the sport despite age, he's like, it really motivated me to revisit this dream. And he...
Mandy (53:26)
Wow. Oh.
Gillian (53:31)
amazing.
Janine Herrera (53:48)
after 30 years, competed, won his classes and his divisions. And he said to me, you know, now that Masters Olympia is back, it kind of reinvigorates me to stay in it and go after that dream. And that's what I was trying to tell Alina. I think that the Masters Olympia last year lit a candle or a light for so many people that this is possible. How many Masters athletes, women, men, that are probably like, I want to go further.
Gillian (54:09)
Yes.
Mandy (54:09)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Janine Herrera (54:17)
I want to compete more, but age creates a barrier, right? Because let's be real, not everybody's going to make it to the Olympia, you know, even if you are young -ish looking, you know, there's a barrier there. So this opens up a whole world of opportunity for people, people who had walked away from the sport or just thought,
Gillian (54:19)
Yeah.
Mandy (54:34)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (54:34)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (54:45)
Why get back into it? Because there's a ceiling. There's no ceiling. Masters Olympia, literally you saw a variation of ages there, you know, in all the divisions because it was over 40, but it was a variation of people over 40, you know. So it was an amazing experience. I loved being a part of it. I do consider myself an ambassador for masters athletes and in the sport. And I've
Gillian (54:48)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Janine Herrera (55:13)
I mean, I've told Alina, I think I've told everybody, if there's anything I could ever do to help promote, encourage, empower, support Masters athletes and Masters Olympia itself, they did a phenomenal job. They rolled out the red carpet for us and it showed in every way, Alina and Jake, yeah.
Gillian (55:25)
Yeah.
That's phenomenal. And I think that that's a huge sign. I mean, knowing how big the division is, and maybe perhaps the fact that there was a Masters Olympia did grow the Masters division, but yeah, it's something else to work towards. You know, there was back, you know, 10 years ago, you'd get a pro card and...
Mandy (55:32)
It is.
Janine Herrera (55:42)
Yeah.
Gillian (55:49)
over 35 or 40 and then a lot of people just would never use it. They wouldn't compete anymore and I actually remember the very first Masters Pro Bikini competition because there was actually two girls from Kansas City that were over 35 won their Pro Cards at North Americans. They were twins actually and they're like, oh yeah, we had to jump into the show because we begged for a Masters Pro Bikini show and now they finally have one. And so, you know, it's growing of course, but everybody's also, we're all.
Janine Herrera (56:15)
It is.
Gillian (56:17)
we're all going to eventually turn 40 and 50 and all those things, right? So just to create more opportunities and just, you know, tangible dreams too. Like I think it's important to always dream and reach for the stars, but I think we're all realistic too, right? Like, you know, there are a limited number of openings at the Olympia, regardless of age, right? So, but I think that if you, you know, know that there's this other opportunity that you could dream for, then it's like, okay, like that's something that I want to work towards. So I think it's amazing.
Janine Herrera (56:46)
It makes it tangible again. Yeah, absolutely.
Gillian (56:47)
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandy (56:48)
And you're a phenomenal ambassador for Masters. I mean, you can't, it's amazing. I mean, it really is because your mindset, your positivity, just like your Instagram, you can see it glowing. You're just so happy and elated and you raise these three.
Janine Herrera (56:52)
Oh, thank you, thank you. I'm like, I think I made myself the unofficial.
Gillian (56:56)
Hey.
Mandy (57:08)
three little girls that watch you do it, you have your clinic, you have all of these things that are going on and you're able to balance all of it with your positive mindset, with your clients and it's just like you couldn't ask for a better ambassador than somebody like you. Thank you so much, seriously.
Janine Herrera (57:21)
Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. Thanks. No, I just, I love the sport and I love Masters athletes. I, you know that Jillian. I remember I've been a big fan of Jillian's for forever. Every time I've seen her physique, I'm blown away. And then the other day, I can't remember what show it was you did last year. You remember I reached out to you and I was just, Oh my gosh. You know, it's funny. Cause there's so many women that I've seen online that I would love to meet in person that.
Gillian (57:25)
I mean, I think we could like, it shows for sure. Yeah. Yes.
What was that?
Janine Herrera (57:50)
It's funny when I meet them and they're like, you're such an inspiration to me. And I'm like, well, I was just about to say that to you, you know, because it's like, you run a business that empowers women and uplifts women and it's all coaching. Like, you know what I mean? So it's, I love being pro masters athletes and I love being an ambassador, but it's just also just being pro women and pro this sport, you know? I don't want anybody to talk bad about bodybuilding. Sorry.
Gillian (58:03)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Mandy (58:18)
Yeah. Yeah.
Gillian (58:18)
No, me neither. Yeah.
Janine Herrera (58:20)
You know, I just love it. It's my niche, it's my tribe, it's my community. And when you love something, you protect it and you want to see it grow and be positive, you know?
Mandy (58:27)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (58:31)
right, and welcome more people to it, to this wonderful world that's done so much for all of us, right? Yeah. Well, before we run out of time, I do like to ask every guest this. What is, like, the main tip that you would give to somebody who is struggling to fit it all in with motherhood and career and competing? How do you juggle it all?
Mandy (58:31)
Absolutely.
Janine Herrera (58:34)
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
One of the biggest things you have to do, I think, whether you're married or not married in this sport is find your tribe. Find your support system. Right? No man is an island. Right? And as much as you can be a boss babe, independent girl, strong woman, we all need a soft place to land. And whether that soft place is your partner.
or whether that soft place is girlfriends who understand and can be there for you or other family members or friends. I've been able to create balance in this sport and in my life because despite having three girls and being a single mom and having not a very positive co -parenting relationship and having a hectic career and all of these different things, I have a tribe of women that are around me.
that will set the world on fire if they need to for me. They are my soft place to land. They are my biggest supporters. They encourage me and encircle me anytime anything goes wrong, you know, and having that security is what helps me to keep balance, you know? I know that I can pick up the phone and vent to someone. I can have somebody help me if I need, you know, one of my girls picked up. Having balance,
is more than just being a one man show, right? You have to rely on other people in order to keep that balance going. You can keep it afloat for a very long time on your own, but there's gonna come a point where you're gonna need support. So I always tell people when they're coming into the sport, how's your support system? Because there's gonna be a lot of tough days and tough times and life is tough enough, right? And then we talk about other things.
Mandy (1:00:14)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (1:00:16)
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Mandy (1:00:37)
Yeah.
Janine Herrera (1:00:40)
Support system and mindset are the two top for me. Yeah. Yeah. Come into this sport with a clear mindset. You know, not as a way to manage your weight. It's not healthy, right? So, yeah, positive.
Gillian (1:00:44)
Absolutely. I love that. Yeah.
No. And don't be afraid to delegate and ask for help, because I think a lot of women are just so like, oh, it's quicker if I do it, oh, I got this, you know, but you just, yeah, it's okay. It's okay to ask for help. Yeah.
Mandy (1:00:55)
Hmm. It's a positive mindset, positive vibes.
Janine Herrera (1:01:05)
I got this, I don't want to ask anybody for help. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The best way that you can care for your kids is to take care of yourself, right? And knowing your own limits and your own boundaries and when you need a little help or when you need to step away. So yeah, life's tough enough.
Gillian (1:01:15)
Yeah.
Mandy (1:01:15)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (1:01:23)
Yeah, that's very helpful. Thank you. So I didn't ask this earlier. One last quick question is when will we get to see you grace the stage again?
Janine Herrera (1:01:32)
Oof, that's a loaded question. Not really. Honest answer is I don't know. I am in a very long off season. Like I said, the clinic, we're expecting to have it up by summer. So it's unlikely that I will do anything prior to then. I'm good at multitasking, but when I'm creating something like this, that it's such a passion, it's such a baby, I just want to be, you know, completely focused and into it. So.
Mandy (1:01:35)
I think
Gillian (1:01:37)
That's okay.
Mandy (1:01:37)
I'm gonna go.
Gillian (1:01:56)
Yeah.
Right.
Janine Herrera (1:02:02)
Once that's up and done, then, I mean, in the meantime, I mean, anybody watching me, don't go soft, because your girl's in the gym still, your girl's eating. I'm not slacking off, but as to which show I will come back in, I'm not sure yet.
Mandy (1:02:12)
Yeah.
Gillian (1:02:20)
Okay, cool. Well, we cannot wait to see. And I'm so excited just to follow, continue to follow your journey. And I am so, I feel so privileged I've gotten to know you better today. And thank you so much for coming on and sharing so much insight. Tell our listeners how they can connect with you.
Mandy (1:02:22)
Yes.
Janine Herrera (1:02:30)
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Mandy (1:02:33)
Yeah, it was an honor having you on.
Janine Herrera (1:02:37)
So anybody wanting to connect with me can always drop me an email message at janine at team alpha aesthetics .com or feel free to hop on Instagram J a nine fit that's J a the number nine F I T fit and DME.
Gillian (1:02:54)
So, we'll include that all in the show notes as well. So.
Mandy (1:02:57)
Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much for coming on today and letting us pick your brain. Yeah, yeah. Well, thank you guys so much for listening and until next time. Bye.
Janine Herrera (1:02:59)
No, thank you, Mandy. Thank you, Gillian. It's been awesome.
Gillian (1:03:02)
Yeah. Alright.