Latest / 🎙️ Rebuild & Fulfill Real conversations on burnout, rebuilding, and becoming stronger than before. / They Call Her "The Dominator"... Here's Why | Episode 5

Transcript

They Call Her "The Dominator"... Here's Why | Episode 5 · 🎙️ Rebuild & Fulfill Real conversations on burnout, rebuilding, and becoming stronger than before.

• Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): There are stories that inspire you, and then there are stories that make you question what you're capable of. Our guest today has gone from living on the streets to becoming a multi-time world champion. But what makes her story so powerful isn't just what she's accomplished, it's what she's had to overcome to get there. Welcome back to Rebuild and Fulfill, real conversations about burnout, rebuilding, and becoming stronger than before. I'm Kelsey Dunbar here my co-host Regala and today's episode is a special one. We're joined here by Inez Carrasquillo, also known as the Dominator, a multi-time world champion strongwoman whose journey is about so much more than strength. from homelessness to navigating life on the autism spectrum to building herself into one of the strongest competitors in the world. Her story is one of resilience, identity, and refusing to let circumstances define her. Inez, we are so glad to have you here. Your story is incredibly powerful. I love it. I love learning more about you. And there's a lot of layers to your story. So I'd love to start at the very beginning. So kind of talking about your early life, what was life like for you growing up? Inez: Yeah, so grew up in a house, five bedrooms with eight people, nine people. My grandmother raised me and my two sisters. My mom was young and she had a lot going on. So my grandma took all three of us in and lived in a house with my great uncle, my aunt, my great grandmother, my grandmother, and my sisters and I shared a bedroom. just we made the most of it. I look back and I'm like, I miss the chaos of the house. because like, it's me and my boyfriend and my son and I'm like, wow, I miss like people like yapping all day, like the TV's on, someone's always like around and like, now I kind of look back and I'm like, wow, it's like, it's lonely now. And I'm like, I wish I had like more people around but ⁓ growing up though is horrible because you know, sharing a room with two sisters and I'm the oldest of now four. ⁓ So ⁓ I've, kind of been like the responsible one. I've always kind of been like, you know, always trying to like outshine my sisters I guess and always trying to like go above and beyond but ⁓ it was hard for me because I am autistic and I had a lot of like struggles that I always had to like you know like It was harder for me, especially, okay, cause like I am now 6'1", I am 247 pounds. My sisters, we all have different dads and my dad was a very tall guy who's 6'10". And my sisters are like five foot tall, they're tiny, very small. So like growing up, it was always hard for me to like compare myself to them. Cause like I was always so much bigger. I was always like the more athletic one. I was kind of always like more into like, I was in band. I was a big nerd, you know, growing up. in high school, middle school, that type of thing, but very much so overachiever and always trying to one-up them. And it always broke me down because I was like, I put so much pressure on myself all the time to be so perfect. And I was like, why am I always in competition with my sisters? We're family, you know what I mean? But that's just how it was growing up in a house like that. So then, yeah, I did volleyball ⁓ basically my whole life. I was a setter. And then in high school, they were like, ⁓ no, you're tall. You're a middle blocker now. And I was like, what? I don't know how play middle blocker. And then I'm like, I'm bored because we never touch the ball, unless it's coming over the net and you get your hands on it. But that's basically it. And then I did track and field ⁓ in high school. I was a thrower through shot put and disc. I really fell in love with, track. I love the individual ⁓ aspect the sport. Team sports were very hard for me. Getting along with the other girls was very difficult with me because I never felt like I fit in all the time. ⁓ I rant a lot, but like I was like. I call it like emo scene like in high school and like I really didn't fit in with like a preppy crowd and like volleyball is a more preppy sport. So I kind of always like felt like an outcast ⁓ in high school. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): I, first of all, thanks for ⁓ being a on our podcast. ⁓ Kelsey shared a little bit of your story with me, but then we had a chance to chat a little bit before we actually started recording this podcast, a very inspirational story. So again, thank you very much. ⁓ as Kelsey alluded to in the, in the opening, you face things that a lot of people have never faced before, like homelessness. ⁓ can you give us an idea of what that felt like inside internally? Inez: Yeah, so. When I started college, I was living with my dad. ⁓ I moved out of my grandmother's house and moved in with my dad for a little bit. And then just had some issues, know, like family issues, whatever. And then I moved in with my mom and then it was difficult because she had to move out. So then I didn't really have anywhere to go after that. So I ended up living in my car and I was kind of just like on campus living in my car and racking up parking tickets because I didn't have a parking pass in the thing. and I just lived in my car and then I there was like an anonymous forum that every like university had I don't remember if it was called like kick or something like that but I posted just like It was, I don't even know what I was thinking, but I was just very depressed and I was like, you know, I was drinking a lot. was, you know, I was taking painkillers. was kind of just like taking whatever to just numb because it was like, I went to class, I was working at Starbucks, not a great job. We were making $7 an hour back then. And then just going back and I had my car and then I was just on campus and I would shower in the locker room. played volleyball, so just showered in the locker room. kind of just was doing whatever. could just to like maintain some normalcy. then one day I posted on that forum and it was basically like a call for help. was just like, I like need a friend right now. I didn't really talk to many people on campus. I kind of was just like a little loner because I didn't want people to really know my situation. And this girl like reached out. Her name was Naomi. And to this day, I still follow her on Instagram and I still like chat with her randomly. But she was just like, hey, come to my dorm. Like just hang out with me and we can be friends or whatever. And I was like, I'll come right now. You know, I'm on campus. I'll come right now. And then something happened where like the dean was notified and of like my living situation and they let me stay on campus the remaining two months for free until summer. And they're like, hey, summer, like you're going to have to find somewhere to go, but you can stay on campus and we'll give you like a meal plan or whatever. And you can just, you know, live on campus the remaining two months of class, so you can focus on school. not be so stressed out and ⁓ was like ⁓ that's awesome and then they're like we'll take care of your parking tickets we'll like help you out or whatever so like I think that reach for help and like that call for help was the reason why like stayed in school because I wanted to drop out at that point because I was like I don't know what to do ⁓ I'm like I I've always told myself like you have to go to college you have to like you have to graduate you can't you know ⁓ live in your car and like work at Starbucks like if you do that that's totally like that's your life but like for me I was like no I hold myself to this like you know overachieving standard where I'm like I will graduate by any means necessary and if that's just living in my car like I'll live in my car I didn't have anything you know I didn't have a phone at the time like I like was using the Wi-Fi and like I had like an iPod touch I think it was like one of those really old ones you know where you can like have some apps or whatever and then I met my child's father at a random punk show in Chicago. I love metal music. I love punk music. And I met him at one of these shows. basically, I told him the situation. Like, hey, I only have a month left on campus. I don't know what to do. And then his mom let me move in with them. So then I moved to the south side of Chicago. And I was living by the White Sox field. It's really far from campus because campus was suburbs, like west suburbs. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): No. Inez: So I moved to the south side of Chicago and was able to just live out there with them. And I didn't really know him very well. So it was very jarring to move in with somebody you barely know. I didn't have much of an option at that time. it was a very difficult time for just I felt alone ⁓ I still felt alone after moving in because I really didn't know ⁓ I was like living with, you know, and I was just like, I need to just stay in school. I need to graduate. I need to just finish this degree. I don't even know. Like I picked psychology as my major, but like I didn't really like it that much. I just kind of was just like, This is the easiest thing for me to do right now because I'm like basically failing this class and failing this class. ⁓ And I was like, whatever, I'm passing psychology. That'll be my major. I just need to finish something, you know? ⁓ And then I art ⁓ was something that really liked to do. And I was like, ⁓ maybe I can like do art therapy. ⁓ And so I majored in art and psychology so I could, eventually go get my masters and do art therapy. But I didn't finish my master's. So ⁓ I did all the coursework and then the internship kind of like threw me for a loop because they were like well you can't have a job you have to pick your job or you could do the internship because it's during the day and I'm like that's literally when my son was born so I'm like it's either I don't have a job or like I take more loans out and I'm like I'm already a hundred and twenty thousand dollars on the whole you know from loans I'm like there's no way I can take more loans out so I just didn't finish my masters but very close to finishing but yeah. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): So I know you said about the psychology major, you you kind of just picked it, but you look back at it now, do you think deep down inside because you were kind of a loner and you're dealing with some depression and you were doing some alcohol, you know, do you think that ⁓ there was something intriguing in your mind about the whole psychology thing and the brain and mind and body component? Inez: Yeah, I do think there was, you know, some interesting things about psychology, but honestly, the reason why I really stayed with psychology was there was a professor that I loved so much and she was one of the... nicest women I've ever met in my life. And I would go to her office hours. I would hang out with her in her office and I would just, and she would just talk about her life and I would just sit there and listen. And like, she just reminded me of like someone, like a family member, you know what I mean? And like she was, I would hang out with her and not like other people on campus my age, like because she was so great. And I just remember like, ⁓ if I take more psychology classes, I will have her in class again. Like, so I had her every single year I was at school. So I was like, this is kind of cool. like I just get to hang out with her all day. And she made me really interested in psychology because she was so passionate about it. And I was like, you know what? Maybe there is something here that I could learn from. And. You don't really learn too much in your bachelor's about psychology. You're kind of just learning little things here and there. But she was the one that was like, could work. She mentioned art therapy, and she mentioned school counseling. So she was like, you would be a great school counselor, because I think kids would actually listen to you. And I was like, you know what? Maybe there's something there. You know what I mean? I have a lot of life experience and whatever. ⁓ And so school counseling was something I thought about. It was just hard for me to picture myself anywhere else except with the safe spot that I found in her. So I think that's a big reason why I stayed into that major. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Okay. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): All ⁓ right, so you shared that you're on the autism spectrum. ⁓ How has that shaped the way you experience the world and approach challenges? Inez: ⁓ so I do approach them cautiously, but I've grown a ton. In the last like five years alone of just starting Strongman, people are like, ⁓ your media train now. And I'm like, no, it's just me being comfortable around the people that I've been around for years. You know, like I've competed with the same girls for the last three years and like, Compared to, let's say, Arnold 2023 was my first big pro show. And I remember the day before we did media. I was not ready for that. And they were like, we couldn't pull anything out of you because you were so nervous. And I'm like, I just didn't know what to say. I'm scared. And then this year, it's the same guy I've been talking to the last four years. he was able to get so many sound bites from me. I was able just to chat with him. And I'm like, it's just because I'm comfortable around you now. You know what I mean? I start off in a shell and it's... It's like a defense mechanism too, I think, because of things that I've been through. You start off kind of quiet and shy, but once you get to know me, you'll see the social media side of me where I'm having fun. I talk to anybody, but that's something I've had to really learn how to do because I've kind of always been a little bit of an outsider growing up and very quiet, kind of shy, kind of reserved. And I told myself, I was like, if you want to be somebody in this sport, you're going to have to get over that and be uncomfortable. and you have to like show that other side of you that not everyone gets to see but people want to see that and so I I talked to my mom a lot, know My mom and I are like best friends and she's just like hey if you're nervous about something you call me I'll hype you up and like just go do it, know And my mom's always been like someone like that for me where I'm just like hey mom Like I have to do this say like I literally called her before this podcast and I was like I have a podcast today like and she's like, alright go kill it like Don't be afraid, just talk. Just pretend you're talking to me. And growing up, I even had a teacher aide. In kindergarten and first grade, I had a teacher that had to sit with me all day, because that's when I got the diagnosis. And they would just hang out with me all day to make sure I didn't have a meltdown or something. They never explained to me what they were doing, but I was like, I'm the kid with a adult next to me. What is that for? But she was my best friend, and I just got to hang out with her all day. And then I've had speech therapy. I remember going to speech therapy once a ⁓ through high school. ⁓ and just like fixing, I have a really bad lisp and like it's better though. It's gotten to a point where like, I don't really notice it, but like sometimes I'll talk fast and I'm like, ⁓ I hear it. But ⁓ yeah, like speech therapy. And then like, I was always in like, ⁓ like counseling. I was in like a group in high school where like, I think there was like 12 to 15 girls in the group where like, we kind of just like talked every week. We kind of just like hung out and like, it was like a safe spot for us. Cause like a lot of us were like either on the spectrum or like we were just like outcasts. were like outsiders. We were just like whatever and it was kind of cool just to be there and just like talk openly with people and then I didn't feel like I was judged about anything, you know? ⁓ And then playing sports was hard because like I hated being in front of people. So volleyball was very difficult because it was a team sport. So I'm like I have to get over this because I have five other girls right now relying on me and I can't be afraid to like make a mistake because I'm gonna make a mistake then. And then but track it was I'm by myself Whatever I do is what I do. No one can tell me otherwise, you know And I kind of like that cuz I was like no one has to rely on me if I have a meltdown I could just go to the bathroom and not do my throw, you know what I mean? But my track coach Duncey like he always always pushed me to be a better athlete He always tried to get me out of my shell ⁓ and always called me out ⁓ always ⁓ You're working hard enough. I know you're not working hard enough because I seen what you can do And I love that about him because like he didn't let me have an excuse. You know what I mean? I feel like people that. Like we have a lot of life circumstances and stuff like we could fall into a victim mentality where it's like well Whatever I went through this so like whatever happens happens, but it's like no if you have that mentality you will never ever Fulfill your life you will never hit anything that you're aspiring to Because you're fault you fell into a pit and you're just like whatever like I'm not gonna reach ready hands because I'm just here now You know, it's a comfortable spot. And so Dempsey was someone that was always like no get out of that hole, you're gonna go into the weight room, you're gonna complain about it, but I'm gonna make sure that you finish it. And I'm not gonna let you have an excuse as to why you're not gonna do it. You know, and that's kind of how my coaches now it's just like, hey, I know you're going through it right now or like, you know, because last year was one of the worst years of my life. And I went through hell and back to get to like the spot that I'm in now where I'm so happy. I am so, you know, content with how things are going. But my coach was like, hey, I know you're going through it. You know, you're having a lot of issues, you know, with your ex coach, whatever. And he's like, you're going to have no more excuses anymore. He's like, you're going to be safe. I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you, but you have to put in the work. You have to go to the gym. You can't sit at home and cry about things. And I'm going to push you to be a better athlete. And so when we won rogue together, that was like one of the biggest moments of my life. Cause I was just like, this is my second rogue title, but I did it through everything that I went through when people were like, ⁓ she's done, she's not gonna come back. And I was almost gonna retire after Arnold last year. And so they were just like, well, she's done, whatever. This will be her last show and she'll be done. And then I was just like, no, I do wanna come back, but I just don't feel like, whatever. And he was just like, no, that is your victim mindset. You have to get out of that. You have to push through and you have to be strong. That's it. At the end of the day, be strong, be strong, if not for you, for your son. And that's when I was like, you know what, let's go. Let's do this prep. Let's go crush it. And he's like, you can win again. you can win again. And I was just like, if you think I can win, I'll suck it up and I'm going to like, I'm going to do my best. And then I won that title. And then I didn't win Arnold this year, but Arnold was, I have to say it's my favorite show that I've ever participated in. Even though I didn't win, I didn't get anything. You know what I mean? I got second place by a point and a half, but I literally had foot surgery December 1st on my foot, had a broken foot at Rogue and I had surgery to repair my tendon. And they were like, you might come back in a year. And I was like, no I'm gonna come back in March and I'm gonna compete at the Arnold and they were like what they're like no like you're gonna have to like rest you're at the stay-after-foot and I'm like you find a way to get me back to the Arnold in March I'm like I'm not asking I'm telling you guys like get me back to this point where I can compete in March and you know my boyfriend was there with me at the Arnold and my coach was there Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): Thank you. Inez: This was the first competition that my mom got to go to in person. My son was there. My friends were there. My whole team that I coached, they came out to support me. They came and surprised me. And we're like, hey, we're here. We're in the stands. And I was like, you guys paid money to come watch me? That's crazy. And so it was just the best vibes I've ever had at a show. I just had so much fun. We were making content all weekend with Angelica and Olga and everybody, Jackie. And it was just. You know, my boyfriend's been one of the greatest supports in my life. like, he literally just like, I just felt like I could just be me. I didn't have to worry about anything. And I had fun. And like, when I messed up the deadlift, I didn't make my last deadlift. I didn't go back there and cry about it. I literally was just like, ⁓ next time. The fact that I deadlifted 581 pounds after foot surgery and had six weeks of prep, that's pretty freaking cool, you know? And like, they put in perspective in me. They were like, you know, you... Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Yeah. Inez: didn't this was a loss like you came back so fast and you lost the Olga okay like losing the Olga is like it's an honor you know what mean Olga has been here for so many years and she's the best you know like so it's not like you went to a novice show and a novice like kicked your butt like you know it's like you lost against one of the goats a strong woman so it just helped to have all those people with me and I never once was just like ⁓ what was me it was like No, I had a moment where I did get emotional because yeah, getting second is kind of a hit because I won the last four in a row. So it was a hit to my ego, you know, because I was like, damn, they called me the dominator, but I didn't win this show. So is my nickname gone? But they're like, no, you're not the dominator because you're winning shows. You won three out of six events. It's a point system. You know what I mean? Like it sucks. But at the end of the day, like you're winning three out of six events, but you're also like you came back from surgery. You came back from like all these situations like You broke your face in 2024 and you came back the next day with a big old puffy face and you competed in front of everybody and you didn't let that slow you down, you know? So it's like, it puts a perspective like why I have that nickname and I'm like, I'm going to wear that nickname with pride, you know? Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): Yeah, I mean honestly, you're dominating your life. I look at it that way, you can be called the dominator just because of everything that you've been through and the way that you are dominating your life and your place in this world. So I would never let anybody take that away from you, wins, losses, or whatever. So I just, wanna put that out there. So just before we completely turn the page to all the amazing success that you've had, I just wanna say if you were gonna look back, Inez: Yes. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): at say the lowest point of what you've been through and think about what is the biggest thing in your life that you would consider to be a turning point? Like what started to shift things? it a mindset thing, something that actually happened to you where you said that was the day I made up my mind? ⁓ How would you answer that one? Inez: So I kind of have like two of those. So the first one was literally the day I found out that I was pregnant really shifted everything for me. was 21 years old. I'm young. I'm like, I'm not. in a great financial situation. I'm in Chicago just trying to make rent. And now I'm like, I'm going to have a baby. And I was due literally two months after graduation. So I'm still in college. And I went to a Lutheran university. So they did not like me walking around campus pregnant, not married, and covered in tattoos. And I was not very welcomed at that point in my life at that university. I was like, I need to walk across that stage. to stop doing the reckless things that I was doing. I was going to concerts every weekend, just drinking. And I was drinking almost every day at that point. It was just like, there's beer in the fridge. I'm going to finish all of them. If I see a bottle of wine, I'm going to drink the whole bottle. There was no stop. It was just go, go, go, go, go all the time. And the roommates at the time, too, same situation. We were just drinking and doing whatever. And that was cool at that time, because I'm 21. I can do whatever I want. I'm unstoppable. And then it was the painkillers and then it was smoking weed and it was smoking cigarettes and it was just like always something and it was always looking for that high. It was always looking for like something to just like make me forget about every little issue that I had in my life. It was mostly financial issues, you know. When you are broke, you will do anything to feel something other than the despair of am I gonna be homeless again? Am I going to lose my house? Am I going to have to lose this? What is going to happen to me? So at shows, they would just be like, hey, take this. I'd be like, all right, cool. I'll take it. I didn't care. I was just like, whatever. And when you're 21, nothing bad can ever happen to me. You know what I mean? I'm just going to get high, and then I'm just going to go home, and whatever. I'm going wake up the next day, feel perfectly fine. And most of the time, that's what happened. And then I found out that I'm pregnant. And then what did I do? Cold turkey. Everything. I did not smoke a cigarette, did not drink again. The withdrawals from not drinking and smoking with the first trimester pregnancy symptoms almost put me in the hospital. Like I was crying. I lost so much weight. I was just like, I at one point I was just like put a bullet in my head and just end it. Like I can't do this, you know? And then, you know, I wasn't really, you know, close with my mom at the time and like my sister and stuff like. It was just like, felt like I had nobody. But then, you know, it started slowly getting better, slowly whatever. And I was like, I just need to finish college. I need to finish. I need to finish. You know, I need to stay at my job. I was working. I was a manager at a gelato place downtown Chicago. And it wasn't making a ton of money, but I was like a manager. So I made a little bit more money, you know. And I was just like, I need to save up money. I need to do something because I cannot bring a child into this world and just be completely broke. I don't have anything. I don't have any assets. don't, what am I, I'm literally doing the situation of how I grew up. I didn't want the same thing. I didn't want to like. have absolutely nothing ready, you know, and that's kind of like how it was. ⁓ And then the second moment of for me that like changed my life was when my son was around two or three, I was around 330 something pounds and I gained a ton of weight. I replaced like alcohol and stuff like bingeing. I would eat. all day, wouldn't do anything, I wasn't exercising. I used my c-section as an excuse not to do anything. I was like, oh well, I had a c-section, I can't do this. And my doctor was like, well you're pre-diabetic, you have hypertension. She's like, you're not gonna see your son grow up. And I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, because my dad was diabetic, my dad was on dialysis, and my dad did die two years ago, and he was only 48. So it's like. I was like seeing my dad sick, know, seeing other people in my family, you know, get sick, cancer, all this stuff. My family like, I need to change something like now. So literally the next day I signed up for LA Fitness and I would go at 4 a.m. didn't know what I was doing. I was literally trying to do old track workouts that I was like trying to remember in my head. And I'm like, I don't remember what I'm doing. I'm just like messing around with the machines and stuff. I'm just trying to do some cardio. I was like, I need to just do something. Because if I just do nothing, my doctor's like, you're going to die. Like, you're not going to be able to see your son grow up. And that scared me. That was like a huge wake up call for me. And so I started going to the gym. I did some squats and stuff one day. And I just remember this girl coming up to me, and she was like, you should power lift. And I was like, I don't even know what that is and why. You know what I mean? It's 4 AM. I come early, so no one bothers me. I was terrified of people looking at me in the gym. Didn't want anybody to approach me. I was very shy. I was like, don't talk to me. And then I was like, you know what? Maybe I'll try a sport or something. I don't know. Maybe that'll keep my interest peaked. So then I signed up for a gym in Chicago called Rockwell. They're a powerlifting gym. specialize in powerlifting. And I just remember walking in and my friend who, at the time, he didn't know me, but he came up to me. He's like, if any other coach tries to take you, tell them to F off, like you're mine. And I was like, is this like a cult? Like, what is going on? Like, what am I? I was like, I guess I'll hire you as a coach. Like, what does that even mean? I don't even know what this is. I don't know what powerlifting is at all. He's like, it's squat, bench, deadlift, done, you're mine. And I was like, all right. He's like, see you in an hour. Just do your workout, and I'll talk to you then. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): No. Inez: So then I just remember him saying, all right, I'm going to start programming for you. He's like, you're a big girl. I can make you really strong. And I was like, my maxes are not anywhere you think where they're supposed to be. I was like, I'm squatting maybe 225. My deadlift was even worse because I had no idea what I was doing. And so I started working with him. He would come in at like 4 or 5 AM because I needed to be by myself in the gym. And he would come coach me. And then my friend Audrey, she would come in too at like 5 a.m. and we would work out together. And they were just like my little safe spot where I was like, I feel good, I'm getting strong. like, I wasn't really losing any weight. lost, I was gaining muscle and stuff, but like powerlifting is not like the most cardio driven sport. You're kind of just like moving the barbell a few times and calling it a day. But I learned the mechanics of, you know, how to lift. I learned how to deadlift. I learned how to do things the proper way. And I was gaining confidence again. I had zero confidence when I started. So then I did my first powerlifting meet. I almost bombed out because I forgot that kilos and pounds were different. I thought they were the same thing. So I went up on my next squat by like 20 kilos and not pounds. And that was a big mistake. And I missed my third squat because I was just way too high. And then I just remember being like, ⁓ this was cool. Like I missed like the competing side of me, like that I haven't had in a very long time. And then I did another competition. I actually got best lifter at 300 pounds body weight. I won best lifter at the show, which was, I've never heard of that. I've never heard of a heavyweight women getting best lifter. It's usually, it's a dots formula. So we're not programmed to win shows, you know? And then I did my final powerlifting comp the next year after COVID. Kind of like ended some restrictions. They had like a big power program at surge actually and I totaled 1450 pounds which at the time was the 11th all-time women's total in history in raps and then I was like I quit I Literally said I quit I'm done. I totaled what I wanted I want to try strongman now and Then I was like, ⁓ but is Mac and I hate me That was my powerlifting coach and Matt was like dude, you're built to do strongman. He's like try it see if you like it I support you any way that you want to go. And I tried Strongman. I competed two weeks after that in a local Strongman comp. And it was just like history from there. I fell in love with it. I'm like, I love this stuff. Like everything's always different. So I'm never getting bored. Powerlifting and I got bored because I'm like, OK, I'm squatting and benching and deadlifting. Squatting, benching, deadlifting. Strongman, it's like every show is different. So you can't get bored because like one show you'll have dumbbell, the next show you have log. One comp you have keg over bar, the next show you got sandbag to shoulder. You just never know what you're gonna get. And I like that. I like the variety and I like that I'm constantly learning something. Because something about me is I always have to be learning because once I feel like I'm an expert in something, I'm like, I quit, I wanna try something else. So with Strongman, I'm always telling my coach, hey, challenge me. If I say I know, ask me why I know. And then if it's a dumb answer, call me out on it and tell me. why it is the way it is, you know? I'm like, I'm not a perfectionist by any means at anything. Like I, I have a world record in log, but there's always things I can improve on. I watched that video of my world record log and I'm like, my back leg is straight. I was supposed to bend that leg is not looking good. Like the form was way off and I'm always trying to like fix things and tweak things. My deadlift is not great, but we're always tweaking it. always fixing it. And I like that we're constantly like evolving into a better athlete. Every single year I bring a better package. I probably didn't feel like I couldn't do that. So yeah, those were my two moments. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Early in your story, okay, when you were talking about coming out the foot injury, okay, and you wanted to compete in March and even though you didn't win, okay, you focused on the progress and the obstacles that you overcame, right? With your struggles in life early on, with all the hardships you were facing, I probably heard a number of times Kelsey brain set, resets or reframing and trying to focus on the positives, right? Okay. We've talked about that before in previous podcast. When you talk about Always striving to get better. I referenced a coach that I had about he would always tell me satisfaction is the first step to failure and that complacency kills. OK, I'm hearing that in you as well. You have a constant drive of wanting to be better every single day. You know, so that's the point I really want to make here. Kelsey, as we get into the next question is and I know you're going to be talking about discipline here or rituals or what have you. OK, but I mean literally these are the principles of the book playing out that she's living, but she's never. Inez: Mm-hmm. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): the book. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): We'll have to fix that. Inez: Yes. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Seriously, I mean And I think, and I think a lot of what you are doing internally is like what we preach when we talk, when Kelsey's working with somebody, you know, trying to struggle with some, eating addictions and underlying mental health. And quite frankly, it's the same things that I preach, you know, when I'm talking to somebody that's struggling with mental health and dealing with some type of addictive tendency or alcohol tendency. It's the exact same thing. Mindset, be better than yesterday. The only person you're competing against is a person who were yesterday just tried to move the needle a little bit, focus on the positives, focus on the growth. Inez: Yeah, 100%. And I preach a lot to like, especially like my athletes, to just like that victim mindset because I feel like a lot of, especially now because the world, I was telling the world is like on fire right now. So it's easy just to fall into a mindset of like, you know what? The world's on fire. I'm on fire. I don't care. I'm going to just woe is me, you know? But I tell my athletes too, and I'm just like, it's not woe is me anymore. Take control of it and like figure something out. I'm like, utilize me, utilize your family. You have your friends. You have your team like I try to my team's called the immortals my 19 year old athlete came up with it He's the best and like he's constantly always on my ass about stuff, too He'd be like no you're the dominator like I don't want to hear any complaining from you And I'm like this 19 year olds telling me I need to get my shit together, so I'm gonna get my shit together but like When you have that mindset you just you're stuck you're absolutely stuck, and it's so easy to stay stuck in that mindset And I just think that nowadays it's just like a default. And it's just easy to fall into and it's a safe spot that a lot of people fall into. ⁓ You know, my coach and you know, my boyfriend, like my mom, like they won't let me sit in that anymore. They're like, uh-uh. Like we saw you in world titles. You think you're going to sit here and cry on the couch because you're sad about something? Like, absolutely not. Like go to the gym. Don't skip your session. Go eat a meal, drink your water. Like go do something, you know, go get your hair. Go do something. Cause like, you're not going to sit in that mentality where you're just like sad and like depressed anymore. Like, you know, I'm off all my depression medication. am. off my clonopin because I did have a pretty bad like I don't say like addiction to a clonopin but like I would just when I was anxious whatever I fell asleep behind the wheel two years ago because I was so medicated and I literally crashed into a semi truck like $14,000 of damage to my car, nothing to the semi. Semi was perfectly fine. I got very lucky. And I was like, that was a wake up call too. Cause I'm like, I'm always tired. I'm always drowsy. I'm always like numb. I'm always like, you know. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Yeah. Inez: I'm miserable, you know, and like this is not helping me. It's making it worse. I'm dependent on dependent. That's the word I was looking for. I'm dependent on it, you know, and whenever something happened, I would just pop another one, you know, just whatever like I'll be I'll be chill in 20 minutes, you know, and it's like, no, you've got to like learn how to deal with it. And you have I'm 32 and I'm still figuring it out. But like you have to learn how to deal with it. You have to figure out a way to mentally cope with things. When I had my foot surgery, I thought I was done. I thought it was Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): you Inez: gonna be whatever I won't be a top 10 girl anymore they're gonna forget about me I'm gonna be nobody and I would cry about it and my friends were like stop crying about it you're gonna be back they're like you're gonna be back sooner than you think and stop being a victim like you hurt yourself and you still won the competition you did three events on a broken foot there's not nothing that's gonna stop you you know what I mean if they say you can't come back in March but you feel fine you're still gonna go and Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Yeah. Inez: I still went, you know? And they're like, only you can stop you at this point. And that was just, you know, if I didn't have those people in my life, you know, that pushed me, I would fall into that mentality too, you know? Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): And then the other thing too is, you you were talking about how people thought you were done and so forth, right? You hear those whispers and I don't know how you are. Cause I heard the whispers that I'm never going to beat, you know, addiction and I'm going to end up dead and all that stuff. And then I started making some progress. I don't know how you are, but with me, I still hear those, those, those voices and those words of doubt. And literally that you, that, that, motivates me. I want those people to eat those words. Inez: You'll see that. Oh, 1000%. I was like, oh, I'm gonna come back even stronger. Like I'm gonna come back and make a statement. you know, I, the buzzer rang for that stone to shoulder event, right? But I still finished that last trip. I didn't get it, but I still finished it. Cause I'm like, I'm making a statement here. I made a statement with the world record dumbbell. I made a statement running up that ramp three times with those sandbags and not falling. Everyone thought they're like, oh, ha ha, and that's gonna fall. Cause I always trip. I'm clumsy. I trip all the time. But I was like, I'm going to win that event. And they were like, no, you're not. And I was like, watch me. I'm going to win that event. And all the podcasts and all these people talking about predictions, they were like, ⁓ maybe top five, maybe fifth on this event, blah, blah, No, I won three out of six events with a still jacked up foot. And that was my motivation was people were like, who knows? Her training looks good, but can she put it together? She's only got six weeks of training under her belt. All these other girls had longer time, but I just didn't use it as an excuse and my coach did not let me use it as an excuse. And what I love about my coach too is like, he's like Olga deserved it 1000%. And he's like, so that is your fire to deserve it the next time. He's like, you're just going to work harder next time. He's like, if we have a five week prep, you're going to work harder in those five weeks. And you have, you know, the other girls have 10 weeks, whatever. He's like, whatever you have to do, you have to do it. And he's like, if you want to be on top, you love winning. I do love winning. You know, I, it's not fun to lose. You it's fun to win. And he's like, you want to stay winning. You got to have that mindset. You have to have that drive and you have to do it yourself. There's no one that's going to force you to go to the gym. There's no one that's going to force you to do your accessories. No one's going to force you to eat your meals, you know? And I'm like, it's all me, you know, it's, it's what people can tell you all day, all night. You got this, you know, like we can do this together, blah, blah, blah. But at the end of the day, if you don't want to do it. You're not going to do it. So you have to want to do it. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): So I have to ask this in a particular way because like when you talk about doing the strongman competitions You don't say the strongwoman competitions you say the strongman competitions because it alludes to a particular type of training and competition and You talk about it as if it's non gender specific and I think that a lot of times women have that mindset in sports where they're like I don't want to hear that I'm a good athlete for a woman or I'm a strong competitor for a woman. I look at the lifts that you do and I can never Inez: Mm-hmm. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): dream in three lifetimes you add all my weights together and it wouldn't be what you can lift and I've been a fitness coach for over 30 years I've been working out for 40 years and I can never even sniff anywhere close to what you do and never have been able to so I certainly would never want to put a limit on you in terms of saying you know you're strong for a woman so I just want to start with that but you inspire women. So I want you to address the question in that way to say, what is it that you would like to say to any woman that is watching this podcast for inspiration and to tell them if they're struggling with something, how would you inspire them to get through it and to persevere based on your own experience? Inez: Honestly, you have to make a plan. stick to the plan and just find ways of staying motivated. Make small goals. I'm very goal-driven. That's autism. Like you have to have goals, you have to have structure, right? And I always tell myself if I do this on this day and I did all my workouts by this day, I can do this on Saturday. I can go out because I did all my workouts, you know, or, you know, I can go do this with my son or I could do this. So you kind of like find goals, kind of like set things for yourself. But at the end of the day, you have to be OK with taking up space. You have to be okay with being unapologetic about it because I've been told so many years ⁓ she's let herself go or she's big or she's this like she looks like a man. She that's a man That's a dude like that's not a woman like women are supposed to be like this and blah blah blah They're gonna tell you like ⁓ you can't lift weights. That's manly You can't lift weights like women are not supposed to do this stuff But it's like you have to say no like I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want and I can be just as strong as you and luck like the pro are like they're so cool with us like they they support us they like they watch us like I am friends with so many of them and like they're always like lifting us up and like trying to help us and like you know they have a ton of followers so they're always like repost and stuff and like trying to like help us out a little bit here and there because like there's still to this day people that on YouTube they're like ⁓ well if I did that competition I could do that if I and it's like come against me like I'd love to see you try like You know, it's always a comp- so I find it weird. This is a funny, a little side way. People are always like, I could do that, right? But like, if they said that about like, they wouldn't say that about like Thor or like Brian Shaw. Like, but it's like a strong woman, men in like comments are always like, ⁓ well, she only did that because of so and so. It's usually like the steroid comment or like, ⁓ she's because she does this. And it's like, you would never challenge Thor. Like, So why are you challenging a woman that's the opposite gender of you, first of all? And biologically, we're completely different. So why is it so hard for you to accept that we can do something really cool? And you're like, I can't watch this. This is disgusting. And it's like, we're doing things that they told women that we were never going to be able to do. When I started powerlifting, a 500 pound deadlift was like, Whoa, you are elite, you are whatever. Now Lucy Underdown is pulling 700 and something pounds. She just pulled 700 on the elephant bar. Every single year, the women are getting stronger. When the world record for a log when I started was like 275, I bumped it to 321.4 pounds. We're hitting over 300 pounds. We're hitting, I'm getting, I would love to be the woman to touch 400 on the log one day. And I told my coach, that is my ultimate goal. is a 400 pound log and a 400 pound axle. And I think I will be the first woman in history to do that because I am psychotic and when I put my mind to something, like I will do it. Like there's no, once I told my coach about it, he was like, let's do it. Like, let's go, you know? And he's my biggest supporter. So it's like, he's gonna support that dream, but we're, there's no limit anymore. And like women have to understand like the only limits that you have are the ones you put on yourself. And you know, growing up, you know, in high school and stuff, it was hard for me to weight train, because it was like, women shouldn't get bulky, women shouldn't, you know, get muscular, women shouldn't have blah blah blah. And now it's like, I want the biggest traps that you've ever seen on a person. Like I want, I have humongous legs, like I wanna be giant. I don't fit into women's clothing usually, because you know, I'm too big, but like, we make it work, you know, I wear t-shirts, I'm fine. But it's like, don't put limitations on yourself because of the way we were raised. And right now, I wanna say this because, It's been on my mind literally for the last few weeks. I lost 40 pounds since December, since my surgery, because I was on the couch for two months, not eating enough, not going to the gym because my foot was broken, whatever. And I've gotten so many comments like, ⁓ you look so good. Like, you know, you're so skinny, like so this. And I'm like, don't say that word to me. I don't like that word. Like I need to be big. Like my sport is like, you need to be strong and you need to be big. I don't want to just be like skinny, but in the world of like Everyone's trying to be so skinny. have ozempic. We have this all this, you know stuff to like help us get to that point and people are abusing it and like, you know, people are just They don't like bring back like the muscle bring back like hard work in the gym bring back like following a nutrition plan, know bring back like women taking up big space and like being strong and like I feel like skinny should turn into being strong, you know and like Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): you Inez: Strong is different on everybody. I'm not saying go to the, like you're a five foot one woman, 100 pounds, go deadlift 500 pounds. I'm saying go do something that like weight training in general. You know what I mean? You try CrossFit, try high rocks. You're talking about high rocks. Like try power lifting, try something, just do something. It's just like this diet culture kills me because it's like, I used to get so many comments about my body and stuff. And then now it's just like, ⁓ you look great. Like, and it's like. I need to gain weight so stop telling me that, you know what I mean? It's hard to swallow, you know? Because you feel good and you're like, oh, I look good. And this sport, and being strong, sometimes you have to be bigger. And people making comments about your body all the time, it's hard to hear that all the time, you know? Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): So what is your favorite exercise? Inez: My favorite is probably a front squat. I don't think anybody in the world will ever say that, but front squats are my absolute favorite. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): ⁓ I know somebody that would actually say that. Kelsey knows him too. Our buddy Joe. He's a front... Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): I those. Inez: Yeah. Every moment in Strongman is front loaded. So front squats are a great exercise for Strongman because you're always picking up something off the ground and standing up with it. So if you can work your front squats really heavy, like you're going to find sandbags, stones, so many things a lot easier. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): What's your strongest exercise? Inez: Overhead in general just any overhead. I've hit a 385 barbell off the blocks I've hit a 330 log. I've I've hit a 195 dumbbell in competition now. So like overheads like my specialty. I got short arms It's really it's cheating. I have t-rex arms. So like it's not a lot of distance to go up, but I I love over Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): the ⁓ Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): There's nothing about that that sounds like cheating. Inez: There's a girl, her name is Jackie. She's Jackie Oczewski. She's always just like, she'll stand next to me and just hold her arms out and they're like a whole foot longer than mine. And I'm like, sorry. Like I wish I had your arms for dead lifting. You know what I mean? That'd make my life so much easier, but no, but overheads like I love split jerking. I love the explosive, like Olympic lifts. I love sandbags. I love stone. I love strongman. I just love, I love how weird it is. I love how it's kind of just like, how can you most efficiently move this object? to do what the rules say, you know what I mean? And I like how you can play outside the rules a little bit. I like how you can kind of like, well, they didn't say we couldn't use this, so I'm going to try it like this. it's a fun sport, and it's been around for so long because it is fun. And Strongman is for everybody. You see the things that we do, and you're like, I could never be a strong woman. I could never be Strongman. But then there are novice classes. It shows. I run shows in Chicago, and there's novice classes. I make the weights very, very manageable. And it's just fun. And you can train pretty much any gym. You can alter a lot of stuff to get used to different implements. But the gym I go to doesn't have everything, so I kind of travel around. I go to Wisconsin sometimes. My friends in Wisconsin built power stairs, so I'd be able to do power stairs a few times per row. So I drive 2 and 1 hours up north to just do an event. You know, so like if there's a will, there's a way, though. You know? Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): And then I got one more final question, you the Klanipin and we about the mental health and we talked about, you know, back when to drinking and all that stuff. ⁓ Do you feel that weightlifting helps you with your mental health? Kind of keeps you in check? Do kind of use this ⁓ therapy? Inez: Yeah, and I do tell people though, I'm like, don't use the gym as your therapy. Don't use it as a supplement if you need it. Use it as a supplement, but it's always good to just have something for yourself. And I tell moms, tell, try to just go twice a week if you can. Because it's just a nice break from life. You know what I mean? You put your headphones in, you kind of just do your thing for an hour or two. It doesn't have to be complicated. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Absolutely. Inez: and you just escape the world for a little bit and that's like your quiet time. But I'm like don't replace actual psychiatric help or like if you need more help, like of course go seek a professional, stuff like that. But like the gym is such a great supplement to all those extra things and once you start hitting goals, once you start hitting, you're losing weight, you're gaining muscle or whatever your goals are, like. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Yeah. Inez: those help you stay on track with everything else. Because if you are like, I need to stop drinking, and you're like, well, I got to go to the gym on Saturday. I can't go out, because if I go out on Friday, I won't be able to go to gym next day. Those are little things that push you in that right direction. We went completely sober, not drinking on weekends for my last prep. And my boyfriend and did it together. And I was like, it's so nice waking up on Sunday. and being able to just go to the gym and not be hungover or like, you know what I mean? Or like feel sick or like whatever. And I was like, we should do that for every prep, you know? And that was a big thing. This prep was just like, we went from New Year's Eve all the way to almost St. Patrick's Day. And it was just like, we feel good. We're working out on Sunday. We're like hustling. We're like, we're moving. Like it feels good. And like we had a full, we have a full night. We have a full day. Like we didn't miss it. You know what I mean? And I think that's, that's really cool. And that's special to do it together. And, if you have those gym goals, like you're not thinking about the other stuff, cause you're like, I started to feel good about myself and like you're using that to kind of like fill those voids you had, you know, with other things. Like I say, like try art, try music, try whatever, you know, like it doesn't have to be the gym. could be anything, you know, but you have to fill those little voids, like all that and just have something for yourself. Otherwise, what's the point, you know? Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): I think it helps you with your overall self-esteem. think people, you know, that struggle with addiction or struggle with mental health, they got some esteem issues, you know, maybe because of some shame and guilt and things like that. So it certainly helps with that. And then I completely agree. You know, some people meditate, some people draw, some people are self-taught, you know, musicians, you know, that's their therapy or that's therapeutic for them. For me, going to the gym and I'm an early guy, 4.30 in the morning, put the earbuds in. ⁓ Inez: Yes. That's not important. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): work. Yeah. So, you know, yeah, we're getting up early, putting the earbuds in. I like working out by myself. That's just me. It just, it's just me and the bar and getting my thoughts together for the day. It's like my, it's quiet time. don't know. You know, it's just, it's very therapeutic for me. Inez: I used to work. And we need that, especially like former addicts need. something to fill that time because then it goes back into like, ⁓ well, I have time. Maybe I can go to, you know, maybe I'll go hang out with a friend I haven't seen in a while. And that friend used to be the guy you used to like drink with or like, and it's like, no, no, no, no, no. Like I have a goal. I want to go to the gym tomorrow. I want to do that. It's not a maybe I'll go. It's like, no, that's my goal. That is what I want to do. Structure your week that way. You know, and I tell like, I have a few like clients that are like struggling with nutrition right now. And they work with my girl, Shab, who who's an actual nutritionist, but like they'll come to me and be like, I'm really struggling. I'm like, hey, prep your meals for the next three days. You know, do three days at a time. If you can do three days, you're going to be so proud of yourself. You're going to wake up on that third day and be like, let me prep the next three days. It doesn't have to be, I got to prep the whole week. I got to prep all this stuff. I got to just start with three days and just be consistent, you know? And if you are consistent for those three days, you're going to be so proud of yourself that you did three days that you're going to want to continue to do it. And then they're like, hey, I prepped the last three days and I woke up the next and I was like, I'm ready to go prep the next three. And I'm like, exactly. Like that is, it's just like going to the gym. If you have never been to the gym before, it's overwhelming. There's a lot of people usually there. There's music, there's loud, it's very, you know, it's not very good for like neuro spicy people like me, you know, but you get used to it. But I had to start off at like 4 a.m. where there was nobody there. and then you slowly transition to a time that you can go to, but you just gotta get used to it. You gotta give yourself, you know, little tiny, like, I'm gonna go for the next two days, I'm gonna do my upper and my lower split, done. And then the next week, maybe I'll add in a third day. And then the next week, you're like, okay, I can get up to four days now, and I scheduled it, and I'm going after work. And then, you know, it's like, you just have to make it a habit. Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Yep. Habit that becomes a lifestyle, right? Inez: It becomes a lifestyle. ⁓ Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): Kelsey, you could just get me and you out of it and just play the footage of Venus just talking, talking, talking, because there's so many frigging sound bites in here. It's unbelievable. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): tons. but I want to say this. I want neurodivergent to be transferred into neuro spicy. I love it. We'll just say neuro spicy from now on, not neurodivergent. It's it, this is 2026. It's neuro spicy. That's it from now on. Inez: No, we're Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): ⁓ all right, that cool. I love that. ⁓ you know, as, as I told you before, ⁓ my son has Asperger. So, we've been, working, with him in the spectrum his whole life. And ⁓ so there's obviously challenges there. And I'm glad that you brought to life that, ⁓ the struggle that you went through, but the way that you worked through it, the way that you almost use it ⁓ as a superpower, ⁓ so to speak, to you to, to ⁓ and to really kind of hone in on the thing that makes you you. And this sport, it's kind of like what Mark and I say all the time in the fact that what we've been through, what we've gone through, really was training to be who we were meant to be and that's the people who we are now helping a lot of other people. And your sport was no coincidence. Everything that you described about your sport and what you like about it, it suits your personality, it suits your upbringing, it suits the that you used to do that brought you joy and now it's just culminated into this sport that you found that you're like, I'm home. It's not just your happy place, it's your home. Inez: It is. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): this sport is, you couldn't have created a better sport for yourself from what I'm hearing from everything you've been through. So that's pretty awesome. So, but I certainly do not want to end the interview tonight without giving you a chance to tell people who are listening, who are connecting with your story, how to follow you, how to learn more about you and anything else that you wanna do as far as giving shout outs. I know you're a sponsored athlete, which is super, super cool. So anything that you wanna do let people know where they can find you or give a shout out to anyone that you need to. Inez: Yeah, I am on Instagram chronically. ⁓ Inez underscore pro strong woman. ⁓ And then my email is on there too. So if you're just like, Hey, I don't think my DM will be seen. It probably will, but ⁓ you can email to ⁓ a lot of inquiries like about coaching or whatever. Like I do coach. So if you're looking for coaching, I am taking athletes. ⁓ And then you just email me or Instagram DM me, whatever. I'll probably see it in the next day. ⁓ And then just like, I am actually picking back up my YouTube channel. So like slowly but surely we're gonna get some YouTube content out We're gonna do some like day in the lives and just like some like fun stuff at the gym because I'm at the gym for like six seven hours and there's a ton of stuff that we do and I'm like people would love to watch this is stupid, but it's funny so and then I'm also gonna be working on my own little We call like Nes talks or like we talk about like mental health in strength sports because it's not talked about Quite enough we talk about like the greats, but we don't talk about like what happens when you're just a What do you do when you're about to quit? Where do you find the motivation to keep going? So working on some stuff with that with my friend Alex that goes to the gym with me. She's a bodybuilder. So she has a side of the sport that I don't have insight to. I have the power of a strong man. She has the bodybuilding. So we're kind of working together on stuff like that. And she's also an art therapist. So it's kind cool that we have very similar backgrounds. And then I do want to shout out my coach, Owen. I love my coach team GWO for life Greek Elias on Instagram. He's a great guy. If you're for coaching to hit him up He's great coach and then I am sponsored by Cerberus strength and I just they took me from the beginning and they believed in me and they Said hey, we think you're gonna be great and we want to help you and they've always helped me out and they've always took care of me and as a woman that's very special because in our sport We don't have a ton of sponsors. You don't see women. You don't see strong women you know, as the face of like, you know, these big companies as you see like the guys, you know, so I really appreciate that Cerberus took me on and like trusted me and I'm working with them for the last four years. So it's been a long sponsorship and I really appreciate them. And, you know, shout out to Rogue for, you know. bringing the women to the Rogue Invitational, taking on the women at the Arnold, giving us prize money that we've never seen before. Thank you for doing that for us, Katie and Bill. Really appreciate that. And just a out to all the pro women out there and the women doing the sport. Without you guys, it wouldn't be a sport. And we put on a show, and we're going to start getting the recognition that we actually deserve in the sport. So I really believe in that. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): That's awesome. I'm definitely going to, get those links out there ⁓ for all the people that you gave shout outs to make sure that they ⁓ know of the love that you're throwing out to So that was awesome. ⁓ So ⁓ Mark, anything else that you have for her tonight? Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): I'm ready to go lift weights. I'm inspired. Go for a tour day today, Kelsey. No, seriously. Thank you very much for coming on our podcast. I mean... Inez: ⁓ No, I really appreciate you guys having me on, Marc Rogala (Co-Founder S2T): The story is incredible. mean, just everything you've been through in your life, you know, the strength that you possess just from when you were dealing with some of the challenges early on, but then how you built upon that strength to build the life that you're at right now is just, I got the ultimate respect for you, and as I really do, you're welcome. Inez: Thank you, I appreciate that. Kelsey Dunbar (Co-Founder S2T): Yeah, mean, yeah, there's a difference between looking strong and becoming strong. And your story is a reminder that strength isn't where you start. It's about what you're willing to build. So, and that's awesome. But so just kind of close things out, if this conversation resonated with you, make sure you follow, rebuild and fulfill so you don't miss future episodes. If you're looking for more support and want to be a part of our community, you can find us at S2T Nation on Facebook, or you can check out our website at suffertotougher.org. ⁓ And remember, you're not broken. Sometimes you're just overloaded and rebuilding is always possible.