Scottsdale Health July 2019

INNATE STRENGTH
Michelle has had a strong sense of self
from the get-go. She was an independent
little kid who was very studious and
intellectually curious about everything.
Her nose was always stuck in a book
and when it wasn’t, she was busy
participating in school drama and sports.
“Most consistently, I played softball
and was a cheerleader in school. I
was also on an ice skating team, took
swimming and karate lessons and had
brief stints running track and playing
volleyball,” she says.
Lawyer and surgeon were some
early job prospects, but as she grew up,
Michelle realized that her aspirations
were too wide-ranging to fit into concise
categories like law or healthcare.
Entrepreneur felt better. She graduated
with a degree in business administration
from Georgia State University and is
currently working on her MBA.
A CALLING TO EMPOWER
In college, the gym was a place where
Michelle could recharge from her studies.
The more time she spent at the gym,
the more she noticed her body and mind
growing stronger. It was a powerful feeling
and one she wanted others to experience
for themselves, especially women.
“[Fitness] has always been important
to me. My passion for athletics is what
sparked my interest in health and
fitness, and with age, education, and life
experiences, the level of importance has
only increased,” she explains.
In terms of experience, Michelle is an
International Federation of Bodybuilding
and Fitness (IFBB) Bikini Pro. She’s
competed in nine shows total, three of
them as an IFBB Pro. Her hunger to
compete again — she did grow up an
athlete, after all — is what motivated
her to take a stab at bodybuilding in
the first place. Fortunately for her, this
was when IFBB first created the bikini
division to incorporate more women into
the competitive world of bodybuilding.
Michelle excitedly jumped in.
“[Competing] offered me a way to still
48 ScottsdaleHealth 07/19