Hello Hello my peeps, my name is Marisa Woo! Just a quick snippet of who I am - I am 24 years old, a contest prep and lifestyle coach, a posing coach, an SDSU graduate with a degree in Kinesiology, and of course a Bikini Competitor as most of you are that are reading this blog!

When most people begin their bodybuilding journey it tends to be a “lonely road”, your passion, hobbies, priorities, and schedule can change drastically from the lifestyle you were in before! But guess what? You are not alone in this, when I first began competing in 2016 I dove headfirst into the sport because I fell in love with the process, the reward of self-discipline from my hard work put into prep! Though as I embarked on a new journey in my life, old friends, past relationships, and even family members couldn't quite seem to grasp WHY I had committed myself to this new lifestyle and sport. At first, I was taken back that I didn’t have 100% support from those around me, but this truly showed me who would always support me regardless of the goal no matter how big or small it was…

As you invest more into this sport you tend to gravitate to others either through social media platforms, the community in your gym, girls you meet at shows, and so on and so forth because you all share the same burdens, struggles, and drive that only 1% of the population can relate to: that would be the commitment to building and creating the best version of yourself both physically and mentally! I have found my group of friends throughout the years, you find those who you truly resonate with as you witness each other grow, support one another through the crazy times, and have each other backs through the highs and the lows of prep and improvement seasons!

But to put things into perspective, when you step into the world of bodybuilding, remember it is a small community in the grand scheme of the WORLD. Think of someone who has never been introduced to the sport just seeing a bunch of up dorrito tanned, muscular, half-dressed humans posing on a stage...haha weird right? Our social media feeds are filled with the bodybuilding industry daily, so it’s out of the ordinary to someone who knows nothing about bodybuilding to see this! You may lose and gain friendships as you become more invested in this sport, but also allow those around you (family and friends) to adjust to the idea of your new lifestyle, teach them the rhyme and reason of why you are so committed to your goals, when you do this, you will truly FIND YOUR CIRCLE <3

- Marisa Woo, IFBB Bikini Pro | IG @mwooo23