RESOURCES
- Grab a copy of The Rise at therisebook.com, leave an honest 5-star Amazon review and comment, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $150 Visa gift card. The winner will be announced in the show notes at the end of October 2026.
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In Part 5 of The Rise Series, I share how one of the most unexpected challenges of my life became a turning point in rebuilding my confidence and learning to trust myself again. I had never worn a bikini, never walked in high heels, and I was struggling financially, but I still felt called to enter the World’s Bikini Competition. What started as a fitness goal quickly became a deeper journey of shedding old beliefs about my body, femininity, validation, and what I thought I was allowed to do.
I also share how meeting Stephanie helped me feel less alone in the grief of losing my son, what it felt like to step onto the stage in Toronto and place in the top 10, and how following the call to Bali became part of my healing. These experiences helped me see that I could do hard things, trust my intuition, and follow through on what I felt called to do. That growing self-trust eventually led me to face the truth about my marriage and begin considering divorce.
IN THIS EPISODE:
(0:00) Welcome back to The Rise Series
(1:27) Setting up Part 5
(1:53) How to get The Rise book
(2:45) Bikini competition, high heels, and financial pressure
(4:46) Learning to walk in heels and build confidence
(6:02) Shedding old beliefs about my body and identity
(7:47) Finding the coach who changed more than my training
(9:55) The Rise giveaway announcement
(10:53) Bonding through shared grief and loss
(12:17) Trying on the bikini and facing vulnerability
(13:29) Stepping onto the Toronto stage and placing top 10
(16:17) Following the call to Bali and finding healing
(18:31) How self-trust led me toward divorce
(20:53) What’s coming in Part 6
(22:17) Closing thoughts and gratitude
