In high school, I was interested in acting/singing/dancing and was on our competitive speech team. I did time as a cheerleader for Norman Central.

The first time I entered a gym was in high school. I had some very close friends that played football and I went to the gym with them for social purposes. I did some of the exercises they were doing and they seemed impressed with my strength…so began the motivation. 

                                       
        5 years old                                                            Swim instructor                                                                 18 years old

In college, I worked full time as a lifeguard so I was in a bathing suit all year long. I felt I needed to firm up those parts that began hanging out of my suit so I hired a friend of mine that was studying to be a personal trainer. He charged me $15 a week (that’s a lot when you’re a poor college student) to set me up on a program and teach me proper lifting techniques.

I really loved the new energy I obtained with working out. Along with my weight training, I was a competitive Masters swimmer and competed in sprint length triathlons.

In 1991, I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. in Communication and immediately landed a job with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. I applied with 1800 other hopefuls and was fortunate to obtain 1 of only 30 positions. This is where I met Tonie Norman (also a competitive bodybuilder). We became best of friends. I loved how driven and motivated she was. But we both found out quickly that if we were going to be able to do this job well, we would have to hit the heavy weights.

In January of 1996, Tonie told me of an interest she had to compete in bodybuilding. This was and interest I did not share at first but told her I would be a very supportive friend and training partner. We met Darrell Terrell at a nutritional workshop a local gym was putting on. He seemed very knowledgeable about bodybuilding (being a competitor himself) and had a list of female clients he had assisted in winning local shows. We started training with Darrell and he stated that he thought I had a lot of potential and should consider competing as well. After assuring me he would not let me make a fool of myself, I gave in and started preparing (along side Tonie) for the Oklahoman (June 1996). Tonie was a lightweight that easily took her class - I was a middleweight (128) and easily took my class. We had to compete for the overall and Tonie won.

I took off a year and in August 1997, won both the heavyweight title (151) and the overall at the Oklahoman. I kept dieting and in October of 1997, won the heavyweight title at the Red River and had to compete against my best friend Carri Ledford in the overall. It was the longest, funest posedown in the history of the Red River. I ended up (with a little luck) with the bragging rights of the overall title.

Contest History: 

1996 NPC Oklahoma (First Show EVER) Placed first in Middleweight Novice Class
1997 NPC Oklahoma. Placed 1st in heavyweight class and Overall
1997 NPC Red River Placed 2007 IFBB Europa SuperShow (Arlington , TX) Placed 4th in heavyweight
1998 NPC USA (Las Vegas) Placed 13th in heavyweight (154)
1999 NPC Jr. Nationals (San Antonio) Placed 1st in heavyweight (156) and Overall!
1999 NPC USA (Santa Monica, CA) Placed 8th in heavyweight class
2000 Had to take off due to a torn bicep tendon. Competed in the Firefighter Combat Challenge - that was a blast!
2001 NPC USA (Las Vegas) Placed 5th in heavyweight (161)
2001 NPC Nationals (Atlanta) Placed 6th in heavyweight (161)
2002 NPC Nationals (Dallas, TX) Placed 3rd in heavyweight
2003 NPC Nationals (Miami, FL) Placed 4th heavyweight
2004 NPC USA (Las Vegas) Placed 1st in heavyweight
2005 NPC USA (Las Vegas) Placed 2nd in heavyweight
2006 IFBB North American (Cleveland , OH) Placed 1st in heavyweight and Overall - obtained IFBB Pro Status!!!!!
2007 IFBB Europa SuperShow (Arlington , TX) Placed 4th in heavyweight
2008 IFBB Europa SuperShow (Dallas , TX) Placed 1st in heavyweight and qualified for Ms. Olympia 
2008 IFBB Ms. Olympia (Las Vegas, Nevada) Placed 16th, one weight class only         

Off-season weight stays around 185-190. I have topped out as heavy as 210. 

When I’m not competing, I am a full time Firefighter/Paramedic for Oklahoma City (since September of 1991). Off duty, I am co-owner of the Supplement Shak in Oklahoma City where we sell a variety of supplements for performance and general overall wellness. I have 8 full time clients that I personal train and I write and oversee programs of dozens of other clients. I also work part time at an MRI clinic. Needless to say, all of that takes up a majority of my time. 

To relax, I enjoy reading and listening to music, shopping and dining with friends, and playing with my miniture chihuahua “Minnie”. I am a HUGE UFC (Ultimate Fighting Champion-Mixed Martial Arts) Junkie, so I watch it whenever I can and attend all the local fights I can. 

I have a 6 day training schedule. Day 1 - Chest/Shoulders; Day 2 - Back; Day 3 - Legs; Day 4 - Arms; Day 5 - Back  Day 6 - Legs. Since my schedule at the fire department changes, I train as my schedule allows so I do not train a specific body part on a specific day. 

I really don’t have a favorite exercise or part to work. If I have a body part I feel needs extra work, it becomes my favorite part. I love being in control of the changes my body is making.