goal was to go to regionals and then she continued
to enter local pageants until she qualified. “I then
went on to win the regional title.”
This fitness model is not just another pretty
face! She received dual degrees, one in
Business Administration with a focus on Finance
and a separate Bachelor of Science degree in
Economics. “I always thought that if I could learn
finance, I could be successful.” She pictured her
success as her working in a corporate setting with
a window office. When she finally received what
she thought would be her dream job, she was
highly disappointed. She had pursued something
that she thought would make her happy rather than
looking for what she truly loved, Amber would soon
quit to pursue her real passion full-time.
e discussed some of the early
steps Amber took after winning her
first competition. That first win was
amazing for her and garnered her lots of attention.
“People were asking me for advice on how I
transformed my body.” Feeling accomplished, she
started to see the demand for education in the
health realm. Continually being asked via social
media to train followers, made her start to think
about becoming a trainer. Amber is quick to point
out that, “Just because someone wins a show,
does not mean that person is educated to train
another person.” Looking back she was naïve to
the industry at this point in her career, and feels
she has grown and matured since then.
“Many people have a misconception that if
you win a show you get funding or instantly get
sponsors.” She clarifies that this is not always
the case, especially at the region/local level of
competitive bodybuilding. Even after winning
her first show, it did not bring her financial
security or success.
After her win, she went back to the same job
she had been working and continued to train,
but quickly learned the struggle of the post-show
mindset. She would gain weight and would no
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longer be comfortable in her body. “I knew I wanted
to continue competing, so I set my sights on my next
show, which happened to be the largest regional
show in the nation.” A bold decision for the fitness
model, but humbling experience to go up against
some great competition and walk away with a thirdplace trophy.
It had taken Amber five shows before she was
able to quit her corporate finance job to pursue
fitness full-time. “I feel I needed this time to make
connections in the industry and more exposure.”
She would leverage those things to grow in the
industry once she decided to commit.
At one point in her career she was competing
between three and five times a year. But in 2013,
Amber would take a step back from competing.
Feeding her competitive nature, she was pushing
herself to an unhealthy point to get onto the
stage. She felt she could not beat the politics of
bodybuilding competition and decided to pursue
fitness modeling. “A lot of competitors have the
misconception that, in order to make it into fitness
magazines and land sponsors and endorsements,
they need to compete, and they must receive their
Pro Card. I am living proof that this is absolutely
not true at all.” Last year, Amber landed the cover
of Ironman Magazine alongside her husband,
Brandan. She also landed a six-page spread in
the August issue of Ironman, along with a sixpage workout spread in Oxygen. “I feel blessed to
continue to land these opportunities regardless of
whether or not I decided to compete.”
We asked Amber to walk us through
competition day and the mindset between other
competitors. Every show carries a different
dynamic. When you get to the national level,
obviously every girl is there to win, so every girl
has tunnel vision. “I have met some great girls
at national shows that I still keep in contact with
today, but most of them I met by reaching out
or complimenting them.” She feels that, “ If you
put yourself out there in a friendly manner, and >>>