Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Gonzalez.
Audrey, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, I didn’t have any sisters so of course I always hung out with my brother who is one year older than me. My dad would take us to classic car shows and show us the lowrider magazines he collected. Some of my cousins on my dad side and my uncles on my mom’s side where into cars of all kinds. The older I got, the more I wanted a car to work on myself. I danced my whole life all the way through college and even did semi-pro, sometimes dancing six days a week. I quit when I was 21 because I wanted to work more and be able have money to invest in my future. When I was 22, I traded in my 2011 Scion tC for my current 08 Honda Civic SI (coupe). Still not knowing how to drive stick my boyfriend taught me how the same day. We would hang out with friends and work on our cars, go to car meets and car shows. I thought I was living my best life.
I eventually met a girl who was in the car scene and we clicked right away. I had no girl-friends who were into cars too so it was nice to have her around. She had just stared modeling at events the year prior to meeting her and had an event coming up that needed an extra model. She ended up submitting my photos to them without telling me and they wanted me on board! I agreed to do the event because of the support from my new friend and my boyfriend. Back then, I thought modeling was silly. Today, I’m honestly glad I started! Honda Fetish Nation was my first event and even included a bikini contest.
Long story short, I ended up getting first place! From then on, I kept getting booked for an event after event and placed at every single one! This summer is my 4th season being both a model and a car enthusiast. It’s crazy when I go places and people recognize me as “slammedpannda.” Now, don’t think I gave up on cars! I am an Automotive Model! I get to work the cars shows so I get in free! I’ve been working on my Si the past few years and I have wheels, suspension, performance, and body! Not to mention, I have a bamboo shift knob designed with me on it with Bambshifts shiftknobs. I also just got bannered by NVUS DFW!
Now that I have built a name for myself, it’s nice to know that I can use this attention for good. I share positive and motivational words to my followers, I’m able to work with and promote brands that I believe in. I am more connected with the car community than ever before. I even support and shoutout my fellow boss babes. I’ve even been working on a YouTube channel as well so I can connect with more people. You never know who you will teach or inspire.
Now that I’m no longer dancing, I fell in love with health and fitness and bringing that into my platform has given me the opportunity to motivate women to take care of themselves and do what makes them happy!
I’m happy because I take care of my body and doing so allows me to have the confidence to be a model. I’m not saying everyone needs to do what I do, but I encourage everyone to take care of your health; mentally and physically, try things that scare you, take on opportunities and go after your goals!
My favorite quote of all time is ” success is a journey, not a destination ” so it’s not about finishing anything, it’s about developing, creating and sharing your talent until you take your last breath. Today, I am an Automotive Model who is also a Car Enthusiast, a Gym Junkie, and a Health Guru. Today, I am living my best life!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has been fun, but not smooth. I am a Bartender who loves to work because I want to own a business one day soon. On my off days I’m either picking up promotional gigs, busy working on creating new content for my followers, creating new merchandise, or simply working on my business plan. Sometimes, it can be hard to juggle everything, but I make it work. When I first started modeling, there were times that I didn’t feel super confident and I wanted to quit, but my boyfriend has always encouraged and supported me to stick to it and now, I’m glad I never quit. There have been times I wanted to have my car ready for a show, but finances or life gets in the way, so I don’t finish a build in time. There are times I get asked to work a show and cant get off work. At the end of the day though, I feel extremely blessed for what I have and where I am at that I don’t feel that I have the right to complain. I also believe that if everything was smooth, I probably wouldn’t be as grateful as I am today because I worked hard to get here and I didn’t give up.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Because I am an Automotive Model I have fans who love to support me. So at shows I will take my merchandise so my fans have something to hold on to that reminds them of me. Plus it helps me to afford to travel to other shows and afford to keep creating content for my followers and fans. I have photos, of course, but I also have bar keys made with “slammedpannda” or my photo on it since I am a bartender too, I wanted to do something different than just air fresheners and slap stickers like most models already do. I have five different bar keys that I have created so far and everyone loves them! I recently made air fresheners but decided to give them out for free or added to an order just to give back and show my appreciation to my fans. You will defiantly see me with more merchandise this year!
Because I also love health and fitness, I have helped other women and few men learn how to eat right from giving meal plans, teaching how to count macros or even weekly meal preps I cook and pack for them. On average, my clients lose 20 lbs. and stick to it or get more into health. I not only make an income from this, but I’m able to help others take control of their health. Once I quit dance I had to learn to eat right and workout on my own. Its something I’m passionate about so I study it all the time just for fun , but its amazing to be able to share my knowledge and teach others what I have learned.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next decade I believe the Automotive community will only continue to grow. Since being apart of this lifestyle I have already noticed a lot of growth with more cars, shows, car clubs and models. Its amazing to see how far we have come and even more amazing to see old popular vehicles that have only become more valuable.One thing I really enjoy about the automotive community and is how positive everyone is to each other. Always encouraging one another to complete projects or simply helping each other build their cars! Ive learned so much on how to work on my car from my boyfriend, teammates from NVUS and the automotive community. When you have positive vibes and encouragement then its hard for the hobby to die. As far as modeling I feel the same way because there is always new girls at every show and I get a lot of messages asking how I did it. I wish good luck to everyone and just follow you dreams and do what makes you happy!
Contact Info:
- Email: bookingpannda@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/slammedpannda
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/audreyrocina
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/slammedpannda
Image Credit:
@dro_images, @luskphoto, @kerrygphoto, @nhuoodle_photography, @glazedmob_nvus1000
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
