Today we’d like to introduce you to Mindee Diehl.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mindee. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Where do I even start -my journey has so far been very tumultuous but without it, I don’t believe I’d be where I’m at today. Up until March 2017, I had spent the majority of my life in Colorado. It was in 2014 where I started competitive bodybuilding, going from a very overweight state to gaining my life back with weight training and competition (mentally, physically, emotionally…) Prior to that, I had managed to top myself off at approximately 205lbs, had to be medicated for everything from ADHD to PTSD, and managed to get myself in the most abusive relationship I had ever been in. Bodybuilding helped me build the foundation needed to change. It gave me the person I needed to be to take leaps and bounds when needed.
It essentially gave me a very strong mental advantage to the choice I had made in 2017 which involved moving to Fort Worth, TX without having a job, no family resources, and essentially just having one Texas friend prior to the move. So in March 2017, it was official. I had become a Texas resident with the mindset that I had to (1) get out of my comfort zone of Colorado, and (2) maybe Texas would allow me to grow into the person I have been struggling to become -and thankfully, Texas did its job or shall I say, Texas allowed me to do mine. In August 2017, I competed in the NPC North Americans and took top 5 in my class. In 2018, I started with Dallas Fire-Rescue and in January 2019, officially became certified as a professional firefighter. In late 2019, I was able to buy my first home after rescuing my pit bull, Charlie days prior to the tornado that hit North Dallas.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a very bumpy road. From when I was young and experienced pretty much every form of abuse possible from my biological family, to making the decision to ‘run away’ at 17 and take my life and my survival into my own hands. I have seen many high points but I have definitely had my fair share of lower than low points. I’ve experienced abuse from the man I had known as my father (entire childhood) and lost any family that I had every known (age 17).
I had gained a mother who accepted me as her own (age 18) and was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School (2004), and U.S. Air Force Academy (2005). I then went through years of healing and learning how to manage my anxiety and post-traumatic stress while learning to find who I was again (17-26yrs). I’ve had times where I was struggling to find a job (even with a graduate degree) to being jobless and not having a $1 to my name. Multiple surgeries, multiple struggles, and mental health issues on top of physical health issues gave me every piece that made me into the person I am today.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a professional firefighter/EMT. I will gain my paramedic certification by early 2021. I am known for my bodybuilding and the image I have created for myself since the time I started competition bodybuilding in 2014. I am currently nationally ranked and attempting to gain my IFBB Pro status. I have been published in various online articles, magazines and featured on a magazine cover. I also do personal training on the side but have recently limited the amount of people I train in order to ensure that my time not being a firefighter is being stretched too thin. I love what I do, and it has always been my purpose in life to serve (as a military member, and now as a firefighter).
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My determination, perseverance, strength (mental), and the fact that I have never failed to immediately get back up after being knocked down.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @polynesianpriincess
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/polynesianpriincess
Image Credit:
Daylon Johnson, EG Pro Photography, Doug Larson Photography
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