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Syleena Johnson spoke with Charli Penn about changing from a career in the entertainment business to becoming a professional body builder.
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00:00Hey, you guys. So it's Charlie Penn back again, the Relationships and Wellness Director here at
00:05Essence. Look, if you followed today's guest journey on social media, you know that she's
00:11been on an incredible journey, a weight loss journey, a transformation journey. And she's
00:17not only looks amazing, but she feels amazing too. She's living her healthiest life right now
00:22and inspiring so many of us to do the same every day. Please welcome TV star and host singer
00:30songwriter and my soror, Selena Johnson. Hey, boo. Hey, hey, soror. Hey, soror. How are you?
00:39Happy centennial. Look, we had to get that out, guys. We had to get it out. That's going to be
00:47all the rest of the year. It's happening. But seriously, I was so excited to talk to you.
00:52You inspire me in so many ways. You inspire so many women. And I remember the moment where
00:59I was kind of like, you know, watching on your Instagram and I was like, wait, is she? What
01:02is she? You just like were transforming right before our eyes and you were so open and honest
01:09about your journey with all of us. So let's just start there. Talk about your relationship
01:15with your body and body image and that moment where you knew it was time for this wellness
01:20transformation. Well, I have been I was an athlete in high school. I played basketball. I ran track.
01:28Well, I did field events. I did shot put in discus and I played tennis. I played first doubles. So
01:34I've always been really, really, really athletic and engaged in athletics. Basketball was my main sport,
01:43you know. And but then, you know, when you graduate from high school and you go into college, I didn't
01:48play in college. I, you know, I merged into the arts, you know, as we can see. Yeah. And but I still play
01:54intramural, you know, but you gain that freshman 15 and you kind of like, you know, what am I going to
01:59do to stay fit? And so then I got into aerobics and I started teaching step aerobics and floor aerobics.
02:05That was like back then when we were like the leotards and we were on the step and the one and the
02:09Jenny Fonda and the Denise Austin. Right. So then I started doing, I started teaching step aerobics and
02:15aerobics, floor aerobics. And then, but I was always into like, you know, doing aerobics in the house with
02:23my mom and always doing aerobics, you know, like we were kids, you know, we would do like little
02:28tapes and stuff like that. So I've always been, you know, just active and playing outside and climbing trees,
02:34just always active. But in college, I got into the aerobic scene. And then as I grew older and,
02:39you know, progress, then I started doing, I got into yoga, like in my early twenties, just regular
02:45yoga, you know, like gentle yoga, Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Iyangara, those types of yogas. Right. And so
02:53then, you know, from there, I just thought, you know, I was really into, you know, strength training
02:59and lifting weights and bodybuilding and well, not really bodybuilding at the time, but I had
03:04admire the sport because the trainer that I had that I was training for my chapter three album,
03:09he was a bodybuilder. And so I was just so intrigued. And this was like, I was maybe about
03:1425, 26 years old. And I was just so intrigued by it. And I was just like, man, I'm probably never
03:20going to have the time or the discipline to do something like that. But I just love their bodies.
03:25And I just loved how disciplined they were and how, you know, I just, I was just so enamored by the
03:30sport, you know, and being that I'm an athlete and didn't have a sport, you know, it's kind of,
03:35you're always kind of looking for that thing to fulfill that void. So fast forward to last year,
03:42you know, from yo-yo dieting, from going up and down, I wrote a book about body images called
03:47The Weight is Over. And it just talks about my journey with my body and how different instances
03:52in my life dictated how I ate, you know, and so how I went to college and well, I was already in
03:59college, but how I finished college, I changed my major to a nutrition science degree, because I
04:03wanted to know more about eating and how the body works. Because I found out, you know, there was
04:08really about what I was eating that was really taking me down. And my relationship with food and
04:14how stress plays a part and eating. Yes. And just so many different, you know, there's so many
04:21different aspects to why we gain weight has nothing to do with overeating, you know, and I didn't know
04:26that, especially being a black woman and having stress and being predisposed for hypertension and
04:31things of that nature because of our soul food diet. Okay. So, okay. And so last year, you know,
04:38and so before that, I got into when I moved to Georgia, I got into hot, hot yoga. And so hot yoga
04:47at the time it was called. Yeah. And so I just got addicted to it because it was such a strenuous
04:54workout, but it made you feel absolutely amazing. It is the fountain of youth. And it was just the
05:00next level up of yoga. And so after I had been practicing that for about five, six years, I decided
05:06that I wanted to be certified in it. And this was after I got my degree. So I trained for three months
05:11and got my 200 hours. And then I started teaching because I wanted to teach and I wanted to spread the good
05:16news about this hot yoga, especially in the black community, because we're always like yoga, right?
05:21What's that? Oh, my hair, my hair, my mess, my hair up is not exactly what little do we know that,
05:31you know, hot yoga actually grows the hair. Anytime the scalp is hot, the body is hot, the hair grows.
05:36Right. So, um, which is another good time, you know, especially with all of us going natural,
05:41it's an even better thing, you know, and wearing braids, it actually helps your hair grow. So anyway,
05:46last year, I was just like, I gained my weight back, like I lost weight, I gained weight. 2016,
05:52I lost like 60 pounds. And I was like, Oh, I'm back, you know, and of course, having babies,
05:57you know, you gain, you lose, you gain, you lose. But then I gained it back. And I was like,
06:02what in God's green earth is happening? And I realized because I was working out, I was eating
06:08okay, but I was working out and I was still gaining. And so I was like, what in God's green earth is
06:14happening. So I went to a dietitian and he did a stress test on me. And I realized that my stress
06:20levels were off the roof, off the chain. And so it was causing me to gain weight regardless.
06:27And so I was like, you know what? I, you know, I did my capstone in college on African-American
06:31women and obesity. And so I had already been very familiar with this concept. And I was just like,
06:38you know, all my friends go through the same thing. All the black women that I know, my mom,
06:41my aunts, my sisters, all of the same thing. We don't eat that much, but we're gaining weight
06:46down. We're trying to work out. We're not losing a pound, you know? And so I realized that it was
06:52my stress. So I started eating, uh, for that type of, you know, I started eating the right things
06:58to combat the stress, but it was still not enough, you know? So then I decided, you know what,
07:04I'm going to need extreme measures. And I said, I'm, I'm 42 years old and I'm not getting any
07:11younger. And you know, a lot of people are probably going to think 42 years old is old. You know,
07:16I feel like it's young. I think that 42 is the new 22. Okay. But, um, but I was like, you know,
07:24I need to get a real, like, I need to get somebody that's like a monster. You know what I'm saying? I
07:29have some amazing trainers that I've worked with amazing trainers, but I needed somebody that I
07:34didn't know that was going to hold me accountable. So I went and I sought out a professional, like a,
07:41uh, IFBB pro, uh, um, a bodybuilder, because I know that that type of training is a different kind
07:47of level. And so I met him through my friend, Corey Callie, you know, Corey Callie does, um,
07:53revenge body with Khloe Kardashian. And so I was like, you know, um, Corey, I don't, I don't know what to
07:59do. You know, can you train me? He was like, well, I'm in LA. I wish I could, but I know the
08:02perfect guy. And so he put me with KD, which is Kevin Wilson, um, who was an IFBB pro here in
08:08Atlanta, who's a bodybuilder. And, um, I explained to him what I wanted to do. And I, I pretended like
08:14I was trying to get ready for my photo shoot for my album cover, but I told him, I said, secretly,
08:19I want to, I want to compete, you know? And so he was like, you know, so many people come to me
08:25don't want to compete, but we'll see. He says, so the first two months, we'll see what you do.
08:28So in the first two months I dropped like 22 pounds and then I was like, okay, I'm ready.
08:34I'm ready to, you know, I'm ready to go on the program to compete. And he did my meal prep
08:39and everything. But what was most important is I was on sister circle and I, I decided
08:44to announce it. And I said, you know what? I want black women to see, cause those were our viewers.
08:50I want black women to see me do something, um, in the midst of being very busy in the midst of having
08:58baby, having children, small children, having a full career in life. And I want them to know
09:03that they can do this. Yeah. You know, we can do this together, but we can, I want them to watch
09:08me do it the old fashioned way. I, you know, not, um, go get liposuction. I did get that. I did try
09:15that little stuff on your stomach, a cool sculpted. Yeah. So I still had to do the work. I still had
09:23to train two or three times a day and eat small meals, six meals a day and take my supplementation
09:28and things of that nature. But I wanted to do it, um, on television in front of black women because
09:33I wanted them to be inspired every day. And so I documented every single thing. And I'm talking about
09:39no makeup, like just in the gym, dad, sweating, stressing out. Oh my God. It was awful. Um, and
09:47actually, I actually documented the whole thing and I have, um, it's a documentary called from one
09:52stage to the next. Yeah. Um, cause I wanted to, I want women, I guess I wanted, I wanted women to see,
09:59you know, any, if I can do this, you can, you can do this, you know? So, and now I'm, now I compete.
10:07I'm actually in training for the second one that's coming in November. I was supposed to compete in
10:12June, but obviously we're in COVID-19. So you can't do that, but, um, there's what, there's the
10:18Lee Haney here in Georgia, um, November 14th. So I'm shooting for that one. Congratulations, Lena,
10:24cause that's such an exciting transformation and pivot and you were so committed to it. Right. And
10:29it's interesting. You talk about going public, right. With your journey, because I think when we do
10:34that, we inspire so many women, but also it's an inspiring commitment to ourselves. Yes. You know
10:39what I mean? Like if I say I'm going to do this and you're all in it with me, then maybe I might
10:44just stick to it a little more. Yes. It's a, it's an accountability. I literally made all of our
10:49viewers, my accountability partner, because now it's like, yo, like you, you made a commitment to do
10:55this and to step on that stage. So come hell or high water through injuries, through whatever,
11:00I was like, I'm getting on that stage. And it took me eight months to do it because I had a back
11:04injury. I went through so much drama just to get on that stage. Plus I was in the middle of a tour.
11:09I was in the middle of a tour. I was training overseas. I had to take my trainer with me.
11:14It was nuts, but I was like, I have to get to the finish line. It's so important because if I,
11:19if I let myself down, I let down all of these other women and now they have an excuse to say,
11:24well, see, I knew she wasn't going to be able to do that. And that's why I can't do it.
11:28You know what I'm saying? So I, I crawled to the stage.
11:32And you made it. You know what else you mentioned to us that I think is so important that we talk
11:38about giving ourselves the grace because as black women, so babies, stress, work, like we all know
11:45we hold the weight of the world on our shoulders, right? We go with it quietly and we battle. And
11:50sometimes our weight just goes up and down and we have to give ourselves the grace. So can you talk
11:56about that because you've had your ups and downs in your journey? How can we give ourselves the
12:02grace, but keep moving again?
12:04Well, the first thing that I had to do, and especially, you know, a lot of women go up and
12:09down, up and down. You have to forgive yourself for going up. Okay. And wait, it happens. You're not
12:16alone. I know fitness competitors that go up when it's time to compete again. They do what they need
12:22to do. They get back to where they need to be. Um, that is their job. So they're going to go up 15
12:28and then, you know, when it's time to compete, they don't. So up and down, up and down within
12:31a 15 pound range is not a big deal for them. However, I'm just saying that to say, don't beat
12:37yourself up about going up. Cause what happens is you beat yourself up cause you went up. And so now
12:43you just keep going. Well, forget it. Then I'm going to start Monday. You know, cause Monday is
12:48the day. That's another thing. Monday after my vacation on Monday, after the summer, you know,
12:56after 4th of July, you know what I'm saying? Don't start Monday. Start right now. Okay. And, um,
13:03so the first thing you have to do is forgive yourself and not start on Monday. Start the day
13:07that you decide. Um, and you don't have to stop eating. It's a process. So like, if you say,
13:13and I have this challenge on my, on my she lean life.com called the, uh, the 21 day challenge,
13:18because it takes 21 days to break a habit. And so the challenges is filled with things like
13:23cleaning out your pantry. Like it takes time to get your mind in a space where you can be committed
13:29and disciplined. And then you have to surround yourself with like-minded people and entities.
13:36Don't, don't, don't put yourself in predicaments that you know, you're going to fail because then
13:41again, you'll start beating yourself up again. It's okay to make mistakes, understand that you have
13:47to learn from them, but at some point you are going to have to make that choice and stick to it.
13:53And you just have to ask yourself, how bad do I want this? And this isn't even about, you know,
13:59I want to fit in these jeans anymore. Right now we're dealing with COVID-19 that is disproportionately
14:03affecting African-Americans. So now it's more so about our health, you know what I'm saying?
14:09And survival and being around for our children to see these graduations and play with our grandkids
14:14and things like that, things that are going to matter later. You know what I'm saying? So,
14:18um, we just have to really choose ourselves. And that's a big deal for black women. You know,
14:24it sounds real easy, but we have to really, we really have to choose ourselves over our children,
14:32over our husbands. And it doesn't mean that you don't love them, but if you don't take care of you,
14:38you can't take care of them.
14:41Hmm. That was a good word.
14:43Okay. Hallelujah.
14:44Okay. Hallelujah. Let the parents say amen. It's true. And you are living proof of it, Selena.
14:49Yes.
14:50Love you. I can talk to you all day. So we're going to have to sidebar. I'm going to have to slide
14:53through your DM. Okay. You're just calm, right? But thank you for sharing your journey and continuing
14:59to share your journey and for just truly inspiring so many of us who just keep having to fall and get
15:04on back up. We can all get to greatness and we thank you. We're so proud of you and you look
15:10amazing. I know you feel amazing. Thank you. I do. Which is the most important part.
15:14Yes, ma'am. And through it all, even though, and another thing really quickly. Yeah. We are
15:19going through very stressful times. So that's another thing. If you're gaining weight in the
15:25pandemic and through this, the social injustices and all this protests and all this negative stuff
15:31that we're seeing that is happening to us, give yourself a break. Okay. We are going through
15:37stressful times that you have no control over. Allow yourself to feel how you feel and then get
15:43back into it. You heard it from Selena. Y'all feel those feelings. Bet on yourself. Thank you so much
15:48this day. Thank you. You're welcome. Peace.
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