Tanya Etessam
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
The Big Ten
1. How long have you been a PICP instructor? What got you interested in Poliquins system?
I took my first Poliquin course in 20 and have been studying Poliquin’s principles and training methods since then. I was first introduced to Poliquins system from a friend of mine. He encouraged me to incorporate prescribed tempos/ Time under tension (TUT) in my training programs. He mentioned Poliquin and the rest is history!
2. What other certifications and education do you hold in regards to your profession?
Besides being a PICP 2 instructor and BioSignature practitioner, I also have a bachelor degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotions. I am also a certified personal trainer trough American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
3. When did you start training in figure contests and how many have you done? What were your placings in those shows and do you have any in the future?
I started competing in figure competitions last year (2010)… I ended up doing FOUR competitions back to back that year (I DON’T suggest that haha). I placed okay in most of those shows (ranged from 1st in class to 8th in class, depending on the caliber and amount of competitors.
This year (2011) I have done one show: 2011 NPC Southern States; I won 1st place overall figure winner…. Ironically, this is the same show that I placed 8th in my class last year! ?
4. Have you moved into modeling? Or have you kept your focus on the sport side of the industry?
I have not done much modeling (only a few small things here and there), however I would LOVE to get more into it. I absolutely love the sports side of the industry… the training, diet, and entire competition prep is what I live for!
5. Having a long history of classical dance, do you find that it has influenced your figure or training career?
I think my ballet dance background definitely helps with figure competitions. I love being on stage!!
6. What are your current business goals and how would you describe yourself as a coach and trainer?
Currently, I am working on my new business 360 SHIFT (Strength, Health, Inspiration, Fitness, and Training) 360 SHIFT is all about increasing your inner strength! I offer health and wellness articles, inspirational stories of all kinds, fitness apparel (soon to come), fitness videos and tips, and personal training/nutritional counseling services. Another one of my main focuses with this business is to help, specifically, men and women who suffer from eating disorders. I battled anorexia for many many years, and would love to help others get healthy and fit!
As a coach I am very straight to the point. I like to acknowledge the issue at hand and fix it! Also, I am very goal oriented and encourage my clients to ALWAYS have some kind of goal. It makes training more enjoyable knowing that you are progressing each time you train and are getting closer to reaching that goal.
7. You have worked with a lot of clients, even having helped a number of them make it to the stage. How has your Biosig background helped you with your clients goals.
Yes, one of my clients (45years young, I must add) just won 1st overall in the bikini division at her very first competition. My BioSig background has helped tremendously with her and with all of my clients! Knowing the BioSig methods allows me to pin point the clients individual priority sites to target and correct body composition and even health issues; its great!
8. You currently live in Florida. Is that your home and if so how is Florida in regards to personal training and the private coaching industry?
Yes FL is my home, however I did live in NYC for 3 years. As far as training and coaching goes, FL is great. The clientele is very well rounded; ranges from young to old athletes, housewives, and weekend warriors.
9. What are three goals you have for yourself during the next 12months?
Three goals would be:
1.To receive my IFBB Figure Pro card at my next competition (May 2012)
2.To have my new company, 360 SHIFT, be known nation wide for clothing, training, and health awareness.
3.To appear in /model for a well known fitness magazine
10. Tell us a little about where you coach and is there a way to get in contact with you for consultations or training?
I currently coach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, however I also do online training program design and nutritional consultations. I will also be selling clothing in the near future online and in stores… stay posted for that!! For now, best way to contact me is through email: tanyaetessam@mac.com
Thanks!
Sept - 15th 2011
I sit at my computer on the eve of the anniversary of loss, that impacted so many people related to the University of Wyoming and its track and field program. It has been ten years since we lost our Cowboy brother in a single horrific act on the part of one selfish individual. Over the last decade the thoughts of my lost teammates come and go from my mind as the chores of daily life takeover the most pressing thoughts of the day, but then they return. The faces of friends, the smiles of teammates and the stories of a great times in my life. Over the years I have struggled to speak about the friends that I lost that night, I think that it was that I lost so many at one time… I have struggled with the idea that the Universe could take eight young souls from us. Why did they have to leave us so soon? Why did they have to go all together? These are questions that I have asked the darkness when I lay alone, struggling to see the reasons that lay behind the actions of the conscious universe… There were even times that I lost faith in the whole plan because it just didn’t seem to make sense to me anymore. Ten years ago, I was with friends and family spending the day living life, enjoying a Sunday at an amusement park… it wasn’t until I was driving home that my girlfriend at the time got a hold of me, explaining the tragedy that happened…I felt empty and broken, how could I have been having such a great day when others that were so close to me could be broken and lost? I didn’t realize the impact of the guilt that I felt and the pain until years later…in fact it wasn’t until this year that I returned to a park…Ten years it took to get me back to something that others don’t give a second thought. Yet for me, it is an instant reminder of the loss of friends and brothers….
And today it was a crashing realization that it is this life that we are here to celebrate, there are questions that we can never answer during this existence and the plans that the Universe has for use will be explained when we are ready to understand. A friend spoke to me today about the importance of ‘being’ the importance of existing in this time, this life, this moment. We must always work for tomorrow but if there is one thing that we must understand, is that we must live for today. Love for today, enjoy for today… This flood of memories has given me a moment of reflection and a charge of strength. A sense that we are here to grow, to share, to experience to exist and this life is not to be taken for granted but rather it is to be celebrated. We spend so much of our time worried, wondering or afraid of a dozen different variables that we feel are going to affect us in a dozen ways, but in the end these fears and thoughts are the shackles that keep us tide down from reaching our greatest potential while we are here…and I really do mean while we are here because some things in this life are not designed for us to understand. I know so many people reading this today can understand the feeling that I have been dealing with for the past decade, and on some level I have lived shackled afraid to make moves in my life even if it is on a subconscious level. Decisions that you don’t even know you are making because, they are coming from such a deep part of your soul…From within the base of your existence.
It is often a topic I speak about when I talk about achieving personal greatness, and in doing so becoming a leader in your given world. Often people see me speaking of athletics because it is the medium that I often use the most but to be honest this applies to all areas of life. In an increasing world of scrutiny I see more and more people cowering away from the light of opportunity or potential because of falsely placed social constraints that they believe could negatively impact their life. So many people, good people, strong people often pass the torch of leadership on to someone less deserving because of the fear of judgment in this life, the fear of failure and the concern of negative social opinion. Being a leader is not an easy task, you become the point of focus for many. The decisions that you make are evaluated by numbers, where as when you are a face in the crowd you became percentage of the whole. If you are the leader of 10 people in your office you receive the evaluation of 10... If you are the leader of 100 you receive the attention of all 100 people, where as they the people in the crowd will maybe receive 1:100th of the attention of that leader. So as you can see this is a difficult place to sit, to be the focus of many… To have to stand before the crowd, to have to speak on behalf of those that cannot find the strength to speak for themselves, but I place this charge with you because there is no certainty in the plan that has been laid before you, there is no way to predict the length of your experience on this earth, only the quality of which you experience it.
We cannot undo the past and even though it can be hard to move past some of life’s most difficult challenges, it is important that we lift our heads every morning when the sun rises. We honor those that lived and shared this life with use by continuing to live ours with passion, drive, love, energy and furious gusto.
Cody this is for you….
- Derek
