Mindset Mastery: Stay Confident and Win Big w. Tina Johnson

We say the word bodybuilding, but it's more about mindset building. The body will follow whatever the mind believes that it can do. I think a lot of women in particular, we look at, you know, what's the negative, what's the negative? And something within me knew that this is not normal, this is not right. I had to really coach myself to believe that there is something better.

I also know from a lot of the clients that I work with that as a female successful professional, there's a fear of being perceived as a bitch.

I just tell them, like, be a boss on stage.

Welcome back. My name is Bunny Young, and I am the host and chief inspiration officer for the yes and Podcast. We've got such a special podcast episode for you today. I'm bringing in another one of my friends. However, we like, how we met and how our lives have continued to collide over the past few years has such a cool origin story. And I just feel like this particular guest is one of my spirit animals. So I cannot wait to introduce you to her. And being able to really own your power is definitely a whole part of this podcast and this new way of life. And so, without further ado, I can't wait to bring in the fierce and the extremely gorgeous inside and out. Tina Johnson, thank you so much for being here today.

Thank you for inviting me.

Yes, yes. And to give a little bit of background for our audience. So Tina and I met as survivors with the American Heart Association. So I think it was like, what, four years ago that we were on the calendar together, and then this fashion show, and you just have this presence about you where I absolutely love it, because when we think about, like, heart disease and living with a disability, it's something that I took me a long time to accept because I didn't want to be perceived as, like, weak or fragile or anything like that. And I don't think any of those adjectives would be on anybody's, like, top thousand adjectives to describe you.

I agree. I don't even know where to start. I mean, one of the main reasons why I wanted to join the American Heart association and just to tell people, like, you can. You can do whatever you put your mind to. I mean, I know as kids, a lot of people have heard that growing up, I've always believed that, you know, whatever you put your mind to, you can do. You can overcome so many things. If you stay in a negative state in your mind, then your body will follow that and everything around you will be negative. I've always tried to be as positive as possible. Even as a kid. I mean, you probably don't know this, but I grew up in an abusive household, and something within me knew that this is not normal, this is not right. I had to really coach myself to believe that there is something better and this will be over one day. And that's always resonated with me through, you know, childhood and. And to where I am now. I live that, I breathe that, I believe it a hundred percent. And that's really what I try to share with other people. Like, you don't have to be a victim of your circumstances. You can overcome anything.

Yeah. And I really appreciate you sharing and giving that level of vulnerability. And it also makes the work that you do in the world right now so much more powerful. Because I've seen you coach people on what appears to be like a physical outcome and modeling for decades, as I did. It's like you just show up and you're in front of the camera, but you and I both know, like, there's so much going on below the muscles in your mind and your thought, in your energy. And I want to give you that credit and also give you a chance to share a little bit how you work with people to not just show up physically confident, but that tenacity and that ownership of the stage and that command of their lives, really, because it's not just on the stage. I know it goes beyond that.

It definitely goes beyond the stage. And a lot of things, what I teach my athletes and competitors, even personal training clients, you know all your weaknesses, you know, through and through. Some things you think that are weaknesses, they're really not. They're actually hidden strengths, but to display to the world. For example, I have a bodybuilding athlete. She's on stage, she's displaying her muscularity and her feminine beauty with muscles. And, you know, in her mind, she knows all of her weaknesses. But we are trying to just. And I say we because we're. We're a team. You know, I'm her coach. She's the athlete. She's the most valuable player. We're trying to display our strengths and minimize our weaknesses to the world. And so when I start coaching an athlete, I see what you do like about yourself and focus more in on that. And then the judges, the audience will also see your confidence in those things. And sometimes, like I say, those strengths are major strengths. The weaknesses are so minor. I think a lot of women in particular, we look at, you know, what's the negative, what's the negative? But I've always Encouraged my athletes and even my children. I have two girls to focus on what is good about yourself. Because there's so much more good than there is negative. And so that's really what I try to display to the athletes. And we say the word bodybuilding, but it's more about mindset building. If I can change the way or help someone enhance the way they think about themselves, it's going to portray on the outside how they feel about themselves. That's really what I do. I really. It's not really bodybuilding. It's confidence and mindset building. The body will follow whatever the mind believes that it can do.

Yeah. And that follows them, you know, outside of the competitions.

Yeah. Because that stage is only there for a moment in time. And I remind them that you're going to be on stage, you're preparing for a show, you know, 24, 16, sometimes 12 weeks, if you're already relatively athletic looking. And that stage is for a moment in time. But what happens after the show? Hopefully, in that timeframe that I've been with that athlete and coaching them, I've helped them think differently about themselves and the way they see themselves and the way they are portrayed to the rest of the world. It's all about being a role model, even for when I talk to them and certain things that I see that they might be doing. You know, want to always kind of encourage your child and have positive reinforcement. You're not bad. That's just not the best decision that you're making right now. I'm going to tell you why I feel this way. They need to know why they shouldn't be doing something or what, you know, what the better decision is going to be. And I hope that that carries them for a lifetime, for sure.

Yeah. That's been something that's been really prevalent. Having a preteen in my life right now of like, you know, just. I see her shut down when she thinks that she's bad or she's wrong. And trying my best to coach her to still own. Like, oh, man, it's such an. And I want. Coach me on this right now, Tina. Cause it's like, I want to. I don't want to save her from the consequences of her actions. And as a mom, it's really difficult to watch her on that struggle bus. And so it's like trying to not be callous to the mom side of it and also not wanting to just like, rescue her consistently from those consequences.

Yeah. I mean, it is a challenge. I know one particular incident I have a almost 18 year old and a 15 year old, two different personalities. The 18 year old says, oh, I'm just like you. And she is my, you know, the fiery one, she's the spice and the younger one is the sugar. So I've got sugar and spice so spicy. She will challenge you. She's very strong willed and that's my affectionate way of saying she can be a little boss baby. So. But she's very strong willed and I love that about her. I'm like, you know, don't back down for things that you believe in, but you also have to respect authority. It's okay to say how you feel. So two particular interests with that. I've always told her to respect authority and if you don't have anything nice to say, just don't say anything at all. But her facial expressions can never hide how she feels. And so I got a call from the school, she was in middle school and they're like, your daughter is going to have in school suspension because of how she reacted to a teacher disciplining her. And I was like, okay, can you tell me what happened? So they told me what happened. She was basically sticking up for someone else and she was trying to explain to the teacher what was happening. And so the assistant principal said, you know, her reaction towards the teacher was not positive. And I was like, okay, I've always told her to respect authority and if you don't have anything to say, just don't say anything. And so I said, well, what did she say? And then I was like, no, it's not what she said, it's her facial expression. And I was like, oh. So I knew that she rolled her eyes or she kind of like blew it off or whatever. She's like, I did what you told me to do. I didn't say anything, but I did have a facial expression. I'm like, okay. So she was able to let that teacher know, I'm not satisfied with how I'm being treated. And so I was like, well, you weren't wrong, you know, but next time let's control your facial expressions a little bit. So I mean, she got her consequences. I wasn't upset with it, I agreed with the vice principal or whatever. And I said, okay, well that's what we got to do, we got to do. But you know, just know that next time you gotta control your emotions a little bit better. And so. And then another one. You know, getting up in the morning is a big thing for teenagers. Trying to wake up a teenager when they're asleep Is like, you know, playing in the pit of fire. And so, you know, challenging, trying to get her up in the morning and ready to go to school and get on the bus. So I got tired of getting her up and I just like, you know, I came in a room a couple times, I'm like, okay, it's time for you get up. You gotta get up, you gotta get up. And I was like, this is it, I'm not helping her anymore. And I let her sleep, Oversleep, miss a test. And then she called me at work and was like, why didn't you wake me up? I said, I tried. And that was your choice to keep going back to sleep. So you need to figure out what you're gonna do for the rest of the day because you can't get to school. Cause the bus is not coming and I'm not coming to pick you up. And I said, but it would be in your best interest to do something productive. I got back home, the whole house was clean because she felt bad. She knew she had made not a good decision. And so that was one of the ways that I'm helping discipline her. And then also life skills. If you don't wake up now for your job, guess what, you'll lose your job. I'm not waking you up, you'll have to get another one. And I don't feel bad about it because you know, I'm very self motivated and I'm trying to help her learn these life skills. And you know, you are going to make mistakes. I'm always going to be there to help guide you. And I've even told her, I said, you know, even though I've told you these things several times, if something happens to you that's not pleasant, I will remind you that we've already talked about this in a loving way.

The sugar coated ass kicking, yes, but.

Straight to the point, I'm gonna tell you, yeah, I told you so, remember on this day. And that's what helps me and my household run more effectively. And I mean, that might not be the best thing, but that's what I know to do and it seems to be working. I mean, she still makes mistakes, but she's able to understand, like, okay, I'm in this position, you know, or I wrecked my car because I should have told you where I was going and I got in trouble. I'm like, that would have been the better choice. And I would have told you, you're not going over there. It's a roller coaster ride. Do your best.

They don't come with manuals. This is something that I've learned. So I'm trying. I do. I'm showing up. And I let that role model piece from working with your athletes, I think is huge as how I conduct myself. Because there's, like you said, I could. All the words could come out of my mouth, and what they're watching is how I'm, you know, handling myself and my reactions and my facial expressions, et cetera. And I told you that I did want to roll into a little bit of that feminine, masculine balance that I think is just such a great topic for us to discuss, particularly with you working with muscles as well as that feminine aspect. But before we go there, I wanted to. Something really interesting that's been on my heart is for somebody like you who has this very public brand and identity and are out there in front of, you know, TV cameras and on Instagram and social media and being interviewed. Like, we have a certain level of our lives that we choose, our personal lives, our kids that we choose to share. However, like, what are some of your own personal guidelines around that? Because I know some of my friends that have, you know, millions of followers don't choose to share their children's faces or their names or anything like that. And then for me, I'm finding that balance because I may take a speaking gig in a keynote that I share a story about my daughter that might embarrass her, which I'm okay with. Embarrassment. I don't want to. I don't want her to feel like I'm violating her privacy, though.

Right. When it comes to, like, sharing things about my kids, you know, I think that my. I feel that my kids are very proud of who I am and who they are as individuals. And I don't try to share too much, like, you know, more of this. Some. Some of the things that I share, a lot of my clients will be like, you know, that's kind of. That's kind of normal, right? I'm like, it is. You know, but just for example, on, like, Instagram, I don't post my kids on my public page. I'll post them every now and again, the story, and I post them in black and white. And usually it's like a profile. I don't post their, like, whole names or what school they go to because, you know, we are public figures. And, you know, I pray every day that the Lord continues to protect me and my family. But I don't want to put it out there so easily where that, like, if the devil does Try to attack and destroy that. I gave him free will to do that. I will post them again, like, in black and white, or if I share it, it's only for my friends to see. It's not for the whole world to see. Because the people on Facebook, most of those people I do know, you know, through passing or over through the years. But some things that I do post on my. Even my personal page is public for the world to see. But I don't post them a lot on my page. It's more of, like, praising them, like, oh, she got a car. Or, you know, my child's graduating, or we try. We tried on prom dresses. So that way, when people do see me, they know that I have a life outside of fitness. You know, I am a mom, and it's very important to me.

It's just so interesting because, you know, as the public figure, I. We have probably both experienced this, but I've gotten feedback where if I pull back from sharing the personal, it's like this. And it hasn't been recent. I think that my community now is like a herd of unicorns. And I'm so grateful for that. But when I. In, like, 2015 and 2016, when I was speaking so much on stage, I would get messages that felt, like, entitled to know more about, like, I was pregnant in 2016, and when I didn't share the photos of her birth or that we were in labor or anything like that, I actually got messages that were like, why didn't. And I'm like, you're not entitled to that information. Even though I'm a personal brand and, like, a public brand and a speaker, like, I think that there's still this aspect of seeing humans and knowing that our boundaries are what allow us to continue to show up in that way.

I agree with that. You know, not every. The whole world doesn't need to know your whole life. You know, you put on display what you want the world to know and then keep a lot of things private because it's your life, you know, and then sometimes It's a catch 22. You could post something about your birth, and somebody's like, we don't want to know about that. So I, you know, I really just. I want to protect my family, you know, and my energy around me. And like I said, I use my social media platform for more for marketing, business, education.

That makes me feel a little bit better. Like, that we're all in this together, where it's like, no, you don't get that. And having a background working in social services and child protective services, I feel like I'm even more hyper aware and I realize my own biases. For anybody listening that doesn't share these feelings. Tina and I aren't saying this is right or this is wrong. It's a conversation about our experiences based on our own biases and our own preferences moving forward in this life. And I think it's going to continue to. To evolve. So, you know, stay tuned for that. And the topic that I really, really wanted to dive into you with is that I've shared with you that over the years, growing several companies, and I think at this point I probably started and own 12 companies, and currently I have five. I've gone at it in a very masculine way. Not masculine, feminine and male, female, but just in a very, like, direct and not a lot of flow, not a lot of ease. Like, I found myself putting myself in the rooms, you know, kind of just unapologetically. And all this in the past two years, I've really learned about developing more of that feminine muscle and the feminine approach into allowing more flow and more ease and more systems. And not every time that I want to, you know, start a company, being able to have to do it all myself or have it all on my shoulders. And this is something that you have this beautiful balance of is the masculine and the feminine with the clients that you work with. And I know you've shared with me how on that stage, it is that balance that makes the judges go, you know, gaga for that individual. And it's also kind of present in every part of your life, whether it's how you walk up to the stage when we're doing our American Heart association events, or how you communicate, how you hold yourself, how your growing your company. And so I don't know how intentional it is or if this is something that just comes natural to you. I wanted to give you that reflection, and then you're shaking your head no. So I want to hear about this evolution.

Yeah. I mean, like I said in the beginning, you know, growing up in a household where I had to be quiet about things that weren't right, and I knew they weren't right. I knew I don't want to be a shy person. And I was shy because I was afraid to speak. And I purposely put myself in situations where I was the only person of color on a sports team so that I would be seen and someone would notice me. It's so weird to think about it now. It's like I did this on purpose, but I think now it comes for the greater good and not being afraid to now just be who I am and not be shy and speak about it. As far as the masculine way comes about, it's like I know what I want, I know what I offer to the world. I know my gift is to help people. And if I can get a room of people and help at least one person feel better about themselves or realize like, you're not alone and you're dealing with the same things that a lot of people are dealing with. I feel like I've done my due diligence and mixing the femininity with it. I mean, with marketing colors, I had to come out of wearing all black because that made me look intimidating. So I can go into a room and speak and walk with my, you know, my chest up, my shoulders held back and speak and say hello to people. But the fact that I have on pink, I look like I'm more approachable even though I'm very strong willed. And if you say something I don't agree with, I'll say it in a nice way. Sounds good, but that's not what I believe in. And I'll just walk away and smile. And so colors make a difference. Eye contact with someone makes a difference. Even like what you're doing now is like shaking your head, shaking your head. And these are things that I learned from reading books like how to Win Friends and Influence People. Think and Grow Rich. I had to do a lot of self education on my own because I wasn't really taught this stuff as a kid. Again, I was taught, don't say anything, be quiet and just sit there, you know? And I didn't like the way that felt. I didn't like the way that made me feel. And I knew that there was something greater for me. And now I have this opportunity and this platform with bodybuilding. I use that as my platform to speak on behalf of people who may be in abusive relationships. Or I've helped people come out from leaving jobs that they hated. And I'm like, you know, if you hate doing something, why would you continue to do it? Well, that's the only thing I've ever known. Well, can you learn something else? I mean, like, you're 35 years old, can you learn something else? And they're like, yeah, I can. You know, what's stopping you? It's just fear. Fear is just, you know, false evidence of something appearing real. Just change your mindset. It sounds easy to do and it really is. You just change the way you think and it's Just like one moment at a time, one second at a time, and just think about the goal, the end result, the end goal that you want for your life. And I'm not afraid to, you know, people to tell me no. It's like they could say yes, they could say no. If I don't ask, the answer's always no. So. And then with two. Growing as a business professional, learning how to delegate and trust people was hard for me because I felt like if I know my plan and I have it clear cut and I do it myself, it'll be fine. But I can't do everything myself because I'm only one person and I do have weaknesses and somebody else is strong, they might be able to fill the gaps where I'm not the strongest. And I have to be able to trust people. And I also have to learn how to be vulnerable and let things not go the way that I had planned them to do. Because ultimately it's not really my plan in the long run. It's really what God sees for the vision. So that's kind of where. That's what I believe.

That's something that. So this is an interesting. And you're. Feel free to speak on this from your perspective. Being perceived as a bitch. As a woman working in a corporate setting, you know, as a consultant, I'm speaking about, you know, myself right now and also in dealing with speaking. Because I was an athlete growing up and because I was in the modeling industry, I made it intentional to not be difficult to work with, but to be direct and communicate directly. And I wasn't worried about being perceived as a bitch because I was still being respectful. I was communicating directly. It was within my values. And when growing a team like you had just shared, that was something that I really had to refine that muscle and I really had to work on my communication. I still communicate pretty directly, however, making sure that my communication was leading a little bit more with empathy and with compassion. And that's something that I think has changed a lot for me for the better in the past maybe five years in business. And it's. It's really helped with my team development and with our morale and all of that. And I also know from a lot of the clients that I work with is that as a female, successful professional, there's a fear of being perceived as a bitch.

Right. Allowing people to ask questions helps to build that. That trust in that team. So, you know, you're the leader, but then you always say, okay, this is the agenda that I have, you know, mapped out for this event. We're going to do this at this time, this at that time, we're going to have breakout. Do you have any questions or feedback for me? And I think with that, that's helped me, like, build that trust with my team because I'm always willing to hear, you know, feedback. I know I'm not the smartest person in the world. I know I don't have it all together. I know I can continue to grow. And like I said, there's other people that have strengths that I don't have. So if I offer the chance for people to ask questions and I say there's no dumb question, just ask. There may be something that I have not covered. Help me help you, you know, and then they're like, okay, well, I do have a question. And it could be something that I had never thought of. I'm like, that's a great idea. And then I'll also kind of bounce it back to that person. Can you develop a plan or tell me how that's going to work? Because I've always been taught if you got an idea, we want to know how that's going to work. Don't just go, don't just give me the idea, give me something to go off on. And so that helps that person to feel like they're really part of the team and they're making an impact in the team.

Yeah. So if you can, can you give us an example of working with both female and male clients, how bringing more of the feminine into a male bodybuilding performance impacts mindset and confidence, and bringing more of the masculine into a female competitors or an individual who identifies as female competitors positively impacts for more of that balance. Like we've talked about it, how it impacts us personally, but like in the mindset and confidence, something specific for our audience to be able to walk away with and say, here's something that I can develop and strengthen my muscle in that will ultimately impact positively my confidence, my mindset in my life.

I think being a female in bodybuilding, when I'm coaching men, I'm very professional, I'm very direct. I smile, but I don't smile a lot. And I kind of give that like arm length distance away because I don't want a male to feel like that they can approach me any type of way because this is a professional setting. But I do kind of give that, like, how are you feeling? Let's talk about your feelings. Because most men are not going to want to talk about their feelings. And bodybuilding is really Hard. And sometimes I do have men tell me, like, I don't feel good. I feel like I'm not eating enough. Or I feel like I'm over training. I'm like, well, can you talk to your male coach about that? And then they're like, well, I'm afraid I'm like, why? Because this is your life, you know, this is your investment. You should be able to talk and explain how you feel. And so I think with that, they're trusting me more. And, I mean, I do care about how they feel, because I can see it. I'm like, if their body doesn't look the way it's supposed to look and look competitive, I'm like, mm, mm, something's off. How do you feel? And you're like, I feel like crap. Yeah, you don't look competitive. And that's my way of saying, yeah, you look like crap too, but you don't look competitive. And so I do that with my male clients. I kind of soften it. Soften up that aspect. And then with the females, I just tell them, like, be a boss on stage. You know, whatever female performer that you feel is, like the epitome of, oh, my God, she is. It, like, honestly, when I'm competing, and I tell my clients this now, too, I'm Beyonce on stage because she is, like, the queen of everything. I mean, you know, she can be masculine when she needs to be, but I still feel like she's very feminine. She always looks done, you know? And so I'm like, this is who I'm portraying. This is a performance on stage. So. But I want you to own the stage. When you come out, everybody knows that you're first place, and you just showed up to see who was getting second, and that's how you have to carry yourself, because if the judges do not see that confidence, they're not going to choose you as first place. And so it's kind of weird that you asked me that, because now I realize I do kind of soften up the men a little bit. Like, come on, you know, it's all right. And then the women, I'm like, it's okay. But no, like, you know, I want you to go out there and perform. And so it's interesting that you said that, but, I mean, I absolutely love coaching and helping the athletes again, build their confidence. And that's really what I'm doing. I would say, like, if you would even to interview 10 of my athletes, they would just say, oh, my God, she's made me feel so much More confident about myself because that's all I really do. I just coach confidence. That's it.

I love that. I love that. My magic wand wish would be that we could do a bodybuilding competition where the men would have to wear the shoes that the women, after performing, I do doing Runway modeling where we had to wear like 4 inch heels. And then the men were like, either barefoot or like in the. I'm like, bro, you know, like, you wear my shoes for a little bit and just see how that goes.

Yeah, I mean, I had a workshop where I had probably close to 30 people, but men were in one corner, women went in the other corner, there were men in the other room. And all my male athletes were like, I would never wanna walk in those shoes. Those women have it so much harder. I said, yeah, we do. Even in life, I mean, we have to juggle so many things and sometimes pretend like things don't hurt. But yeah, I absolutely love what I do.

I know you do. I mean, it really shows. And I think that you're a testament for what it means to step into your full and authentic power and own that and then unapologetically bring that to the world as well and make the world better. Which, you know, I just appreciate you being here and I appreciate you being in my friend circle as well as what you're doing out in the world. And since people definitely are going to want to stay in touch, what's the best way to keep connected and follow you?

One of the best ways is follow my Instagram hetinajohnson T I N A J O H N S O n. You can also look me up on my website, TheTinaJohnson.com awesome.

And we're going to put all of that in the show notes below as well as any website links or anything that Tina wants to share with you guys. From both of us, I just want to thank everybody at home or wherever you have taken us to the gym, on your walk, in the car, on vacation. We love being able to go with you. So. And if you find the show helpful, please hit that follow or subscribe button. It truly does wonders for the show as well as you reviewing it. Sharing the link with somebody that you care about that needed to hear this message and that helps the world find the yes and show more organically. And if you have any questions about anything that Tina and I have talked about today, you can drop me a line on Instagram unniehas6legs and that's the number six. Or connect with Tina directly. And again, we're gonna put that information below in the show notes. I read every single message that I get. Whether that's an episode idea, whether it's another guest that you want to hear, whether it's the glorious and positive feedback for our incredible guests that we had today, or just a simple note to let us know how this show has impacted you. I look forward to hearing from you. I look forward to seeing you in the next episode of the yes. And podcast. I'm Bunny Young, and I'll see you soon. Thanks for making the world a better place. And thank you, Tina.

Thank.

You.