The Revenge Vixen recently had the honor of being named a
2008 Impact Athlete By FigureRx.com. Here is a bit of the interview
Please tell us about how you were raised and did you have any interesting experiences while growing up?I was raised in a wonderfully loving home. My father coached both my brother and I in soccer and track as children. I can’t ever remember not having at least one of my parents if not both present at every sporting event from gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, track meets, basketball, and lacrosse. Each morning after my AM run on the treadmill before school we would watch ESPN Sports Center with my father over a healthy breakfast who would just be getting home from work. He would read the health section of The Washington Post then highlight the sections we were to read when we got home that afternoon. I even grew up stealing my father’s issues of Men’s Health. I wanted to get my hands on any health and nutrition information that I could. My mother held a high position in the government and always stressed the importance of education and the ability for women to be able work AND have a family. She challenged us to get straight A’s and excel in out schoolwork while my father gave us the competitive spirit and stressed the importance of an active lifestyle that would lead us to make an impact in any sport that we set out to play. Together they gave me a balance of both worlds that I am forever grateful for! My parents are hands down my Hero’s. The biggest compliment I can ever receive is when someone tells me I am even an ounce like him or her. To this day they support all my dreams and crazy ideas…although sometimes it takes a little more convincing the more I branch out of the mainstream path.
You have been training for how long and why did you start?
I began lifting in middle school b/c we had a weight room in our house (again…THANKS DAD) and I wanted to spend time with my father and brother. I grew up watching my Dad lift and I wanted “in” on that special world that made him so happy. So, they would let me join in. Then I started to see muscles develop that I never had really paid attention to before. I had noticeable triceps by the 9th grade and was so excited! I got so keyed up about the advantages that lifting could provide for my sports training that I took weight lifting as a class in high school and really made it part of my lifestyle. I began “Figure” training in March of 2007, initially to just be my own guinea pig for my supplement company. I missed training for something and having a competition of some sort to look forward to. I wanted a deadline, goals and plan of attack. I wanted to put myself through the grueling process that so many of KR customers go through. I felt I couldn’t speak to them without practicing what I preach. It was the best decision I ever made. I love the sport and I am HOOKED! I want my Pro Card. I have been fortunate enough to have a terrifically knowledgeable and experienced coach/nutritionist that combined with my work ethic…the sky is the limit for us!
What is your athletic background? Are there any notable achievements that you would like to relay?In high school I was the All-Metro Volleyball Player of the Year, I hold a few records at the state championship level among several other accolades…blah blah. Those are all good memories that I hold dear in my scrapbook, but I am focused on what I want to still accomplish. It doesn’t do me any good to say, “I used to…” Instead I want to say, “I will...” and “I am going to...” So ask me again next year… J What’s really funny is that I just flipped through my old scrapbook for this question and the first page I turned to was a newspaper clipping about myself and my high school volleyball team with the title “Eagles Get Measure of Revenge”…I don’t remember that article but how funny that REVENGE was in the title…see karma, fate and revenge…those words are reinforced to me daily!
What is your academic and professional background? Tell us a little bit about the origins of your companies, your current occupation and how long have you been doing it. Wow, ok that could be a very long answer, but I will try to make it short. I have Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Upon graduating, I had no clue what I really wanted to do so I tried it all! In keeping with my eclectic tastes and inability to sit still on something if I am not passionate about it… I was a sales rep for an Office Ergonomics firm, rehabbed athletes at a physical therapy practice, personal trainer for adults, created workout programs for young children, coached Girls on The Run (loved this volunteer position), Radio advertising rep and wrote on-air commercials, bartending (in-between gigs and while I was saving $$ to start KR), Real Estate agent, office manager for a chiropractic office, painted murals for children’s rooms, created a line of hand-painted wine boxes and wishes boxes for a gift store and the final straw was selling software and databases for Oracle to the government. (Folks that was in a matter of only 5 yrs!.. so you can bet I almost always had more than one job at once…but are you really surprised?) I quit Oracle once I had the KR concept underway and took steps to legally create the company. KR surfaced at the end of 2006 but debuted the Body Fueling Division with our first product,
REVAMP, in March of 2007 at the Arnold Classic. There are a lot of avenues or sub-divisions under the KR umbrella…and only time, research & development along with the tireless devotion of not only myself but also some great partners can we continue to bring the KR attitude and quality products to the public. So basically…we are just getting started…look for so much more to come in the future! Everyday brings new opportunities and the creative juices are always flowing! If I had unlimited funds boy o’ boy would ya’ll be in for it!
The origin of KR: I was sitting in my cousin’s kitchen with a woman who I had been training with for several months at that point, during a horrific rainstorm. We had just finished crushing ourselves in the gym and she was pouring her heart out to me about a very personal situation. Here I was staring face to face with what appeared to be a physically strong woman who was independent and excelling at her career and yet she had let a horrible relationship question her self-worth. She was letting it affect her physical and mental health. It was the last straw! I had seen it time and time again…strong on the exterior but women crumbling on the inside. Leaving their formerly positive self-image and feelings of worth in the careless hands of others. I wanted to do something to move her. To make her see beyond the immediate emotional pain to the bigger picture that life had soooo much more to offer her. I wanted to move all the women who felt like her. But not just women…anyone who has lost their focus, lost their spark of what makes them happy and unique. I didn’t know how I would do this at the time…but determined to make something positive out of such a negative…I had found my new mission. We shared our experiences for hours…and then the rain finally let up and the sun began to peak through. I will never forget that moment. So, Karmic Revenge started out as just the idea that getting revenge for a wrongdoing should be about doing something positive for yourself rather than something negative to someone else.
KR began as a sarcastic, edgy t-shirt line as a way to spark inner-evaluation and get feedback from others. Then customer emails, questions and personal stories morphed the company into what it is today… a fitness forum, a motivating community of Vixens and Warriors that are rewarded for their own accomplishments no matter how great or small, a world-class quality Body Fueling Division to help educate people on the importance of nutrition in a balanced healthy life, and a ton more… like our new line called “Fabulously BrutalTM By KR” that is a destroyed look for casual gym to street-wear clothing with serious attitude, still in the prototype and testing phases. I love every minute of what I do now. Kr is my baby and the response from the public has been overwhelming and humbling. For that I endlessly thank all of my supporters!
What are Karmic Revenge’s product area specialties? Which products are your favorites?My favorite products right now are:
ReVamp is a predigested (“hydrolyzed”) casein protein that mixes clear with no mess or clumps that is amazing at helping me maintain lean muscle while I am restricting my calories for competition. Because it provides the building blocks I need for protein synthesis during my workouts…I don’t breakdown as much muscle and my recovery time is much faster (i.e. less soreness the next day!)
ReMake – not yet available to the public- but I have my own stash to make protein pancakes and late night shakes with. Awesome natural banana flavored mix of CFM Whey Isolate and micellar casein combined with CLA and flax seed. It’s fast and slow digesting proteins mixed with good fat and fat burning capabilities…um…can we say PERFECTION in a bottle? Tastes so good I actually feel like I am cheating when I make a shake or pancakes with it. You want your hands on it now don’t you? Soony enough my little grasshoppers…soon enough! lol
KR embroidered Military Cap- I can show the KR spirit while in the gym- It helps me block out my surroundings- I put the comfortable low-profile hat on and the iPod in my ears and I am ready to tune the world out Vixen Style!
There are a few new shirt styles I am working on that I could live in b/c of the comfort… they will be part of “Fabulously Brutal By KR”…so you will have to wait and see for those. In the meantime…check out the shop at
www.karmicrevenge.com or the gym gear at www.becometherevenge.com
What is a typical day like for you, when do you usually train and how often? How much cardio do you do before a show?Ok…right now since I am in contest prep mode…12 weeks out here is a day in the life:
8am- Slow and steady cardio for 35 minutes
8:45- Meal 1 + COFFEE!!!
9:15-11:30-KR administrative work: emails, calls, prepare items for shipping, budget tracking, marketing materials, etc
11:30-Meal 2
12:20-Weight Lift or conditioning training (drink ReVamp)
1:00-1:45- cardio Interval training & stretching
2:00- sometimes sauna or Abs
2:20- Meal 3
3:00- More KR work: calls, customer relations, emails, etc. Run errands
5:00 Meal 4
5:30 -My time to return personal calls, have some social time and time to unwind for a little bit
7:30 Meal 5
(Usually get back on the computer and do more work or meet up with friends)
10:00 Meal 6- usually a shake or plain tuna
12:00 Attempt to go to bed… get up 15 times to write a to-do list or make note of an idea or work on a project or design… finally fall asleep somewhere b/w 1:00am and 3am
Some days I have KR sponsored Events or meetings with customers, which are a fun break from the norm…but require pre-planning for meals and workouts to still fit everything in. I LOVE WHAT I DO!!! I travel a lot as well…but try to keep it to a minimum when competing so I can stay focused and on track.
Where do you work out and who do you work out with?
When I lived in VA, I worked out with Jason Fuller of XtremelyFit in Reston, VA. But now that KR has moved to Tampa I workout on the beach, do cardio on a trail in my neighborhood and lift at Lifestyles Family Fitness. Jason will come to Tampa once a month to look at my physique and put me through a few workouts. Other than that we plan my diet and training over the phone and I send updated photos and measurements weekly.
Revenge Vixen's Contest History:2007 NPC East Coast Tournament of Champions, Figure C, 2nd Place
2007 NPC Virginia State Championships, Figure C, 1st Place and Overall
2007 NPC Clash of Champions, Figure C, 1st Place
What is your training philosophy (heavy or light, cardio, lifting)? What’s your opinion on how figure athletes train, relative to bodybuilders? I tend to revert to back to training like a guy or a bodybuilder if I am left to my own devices for too long. It’s just how I prefer to lift…but I have to remind myself (and Jason does a good job of keeping me in check) that Figure training is different. You must check your ego at the door and do what are necessary- higher reps, lower weight, more conditioning and plyometrics as opposed to heavy grunt sessions throwing weight around. But I love anytime in the gym…I always prefer weights to cardio or plyo….but I know to have a well rounded physique it must all be in my routine.
What do you consider to be the strengths of your physique? Weaknesses?Strengths: Shoulders & Abs. I also love working triceps and think they are sexy on a woman- who wants the underarm flag wave?! Yuck (…so I get yelled at all the time that they are over developed…L )
Weaknesses: Legs- b/c I used to hate leg day. Plus, I am bow legged so I have a different shape to them that I must work harder to present in an appealing manner or stage. This year I am implementing more sprint work and overall conditioning much sooner into my training. Trying to decrease my “Kankleitis”- thanks to my mother I have kankles (sorry mom, but its true) so I need to pull off more fat from my legs and bring my calves out. How’s that for honesty? lol
You obviously have a total package physique, but we particularly love your biceps and abdominals. Of course along with awesome genetics, what are some of your secrets for those body parts if you care to share?
Biceps use to be my favorite body part to work. So I was constantly adding in new exercises. “Pyramid Supersets” (starting with the heaviest weight I could rep with and curling until failure…then immediately dropping that weight and doing it again with 5 lbs lighter on each DB then again until I did 4 sets with 4 different amounts until complete failure) I also do one arm cable curls, 21’s with a curl bar, hammer curls, Bicep grip pull-down on the lat machine…etc.
Abs: Wood chops on the cable machine, decline crunch with resistance bands, “boxer” abs on the BOSU ball. I started to get abs not by doing them in the gym all the time but by incorporating them into my daily life. I always stand tall with my abs sucked in so they are constantly contracted. If I am microwaving something I use that minute to drop and do oblique work. If I happen to watch TV (a rarity) I do crunches during commercials. I find a way to work them daily so I don’t have to spend so much time training them in the gym. Can you tell I am a multi-tasker!
What does it feel like when you step onto the stage?All your training, sweat, dieting, determination, deprivation and hopes of being the best on that day all comes down to 30 seconds of YOU time. Months of focus, preparation, and trial and error all lead up to a spotlight on you…all eyes examining you. You have to be in that moment to present your hard work to it’s full potential. My first competition I was so focused on what I had to do to get ready for the stage that it really didn’t occur to me that I would be out there all by myself being JUDGED on every last part of me until about 30 seconds before my heels hit that stage. Sounds funny…but it was all about preparation and I tuned the audience out. Before that day it had been years since I even walked down the beach in just a bathing suite. Now I was in the skimpiest suit with a bright light on me. I definitely got over some fears that day…I didn’t have the option not to.
Where do you find the best training and diet advice? Is there anyone in particular who you would like to thank?I am constantly reading anything I can get my hands on for everyday health advice, but when it comes to my training and diet for a competition, hands down I go to Jason Fuller or XtremelyFit.With 15 years in this industry and having learned from the best…he is an amazing resource that I trust to get me stage ready. He is the one person in my life that when he says, “jump” I say “how high?” We both share the philosophy that we are not in this to just step on stage or to say we did something. We are there with the intent to dominate and that goes for anything we do in life. We are both perfectionists and throw ourselves 100% into anything we set our minds to do.
What is your favorite thing about training or competing? What is your least favorite thing about competing?I LOVE THE GYM. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I love that it HAS to be part of my day. I love the natural high I get after lifting. I love getting my aggression out in the gym. I love that I zone into my own world and no one can be there in my head with me. I love MY TIME in the gym. I love seeing the changes I can make in my body. I love being back in the competitive ring again so to speak. It’s all about how hard YOU work, how much YOU are willing to dedicate yourself. No one can do it for you…it’s all up to you and trusting your trainer. I love that not everyone can do what we do. I love knowing that I have an insane amount of discipline when I really want something. I enjoy the continual learning process that is involved in this sport and knowing my bodies’ capabilities.
What are your upcoming plans to compete? How will you determine when and where you will be on stage? May- Jr USA’s are first up…everything else will be determined from there. Never put the cart before the horse.
What are your areas of focus and how do you plan to get there, prior to your next show? What have your main areas of physique focus over the past year?
LEGS LEGS LEGS. There are my biggest challenge right now. So weights 2 days a week. Conditioning 2 days a week and sprints 1 day a week. Oh brother I better remember to STRETCH! lol
Girl, you are all over the place with your interests. What does it mean when you say you are a “flight risk”? What are some of your skills and hobbies?
I was tagged with the name “flight risk” when I walked out of my office one Monday afternoon and hopped a plane to Las Vegas by myself with no return flight, no hotel reservation and no ticket in hand for “The Contender” season #1 final fight. I got the itch to go so I contacted a girl on e-bay who had been unable to sell her tickets and she agreed to meet me the following morning at Caesars Palace with the ticket. I had no bag packed and didn’t let my boss at the time know I was leaving the state. I left her a voicemail at 3am East Coast time saying I had to go to Vegas, I couldn’t explain why and I didn’t know when I would be back. When I returned 3 ½ days later from a whirlwind wonderful experience I was in some HOT WATER to say the least. The company I was with made me sign a form saying I was a “flight risk” and I would never do that again. Yeah, that didn’t stop me…after that anytime I really wanted to do something or go somewhere; I found a way to make it happen. It got a little ridiculous the amount of traveling I was doing. When my friends and family would call they would start the conversation with “what state or time zone are you in?” I drove my mother crazy…actually I still do. Like recently when I came to visit a friend in Tampa, FL and never really left. I moved my business here and things are FANTASTIC. I do a lot on a whim … sometimes it pans out other times… well, let’s not talk about those! Lol I couldn’t imagine staying put for very long. Although it might be nice to actually settle down a little bit…maybe. There just seems to be too much to see and do and too many interesting people to meet to stay somewhere and become so “routine”.
What makes you crazy – any pet peeves?
You sure you want to open this can? Here ya go…
1. Weak “dead fish” handshakes and not making eye contact. Right there I will write you off as a weak person with little self esteem or you don’t have enough respect for me to give an appropriate handshake…either way…not a good first impression with me.
2. Smokers- are you kidding me?! How much more evidence do you need that you ARE in fact harming yourself…and not only that…you’re harming others around you and that is beyond selfish!
3. Parents of obese children- It is a form of child abuse to set your children up for a unhealthy life, low-self esteem, poor concentration in school and to take away all the amazing benefits an active and nutritious life can provide. YOU MAKE ME MAD! It’s even worse when you eat healthy and feed your kids crap so you can live vicariously through them. Give them the proper tools and basic skills to succeed…it is your parental duty.
4. “Woe is me” attitude- To the people that complain all day long about their life… but in fact they do not takes steps to change what they do not like. We all have to take a few steps back at times to move forward…I know that VERY well, but you have to keep your drive and determination. People that don’t realize how great they have it when other people are facing true horrific circumstances. Take control of your life. You are the only one that can make things happen for you!
5. People who say they don’t have time to workout…yet you sleep for more than 8 hrs a night, you sit on the couch and watch TV for 2 hrs a night, you talk on the phone for an hour, you wander aimlessly through a department store for 30 minutes looking for nothing in particular. You don’t have to be in a gym to get a workout…just use your time more efficiently. Do sit-ups/pushups while your waiting for your food to cook. Take the stairs at work. Run around outside with your kids instead of watching cartoons with them. Everyone has 20+ minutes a day...FIND YOURS.
6. People who feel the need to tell the price of their purchases, what they own, what their salary is... blah blah blah. I DON’T CARE. Your materials bring nothing beneficial to your interactions with others. I care about how you treat people, what interests you, your opinions on life topics…not how many sq. ft your house is. Good for you…but there is way more to life and much more interesting things to talk about and explore.
Ok…I am dieting right now so I am sure I could come up with more things that annoy me… but now I am wasting time ranting…so let’s move on.
What are your future goals in sports, with your companies and in your life?IFBB PRO CARD!!! TO be invited to Olympia and Arnold one day as a competitor since I have watched in amazement from the Expo booth for a few years. I want to be on the cover of Oxygen Magazine! I would love to do print work for other magazines as well like Shape, Muscle and Fitness, Women’s Health etc. I want to continue to launch quality KR products and to expand nationwide making KR a household name. I will continue to raise money and awareness to combat domestic violence and sexual assault for the charity I started called Vixens Against Violence. I want to put together a HUGE run/walk for Vixens Against Violence that raises national attention and has congressional and corporate backing. I want more men and women to STAND UP OR STEP ASIDE. Everyday I will do my best to help other’s achieve their goals in addition to staying focused on my own. I will thank my lucky stars for all the wonderful people in my life and all the potential that lies before me!
What’s your general philosophy in life? How does training help you in your daily life?Life’s battle don’t always go to the stronger or faster man but sooner or later to the man who thinks he can. –My father taught me this growing up. Always dress the part (when you feel good and look good you will exude confidence), train harder than anyone else is training, have more determination than your competitor and never fear a loss b/c it will help you get closer to a win in the future. You learn from your mistakes and your knockdowns but you never stay down. The day after your season ends is the first day of next season there are no breaks.
Are there any current IFBB and NPC competitors or others in the industry that you follow and/or admire?I can’t say I track any one particular person. I admire the work ethic and accomplishments of the men and women in this sport. With all due respect though I would rather pave my own route than attempt to mimic someone else’s.
So if someone wants to roll in the Revenge Vixen entourage, what do they need to do to make the cut?
They have got to have attitude without the ego! Have self-confidence and a healthy self-esteem. Have goals no matter how big or small and a plan in place to achieve them. No slackers allowed! We love people from all walks of life with all sorts of interests. At KR it doesn’t matter what you have done in the past or what you have been through. It’s all about being positive and moving forward with your life. Never put others down to try to raise yourself…you will only get buried. We want people ready to do “good” for themselves and be role models for their children, their friends and their community members.
Is there anything else that you would like for people to know about you?
Know that my family and friends and our health are everything to me. You try to take away one of those pieces and you are messing with my entire world. I will always run KR with high ethics, morals and sense of obligation and safety to my public.
Thank you for taking an interest in
Karmic Revenge and both the personal and competitive side of the Revenge Vixen. I typically shy away from such detailed questions about my life… so it was a nice change of pace to get some of this info out there. Good luck to all my fellow competitors no matter your current level of accomplishment I wish you all much luck, love and good health in 2008!
We welcome any comments that you may have about this article on the FigureRX forums and at FigureRX@verizon.net.
