Center Stage Magazine August-September | Page 224

fitness Breakthroughs As a teen, Shaun Lawson was very active. Playing sports was his life. After leaving school, he decided to take on his other passion as a career... FOOD! He did a 3 year course in Hospitality Management to fulfill his dream of becoming a Chef. Shaun ended up losing muscle. He had gained through sport and turning it all into fat as a result of his long and unpredictable hours working with food in awardwinning restaurants. He managed to reach 90kg by the age of 21! He felt tired, sluggish and most of all unhappy about his physique. The denial spiraled out of control to a point where he knew he had to change his life. This triggered a new dream to become the first Shredded Chef! Shaun joined a local gym and started eating correctly and training. He got his weight down to 72kg in 8 weeks! Friends and family thought he was sick. After training for 2 years, he decided that it was time to start competing in order to take his training to the next level and inspire people to be better than what they perceive is their best! Since then, Shaun has competed in several competitions, winning the Miami Pro European Championships and featured in The Sun newspaper. He competed in his first fitness modeling competition in April 2013. In those span of year/s, who was your inspiration in modeling/fitness business? “I am inspired daily by different people who have changed their lives through fitness through to top body builders, muscle and fitness models such as Phil Heath, Jay Cutler, Jaco de Bruin and Simmeon Panda.” When you were growing up, what was your goal/s or perhaps your dream when you were little? “I always wanted to work in hotels and restaurants. These, with my passion for fitness made me want to inspire people and help them realize that regardless of what hours you work and what industry you work in you can always find time to pursue your passion.” What was/were the experience/s when you first start your first ever modeling gig and fitness business? “At first I was overwhelmed by the other competitors and I expected it to be a very competitive environment, however I was pleasantly surprised by the level of support and friendliness I experienced.” How do you manage your time with you busy schedule? “I make sure that regardless