CSM Game-Changer Issue with Cristiano Ronaldo 2019 BODY ISSUE - Lauren Flodquist | Page 72

CSM: This is your feature debut to be on Cen-
ter Stage Magazine, what is the experience like
when you are included in our roster for 2019’s
Summer Body issue?
BRITTANY: I feel extremely excited to be fea-
tured in the summer body issue of CSM. The
athletes and models that have been featured in
this magazine are all top-notch, and for me to
be considered on that level is both a blessing
and gratifying.
CSM: What do you think makes Center Stage
Magazine stand-out or makes it unique in other
publications around the globe?
BRITTANY: I think what makes CSM stand out
is not only the caliber of talent that it features,
but the diversity as well.
CSM: What are the duties and responsibilities
that entail to your current profession or career?
BRITTANY: Currently I work as a personal
trainer. I do both in-person training sessions, as
well as online training and nutrition programs.
My job as a trainer is to help my clients become
healthier versions of themselves, both physi-
cally and mentally. I have a masters degree in
counseling psychology, so I often incorporate
mindfulness strategies in my training. I am
seeking another job to put my degree to use as a
licensed professional counselor at the moment.
Even once I find that job, I still plan to do my
in-person traning part-time and of course con-
tinue working with online clients.
CSM: This year’s bimonthly edition is about
going for game-changing results in careers and
individuality and inspiring people (being a bea-
con of inspiration); describe how you defied
your limits and exude confidence in your career
and what did you do to push those boundaries.
BRITTANY: Defying limits can be hard, wheth-
er they are limits we have placed upon ourselves
or limits that others have placed upon us. I am
familiar with both instances, being blind. I have
a genetic eye condition called Retinitis Pigmen-
tosa (RP) that has caused me to lose my sight
with age. Being blind and pursuing the fitness
and modeling industry confuses some people,
because it is an industry that focuses so much
on physical appearances and what you see.
People have asked me and people close to me,
“Why does Brittany care about how she looks
if she can’t even see?”. This is such an ignorant
perception to have. Lack of sight doesn’t mean
I have lack of feeling, lack of self-worth and
confidence, or a lack of pride in how I look. I’m
a blind woman living in a sighted world; even
if I can’t completely see how I look, I can feel
it and more over… a majority of the world can
see me. I don’t want people to look at me and
their first thought is “blindness”. I want people
to look at me and see someone who is confi-
dent, independent, strong, and has worked hard
to achieve these things. I wasn’t always strong,
confident, or independent. Partly because of the
low expectations others had for me, and the other
part because I believed them and placed limita-
tions on myself. Inspiring people is a beautiful
thing. I love hearing other people’s stories and
connecting with them on that level. However,
inspiring people is not why I do what I do. I
do it for me. If people want to see me as an
inspiration, that’s perfectly fine just as long as
there is a level of respect that comes with that. I
think for disabled people in general that’s all we
really want; is to be treated equally and be re-
spected. I personally care more about educating
people rather than inspiring them. There is such
a lack of positive and realistic representation of
blind people and disabled people as a whole in
the media. We are often portrayed as a charity
case, comical relief, or something extreme like
Dare Devil. There needs to be more exposure
of blind people living their lives in order for
the public to see and understand that it is re-
spectable to be blind, and that blind people are
more than capable of living normal and fulfill-
ing lives. I am living proof of that, and I know
plenty of other blind and disabled individuals
doing the same.
CSM: Being assertive and attentive is required
for this profession. Have you ever made or
encountered difficult decisions? How did you
manage that?
BRITTANY: In regards to competing as a body-
builder, yes I have. I had to make the difficult de-
cision to switch coaches after my first few NPC
bikini competitions. I just wasn’t getting what
I wanted and I knew I was capable of more and
better. I had become really good friends with
my coach at that time, so it was very difficult
to make that switch. I knew that if I didn’t do it
though, I would regret it and eventually prob-
ably give up competing. Competing has given
me a sense of empowerment that I had never
felt before, so giving it up was the last thing I
wanted to do. I sat down with my friend and
explained to him face to face how I was feel-
ing and what I was doing. He understood and
wished me well. We are still friends, and I have
improved by leaps and bounds with my new
coach. This improvement led me to compete at
the national level in late 2018, and I know that I
will continue to grow and succeed. Competing
in bodybuilding and modeling can both be very
physically and mentally demanding, expensive,
and at times selfish. When I say selfish, I mean
you make sacrifices. Modeling and competing
are not team activities; at the end of the day, it’s