Brandi LeBlanc - Inspirational Women

FULL INTERVIEW

MG: Where were you born and raised?

BRANDI: I was born and raised in Livonia, Louisiana.

MG: In which city do you mostly reside?

BRANDI: Prairieville, LA.

MG: What is you educational background and/or experience?

BRANDI: I have multiple certifications ranking me as a Master Personal Trainer. My certifications and expertise include: Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Fitness Coach, Certified Nutrition Coach, Certified Glute Specialist, Certified Transformation Specialist, Certified Bodybuilding Coach, PN-1 Certified, GGS-1Plus Certified Women’s Coach, Certified Holistic Nutrition & Wellness Coach.

MG: Currently, where are you employed?

BRANDI: I own a private fitness/training studio called Barbelle Beauty Fitness, and recently changed it to a 24/7 access full service gym and renamed it to Barbelle Beauty & Beast Fitness, so guys know that I train men, as well as women.

MG: What is your job title?

BRANDI: Gym/Fitness Studio Owner, World Champion Professional Women’s Bodybuilder (Ms. Atlas), Certified Master Personal Trainer, Certified Fitness Coach, Certified Nutrition Coach, Certified Glute Specialist, Certified Transformation Specialist, Certified Bodybuilding Coach, PN-1 Certified, GGS-1Plus Certified Women’s Coach, Certified Holistic Nutrition & Wellness Coach to name a few.

MG: What is your favorite part about living here?

BRANDI: The people: my friends, my circle of influence, my church family.

MG: What is an event in your life that significantly changed the course of it?

BRANDI: In my twenties, and my second marriage, I was severely physically and mentally abused. He broke me in every way possible, and I, unfortunately, allowed it for way too long. I lost everything. I hit rock bottom.

MG: What negative impacts did that event have for you, even if only temporary?

BRANDI: Not only did I lose many people in my life during that time, I lost my own sense of self-worth. I had nothing to live for, in my eyes, because I only saw what was happening at the moment. I felt “stuck”.  I felt there was no way out, even to the point of attempting suicide. I survived by the grace of God, and that’s when I realized that He had better for me out there. I knew I had a purpose, but I didn’t know what it was until a few years later.

MG: What good came out of that event for you? How did it improve your life?

BRANDI: God took that negative situation and turned it into something beautiful. He gave me purpose through the pain that I went through. He built me up on the inside and helped me gain a strength and sense of identity through HIM that was so much more than the “identity” I was living at the moment. He showed me that I was not a “victim”, but a conqueror. He then led me to my current husband, who showed me my strength physically, and my entire life and mission in life changed. I became a woman on a mission to empower other women to find their own strength within themselves, as well as physically. This became my passion, and my ministry. God opened doors for me to have influence over hundreds of women who now walk in their strength and worth, knowing that they are true “wonder women” and can conquer their goals, and anything that life throws at them. 

MG: How do you feel you have overcome that event?

BRANDI: God, only God. He gave me the strength I needed to leave and revealed a purpose through the pain. God can use all the pain and struggles to empower us and to help others overcome them. Because I allowed HIM to conquer, I have the victory as an overcomer and use it to strengthen others.

MG: What advice would you give to someone who is going through something similar? 

BRANDI: If you are being abused, GET OUT NOW. You are not going to “change” him/her. You are not going to “fix” them. Only YOU can make the change. Find yourself and see that you deserve so much better than that. You deserve to know that you are precious, you are beautiful, you are loved, and you are WORTHY of so much more. God has a plan and a purpose for you, and someone who will love you better than you ever imagined possible. You are NOT stuck. You just have to have faith in knowing that GOD will hold you up as you crawl away from that situation and help you STAND.

MG: When was a time that you stuck up for yourself and how did that enhance your life?

BRANDI: When I finally left my abusive husband for the last time. I had left many times, but always allowed him to talk me into going back. That last time, he knew it was over. He knew, and I KNEW, that I wasn’t going back this time— not EVER. It was like a burden was lifted off my shoulders, and I know why. It was because I had a release from God. I had that release when He told me that night before “I have delivered you from a violent man.” – Psalm 18:48. I knew at that moment, the next time it happened, I would be free to go and stay gone. And that very next night, when he held me upside down from my legs and pounded me into the ground trying to break my back, I managed to escape and ran for my life. I ran TO A NEW LIFE… a life without abuse, without feeling like I was trapped, a life where I could fully pursue God and allow Him to fully pursue me. He showed me what true love really is, and that’s exactly what enhanced my life.

MG: Have you received any special awards, recognition, or acknowledgements?

BRANDI: Among many 1st Place and Overall Championship titles in my bodybuilding career since 2017, in 2021, I won the title of “Ms. Atlas” which is the World Champion Women’s Bodybuilder, the highest honoring title in the Global Bodybuilding Organization. I also won Athlete of the Year in 2020. Most recently in September 2022, I won the title of Ms. NPC Louisiana, Overall Champion in both Women’s Bodybuilding and Women’s Physique Divisions.

Also in 2020, I won the title of Best Personal Trainer in Ascension Parish, as well as the Best Fitness Center/Gym in Ascension Parish. I retained that title in 2021, winning the Best Personal Trainer Award for a second year in a row, as well as Best Weight Loss Center in Ascension Parish… currently waiting for the results to be announced to see if I won for a third year in a row for 2022.

MG: What quality about yourself are you most grateful for?

BRANDI: My drive, my ambition, my work ethic, and my ability to influence others to make lifestyle changes that not only benefit them, but also the people around them.

MG: What about yourself are you most proud?

BRANDI: I think the thing about me that I am most proud of is that I was able to overcome a lifetime of tragic events and turn them around for the best, to use them as a testimony to empower others. My children specifically have seen me fall, they’ve also seen me get back up, and make something successful for them. I’m feel that I am building an empire, and they will one day inherit that empire.

MG: What do you consider to be your life motto?

BRANDI: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” Take the challenges life throws your way because it is being sent to change you into something greater.

MG: Who inspires, or has inspired, you in your life?

BRANDI: First and foremost, GOD inspires me. He has proven over and over that He has me in the palm of His hands. As long as He is for me, no one can be against me. He is my protection and my rock. He has seen me on my worst days, on my best days, and He loves me regardless. Next to that, I would have to say my husband. This man has shown me a love like no other ever has. He loves me with the same love as God… just like He has, my husband has seen me on my bad days and my good days, yet his love for me has never changed or waivered. He inspires me to love him the same way, and also to sacrifice for him the same ways he has sacrificed for me countless times. He inspires me to give him the same amount of faith in his ideas that he gives to mine. He inspires me to be strong, even when I’m feeling weak. He inspires me to love, even when I feel unwanted or rejected. He inspires me be a better person, not just for me, but for him, our children, and the many women who I am trying to lead and inspire. He keeps me on my game.

MG: Here can be the hardest one for many, tell us about yourself. Anything additional you want to share? It can be anything from your favorite recipe, to the worst time of your life. Anything more you want to share with us.

BRANDI: My favorite food in the entire world is NACHOS. I LOVE NACHOS.