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WHO is ATHENA? Athena was born and raised in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, N.Y. As a young girl, she studied ballet and all forms of dance. At age 14, her dance troupe performed as the intermission act in a local bodybuilding contest. Fascinated by what she saw on stage, there was no question in her mind that this was something she needed to do. She asked the event promoter, "What is this all about, and how do I get up there?" He said, "How old are you young lady?" "I'll be 15". "Well, when?" "Well, next year....." "Why don't you finish high school first and come back and we'll talk then." "Why can't I do both at the same time?" she said, and made it clear if he wasn't offering his help she would find someone who would.
He did. One year later, Athena was competing on that same stage. She didn't win that year, but she was hooked.
While in high school, Athena trained, competed, missed her prom (it conflicted with a contest date), and collected all of the Brooklyn bodybuilding titles. She rose to the top of the circuit by adding all of the New York City titles, inlcluding Ms. Empire State, and began modeling for fitness ads and calenders.
By the time she finished high school, the bodybuilding world became intrigued by the young girl who simply went by one name, "Athena."
The press had pegged her "Teen Phenom," and "One of the most beautiful women in the history of bodybuilding," as well as "An outstanding lightweight,"and "A superstar with tremendous stage presence and marketability." She was hand picked by famous artist Boris Vallejo to star in his now legendary series of ads for Joe Weider's "BIG" supplement. Athena became one of Mr. Vallejo's favorite models, and worked together with him and his wife, artist Julie Bell , on many ad campaigns over the years. At 21, Athena made history in the Ms. U.S.A. Bodybuilding Contest, receiving a perfect score as the unanimous winner defeating 50 other women in the competition. That evening, Athena made history a second time, as she was disqualified for doing an "illegal" pose. This combination of events only made her rising star shine brighter. The press was delighted, and the title "Controversial Bodybuilder" was added to her resume.
"EVERY TRANSFORMATION IS USUALLY PRECEDED BY A CRISIS" - Athena
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Athena learned that she received straight 1's (a perfect score) in every category, from every judge.
This event catapulted her into making history. She was devastated at having been disqualified - for about 5 minutes. Athena was expected to stay in the game, continue competing, and go on to win the most prestigious title in bodybuilding, The Ms. Olympia . Instead, she did the unexpected. She quit. She took a long hard look at the other women in the competitions; They were miserable, aged beyond their years, and starving. Her disqualification turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It was in that moment that Athena had a shift in perception. She realized that what was supposed to be the ideal of health and physical perfection was, in fact, it's antithesis.
She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew she had to stop. As Athena gained notoriety, all she wanted to do was tell the truth. Professional bodybuilding was full of starvation, body dismorphia, drugs, inflated egos, and insecurity. No one felt good and the health ramifications were not even considered. Athena wanted to find a way to combine her vast knowledge of the body with health and happiness instead of misery.
And so the quest began. She needed a guinea pig. She used herself. |
Athena wanted to continue to explore her fascination with the body and how it worked, but not as a bodybuilder. That lifestyle was too extreme, and more importantly, no longer feminine. This was not what she had signed up for.
It wasn't for everyone. It wasn't for anyone. Athena realized that after doing something as hard as bodybuilding, helping people achieve the simple goal of looking good in a bathing suit would be a piece of cake! Athena began her labor of love, transforming the body, but in a healthy way, which would allow her students to feel better instead of worse. She started to teach what she already knew, and Athena continued to study. She needed to know why so many people could be dieting and exercising and not getting results. So she tried every 'fad diet' she knew of in an effort to discover why they did not work. There was one thing Athena knew better than anything.....how to get results. With each program, she asked three things:: 1) How did she feel? 2) How did she look?
3) Was it easy to follow?
What she discovered was that none of these would work long-term. Armed with tools and information, Athena continued to experiment until she developed a program that would transform the body, yet still be easy to follow and maintain. The Athena Effect was born. It continues to work for her, and it will work for you. |
| What it is • How it works • How do I Start? • Who is Athena? • Athena in the Press CONTACT US • Thank you |