Ana Perez is no stranger to struggle. Born into addiction, Ana was sold at just 2 weeks old by her birth mother for drugs. As a young teen, she was faced with life changing experiences that made turning to drugs an easy decision. Addicted and struggling to stay clean, Ana found herself at a crossroads with nothing to her name, and nothing to live for. Or so she thought…
Ana’s story is one of perseverance and overcoming adversity. She does not feel bad for herself, nor does she play the victim. Clean, happy and full of life, Ana has climbed her way up the tech field and is the graphic designer for some of the biggest female powerlifters in the game. She attributes much of her growth to powerlifting and how it helped strip away anxiety and self doubt, replacing it with a community of people helping people.
In this episode, Ana shares her powerful story that has shaped her to the woman she is today. Listen as we go over:
- Cafe Con Leche
- Putting one foot in front of the other
- Yoga for bad asses
- Working with Bama, CC and Haparican
- Being involved with the PL community beyond competing
- Puerto Rican Food
- Not settling with the cards that you are dealt
Featured Guest/People Mentioned:
- Ana Perez (@anasmash)
- Amanda Kohatsu (@haparican)
- Stacy “Bama” Burr (@bamaburr)
- C.C. Ingram (@c.c_ingram)
- Smash Creatives (Link)
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Such a strong and powerful story, Ana is my aunt and to be honest some of the things discussed in the podcast I never heard before. while messaging her and talking over the years its been great to finally hear her open up and be willing to talk to her family about what has been going on behind the scenes. I am only 21 years old so growing up with Titi (thats what I call her) she’s always been quiet seeing as I was so young in age. Seeing her compete now, talk about her story, and finally pursue something she loves is truly motivating and makes me extremely happy to hear. I love this podcast and being able to hear everyone’s stories is so humbling and eye opening to see how grateful I am for my own experiences. Thank you for taking the chance to speak with my Titi, it means the world!
Wow that is wonderful to hear Marissa! Ana has grown to be a friend of mine and I am still in awe of her spirit and tenacity. Thank you for sharing this with me!