Choose Joyy Podcast
Based on the mood and habit tracking Joyyful Planner, the Choose Joyy podcast is focused on self alignment for those who struggle with anxiety. Through these unpredictable times, we’ve all experienced moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. By making a conscious effort to choose joy daily, we allow ourselves to heal and grow into the path destined for us. Join me weekly to unpack, affirm, and choose joy.
Choose Joyy Podcast
In the Mirror ft. Anthony Christoff
When Christoff, sat down with me, a raw and powerful narrative unfolded as we traversed his transition from high school football "husky" to disciplined bodybuilder. Our conversation wasn't just about lifting weights; it was an intimate look into the complex relationship men have with their bodies and the relentless pursuit of an often elusive self-acceptance. Anthony's candid confession of overcoming unhealthy habits and the role rekindling a relationship with his father played in his life choices offers a potent reminder of the continuous nature of personal growth.
The landscape of male body image is a treacherous one, shaped by media distortions and societal expectations, and this episode doesn't shy away from these hard truths. We dissect how social media's filtered realities skew self-perception, creating a breeding ground for double standards in how men perceive women and themselves. This segment peels back the layers on the need for a body-positive movement for men along with women, highlighting the essential role of self-awareness in an era where authenticity is often masked by the need to present an idealized self.
Whether you're a fitness enthusiast, someone striving for self-improvement, or a fan of Anthony's honest approach to life's challenges, this episode promises to leave you inspired to pursue your own path with unapologetic authenticity.
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you've made it to the choose joy podcast. Here we make a conscious effort to choose joy. Daily we allow ourselves to heal and grow into the path designed for us. Join me to unpack, affirm and choose joy. Okay, hello, joyful babes. We're back for episode 12. We're calling this Slow Burn and today we are featuring Anthony Kristoff, aka Grow Poppy, on Instagram. Fitness guru, soon to be Nike sponsored athlete let's dive in. So you want to introduce yourself to the platform? Tell the folks who you are.
Speaker 2:This is Zant. What I've been doing is we just call it what it is. I've been bodybuilding and yeah, I've been doing that for like two, going on three years. That's what I've been doing.
Speaker 1:That's cool. That's cool, um. So, for those of you that don't know, I know christophe from college and he has made quite the progression in his personal life from then to now. And, like we've already talked about on the podcast, it's okay to evolve and tomorrow you might be another person, not another person but you grow more into yourself every day. So how you looked last year is not how you'll look next year, and so forth and so on. And today we are talking a little bit about body image and overall health, specifically when it comes to men and yeah, I need a guy on the podcast that's doing that, so let's dive in. So first question can you tell us about your background and how you got started in this field?
Speaker 2:um, as far as background, I mean, I've really was introduced to lifting weights in high school, um, just because high school football, my, my high school took it pretty serious, um, and so it was just ingrained in me from there. You know, throughout college, um, I was working out. Obviously, if you know me, back then I used to consume a lot of of alcohol and eat a lot of bad food and you know it doesn't really help that you work out a decent amount when you consume uh, you know bad stuff, so wasn't necessarily in the best shape parts of my college or time in college. So, um, after that, moved around. Um, shortly thereafter I graduated with covid, so I've been moving around.
Speaker 2:I lived in charlotte and I moved to vermont, down to dC. Now I'm in Columbus and just been holding down, or, you know, trying to keep fitness close to me, just trying to just, you know, evolve, like you said, and continuing to better my image and who I am as a person, and so at some point in time I tried programming my own meal plans and things like that. The reason why I got into bodybuilding was because my dad and I reconnected.
Speaker 2:As we were reconnecting, he had just got done doing this 90-day program with this bodybuilding coach and I had been telling him for about a year and a half I've been programming my own meal plans, not really seeing the results that I want to see.
Speaker 2:I mean I see in some stuff. And this was the year that I went to Mexico with the guys, came back and then linked up with that coach. He finally talked me into it. I was so against it, but then I surrendered and was like, know what I need? I need somebody else to tell me what I'm doing wrong here and um, from then on that's that's kind of when I started turning a different, turning a page as far as my progress in the fitness realm and then from there on, I was like you know, and I'm gonna actually go and compete and um, you know, onward from there, really, and that's how we're here. So that's about 2022. So going on two and a half years, three years.
Speaker 1:Would you say that in the past or even now, has your overall body image or your overall perception of your personal body image, has it been more so negative or positive?
Speaker 2:I mean as far as me, I mean you gotta, you gotta, remember I, the origin of all this, is high school football. So I never really saw it as a bad thing that you, I was heavy, or you know, I used to. One of my coaches used to give me a nickname Husky, because it was beneficial for me at that time when I was playing, and you know so for me I didn't really look at it as like dang, like I look crazy, or nothing like that. I took pride in the fact that I was big and strong. Even in my days where I was kind of like you know, not really up to par on my appearance you know what I'm saying I still was like, hey, look, you still not going to do nothing to me because I'm a big dude.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty confident.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what it was. So, I mean, as far as, like, I mean, I, I like again, the number on the scale never really bothered me, but it's like, I know this, my image ain't really, ain't really what I would want it to be deep down. So, um, you know, which kind of also explains the route that I ultimately chose to take was bodybuilding. I mean, there's another route you can take if you really want to hunker down on your fitness, and for those of you who may be tuned in to that, it'd be power lifting. So that's like people that are lifting big amounts of weight, you know, for you know trying to break records and stuff like that. But that wasn't necessarily going to benefit me in the way that I wanted it to.
Speaker 2:So, um, bodybuilding, obviously you're, you're trying to get cut, you're trying to get lean, you're trying to get, you know, a statue like look, you go on stage, you, you pose, you try to have a nice flow to your physique. So that's ultimately where I wanted to go, and I just wanted to improve my overall image. Not that I wasn't already confident in school, but you know, I definitely saw some voids there that I could be, like I could definitely improve here, and so I took on that challenge. I mean, that's just who I am as a person. I'm always going to try to get better. So I knew God didn't bless me in that way, and so I went and put down. You know, I went and started putting in the work and seeking out, you know, guidance and leadership, and obviously this wasn't a realm that I was familiar with as far as like meal plans and stuff like that. So once I locked in, it was a wrap from there.
Speaker 1:Now, we're here. I know a couple of bodybuilders, um, but I don't know a lot about it, uh. However, just from the outside, looking in, like you have to look good, like I feel like the whole purpose when you get on that stage and you're competing. It's really about like who looks the best not necessarily who is like strongest at the end of the day, but people lift the most weight but really like who looks the most cut, like who looks the part, really like y'all are spray tanning it up, yeah, y'all be glossing it up all in the box. So it's really about like looks per se, I guess. Has that like affected your mental at all? Like obviously I've been on your page, clearly I've done my research and a lot of mirrors are involved. You're really looking, really focusing on that muscle, really trying to get it to top, um, really for the appearance. So has that like changed your thinking at all? Your body or what?
Speaker 2:um, not necessarily. I mean when I started doing it. I mean the program that the coach that I was working with at that time put me through was was called the. It's called the ego breaker, and the reason why is because, I mean you don't necessarily need to to use a lot of weight to achieve, you know, certain aesthetics. I mean it definitely helps, but, um, when you're carving, when you're cutting, um, heavy weights really don't play that much of a role if you can't send certain signals through through to your body saying hey look, I'm trying to build this muscle. Heavy weight doesn't necessarily mean I'm trying to build the muscle, it just means that you're building strength. So it just taught me a different avenue.
Speaker 2:You know, again, I'm going to probably touch on the origin of me. Working out in the first place is high school, and that's exactly what we did. The opposite of, we lifted a lot of weight and at a very fast pace. So it was a culture shock, to be honest, because I didn't know that that was even a thing. I always related gangs to heavyweight. You know, super intense. You know music is loud, people are screaming and everybody behind you is rah-rah-ing. You know. You know the pissing contest with who's stronger than who you know. You know the pissing contest with who's stronger than who you know. So when you're brought up in that environment, that's kind of what you you know bodybuilding that's not what that's about.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's time under tension. You don't necessarily need a lot of weights, so there's definitely a culture shock that hasn't really affected me. As far as how I see myself, I will say that what it takes to be able to get in that kind of shape, to be able to compete, a lot of people how do I say this without being there's just certain conversations that people can't have with you anymore that journey to get to competition ready we're not talking about getting ready for a wedding or just getting ready for the summertime. We're talking about you getting up there with some other dogs, man, like some other dudes that really do this stuff and they look great. And that process is tough Because I just know mentally I got it like that, because I don't even know afterwards, after my first competition this is nuts man. I don't know why I did this to myself. So after that it was just more affirmations like, yeah, you, you really got what it takes to be him and, uh, that's, that's what it is man.
Speaker 1:so other than that just more confidence, to be honest, I mean nothing really negative well, you know, here at choose joy podcast, we are big on affirmations, big on self-building, um, because, honestly, if you don't believe in you, how are you going to expect anybody else to? So, really building that mental strength by telling yourself that you can do it and we've already talked about this on a previous episode but the way that you talk to yourself matters. And the way that you talk to yourself matters. And if you don't talk to yourself, talk to yourself like look in the mirror, tell yourself you look good If you don't look good figure it out and
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean, obviously, what I do. Like you said, we look in the mirror a lot and, um, it's a, it's a common theme. I guess you could say amongst you know people who compete in bodybuilding at various levels. It's like it's until competition day. Is you versus you? So, um, you know, the tough thing about, about working out just in general we can dial it back down from from the bodybuilding Cause, that's kind of a couple of tiers from just your general daily working out is that, I mean it's easy.
Speaker 2:I mean you could create the best workout plan, a meal plan, but showing up every day is the hardest part and, uh, that part never gets easy. I mean I don't care. You got all these these gurus online talking about you. Just gotta love it and there's no love and passion in this. You just gotta want to be better, period. It's just about putting it on your to-do list and just getting it done Showing up every day, doing the right things every day, saying no to all the things that you you really want to be a part of and you want to eat.
Speaker 2:You don't want to say no to and miss out on this stuff. That's tough. So but again, it kind of kind of resonates back to what I said earlier. There's just certain conversations that you know, once you accomplish certain things you can't just have with anybody. So I've always been supportive of those, whether they're trying to compete or they're trying to get in the business, you know, just to take it slow, you know the journey is the destination. There is no, no, no ending of the journey.
Speaker 2:So you have to just look at every day. It's just hey look, I just got to make the best of this day, and it sounds cliche because that's all over the Internet now, but when you're doing it, that's that's exactly the mindset you have to have, just to make the most of this 30, 45, an hour, hour and a half. Whatever you're going to spend in the gym or on your business or whatever the case may be, is that's how you have to think. And so that part of it is definitely tough, I mean even for me, and I rock with what I do. Obviously I'm getting ready for, you know, to compete in the summertime. So everything I'm talking to you about I'm doing right now. So piggyback on what you said about talking to yourself and showing up and affirmations there's a lot of self-motivation that's involved in that. I don't care who you pay to be your coach, who you pay to make a meal plan for you, who you're dating at the time, how many kids you got. That motivates you your parents.
Speaker 2:Ain't nothing in the world that's going to help you get over that hump with yourself. So that's just what I embody. You asked me what my platform is.
Speaker 1:It's me just showing up and doing the work all right, so we're gonna shift the gears just a little bit and I want to talk about these phones. Okay, or? How do you think media impacts perception of body image, whether that's men, women, whoever? How do you think that like plays a role?
Speaker 2:I mean it's, it's, it's raised a lot of uh. I say, if anything, media has heightened self-awareness to a point to where people just can't help but, you know, lie to themselves about what's really what, and I don't say that to be to be rude, I mean it is what it is. I mean, if you look online and you feel less of yourself because you see a bunch of other people that look better or people that are doing better, that speaks to what you are going through and what you think of yourself, whether you're a man or you're a woman, supporting people, regardless of where they are, or they could be at a million father or followers, or you can, you could be at, you know, 100 followers, people that are just continuously showing love, just adding value. I mean those people are safe to say that. Those people are, you know, pretty up on the self-esteem.
Speaker 2:You know, I think media is pretty much just heightened that and it has caused people to, you know, find ways to cover those things up. So very rare that you go on somebody's page and you see them actually showing themselves an actual, true representation of who they are and what they embody. So that's also another reason why I post the way that I post is because that's me in real time. You can't lie about what you see in the mirror. I've posted pictures of when I was out of shape. I post videos of me working out. I've posted some cool reels of when I looked super cut up and carved up, just trying to be present in real time and as true to myself as I can be while I'm on Instagram or whatever platform it is. So I kind of rambled there. But yeah, media has a big effect on self-image, for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, we're going to talk a little bit about stereotypes around masculinity and how men feel about their bodies, because we don't really hear a lot from men. Obviously, I'm a woman so, like women, we're always talking about body image. Women are always talking about, um what's in? You know what I'm saying? Nothing's new under the sun, right? So this year thick women are in, next year olympic, okay, um, it's always been a thing and I think it's really pushed really towards women um bbl culture. You know what I'm saying. Women have always had makeup to um cover insecurities and things like that. I feel like men typically men don't really go that route and I feel like when men um struggle with just their image, it's really, I mean, they have no other choice but to get in the gym or like be healthy. We have a lot to mask our insecurities, and while males, specifically, I feel like don't. So what are your thoughts?
Speaker 2:as far as focusing on the men and how they, um, they handle, you know, their image, as far as their masculinity, it's exactly what you said is they have no choice but to, uh, put in the work and go in the gym. At that point, um, there really is no way for you to to mask anything. So, and I think it should be that way I say that with a with a lot of grace and and love, but at the same time, um, body image, unfortunately it does. Your image as as a man does matter in the shape that you're in, plays a big role in that.
Speaker 2:And when you're talking about things like media, are you talking about masculinity? These are things that people look at to see, okay, are you a man that's about your business? Are you a man that and this is all subconscious stuff, I mean, it's not something that you know I'm sure some people they probably do look at a certain kind of person and they sit there and they actually think. I mean, you would have to be a judge of your own character about how you perceive certain kinds of people as you approach them.
Speaker 1:There's no, there's no, there's no body positivity in in the man world, exactly. And I actually find it kind of interesting though, because, since we're still on the topic of social media, I find it kind of interesting that men be having the most to say about women and their bodies and how they look. But I find it so funny because you'll be on Instagram, you'll go in the comments and it'll be all these men talking about ooh, she gained weight, or this, that, and the third Go and click on their profile and they look a mess. So what do you think gives y'all the right or the space or, more so, the audacity?
Speaker 2:That's how men view, that's how we look at women. Um, we went to school together and you know how, and that's that, that's just the way that we are and that's how we're wired and um, and you know, I I think that what, no matter what a man has going on, you know, kind of piggybacking off my initial point answering this question. You know, you can believe or you can feel you deserve what you want in their life partner.
Speaker 2:You know I'm all for you being as as judgmental as you want to be, but it doesn't really matter if you can go out there and attain that. The answer is no. So, um, I mean to, yeah, just a long and a short man. There really is no, no elongated answer as to why men who who may not be physically par up to, or maybe they don't have their lives all the way together speak outwardly on women's images on the internet.
Speaker 2:I think that you should be able to speak to whatever you see on the internet or on TV. If there is an issue with you receiving certain comments from a certain side or a certain party or a certain group, you should probably leave it offline. That's also my opinion too. That's a truth that only they themselves know. When they turn the bank accounts off, when they turn Instagram off, when all their friends go home, the group chats are dead and they're just looking at themselves. Common theme of this conversation is, in the mirror, um, what they really can go out there and attract and attain. So, um, and that goes for each side, men and women you know that, ladies we'll never know.
Speaker 1:Yes, we'll never know.
Speaker 2:And actually they're just having locker room conversation out loud and just me. I just don't care to like spark any flames on Instagram or on social media, like I've never been that type of person. Yeah, no, I mean, but we can take me out of this. I mean guys, definitely do that.
Speaker 1:I'm going to catch Kristoff out in the streets. Y'all ain't going to catch him in no DMs. Y'all ain't going to catch him in no nothing. You got to catch the boy out in the streets period.
Speaker 2:We're outside.
Speaker 1:More people should have that uh mindset. Unfortunately they don't. So here we are. What are some of the biggest challenges that you faced in your journey so far?
Speaker 2:be honest, I don't really find much of it challenging, to be honest. I just say staying healthy, trying not to let my ego get in the way, and what I mean by that to add some context to that is like sometimes I'll do too much in the gym, just me being me and you know it'll cause, you know, slight injuries and stuff like that. So it's just trying to keep as level as a head as possible. For the most part, I really don't find much of it challenging.
Speaker 2:I mean when you know where you're going and you make that commitment. It's really not too hard. Hopefully it doesn't come off the wrong way. But no, I just don't overthink it Like I know. Going into it it this is going to be tough. So from the jump I was kind of like all right, well, come on, let's get on with this ass confidence definitely is key.
Speaker 1:I mean, you've already touched on this how do you stay motivated, how do you stay focused? I think it's more so about dedication and consistency versus motivation, because if you do something whenever you're motivated, like you're never going to do it. Like last week was my first week in the gym in like a year. Yeah, I was very discouraged because it was just, it was a lot. You know what I'm saying. And to continue to go every day was just like, oh my goodness, I have to be motivated. I have to be motivated, but it's just like. What about the days that you're not motivated? You're not gonna go. So I feel like just listening to you, it's really about putting the time in. You know what I'm saying? Just like you would a job you have to clock in to yourself if that makes sense. Or you know you're five to nine, as they like to say, but you have to clock in every day. I mean, if you only went to work when you were motivated, we wouldn't get paid I mean just to add a little bit more color.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, consistency is a is a term. That's especially now, you know, with the media. Social media, rather, is thrown around like, and they say it so easily. But I've had a conversation with a few people and, you know, I kind of get them to understand like being consistent is something you have to, you know, to develop in and of itself. There are some people who have the mental fortitude to go from living a not-so-good or beneficial life and then they can say you know what I'm done, going cold turkey on all the BS. Then they could say you know what I'm done, going cold turkey on all the BS.
Speaker 2:But the vast majority of people, getting into a rhythm is just as difficult, if not more difficult, that in and of itself showing up for yourself every day and really what consistency is is your ability to trust yourself. So a lot of people have to develop that trust within themselves. When they say that they're going to go to the gym four times a week for 45 minutes or whatever their plan is to get the thing rolling, a lot of people just don't have a lot of trust in themselves. So consistency can never be accomplished until you build that relationship with yourself and you have confidence within yourself too. And that is hard to achieve, especially when your overall image of yourself and your self-esteem is low, you know, on top of all the other things that could be affecting you mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Self is definitely something that's hard to attain, and when you attain it, it's hard to maintain because because consistency never gets easy, it never gets easy. Those temptations don't go anywhere. They only magnify the greater you become. So, as they say, there's new levels and there's new devils. You get up the top of one ladder, you think you won the game, just to get on your feet and you see that there's more ladders, like the journey is never over, there is no destination.
Speaker 2:So when you embark on anything like this, um, you have to, just you have to know where you're going, and it's going to sound kind of backwards what I'm saying. You have to know where you're going, like yeah, this is, this is what I want, and then you don't necessarily have to lose touch with that, but you kind of just have to just let go of of that, because you already are building, built that relationship like, like I'm going there. So I need to focus on this right here, which is today, this workout, or this day of my business plan or um. You know, if you're in school and you're listening to this, you know getting your gpo. This is the day one of of getting all a's or getting my GPA up or whatever it is. I try to give a lot of people grace when it comes to that, because I know a lot of people that they start and then they figure out a reason to stop, and I understand that struggle and I think as long as you keep at it, you'll eventually get there. I think you know as long as you keep at it, you'll eventually get there.
Speaker 2:Just to add some color, because I really get irritated with people using the word consistent, the word consistent and consistency so loosely Like just be consistent, snap your fingers Now you can like. That takes work to consistency takes work too. Consistency takes work too. So there's some people who are able to be consistent and a lot of people that are not. Um, which is why those people, like you said, you know they, they they're consistently going to their jobs because it's attached to their livelihood. You know they're being micromanaged to a certain degree.
Speaker 2:You know when you're out there and you're you're getting your own, your fitness in line. There's nobody telling you that it's not like you're in, out there and you're getting your fitness in line. There's nobody telling you that it's not like you're in the military and you have to weigh a certain amount or you're going to get in trouble. Most people are not in the military, or they don't work a job or they have to meet a certain requirement fitness-wise. This isn't them versus them. This isn't like, well, I got to do this or I'm going to get fired. This is them versus them. If fitness is your goal, you know, maybe you just start, you know, walking your neighborhood every night. You know a 30 minute light walk, maybe not even sweating, and then you just build from there. You have to build. It's a long-term investment. So, um, especially if you don't have any background of you know, you know working out, or maybe you didn't play sports that well or at all. I mean, it's tough.
Speaker 1:So and you know what I was, and I always do this, but I changed the title of the podcast while recording, just because sometimes I name it before and then, as I talk and as I'm going, I'll think of something else Now. At the beginning I called this slow burn, but I really think that we should call this man in the mirror, because it just, you know, you really have to look at yourself. It's really, I feel, like it's a lot of inner work. I agree to all the points that you're saying. My next question was your advice to men and women, but I feel like you've given us a lot of keys. Can you give us one more key? I mean, what is your advice to men and women when it comes to body image, when it comes to health, when it comes to fitness? And you can break it down to men and then to women, or you can just talk to the public. I got all listeners here.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'll keep it general and I kind of made this point a few weeks ago on my TikTok. Just like me, the best thing that I could tell you is to go and seek help, and I think a lot of people with social media, with this, you know, movement of everybody wants to do everything on their own. They develop this perception of themselves or they try to portray this perception like they got everything figured out and I'm going to be the big bro and say that you don't, and it's okay that you don't.
Speaker 2:Um, you know and you could take this and put it in fitness or business or relationships or school or whatever you want to do.
Speaker 2:But I would say the majority of the people listening to the podcast or who want to level up in life and whatever realm that may be, needs to surrender to the fact that they don't know and to go find someone who does know.
Speaker 2:If you have money to go get sections, if you have money to go get shrimp and grits and bottoms and most of you got money to go on trips and or you know, some type of help, the the moment that things really sped up for me is when I when I surrendered to help the trap of listening to some of these people on the internet that you may see that are popping right now not knocking them, but there are some people who had some quick rises to we can call it Instagram fame and you know a lot of people are trying to monetize their Instagrams by giving you cookie cutter information that really doesn't help you and probably could harm you and probably could harm you.
Speaker 2:So I would say, you know, maybe diminish your expenditure on things that are not helping you or that are holding you back and, you know, build up a nice little pot of money to give to someone and say, hey look, I don't know, show me the way. This is where I want to be, and it should be someone that you wouldn't mind becoming. So none of the coaches that I work with now are people that that I don't want to be like, and stay off social media, if you're, if your mind ain't right. I mean, comparison is the biggest thief of joy.
Speaker 1:Oh my. God. That is our next topic. Why are you? That is my next episode. Why are you doing this? But yes, you're absolutely right and that is what we're going to be talking about in the next episode. But to your point, I'm so glad that you said what you said, but the goal is to build a community, a community of people that are not joyful all the time but know that we need the work, we're teachable and that every day is a journey and every day is a choice.
Speaker 2:That's a good word. That's a good word.
Speaker 1:Joy is a choice and it's really about building a community, because we don't know what we're doing. Nobody knows what they're doing. We're all doing this thing called life together, but it's an individual sport, so everybody has their own individual journey. You can't look at somebody else and even though you guys might be doing the same exact thing I mean, we both graduated from the same university along with thousands of other kids, and while we're all students at ECU, we were not, we all didn't have the same journey. When I first met you and you were just like my mom, like bricks for me to get here, letting us know the hard work that your mama put in to get her boys a higher education. And not everybody has that same story. There are similar people that have that same story, I mean. And then you have people that didn't. And that doesn't take away from the fact that we're all students. So what I'm trying to say is we're all students of life and you have to be teachable and you have to be teachable and you have to be coachable and you have to admit that you need help and we all do. I know that that is the purpose of this choose joy platform to just grow a community build. Um. When I tell you guys to go to the website, when I tell you all to tune in, when I tell you all to like, comment, subscribe, all these things, it's not for me, it's for, it's for all of us to build a community so that you guys are not just listening to me, you're listening to this person, and that's what the Chelsea Chats is, so you guys can ask questions, you guys can provide me with topics that we can discuss.
Speaker 1:I am in no way an expert. I'm nobody's therapist. I'm talking about things that we think about every day. We talk about every day and I'm providing ways that have helped me and that they could help you and they may not. They may not help you. Nothing that I say may be a takeaway point for you, but at the end of the day, we're all human. I'm human just like you. That's like a real stickler when it comes to mental health. You're feeling like you're alone and we're the only one, and we all have mental struggles. No one is exceptionally mentally strong. No one is. Every day is different. Every day may look different. You may have a great week Christal and then the next week you want a burger. You want a burger. Surprise.
Speaker 1:And a little tequila on the side, a little tequila, just a smidge, and I know you and your friends, y'all do not have a? Smidge of alcohol.
Speaker 2:Ain't a smidge of nothing.
Speaker 1:No, seriously. So, no, seriously. So I love that. I love that we can come together and chat about real life things. And what, what upcoming projects? Do you have Initiatives that you want people to know? You said that you are training for the summer, you're competing in the summer, so what does that look like for you? Where will you be at around what time? Like we want to support kristoff, we want to support the people a part of the choose joy community I mean as far as a competition.
Speaker 2:I don't have a date yet, um estimate in, like june, july, for sure, um as to where it'll be. I would love to come to North Carolina and do a show. All of my friends can pull up Thinking about going to Houston to do a show. I mean no matter where it's at, I'm just thinking about going to DC to do a show. So I mean that'll all be TBD for now. I said Kristoff on tour, so I mean that'll all be TBD for now.
Speaker 1:Um hmm, I said Kristoff on tour amen, amen.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to have fun with it, man. You know, when those dates and those locations come, I will be sure to post them. If you guys want to come and support or tune in, if there's a live stream, go ahead, do that. Otherwise, just check me out on my instagram and, um, if you have any questions or there's anything that I can help y'all with, and you're more than welcome to hit me up trigger warning I'm very honest, uh.
Speaker 2:So if you're brutally honest if you're, if you're coming to me to to to have a pity party, as I'm not the person or the location I have some tough skin but I do that always with the intent to you know, spark a flame in you and push you in the direction of you becoming better. So the intentions always love, for sure okay, plug in your socials.
Speaker 1:We know that you're at grow poppy on instagram um grow g-r-o-w-p-a-p-i um tiktok. What's your t? Same thing. So follow this man, watch him, support him. And, yeah, it was so great having you.
Speaker 2:For sure.
Speaker 1:You're literally the first person outside of my family to be a guest.
Speaker 2:Word.
Speaker 1:The podcast and I just thought about this. We didn't do Chels Chats and that's when I take like anonymous questions.
Speaker 2:We didn't do Chelsea. Chats, and that's when I take like anonymous questions so we can do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're definitely. Well, I haven't taken the questions yet, so I'll definitely have to like start that up, but thank you everyone who stayed this long to hear us chit chat.
Speaker 2:And, as always, choose joy. I love it.