If you’ve been on fitness Insta in the past few years, you might’ve noticed a trend lately: More and more women are hitting the gym, hard. They are lifting heavy weights, tracking their muscle gains and showing off their mind-blowing athletic feats.

The hashtags speak for themselves:

#StrongisSexy
#MusclesAreBeautiful
#StrongistheNewPretty

Women of all shapes and sizes are beginning to embrace their strength in a way society has never seen before. 

Unfortunately, not everyone has caught on to the trend, particularly when it comes to accepting athletic women of color. Female athletes like Serena Williams and Simone Biles are often criticized for looking “savage” and “ugly” just for having muscular builds.

But there’s one woman who has proved that perhaps society is beginning to change how they see the female black body. And that woman is IFBB Pro Figure athlete LaTorya Watts.

In 2015, She became the first African American woman to win the Ms. Figure Olympia, one of the world’s most renowned figure competitions. She returned the next year to win it again and placed second in 2017.

While Watts was unable to compete in the 2018 Olympia due to a medical condition, her dedication to the sport over the years has broken down barriers for other women of color to succeed. Last year’s competition saw three women of color take the bikini, figure and fitness titles, and we here at Rule Breakers are excited for where this trend is going.

Amazingly, we got a chance to talk to Watts right after the 2018 Olympia to reflect about why she thinks the bodybuilding arena is changing. In this week’s podcast, Watts also talks about her journey, the intricate balance of training for figure and what she’s had to overcome as a minority in the industry.

So click the play button and listen to one of the greatest athletes to walk the stage.

And PS: Don’t be afraid to like, subscribe, comment and join the Rule Breakers conversation.

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Latorya Watts - 2017 Ms Figure Olympia

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Natasha Hastings is one of those athletes who’s got her hand in many pots.

Not only is the 32-year-old training for her third Olympic Games, she’s got her own foundation educating young women about self-love and the power of sport, she’s an Under Armour ambassador and she recently launched her own makeup line called “The 400m Diva Collection”. The moment you scroll through Hasting’s Insta you’ll know that the woman is a badass athlete, fashionista and entrepreneur.

When Anya and I first reached out to Hastings to interview her for Rule Breakers we knew that we wanted to talk about how her unique sense of fashion and femininity blended with her love of track and field. But we also wanted touch on something that many women aren’t comfortable having on air: Menstruation.

Menstrual cycles can have a serious effect on a female athlete’s performance, and yet there is a lack of general education and safe spaces for women to talk about what’s going on in their bodies.

Luckily, Hastings is not afraid to keep it real and she’s very passionate about building more awareness around women’s health and “that time of the month”. Listen in on this episode of Rule Breakers as we talk about the pretty, the not-so-pretty and the nitty-gritty.


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Olympic Gold Medalist Natasha Hastings

Legendary motorcyclist, Peggy Llewellyn, is 46 years old and is still as fearless as ever and shows no sign of slowing down.

In 2007, the San Antonio native became the first woman of color to win a professional motorsports competition at the NHRA POWERade Dallas event. That season, she finished fourth overall and held the highest place for a woman in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. And in 2010, she became the first woman of color to own, operate, and race for a professional motorsports team. If that’s not impressive enough, Llewellyn is still training to break more barriers and continue to inspire more women of color to enjoy the sport that she loves.

Pretty fitting for a two-time Women’s Sports Foundation honoree.

Llewellyn has been a rule breaker since she was seven, learning to race among boys as a young girl. She never believed she could actually be a professional racer because she never saw women on the track. But luckily, it was her father who encouraged her to do something that was way out of the norm.

Listen in as we talk about her identity as a Mexican-Jamaican woman, what it means to be “the first” and how society has welcomed (and dismissed) the tomboys of the world.

Also: Just a heads up. This is the last Rule Breakers episode of what was a phenomenal series of interviews. Anya and I are busy working on other projects so you guys should check them out! Anya going off to focus on her work with Major League Girls and her golf reporting (BBC and LPGA); I’m going to continue writing for the Shadow League with my #BlackGirlStrength column and covering women’s sports. 

We want to thank everyone who has listened to Rule Breakers over the past year. We truly appreciate your support in engaging in these important conversations.

Until next time!

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NHRA Drag Racer Peggy Llewellyn

In the sports arena, a new era has dawned.

From athletes, administrators and marketers to journalists, agents and owners, women are making a name for themselves as trailblazers, influencers and decision makers in the world of sports. 

With Rule Breakers, The Shadow League's newest podcast, sports journalists Anya Alvarez and Adele Jackson-Gibson speak with these inspirational, trailblazing women who are creating positive change in both sports and society.

With a growing roster of guests featuring leaders such as U.S. National Soccer team gold medalist/sportscaster Aly Wagner, WNBA Champion Swin Cash, MLB Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Renee Tirado, CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams and Inside Edition’s Lisa Guerrero, Rule Breakers is the home for women leading the fight for change in sports.

Come break some rules with us!

Rule Breakers

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