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What happens when the sport you love becomes your whole livelihood? What happens when that is taken away from you because of injuries or you need to take a break during pregnancy?

In this episode of the All or Something Podcast, we sit down with elite CrossFit athlete Bethany Flores to talk about the realities of competing at the highest level, navigating injury and pregnancy, and learning to separate your self-worth from your performance.

Bethany has spent years pushing her body to its limits in pursuit of competitive success. But behind the training, competition, and results is a more complicated story about body image, food, sponsorships, and the pressure to keep improving even when life demands something different.

After a back injury kept her out for the entire 2022 season, Bethany faced questions about who she was outside the gym. Then, competing during early pregnancy and navigating postpartum recovery brought a new set of challenges, forcing her to reconsider what it means to be an athlete when you can't always train, compete, or perform the way you used to.

We discuss what elite CrossFit training actually looks like, the pressures of making a living as an athlete, and the support competitors can realistically expect from their sport and sponsors when injury or pregnancy changes everything.

We also get into Bethany's longstanding struggles with body image, her relationship with food, and how becoming a mother has influenced the way she thinks about health, exercise, and the example she wants to set for her son.

In this episode, we discuss:
* What CrossFit is and what it takes to compete at an elite level
* The impact of injury on athletic identity and self-worth
* The pressures of competing around pregnancy and navigating postpartum recovery
* Why being at your fittest doesn't always mean feeling good enough
* The financial and emotional realities of being a professional athlete
* Sponsorships, pregnancy, and the support athletes need but may not receive
* Body image struggles, food, and fueling performance
* The pressure to return to competition while other athletes keep progressing
* Motherhood, body image, and breaking unhealthy patterns
* How to know when you're ready to return to sport — and when to wait
* Learning to value yourself beyond what you achieve

This isn't just a conversation about CrossFit. It's about what happens when the thing that gives you purpose also becomes the thing that makes you question your worth — and how to find a healthier balance without losing the ambition that made you successful in the first place.

P.S., If you want to support us and would like monthly lifting workouts, you can join the Momentum by Sohee fitness app. http://momentumbysohee.com

If you are interested in fat loss science, you can purchase Ben's best-selling comprehensive fat loss book, Everything Fat Loss. http://geni.us/EverythingFatLoss