Carl is talking with Emma B about her hugely successful career as a supermodel and the subsequent move she made to bikini and bodybuilding shows.
As someone who was travelling the world and walking the fashion catwalks with Naomi C, Claudia Schiffer and Kate Moss along with campaigns and fashion shoots for Elle and Vogue, Emma knows what it’s like to experience a meteoric rise in the fashion industry.
She discusses with Carl the impact of being in both positive and negative work environments and the impact of social media negativity on the person it’s directed at.
Emma chose to walk away to be a full-time mum and this has brought her both confidence in her personal beliefs and positivity in her life.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Travelling all the time as a model was very lonely, I spent a lot of time on my own.
I was a little girl trying to have the confidence of a woman.
Social media means people make comments that can affect other’s mental health.
You always focus on the negative comments, they are the ones that stay with you not the positive comments.
I chose to walk away it wasn’t for me anymore and I chose to be a full-time mum.
Now I’m much more confident about my own personal beliefs.
When I was doing fashion modelling it was beautiful and there was a lot of positivity.
When I made the transition from fashion to glamour modelling social media was growing and it was then that I felt things becoming more negative.
People often feel if they can pull you down it will make them feel better.
When I moved into training for bodybuilding I realised I could create whatever body I wanted.
To get ready for a show means 8-10 weeks of dedicated training and diet. When I’m not looking at getting ready for a show I’m less strict with my diet.
I can struggle with being motivated but eating healthy is really important for me.
I do a 3-mile mindful walk every time and it makes a huge difference to my mental well-being.
BEST MOMENTS
‘I was a supermodel travelling the world but Inside I was a little girl who had no confidence’
‘You need to live in the moment and appreciate what you have’
‘if you have what it takes as a model you shouldn’t be paying upfront for a portfolio’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
HKA Main landing page www.hastingskickboxing.co.uk/kickstartnow
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/Hastingskickboxing
HKA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Hastingskickboxing
Adult community link https://m.facebook.com/groups/274624209886110?ref=share
carldenne@hotmail.com - Join Leigha every weekday for a workout for a fiver per month
ABOUT THE GUEST
Emma B
Emma started out as a model at age 15 and signed to Elite Premier, the biggest international agency in the world.
She has taken part in catwalk shows such as Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Fendi and has shared the catwalk with Naomi C, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss.
Emma has done lots of high-end fashion campaigns and shoots for publications such as Elle, Vogue and Marie Claire.
She left the fashion world to peruse more glamour types of modelling and did shoots for covers such as FHM, LOADED MAG, MAXIM, Esquire and FRONT mag.
Emma started her fitness journey in 2012 and came 2nd in my first ever show for Hercules. She then went on to compete in bikini for UKBFF and came 1st in her first UKBFF federation show at the Kent classic in 2012.
ABOUT THE HOST
Hi, my name is Carl Denne.
I was born in Hastings in 1980. Married, father of two beautiful daughters, Bethany and Leigha.
My daughters, the wife, and gym ARE MY LIFE.
IF I’M HONEST, I pretty much failed at school. Heavily dyslexic, I was dismissed for being a “naughty kid” that didn’t want to learn. I was heavily bullied for having shit clothes and ginger afro hair. I didn’t have many friends.
When I say bullied I don’t mean called a “poo-poo head” and being looked at in a nasty way. I mean thrown downstairs, and hit with chairs and tables. Clothes were stolen whilst in the shower. That kind of bullying…
Oh, how things have changed…
Martial arts, and specifically Kickboxing, have changed my life, and now I am much happier and change other people’s lives for the better on a daily basis.
I am a complete adrenaline freak, so In my spare time, track days, jumping out of planes, sitting on top of them, rage buggies in the desert… The higher, the faster the better for me. I’m always looking for the next thing to get my blood pumping, so if anyone has a challenge I’ve not found yet, please feel free to share.
I do like a Saturday night movie night, Chinese, Netflix, lots of chocolate with my three little ladies. I love being around my friends and family. This is why I love the crazy HKA family so much, as this is my extended family.
I left school with pretty much nothing! A few sad GCSE’s C - D grade, BUT I did have a shit-ton of energy and passion to achieve, and to prove all the teachers and people that looked down on me for all those years, wrong. So, after a few jobs here and there, I settled on working for Openreach (BT) as a cabler/jointer copper and fibre optic multi-skilled engineer with HGV.
I left this in 2015 to chase my dream of running my own Kickboxing Academy and working with the future of today, rather than a job that just paid the bills.
I’ve trained pretty much my whole life: Karate, boxing, Judo, from the age of 9, and of course, I’ve now done over 29 years of Kickboxing. I’ve passed many Instructors and coaches courses, attended many training courses and seminars, grading up through the syllabus. I passed my 4-hour hell-on-earth 3rd Dan black belt in July 2018 with the ICO.
If I’m honest my real passion and skills have come from learning the hard way; through being in the trenches. I know how it feels to be on your arse. I know how it feels to have to pull yourself out of the pit. I’ve been through a divorce. I’ve lived through the pain and have worked with thousands of members, students, children, teachers and adults over the years, and the one thing I get told every time is how well I/we keep it very real, and that I have a complete understanding on most eventualities.
Thank you for reading and listening. I hope you connect with myself and the team, take away some ideas, understand you’re not alone, and that it’s good to talk, listen and help others as and when you can.
