Mindi Smith has accomplished more at the age of 20 than most people do at twice her age. She lives by the motto “Find your stride” - and has indeed found her stride and stayed with it, producing a list of impressive accomplishments and a heavy-weight resume that will continue to propel her successfully forward for years to come.

Mindi - Tell me about Saginaw, Michigan and what it was like to grow up there.

Saginaw is a small town in Michigan. I grew up in a loving family. My parents, Steve and Julie, have been married for over 30 years now and I have a younger sister named Staci. My whole family is still in Saginaw. Over the past 10 years since moving away I have visited often, especially around the holidays.

I went to Delta Community College while in Michigan and then transferred to Florida Atlantic University once moving to Florida.

I had friends who were currently investing in distressed homes, fixing them up, and then reselling them. I thought to myself, “why not get my RE License and be their agent?” A month later I had my license.

When the real estate market had crashed, I needed a change. I had visited friends out in CA and loved it there. So I decided to give it a shot.

I would say my favorite jobs were the ones that required traveling to exotic places. I also really enjoyed shooting for some of my most recent fitness magazines like Oxygen, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Muscular Development, and Muscle & Performance.

Nothing extreme that I can remember besides having an awful hair and makeup job.

Focus on your personal goals and being the best that you can be. The fitness/figure industry can be very competitive, but I think it’s best when you follow your own path, make your own journey in life, and be the individual that makes you different from everyone else.

Those two you mentioned were not the norm of the type of expos I usually work. I have done some off-the-wall expos during my modeling career like the Adult expos, X Games, and Gaming expos like the E3 Convention, but a majority of them are all fitness related like the Arnold Classic, The Olympia Expo, and the LA Fit Expo. I can relate to fitness the best and know most of the people involved in the industry, but the others were fun also and it’s interesting to meet all the different people who attend them.

How did you get into competing?

I had a friend, Rob Riches, who was competing in the WBFF World Championships. I have worked with Rob a lot in the past and with his current training and a little push from Paul Dillett, I decided to give it a shot. From there, I continued on to compete for the NPC and then became and IFBB Pro.

When I was young, I took the normal dance classes and gymnastics, but that was long ago. If I really wanted to give fitness a shot I’m sure I could do it, but it would take me quite a bit longer to prep than it currently does with figure!

Honestly, I went into competing just hoping for the best. I had no idea I was going to do so well and so quickly. It happened so quickly that it hadn’t even hit me what I had accomplished until after the fact.

At the beginning of December I had applied to compete at the Ms Figure International and was accepted at the end of that month, so I knew that I would be competing there before I had even made my pro debut in Phoenix. My 1^st place finish in Phoenix qualified me for the Ms Figure Olympia in September.

My competition weight is around 128 lbs and off season I stay around 135 lbs.

Since starting my training with Kim Oddo he has put me on a diet that is very similar to each other for both off season and contest prep. My diet consists of 6 small meals a day, with a balanced amount of protein, carbs, and fat, for the condition that I am trying to achieve. My proteins consist of chicken, fish, and egg whites. Carbs consist of sweet potatoes, brown rice, and veggies. Fats consist of almonds, peanut butter, and flaxseed.

My first competition ever was for the WBFF which I trained myself. Once advancing to the NPC and IFBB, I started my training with Kim Oddo.

Once I moved out to California, I signed with a few different agencies who connected me with different gigs like Entourage, Spike TV, and numerous fitness infomercials. I kind of got my feet wet in a little bit of everything so it always kept work fun and different.

You also have an extensive number of magazine covers to your name.
Which one are you most proud of and why?

My best to date is the May 2010 issue of Muscle & Performance which is the Vitamin Shoppe’s main magazine. Robert Reiff did a great job with the pictures, but they also did an amazing job with the inside article that was written on my background.

Due to moving around and traveling a lot, most of my personal training and nutrition regimens are over the phone and by email. I have both male and female clients that are looking to get into better shape and live a healthier lifestyle.

After competing at the Ms Figure International, I was in the market for a new company sponsorship. It just so happened that GAT was also looking for a new spokesmodel. I am very proud and honored to be one of the newest members of the German American Technologies team and the great products, like JetFUEL, that they provide.

Most of my modeling is steered towards the fitness industry since starting to compete. The two seem to go hand in hand. You will see me soon in GAT’s newest advertisings. My next competition is the Europa Supershow in Dallas, TX, August 13/14^th and then off to compete at the Olympia in September which I am extremely excited about! I am also working on my current website, www.MindiSmith.com, where I keep everyone up to date with my newest photo shoots, videos, and offer my personal training and nutrition regimens.