This past month, the NPC Nashville Fit Show wasn’t just about physiques and trophies, it was about resilience, discipline, and the personal battles each competitor carried with them onto the stage. Behind the spray tans, stage lights, and perfectly timed poses were months, sometimes years, of early mornings, strict training regimens, meal prep, and moments of self-doubt overcome by grit.
Among the competitors were women whose journeys represent far more than fitness. Some stepped into bodybuilding to rebuild their health after major life changes, others found strength through grief and loss, and others used the stage as a platform to show what’s possible when you refuse to quit. Their stories highlight not only the physical transformation required to compete but also the emotional resilience, community support, and unshakable mindset that carried them forward.
From first-time competitors walking away with medals, to seasoned athletes reaching new heights, to the recipient of the Whitney Wiser Overcomer Award, these women embody the true spirit of bodybuilding: courage, perseverance, and a refusal to settle for anything less than their best. Meet some of these ladies below:
“It looked like a grape, and now it kind of looks like a spider,” Brandy explained. “It’s now on the brainstem and wrapped around the ocular nerve.”
Despite these challenges, Brandy continues to compete in bodybuilding. She initially hesitated to participate in the Nashville Fit Show this year due to her health concerns, but her coach encouraged her: “If this is the last year that you do it, you’ve always wanted to do Nashville Fit. I think that we should do Nashville Fit.”
The decision proved meaningful when Brandy was selected for the Overcomer Award. “I was very overwhelmed when she told me that I was her choice,” Brandy said, describing how she “cried happy” and “cried sad” upon receiving the honor.
Brandy’s determination hasn’t stopped. Just recently, she achieved another milestone by winning first place at the Gold’s Classic competition—her first top placement in seven shows over four years.
Throughout her journey, Brandy credits her support system, particularly her husband, who attends every show and helps with meal preparation. “He is definitely the husband by which they should all be measured,” she said. Her three children, church family, and the bodybuilding community have also provided crucial support.
Looking ahead, Brandy is gearing up for a brain cancer research 5K run on September 13th in Charlotte. While maintaining her bodybuilding career, she’s also making time for bucket list experiences with her family, including an upcoming anniversary trip.
“I pray about the anxiety that it gives me more than I probably pray about anything else,” Brandy shared about coping with her condition, demonstrating the strength that has made her both a champion on stage and in life.
For Sara Jean Meyer, bodybuilding isn’t just a sport—it’s a passion more than a decade in the making. What began with her younger brother’s introduction to the bodybuilding world has evolved into a 13-year journey of discipline, resilience, and family support, culminating in her upcoming debut on the national stage.
Sara Jean first discovered bodybuilding while in college, when her brother began preparing for competitions. Watching his transformation sparked her curiosity. But it wasn’t until she attended his show, where she witnessed bikini competitions, that Sara Jean felt her own calling.
“I left that night and said, ‘I’m doing that,’” Sara Jean recalled. With her brother’s guidance at the local YMCA, she learned the basics of training. Just a year later, the two competed together. “That was really special,” she said.
Her first show proved life-changing. “I walked in so intimidated, not knowing how to do my makeup or what I was doing,” Sara Jean laughed. “But I ended up taking second place. It was the first trophy I’d ever won in my life, and I knew I had found my thing.”
Now a mother of three and co-owner of both a gym and a luxury boudoir photography studio, Sara Jean juggles business ownership, parenting, and competitive prep with remarkable discipline.
Her days begin at 4 a.m. with fasted cardio before tending to her children, training, managing her businesses, and practicing her posing routine. “Everything I do all day long is for the show,” Sara Jean explained. “It’s all about making sure I’m taking the right steps to do my best at nationals.”
Her husband, is her biggest supporter. “Without him, I couldn’t do it,” Meyer shared. Even her daughters cheer her on, watching live streams of her competitions from home.
With 18 competitions under her belt, Sara Jean has already earned a pro card in natural bodybuilding. But this year, her sights are set higher: competing at the NPC North American in Pittsburgh with hopes of securing her IFBB Pro Card in the Fit Model division.
“Every prep makes me stronger, not just physically, but mentally,” Sara Jean said. “I’ve coached myself from the beginning. No one’s holding my hand, and that makes this journey even more empowering.”
Meredith Cooper’s path to the NPC Nashville Fit Show has been anything but easy. As a finalist for the event’s Overcomer Award, Meredith has turned a life marked by hardship into a story of resilience and strength.
Growing up in a small town in Indiana, Cooper faced financial struggles, the challenges of two special-needs siblings, and a turbulent home life. By 22, she was married with two children, but the relationship ended and she eventually left, starting over with nothing but determination.
“It took a lot of emotional, spiritual, and financial rebuilding,” Cooper said. “Practicing daily gratitude and focusing on health and positivity helped us get to a good place.”
That healing process led her to fitness. What started as workouts in the gym turned into competitive bodybuilding. In just a year and a half, Cooper has competed in four shows, twice in the fit model division, most recently placing sixth at the 2025 NPC Nashville Fit Show.
“Bodybuilding requires so much discipline every day,” she explained. “Show day is less about placement and more about celebrating the journey that got you there.”
Now, Cooper plans to return to the stage within the next few months, continuing to build on her momentum. For her, the sport is about far more than physical transformation, it’s about reclaiming her confidence and proving that strength comes from overcoming life’s toughest challenges.
At nearly 300 pounds, Kellie Pacanowski never imagined herself standing on a bodybuilding stage in a sparkling competition suit, posing under bright lights as a panel of judges called her name. But this summer, she did just that, sweeping multiple titles at the NPC Nashville Fit Show and proving to herself, and to others, that transformation is always possible.
Her journey wasn’t simple or straightforward. For years, Kellie tried every diet she could find including keto, paleo, carnivore, vegan, intermittent fasting. Each time, the weight would come off, only to creep back on. “I had lost the weight, but I didn’t know how to maintain it,” she explained. “I felt stuck in that cycle of progress and failure.”
Everything shifted when a coworker suggested she try bodybuilding. At first, Kellie laughed it off. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. “I needed structure, accountability, and something to keep me focused,” she said. With the guidance of an onlie coach, she swapped fad diets for a sustainable plan built on balanced meals, strength training, and daily discipline.
“I realized it wasn’t about restriction anymore. It was about fueling my body and seeing what it could do,” she said. “Having control of my routine gave me stability when life felt overwhelming.”
And life had been overwhelming. Kellie lost her first husband in 2018, a grief that left her searching for comfort. Then, her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Those back-to-back hardships forced her to confront her health in a new way. “I remember looking in the mirror and thinking no one would ever love me at my size,” she admitted. “I wish I had never thought that. But at the same time, that painful thought is what sparked my change.”
Step by step, the pounds came off, 145 in total. But what mattered most to Kellie wasn’t the number on the scale; it was the strength and confidence she gained along the way.
When she finally decided to compete, Kellie entered her first show, which happened to be the NPC Nashville Fit Show, without big expectations. “I just wanted to place in the top three,” she said. “I thought, ‘If I can do that, I’ll be happy.’” Instead, she found herself hearing her name called again and again, walking off stage with multiple wins, including an overall title.
“The moment was surreal,” she recalled. “Every morning I had gotten up for cardio, every night I had cried into my coffee or pushed through workouts I didn’t want to do, it all came flooding back. It was like the universe saying, ‘See? You didn’t give up, and this is your reward.’”
Now nationally qualified, Kellie has her eyes on bigger goals. She’ll compete again in September in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with hopes of one day stepping onto a national stage. However, she says that trophies aren’t what drive her.
“I don’t hide where I came from,” she said. “I’m proud of the woman I was at 298 pounds, she made the choice to change. I carry her with me every day.”
For Kellie, bodybuilding has become about more than aesthetics, it’s about rewriting her story and inspiring others to do the same. “I want people to know that even when it feels impossible, even when you feel stuck, you can overcome it,” she said. “Your past doesn’t define you. You get to define you.”
For more information on the NPC Nashville Fit Show and how to keep up with their next show, visit their website and Instagram.
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