Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica Nuno.
Angelica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I always say that I’ve been “Fit Bitch Angie” for the last two years, ever since I decided to change my Instagram handle to @fit.bitch_angie. At the time, I was battling a severe depression and I had decided to make a major lifestyle change and go back to living an active lifestyle. Growing up as I kid I was always active. I was swimming, dancing, and doing gymnastics by the time I was in first grade and remembered how much joy it brought me. So in 2016, I decided to bring that back into my life and make a change for the better. I started implementing yoga and daily workouts into my life, and soon after got asked to do a yoga photoshoot by a photographer I met on Instagram.
We became friends and started doing more and more photoshoots together, I began meeting many other photographers and photo/modeling groups in Chicago. I started modeling with other photographers and creating more and more wonderful photos which gained a lot of attention. I realized I really enjoyed modeling, specifically bikini and fitness modeling, but I felt that I could use my photos and images for better and actually do something meaningful with them. That is when I made the bold decision to finally speak out about my mental health, admitted to being depressed and spoke out about being suicidal. I allowed myself to be vulnerable and open up about my own personal struggles in the hopes that I could help and inspire others to speak out about their own personal struggles, and ultimately normalize the idea of speaking about mental health issues. In January of 2018, I was attacked and stabbed and multiple times, and it was one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. Naturally, I was very open with my road to recovery and shared my story of that night every step of the way, as well as through my blog posts. It has been something that has only pushed me further to want to raise awareness for mental health issues and to inspire others. During my recovery after being stabbed, I decided to create my website “www.fitblifestyle.com” in hopes to share my story and promote living a positive and active lifestyle.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but I have definitely always made the best of everything. One of the first struggles was dealing with depression itself. It is something I dealt with since I was a kid, but never actually got help for. It wasn’t until after I graduated college that I finally came around to realizing that depression was a serious disease and that I needed help. I began seeing a therapist and working on myself. I had many periods of sinking back into a depression and enduring suicidal urges, but ultimately was always able to bounce back and keep moving forward and living a happier lifestyle, one I like to call the “Fit Bitch Lifestyle.” I think the biggest struggle has been sharing so much of myself and private life with all of the internet to read and know about. It’s a scary feeling to expose yourself like that, but I have found that many people listen and have benefited from things I’ve had to say. There have been some people that have frowned upon the use of the word “B*tch” in my Instagram handle and website, but I see it in a positive way. I feel empowered when I call myself a Fit Bitch, I feel strong, confident, and brave. I have stayed true to myself and fully embraced using my powerful modeling photos to continue being an advocate for mental health. One advice to others would be to allow yourself to do things that make you happy and make you feel empowered. Being a young 20 something growing up in this world can be very tough, but if you just stay true to yourself, do what you love and what fills you with joy, you will always live a happy and meaningful life.
We’d love to hear more about Fit Bitch Angie.
I think what I’m best known for is how I speak so openly about my mental health and the night I was stabbed. Ever since I started speaking about mental health and using my eye catching modeling photos as a platform to do so, I constantly get messages from all kinds of people, men and women of all ages praising me and telling me how brave and inspiring I am. I post about my workouts, the food I eat, inspiring quotes that motivate me, any supplements I take to aid my recovery, and much more. Because of that, I find people reach out for fitness advice, cooking advice, travel advice, and life advice. I still can’t believe it, but everyday my inbox and email is constantly filled with people reaching out praising me and telling me how inspiring I am. On some occasions, there have been people that have reached out with cries for help, expressing all their hardships to me. It is very emotional reading messages from so many people who are in a depressed state and feeling very suicidal. Sometimes I feel helpless that all I can simply do is listen to them and try to be there in any way I can. I think what I’m most proud of in all of this is how I haven’t let any of the bad experiences in life change me negatively, but rather I’ve used these experiences as a way to do better and help others with my stories. Mental health, depression, and suicide are all tings society is very uncomfortable talking about, and I am proud to be someone who is trying to change that.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
In general, I think what many women lack is the confidence and courage to be bold and put themselves out there. It is something that I think is taught to us as young girls growing up. Society encourages us to be less aggressive, and not speak up for ourselves, and this is something I have seen a lot of in the modeling industry. It is something that unfortunately I think is taught to us as young girls growing up. Society habitually encourages us to be less aggressive, or “lady like” for lack of better terms. Meanwhile, boys are encouraged to play sports, or play with computers and video games. I find that the fact that boys are allowed to play with video games allows them to be exposed to a digital world, and that is why today the majority of photographers, movie directors or producers are males. On the other hand, girls are encouraged to look presentable and be feminine, and that is why there are so few female with leadership roles in the industry, rather mostly females just being models.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fitblifestyle.com
- Email: angie@fitblifestyle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fit.bitch_angie/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FitBLifestyle
Image Credit:
Bernardino Echeverria
Oliver Sandoval
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