We were lucky to catch up with Mindee Le Diehl recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mindee Le, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
Let’s start out with the fact that self-care was not a thing in my life until my mid 20s, and truly did not fully embrace it until my early 30s. In fact, my mental and physical health was spiraling from my early teen years, and honestly, I would just cry and push through -finding many unhealthy coping mechanisms along the way.
Now that I’ve embraced the importance of self-care in my life, it has become one of my main priorities. I’m an introvert but due to my career as a firefighter/paramedic, serving in the military, and just being the person I am to the world (opinionated, strong willed, alpha leader, and protector of many), I have to switch to my extrovert self quite frequently and it honestly becomes very draining. My self-care entails me taking time to myself, in my own space, being around people that understand me without me having to vocalize much. I utilize my time training in the gym as my main outlet, and while I’m at home, I’ll bask in my space with everything from cold plunging to sun bathing, therapeutic IV infusions to monthly facials, and bi-weekly deep tissue massages and chiropractic visits. Me prioritizing my self-care, and being consistent with it, has made it so that I can recharge my inner and outer self, and be able to take on my multifaceted life with minimal stress, and no longer depending on the unhealthy coping mechanisms that was once a major part of my life.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Currently, outside of being a firefighter, I compete in bodybuilding and am working towards gaining my IFBB (International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation) Pro Card/status. I also am attempting to build a social media platform that helps to inspire, educate, and showcase the journey I’ve taken to become the person I am today -whether it be in my health/fitness, being a professional female firefighter, or just being a woman (and a brown one at that) in todays despicable world. I’ve always known that ‘good girls never make history’ and that many glass ceilings have yet to be broken, and most importantly that I was destined to be one of the ones doing the breaking.
As for my upcoming competitions, I will be competing at NPC Nationals in Irving, TX. Follow me on IG @polynesianpriincess -I am far from soliciting any products/services but I am here as a beacon of light for those who need it.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being strong willed, having continual perseverance and being resilient. Throughout my life, I’ve been through many tough ups and downs. Needless to say, those downs included what I considered at the time to be failures and major life goal setbacks. Having a strong will made it so I was always diligently working hard to obtaining my goal even if it meant taking more steps and time than I had normally planned. Being persistent made it so that I pushed the unknown and through many barriers that people openly vocalized would me near impossible for me to. Then there is the resiliency factor of it all. In order to do what we want to do, and succeed at it, we have to be resilient and flexible to things that can go wrong and changes that can happen at any given time. Being able to bounce back from ground zero, to achieving what we once only dreamed about is (what I believe to be) one of the major factors to our own personal success.
To others who are taking their own journey, I would suggest to always be prepared with multiple plans and routes of attack. In most cases, we can’t always be prepared of what may happen but that’s when we have to be resilient and flexible with things. I did not hit my initial goals in life due to life just taking over and the reality of things that can and cannot be done setting in. However, I got back up and went back to the drawing board. I kept fighting with every no I received and every road that took me to a place unknown. I sacrificed, I kept faith and I kept going knowing that I was not meant to sit in the low places and just survive -I was meant to thrive and make my marks.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My childhood was very chaotic to say the least. I gained a lot of knowledge, skills, and traits that have benefitted me throughout life but not all of that came from positive moments. As a child, I was very quiet, shy and typically observant of my surroundings and minute details which a lot of people may overlook. I learned what was wrong and what was right, how I wanted to be as an adult, and more so, how I did not want to be or become. So honestly, the most impactful thing my parents did for me ended up being them giving me a life that no child should ever endure or know. From that, I used what I had to fight and overcome obstacles that were unforeseen and for most, difficult to even fathom. They are the core piece of my strength due to me having to be strong, and come out of that situation alive. Honestly, by the time I was 17, I did not think I would be alive to see 18. So I took the risk and changed my path in life. Although, decisions I did make back then were not ones I would ever hope any other young (almost) adult would have to make, I did become strong willed, determined, and resilient (plus a lot more). And to that, I have forgiven them for the life they gave to me, but I will never forget where I came from and everything that had happened because we can’t move forward by forgetting our past. I know this contradicts what everyone says but let me explain. I don’t carry baggage from my pain, and I won’t allow my past to become a road block from where I want to go. I do not put what has happened to me onto anyone else and allow my trauma to replay itself. However, I do highly believe that if we don’t acknowledge our past, and know what it meant to us. For those who do not learn (or acknowledge) their own history, are doomed to repeat it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @polynesianpriincess
- Facebook: Facebook.com/polynesianpriincess
Image Credits
Daylon Johnson Photography Doug Larson Photography
