As long as I have that support from my team, and I have that confidence in myself that I train really hard, I think there's no one out there who can defeat me in my weight class.
I put in the work, got in the weight room and really worked hard and really built confidence within myself.
'Long Black Train' was inspired by a vision that I had of a long, black train running down this track way out in the middle of nowhere. I could see people standing out to the sides of this track watching this train go by. As I was walking, experiencing this vision, I kept asking myself, 'What does this vision mean and what is this train?'
My first Weight Watchers meeting was when I was 14 years old on Long Island, and I went there with my mother. I'd gained that adolescent weight and wanted to try out for cheerleading... I lost the weight, tried out, and made the cheerleading team.
I really believe if I put my mind in the right place, if I train very hard, if I have good support by my side, I can be the champion again and stay there for a long time.
For me there is no reason why to go up in weight class, because when you go up in weight class you have to fight bigger guys - then you have to train against bigger guys. The guys are not better, they're heavier, but it means you have more chance to get hurt.
I feel really good at Everton. My team-mates are helping me with my confidence on the field, and that is vital. And being part of the Brazil national team has been really important for my morale and a positive thing for my confidence.
As a girl, the thought of gaining weight wasn't easy, but when I thought as an actor, I was very sure. That gave me the confidence, and I started training myself to gain weight, and then, as planned, I lost weight.
It's just something that God blessed me with. I've got power, so it really don't matter what weight class I'm in. I'm still going to have the same power as I had at any weight class I'm in.
Confidence is a belief in myself and my ability. I built my confidence through hard training. I believed there was no one out there working any harder than me.
I have a lot of confidence in myself, a lot of confidence in the race team, our equipment, and as my mind plays its games on me, I just fall back on the team.
I constantly remind myself that resting takes confidence. Anyone can train like a mad man but to embrace rest and to allow all the hard training to come out takes mental strength.
I absolutely think I have the ability to be a world-class athlete and make a team. But even if I never make another world championship team or Olympic team, I think there are so many things I can say about the sport that can really excite me and bring me a lot of motivation in the day to day.
I think I know I've been working very hard for the family business, sometimes those days are long days and I think if I know I'm working hard and pulling my weight, both working and playing hard at the same time, I think everyone who I work with can see I am there pulling my weight.
It was exciting for me to be able to come to Las Vegas and train with the girls that were essentially my weight class and would be my competition in the UFC.
I really had to train myself to eat like a maniac really four or five meals a day until I felt sick, just to keep the weight on.
Lyrics are really, really hard, I think, or at least they're really hard for me. Some people can channel lyrics faster. I find them very hard to find, so because of it, they take me a long time, and I really think about them.