COACHES’ SERIES; TEAM ATLAS-James Ayotte, Jennifer Dorie, & Angeline Jeanson

Today, Host Celeste Rains-Turk sits down with members of Team Atlas, including James Ayotte, Angeline Jeanson, and Jennifer Dorie. James started coaching in 2016 and has made 21 IFBB pros in the past 2 years. He currently has 2 of the Top 5 bikini Olympians & had 4 bikini Olympians in 2020. Angeline is the head posing coach and builds their athletes' complete look. She is an IFBB bikini pro and a mechanical engineer. Jennifer has a degree in Kinesiology, and placed 2nd at the prestigious 2020 Olympia. 

The conversation begins with James discussing the detailed philosophy of Team Atlas and what sets them apart. James says that each detail is cared for, from bracelets to suit color. The most important thing is the quality of the athletes produced. Each athlete gets individual service, no one is just a number. 

Celeste asks James to discuss how they manage having so many athletes. Many tasks are delegated to Jen and Angeline, such as administrative tasks, as well as getting multiple points of view from Jen and Angeline. James credits organization for their success.

They never procrastinate. Jen says they all thrive off of being productive and enjoying what they do. Angeline talks about the most important things the athletes need to focus on in each posing session. She coaches technique first then works on the details. She selects every detail about their look, including suit connectors, cut and color. James expands on suit selection and its importance and how it’s so difficult to get the perfect cut and color. 

Regarding what sets apart a good athlete from a champion athlete, James starts with a bad athlete as someone who doesn’t have great genetics and doesn’t follow the plan. A good athlete begins with someone who follows protocol and makes corrections and listens to feedback. A great athlete is someone who cares deeply about their progress. Jen agrees that being coachable is important. The athlete has to take ego out of the process.

James says the best athlete can put their egos aside. Angelina says she agrees with the ego element. She wants each athlete to look their best on stage and sometimes sees athletes unwilling to listen to her advice and they get limited by their egos. James says he, Jen, and Angelina are all very different and all the same. They have different approaches but are all detailed and organized.

James talks about the fine balance between pushing an athlete and prep while keeping them as healthy as possible. He admits that prepping is not the healthiest thing. Bodybuilding is an extreme sport and requires an athlete to experience hunger. He would never do anything extreme to get an athlete on stage.

He would say no and recommend a later show. He hates short prep because it doesn’t allow for time to practice posing, also. Jen says sometimes clients have unrealistic expectations and she has to be honest with the athlete that they will not be healthy and show ready. Extreme preps also make the rebound much harder. 

Celeste asks James for his thoughts on the claims that politics play a role in judging outcomes. He and Jen both say it’s ridiculous and a cop-out. There are no free wins, they are all earned in the IFBB. The judges want the best athlete to win on show day. There is a panel of judges as an insurance to keep fair judging.

James brings up the point that Instagram photos look different than stage comparison photos, which can show more detail. Angelina says that the overall look matters in judging and can take away from a great physique. Fifty percent of the battle is your presentation and posing. If you’re going to make a choice, like an unusual hair cut or suit color, everything else has to be on point. 

Celeste asks Angeline what they would do if they had an athlete whose physique is on point but their posing is lacking. Would they still put them on stage? Angeline is honest with the athlete how their posing will hinder them. She says it’s on them if they decide to ignore their posing practice and still get on stage.

Celeste asks James what he would want someone to know before they commit to competing. James says they are very passionate about their jobs and wants their athletes to have the best experience. They aren’t driven by the money, they have passion for their athletes. Jen says if you aren’t willing to give 100%, then Team Atlas isn’t for you. They expect a lot and have high standards. They have never declined an athlete because of genetics, only because of work ethic and mindset. 

Next, the team discusses how they would handle an athlete who doesn’t feel ready but is physically ready. They would encourage them to stop looking in the mirror! Send check-ins and listen to the coaches. If James isn’t worried, the athlete shouldn’t be worried.

James likes to have athletes ready ahead of time so they can cruise into the show and have a more refreshed body. If an athlete isn’t going to be ready but still wants to compete at a specific show, she asks what their goals are for the show. If it’s just a matter of having fun and bringing their best, then she thinks it’s fine they still choose that show. They would never tell an athlete they are capable of something they aren’t. They want their athletes to have realistic goals. 

Celeste asks their approach to an athlete that has a bad post-show rebound. James explains how the metabolism is affected at the end of prep and how a reverse is necessary to bring it back to a higher rate. He says reverse is harder than prep because the show is over but they still need to stay on track. 

For the last hypothetical question, Celeste asks if an athlete that is one year into competing and wants to turn pro, why would they hire Team Atlas? James says he would actually encourage the athlete to stick with their current coach if they are doing well. Jen says if this happens, usually there is an issue. If you’re happy where you are, then don’t shop around. But if you have to chase your coach for check ins, then you should inquire about a new coach.

Celeste begins the rapid fire questions with seven questions and each coach gives short answers. To see all questions asked in the coach series you can visit the main blog breaking it down 

After finishing the rapid fire questions, Celeste asks where the egg term came from. James says it was something silly that came from another client referring to himself as an egg when he had to shave his head and beard for a show. 

Celeste wraps up by thanking Team Atlas for joining her on the podcast. 

WAYS TO CONNECT:

CONNECT WITH TEAM ATLAS:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/teamatlasmtl/
WEBSITE: WWW.TEAMATLASMTL.COM


CONNECT WITH JAMES:
MIND LEADER IG: https://www.instagram.com/mindleader/
MIND LEADER YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3RId73Xm0CHY6v1cycCMfA

CONNECT WITH JEN DORIE:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferdorie_ifbbpro/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQs8mwt1BfGc6bREoPxBkg

CONNECT WITH ANGELINE:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/angelinejeanson/ 
ALL LINKS: https://linktr.ee/PosingbyA

CONNECT WITH CELESTE: https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/

SIGN UP FOR THE FREE FOOD RELATIONSHIP ​COACHING SERIES: https://celeste-rainsturk.clickfunnels.com/free-food-relationship-mentorship
Get Access to the Free Post-Show Blues ​Coaching Series: https://celeste-rainsturk.clickfunnels.com/free-7day-post-show-personal-development-coaching-series


EPISODE TIME STAMPS:

[1:00]  Celeste introduces Team Atlas

[2:10] James talks about his coaching philosophy. 

[3:19] Celeste asks how they manage to have so many athletes. 

[6:40] Angeline talks about their approach to posing. 

[8:53] James expands on suit selection and its importance.

[10:00] The group talks about what sets apart a good athlete from a great athlete. 

[21:10] Celeste asks how they determine how far to push an athlete. 

[26:20] James talks about the claim of politics in judging. 

[31:33] Celeste asks the group some hypothetical questions. 

[36:04] The team talks to how they would handle an athlete who doesn’t feel ready but is physically ready. 

[41:53] Celeste asks their approach to an athlete that has a bad post-show rebound. 

[46:00] Celeste asks about a hypothetical scenario regarding coach selection. 

[49:16] Rapid fire questions begin.

[63:43] Celeste asks about the origin of the egg term. 

[65:40] Celeste wraps up the conversation thanking James, Jen, and Angeline for joining her.