Fusion Hack: Oh No! . . . Now What? with Reijuana Pribula
Welcome back, my strong and beautiful souls!
You’ve trained for months. You’ve followed the plan, practiced your posing, packed your bags, and envisioned exactly how show day is going to unfold.
And then… something goes wrong.
Your makeup appointment is running late. The show schedule suddenly changes. You lose cell service backstage. Your class is called earlier than expected. Or maybe you simply don’t have enough time to complete the perfectly planned pump-up routine.
Now what?
On this Fit Body Lifestyle Fusion Hack, Jami and Greg sit down with Reijuana Pribula to talk about one of the most valuable—and often overlooked—competition skills: learning how to adapt when peak week and show day don’t go according to plan.
Because no matter how prepared you are, bodybuilding competitions have variables you simply cannot control. The athletes who navigate those moments best aren't necessarily the ones with the perfect schedule—they're the ones who prepare thoroughly, understand the purpose behind their plan, stay present, and pivot without allowing one hiccup to unravel an entire day.
This episode is a powerful reminder that your mindset is part of your stage-day package, too.
5 Key Takeaways from the Episode
1. Prepare for the Unexpected Before It Happens
One of Reijuana’s biggest recommendations is to prepare for potential problems before show day.
She shares the story of a first-time competitor who had virtually no cell service backstage and couldn't easily contact her coach. Because they had discussed the plan beforehand and the athlete had written instructions she actually understood, she could adapt when the show's timing and class order changed.
That distinction matters. Instead of only knowing, “Eat this at this exact time,” understand why and when something should happen relative to your stage time.
The more you understand your plan, the better equipped you'll be to make calm decisions when circumstances change.
2. Control the Controllables—and Protect Your Mindset
You can't control whether hair and makeup run behind. You can't control when promoters adjust the schedule. You can't guarantee perfect cell service backstage.
You can control how prepared you are and how you respond.
Reijuana explains that becoming highly stressed before stepping on stage can affect more than your mood—it can interfere with your ability to remain present, execute your posing, and showcase your physique the way you intended.
If something goes wrong, don't allow one imperfect detail to become five more problems.
Take a breath. Assess what you can actually change. Then move forward.
3. Don't Let One Missed Detail Ruin Your Entire Presentation
Maybe you didn't get the pump you wanted. Maybe your timing wasn't perfect. Maybe something happened backstage that wasn't part of the plan.
It's tempting to carry that frustration onto the stage—but that's exactly where competitors need to learn to let it go.
If you're standing under the lights thinking, I didn't get to pump enough, you're no longer fully connected to your posing, presentation, and the moment you've worked so hard to experience.
Your goal isn't to create a perfectly controlled show day. Your goal is to present the best version of yourself within the circumstances you're given.
Sometimes adapting well is more valuable than executing the original plan perfectly.
4. Pack and Prepare Early—Peak Week Is Not the Time to Procrastinate
If something can be done early, do it early.
Reijuana encourages competitors to prepare their show-day bags, meals, suit, heels, pump-up bands, extensions, and other essentials well before they're needed.
Those little decisions remove unnecessary stress when show day becomes hectic.
And don't prepare only for your ideal schedule. Think ahead. What happens if the show runs late? Do you have an additional meal? What if you're called earlier than expected? Are your suit, shoes, food, and backstage essentials ready to grab immediately?
Preparation creates flexibility—and flexibility creates confidence.
5. Your Reaction Can Become Your Competitive Advantage
One of the strongest messages from Jami, Greg, and Reijuana is that something will eventually go wrong—and that's okay.
Experienced competitors often become calmer precisely because they've encountered these situations before. They've learned that a delayed appointment, changed schedule, or imperfect pump doesn't have to become a catastrophe.
Breathing techniques can help bring you back into the present moment. Greg discusses box breathing—breathing in, holding, exhaling, and holding again for equal counts—as one tool competitors can use when anxiety begins climbing.
And sometimes perspective is the most powerful tool of all.
You prepared. You controlled what you could control. You're still going to walk onto that stage.
There's always another show, another opportunity, and another lesson to take forward.
