Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Camille Weiss. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Camille, thanks for joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

The most defining moment in my career so far was learning that I can’t do everything myself! I am a very driven person however sometimes life throws things at you that are hard to handle alone. My first year of college cheerleading, I went through a really bad stage in my mental health. I began to critique every little thing I did like what I would eat, how I looked, and my entire life as a whole. This caused me to develop terrible anxiety and eventually an eating disorder. That time in my life was very lonely, I felt like I had no one to go to and that I had to hide my struggles. I stopped hanging out with my friends, talking to my family, and hid in my room for most of the day until practice time.
I thought I was bettering myself by doing these things however, it only left me feeling completely alone.
It wasn’t until people started making comments on my body and personality that I realized I had a problem.
At first, I liked the comments, they reassured me that what I was doing was working and that I looked great. Until I went home for fall break and my family saw me…….I will never forget the look on my moms face when I walked in the door. I thought she was being dramatic but when I look back at photos of myself during that time she was completely right. I looked unhealthy, malnourished, and sick. I was very hesitant about getting help, I truly thought I was doing the best for myself and had worked hard to get the body I thought I wanted.
I think I was actually just scared of admitting that I had a problem and reaching out. I have a hard time asking for help. But I knew that when I was no longer excelling at cheerleading practice and was having a hard time doing things that I used to love that it was time.
I talked to our team trainer who got me in contact with a dietitian and she pretty much saved my life! So I truly believe that this defining moment helped shape me into the person I am today. I learned that sometimes you have to rely on others for help because life IS HARD!!! It doesn’t make you weaker when you ask for help, it pushes you to become stronger with the help of others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m Camille Weiss, North Carolina State University’s Cheerleading Captain, Mental health advocate, Beyond The Bow Podcast host, Social Media influencer, and an Eating Disorder Recovery advocate.

I may have a lot of titles lol but I think the one i’m most proud of is an Eating Disorder Recovery advocate because without my struggle I wouldn’t be ANYTHING ELSE!! My struggle brought me knowledge to share with the world and my teammates, it brought me passion to make a change in the world of college athletes, and most importantly it brought me people who continue to push me to reach my dreams.
Being the cheerleading captain for one of the best college cheerleading programs in the country is something I NEVER thought would happen to me. I didn’t think I would even make the team when I first tried out. Leading a program with morals and values that are the same as mine pushes me to make a change for the better and the fact that I have an entire team to pick me up when I fall is the best gift life could ever give me.
The support of my teammates is like no other love I have ever felt, I couldn’t do anything without them!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I like that you use the word resilience! I could bring up A TON of journeys throughout my career that I had to overcome but the hardest one yet was recovering from my ED. I actually wouldn’t say the word “recovered” because everyday is still a push for success and I do fall back into old ways from time to time. The thing that keeps me going is remembering why I even started recovery. I decided to get help because I wanted to live a life full of opportunities and energy! I wanted to show up as my best self and be the person I was made to be. However, with social media and uneducated people recovery can get hard. That’s why I decided to share my story to show people that my life isn’t perfect and that I still struggle even though I am beyond blessed with amazing opportunities.
If you want to hear more of my story I have a podcast where I share a lot of my struggles and how I overcome them day to day. Its called Beyond The Bow (you can find it on any listening platform).

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

I think the only thing you CAN/SHOULD do is to always work hard!! I never in a billion years thought I would get to where I am today!!! The best advice I could give to anyone is to never take NO for an answer, if you want something go after it and keep pushing until you get it. Seriously, the amount of times I have been told no by people who got me to where I am today is crazy. Take the word no as a maybe and push for a YES. You will get there I promise. If you can dream it, you can do it and I live by that. :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://camilleweiss.my.canva.site
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ca.camel/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-weiss-4977a41b9
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc9tsTJWPzLeryFWC1O2aDw
• Other: MY PODCAST! https://bleav.com/shows/beyond-the-bow-with-camille-weiss/