Caterina's On Cloud 9

Since becoming a WBFF Pro

- Nicholas Hastie & Jasmine Rolfe

If you met Caterina Ruberto today, her energy and confidence would jump right out at you. As an accomplished personal trainer and one of the head coaches at The Sports Model Project, Caterina has had a passion for health and fitness since childhood and was regularly involved in sport. Competition is also no stranger to the Yamba local and, in exciting news and a testament to her persistence and determination, Caterina has recently become a WBFF Pro, taking out 1st place in the US show in April this year. “Winning my WBFF Pro Card was an incredible experience and by far the biggest highlight of my competing career,” Caterina says. Her rise through the health and fitness industry however, wasn’t without it’s insecurities.

“Prior to getting in the gym I was very insecure, shy and introverted. I would worry a lot about what others thought of me and could never have imagined I would have achieve what I have now,” Caterina explains. “I came from a very small country town of only 3,500 people and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be where I am today.”

Yet motivation to exercise fluctuated alongside her confidence on her health and fitness journey - and when she reflects on her previous daily routine, she remembers a constant internal battle.

“In the past, my relationship with food and training wasn’t great, but what was worse was my relationship with myself,” she says. “It was mainly my own head junk and limiting beliefs of myself. I would tell myself stories about how I wasn’t good enough to achieve success, about not being worthy. It’s crazy how harsh we can be on ourselves. Without breaking down the mental barriers I would not be where I am today.”