Natural Muscle June/July 2015 | Page 58

ON THE COVER Gina midyett Larry Hodge Photography HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5’7” and 128 lbs competition weight THINGS I ENJOY: Playing the piano, my rescue dog Evelyn and walking on the beach FAMILY: Husband - Matt, Children - Matthew Jr (8) and Victoria (7) EDUCATION: Ph D in Clinical Psychology, Pepperdine University FAVORITE DISH: Ropa Vieja and white rice G ina Midyett was born in Miami, Florida and has two brothers and two sisters.She received her Bachelors in elementary education at Barry University. Right out of college, she began teaching. She was assigned to a classroom of children that were labeled with learning disabilities and behavior problems. She noticed that everything she had learned in college to break though to these children was not working. She decided to incorporate her love of fitness into the students curriculum and saw a significant change in their grades. In 2000 she entered a local Hawaiian Tropic pageant to help conquer her stage fright and to prepare her for competing on stage. She ended up winning the contest and was awarded the title of Miss Cuba. She went on to compete in Las Vegas with women from around the world at the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International pageant and won! She made the cover of several magazines including Natural Muscle. She also won the title of Miss Met Rx. Winning this title led her to pursue modeling opportunities in Los Angeles, California. While living in Los Angeles, she became the Director of Personal Training at Powerhouse Gym West LA and that's where she met her future husband, Matt. While training clients, she noticed that exercise was "curing" people's depression and other mental health disorders. This in- 58 Natural Muscle Magazine spired her to go back to school where she received her Masters degree in Marriage and Family therapy and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She married her husband in 2005 and then they moved to Tampa, FL where her husband Matt and his two brothers Eddy and John opened “the world famous“ Powerhouse Gym Downtown Tampa. Gina and Matt had two beautiful children, Matthew (8) and Victoria (7). After having her children and feeling out of shape, she got back into weight training and got in the best shape of her life. She opened her private practice in Tampa and began "prescribing" exercise to help with disorders such as depression and anxiety. She also implemented exercise and nutrition for adults and children with ADHD. She began working with the gay and transgender community in Tampa and this led her to become certified as a sex therapist. She was asked to be part of the “Spice show” on a local radio station and was given the name "Dr. Love". LIVE on the air, she would give love and relationship advice. In November 2014, she won 1st place at the WBFF competition in Miami and became a WBFF pro. She is currently on Tampa Bay's #1 sports radio show “the Ron and Ian show”, as their Sex Therapist and relationship expert. Her goal is to continue to bring awareness to the importance of mental health and fitness. June/July 2015