Name: Lauren Drain Nationality: American Bio: Professional Bikini Athlete, Registered Nurse, Personal Trainer Lauren’s life has always been full of challenges. From being banished from the Westboro Baptist church, to writing her first book and becoming a fitness icon – she is a prime example of determination over situation. After being expelled from her home, and disowned by her family at 22 – Lauren still found the strength to move on and create a better life for herself. After years of turmoil, she succeeded. Now a professional Bikini Athlete and online sensation, Lauren has gained a mass of followers that she constantly motivates with her progress and journey. Biography Lauren was born in 1985, raised in the county seat of Hillsborough Country, Tampa, and had always been a keen sportswoman. She was an all-star team baseball and softball player during high school, but had never considered becoming a Bikini Athlete. She lived an ordinary life for the first part of her childhood, but when she was 5-years-old, her father left home to study at the University of Kansas. Little did she know about the events that would unfold as a result. First steps into fitness and turning point In 2012-2013, Lauren began to feed the thrill-seeking part of her by entering adventure races like Tough Mudder and the Spartan Races. Her passion for sports was returning, along with a new-found appreciation for the fitness industry. However, she was unhappy with her physique. Determined to sculpt a body she’d be proud of, the outcast began watching videos and learning about how to get into shape. The ex-Westboro Baptist member’s first steps into the industry took the form of Cross-fit. She began competing locally, and this is where she learned all of the Olympic lifts, developing great cardio endurance in the process. She began to realize what her body was capable of and was excited to see where fitness could take her. After all of the misery she had faced, Lauren had finally found something which made her happy. First competition Although Lauren had managed to build up her endurance through cross-fit, she still wasn’t happy with the appearance of her body. After doing more research into the fitness industry, she hired a coach and made the decision to enter her first competition as a Bikini Athlete – the WBFF show in 2014, Boston. This was a decision that would change her life as she knew it. She knew that she only had two weeks to prepare, but it was this determination that would see her eventually succeed. During her competition prep, she dropped 13lb in 14 days. Although she didn’t win, she had gained valuable experience into the world of fitness, and she was hungry to take home a trophy. She took her training to the next level and set her sights on more competitions. Entering more competitions Lauren worked relentlessly over the next 8 months, training hard everyday in an attempt to reach her goal. She continued to work nights as a registered nurse, desperately trying to win her Pro Card. She entered 5 competitions during this period, gaining more insight into how the industry worked after each one. She finished higher in every competition she entered, coming a close second twice in the WBFF New York and Boston, respectively. Becoming a Professional Bikini Athlete Finally, all of her hard work had paid off. After months of rigorous training and dieting, she walked away from the 2014 WBFF Rhode Island championship with silverware. At 29, Lauren had reached her ambition of becoming a professional Bikini Athlete after earning her Pro Card with her first place prize. But she was only getting started. She never stopped working hard, and entered her first competition in the professional division, only 4 months after. She was placed at a very respectable 4th, but has remained as determined as ever to be the best.