Juliet Banks

After photo sessions at Power of Fitness Gym and in the desert in Palm Springs and now having had dinner with Juliet Banks at the Ace Hotel, I had discovered some big secrets about this amazing woman. Because Juliet is very active on BodySpace, the online community at BodyBuilding.com, I’d seen her many times online.

I knew that she was a mother of three and had built her life around being fit. She managed to look great and stay on top of working out and training others while also taking care of her 21-year-old son Brandon. You see, Brandon was not expected to get to 21—he was born with cerebral palsy and Dandy-Walker syndrome, a congenital brain malformation. Through very proactive care by Juliet, however, Brandon is now a young man, and he’s even going to Las Vegas with his mom for his 21st birthday. Along the way Juliet became an advocate for other families facing dire health-care problems. She even ran for Congress.

One secret, however, was something that Juliet kept hidden; it was too painful for her to revisit. At one point she weighed 239 pounds. Taking care of her son, raising her family and working to help so many others had taken its toll—and Juliet wasn’t taking care of Juliet. Bad eating habits and no exercise racked up the bodyfat. Every time the kids heard the doorbell ring, they would yell, “Pizza!” Finally, Juliet took her life back.

A change in diet alone took 60 pounds off her right away. Then she fell in love with working out, which eventually led to her being a trainer and even standing onstage and winning trophies in figure competition.

“JulietArtThou” tells me that she knew that there was a “goddess within,” and the photographs here really tell the story. She believes in the art of our own selves both physically and spiritually, and I think there is much to say for the spirit of Juliet Banks.

Editor’s note: For more BodySpace bodies and info, visit Bodybuilding.com.