A careful thinker, yet willing to be bold and stand out, is not afraid to show her full strength, but is able to remain so soft and feminine as well; all of this and so much more are packed into this dark haired beauty. In the following interview, I find myself, even at 33, feeling as if I had had my confidence level at 21 years old as she does. A California native, one of two other siblings, this rad girl is truly learning what it's like to stand out amongst the rest of the pack. As I’m interviewing her, she has just gotten done doing a kickboxing workout with me as her trainer, and she is beaming even more than when she first walked into the gym. Needless to say, it feels fantastic being able to punch the crap out of stuff. I wish I could have you all see her smile when she is thinking about something, but truly, imagine that first glimpse into the sun you get before you think you might need to go get your sunglasses, that’s what her smile is like. So as I get the chance to interview her, I get to see that epic smile quite a bit.

 

 

Who are some knockouts in your life who have inspired your journey so far?

 

"My friend Kelly. She is just so awesome, and no matter where her physical body is at the moment, she truly is comfortable in her own skin. She helped me to not worry too much about my body and how it looks."

 

---At this point Polly starts to tear up, and you can physically see the love she has for this girl. They have been friends for years now, and I have had the privilege of seeing first hand how they interact, and it truly is what great friendships should be made of.

 

If someone could play you in a movie, who would it be and why?

 

--- She truly is not sure at first. It can be different to think of yourself in that way at times. However, she answers with the following:

 

"Shaliene Woodley! She is super pretty…...you know…..like me. She is a natural beauty, I am too. Plus, no matter what role she is playing, I can see myself in her."

 

--- I truly truly see this as an excellent way to describe Polly’s personality over all. She is an easy going, easily adaptable, kind of girl. She is quiet when she needs to be, loving to a fault, and fierce when called upon to be.

 

What’s your favorite workout song right now?

 

"Partition by Beyonce!"

 

What would you say your greatest fear is?

 

--- This is always the tough one for any of our girl crew that we ask. Either one of two things happens. They answer, BOOM, right away, or hesitate because for a lot of us, actually speaking the fear can make it real to us.

 

"That everyone will be more successful than I will be. I’m afraid that everyone will be set in their careers way before me or that I just won’t ever get to that point."

 

--- I ask her now what her ultimate, ultimate career would be.

 

"Catering and event planning for sure. I truly think I can see myself doing that forever, and like, really liking it. Ever since I started working at 9Round, (link to 9Round kickboxing at the end of this article) I feel I have become more confident and outgoing. This has sort of forced me to really talk to people about what it is they want in an event, their menu and so on."

 

What is something you have struggled with when you were younger that has changed now?

 

--- Now, I wasn’t sure if i was to ask this question, as my sweet Polly is newly 21 years of age. However, knowing this girl now on a more personal level, I was curious, I had to ask. The issues a lot of women deal with do not show discrimination of age.

 

"I struggled a lot with being shy, I was a shy little hermit crab (her exact words, seriously just want to hug this girl all the time), and I feel like I am getting much better with that. I was scared to talk to people! I never would go up to people to talk to them and start a conversation. I still really won’t do that now, but I guess the difference is that if someone seeks out a conversation with me, I will engage more with them. I think it goes along with truly not caring if the other person judges me or not. I just am who I am, and enjoy that more now, and I think that I can bring that out in my conversations with others now."

 

What do you think is an issue that needs to be talked about as a woman?

 

This one seemed to be a more difficult question for her. There are certain things she that she has been through this year that truly have taught her a lot. One of the biggest was a relationship, or rather, the lack of one. She chooses to not have the details of this particular relationship out there in this way, although, if you were to ask her, she would gladly open up to you about it. She is a very transparent, nothing to hide from the ones she loves, kind of girl. Although this relationship was complicated and more confusing than even the most dramatic soap opera, she somehow still finds a way to remain herself. And for this, I am in awe of her.

 

Describe yourself using only adjectives!

 

"Big smile, sarcastic, sassy, fierce, caring, loyal….. You got that I said that I was fierce right?!!"

 

Even though 15 years old was not so far back for you, would there be anything even at 21 that you would tell your 15 year old self?

 

"Well, I mean, I really feel like I have changed a lot from even 15. I would truly tell my younger self to come out of her shell more, go for your goals, be comfortable with who you are! It will all be ok!"

 

Is happiness something you create or earn?

 

--- For the very first time in this interview, this girl has an immediate answer. Which, as I said earlier, is sort of “out of character” for her. She knew exactly what she wanted to say to this question. I think when you consider the nature of just who she is and her recent relationship, it really actually comes as no surprise that she would answer so quickly.

 

"Oh, you create it, I don’t think you earn happiness. Anyone can ‘get happy’, happiness is only temporary. It’s like, I’m happy my sister is engaged, or I have a puppy, I have a boyfriend; but it’s only something you create. You don’t earn those things………… I really like that question."

(insert that bright smile she has right now)

 

Why would you say you’re a knockout?

 

"I feel like there’s a lot of reasons! I guess I can start with when I saw the pictures we took for The Knockout Collective. When I saw them, it was the first time that I really liked all of them! I felt, well, for one thing, I’m frickin’ hot, so like what; I mean green eyes, curly, dark hair. Also, it’s how you treat people that can make you a beautiful person. I think I am a knockout because of the way I treat other people. Anyone can seem awesome at first, but just have a conversation with someone, you’ll learn pretty quickly what kind of person they are. I am, though, a great package. I mean, hot, loyal, sassy, sarcastic, fierce, and then I’ll cook for you?!! Come on people!"

 

How does one even top that last response? It will be difficult. It’s hard for a lot of us to just outright, say what it is we feel our strengths are. Especially as women, the ones that make us feel like a knockout, that can be even more difficult. Yet, what we learn through the process of coming together, is that our highs and lows in life truly do transcend age, race, religion; in fact you quickly begin to find that as women, you can be 21 with a best friend who’s 35. The heart connection, which this girl offers up to every person she meets irregardless of age, is what eyes we are meant to see with. So, thank you Polly, for teaching me this especially, and for truly being a badass knockout!

​

Interviewed by:Emily Bishop

Photography: Eric Spraker @esprakee

www.9round.com