Meet Ocean Willow

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ocean Willow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ocean, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was originally born in Queens, NY; more specifically, Flushing. Although I was born in NYC, I grew up in Marlboro, New Jersey, a more rural suburb in the “nonexistent” central part of New Jersey. My background and upbringing really impacts who I am today because of not only the atmosphere of New Jersey but, more importantly, my biological parents. Both my mother and father are South Korean immigrants who came to America; like any immigrant, for a better life for themselves and opportunity to fulfill the so called “American Dream.” You see when I was born in Queens, NY on that life-changing summer morning in June, I officially became the first born Korean-American in my entire family. I set new ground for both sides of my family, and it really is an amazing blessing that I am alive and well. Now, this is where my background and upbringing slowly become more impactful: When you are raised in a fast pace, money-hustling, and very aggressive state like Jersey, the stakes to make it to the top and be successful were high in any aspect of life! On top of that, my parents divorced when I was only 2 years old! My father was assigned to take care of me as a single father, and I was assigned to fit in a town where I felt like I didn’t belong. Growing up with no siblings and in a predominantly jewish and white town like Marlboro was a culture shock to me being an Korean-American. I had to learn to fit in the norms in public school when I was the outlier or in the out-group. All the racial name calling, teasing about my name, and all the silly childish acts actually made me the mentally strong person I am today. While growing up in Marlboro, New Jersey, I learned how to connect with people, become a great public speaker and more importantly, a great listener. I was blessed to have a father who was a Professor to educate me and place me in an educational system that made me excel in my academic career. I will forever be grateful for that but, being the outlier, the black sheep made me the person I am today. Reflecting back now, I wish I told younger self to embrace your uniqueness because it will be the secret ingredient to your success later in life! Growing up in New Jersey made me the ambitious, hungry, hard working, and extremely disciplined person I am today. Once again, I am forever grateful for everything!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am currently an amateur, competitive natural bodybuilder who is striving to become an IFBB professional bodybuilder. Bodybuilding is very dear to my heart. It is really a deeply rooted passion of mine and I love the sport and art of bodybuilding with all my heart. Although I am not a professional yet, the lessons I have learned through bodybuilding the last 3 years have changed my perspective on life completely! I started my fitness journey at the age of 13; far before any tiny thoughts of bodybuilding. Through over 10 years of training in the gym, 6 bodybuilding shows, including one national show, I learned the only aspect that mattered was improvement. If someone were to ask me what life lessons I have learned through bodybuilding, the first three lessons that come to mind are always: resilience & grit, discipline, and toughness. They’re days I feel as if my 30 year old mind is stuck in my 23 year old body sometimes because of how much bodybuilding really matures your mind. I really learned to simply prioritize the aspects of my life that matter such as: God, family, and my health; and remove aspects that negatively impacted my life such as: judgement, comparing, and fighting. I wake up everyday now, grateful, blessed, and appreciate of life through bodybuilding.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If one of my best friends came down to visit, I would definitely take them to Miami to show them the beautiful scenery. All my friends are really sports fanatics that are very down to earth, so I would take them to a Miami Heat, Dolphins, or Marlins game, followed by dinner at Zuma or COTE. If they were staying for a week, I think I would always take them to some restaurants with a good balance of great food and a nice ambiance such as SexyFish, Joe’s Stone Crab, or even Fiore Caffe. To go out with my friends, I would take them to Club Space first, then the Miami Zoo and Seaquarium. I think if you are a tourist or local, going out to Coral Gables for a nice brunch or a nice sunset drink on Bayside is always the move!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I really want to dedicate my shoutout to my entire family, including my extended family, and my close friends. I really put my family as a huge priority in my life. Ironically, when I was raised by my biological father I never was taught about any family values, etiquette, or manners to be really honest. I learned through observation. While spending time with my few close friends, I really got a good understanding of how a family dynamic should look like and feel like. Being an only child with a single parent was an unusual dynamic because of my father’s Korean cultures but, I was ambitious to learn about what “family” was all about. Family life really seemed appealing and attractive to me because I knew when I went back home I didn’t have that. I was envious and jealous honestly lol. I did learn about family through past relationships and a lot of research; from reading books to watching movies with family life in it. When my mother got remarried and had a child, I suddenly was placed in a family setting for the first time in my life. I had a brother? I had sisters? I had a dog? Being 12 years old and experiencing it for the first time was odd when I visited my mom but, I slowly embraced what “family” was. I can honestly say, it took me more than 10 years from that point to understand family pretty well… and still I don’t get it lol. Still, I always shoutout my family because I love them and they stay with you through thick and thin, no matter what!! More specifically, I do want to shoutout my little brother Noah. I would always ask my mom when I was younger, “Umma can you get me a dog or brother, I’m very lonely” and she did both for me 10 years later so I just want to thank my mother for bringing my brother and dog into my life. I am again, forever grateful!

Instagram: @willowsweights

Youtube: @willowsweights