She’s not a part of the A-team, she is the A-team. Brandi Rhodes (she / her) is an unapologetic powerhouse, bringing the heat on and off the mat pretty much 24/7. Aside from being a professional wrestler, she’s also the Chief Brand Officer of AEW, the creator of “Whoa Baby!” wine, and a kick-a** new mom.

The Detroit native opened up about her wrestling origin story, how she was literally doing squats at the gym before giving birth, and what motivates her to never throw in the towel on things she’s passionate about.

We don’t hear a lot of young girls say, “I want to be a wrestler when I grow up.” When did that thought cross your mind?
I was actually discovered. I was modeling in Miami and had a background in television broadcasting. At that point, the way they were finding female wrestlers was by looking for athletic models. I had figure skated for 17 years of my childhood and early adulthood, so I fit that bill quite a bit. I had never thought of doing it before but had been a fan of wrestling as a child. I’m somebody who’ll give anything a chance, so I gave it one and fell in love with it.

How did you come up with your wrestling persona?
My wrestling persona has always been myself, but times 10. I’m a pretty unapologetic person. I like what I like, and I do what I do. And if you don’t like it, you can go suck eggs. Some people like that, some people hate it, but that’s just who I am.

Matches seem like they take a toll on your body. What’s it like training for that?
It’s very intense. In wrestling, we put our bodies on the line every day. There are a lot of people who’ve suffered injuries they can’t come back from, so it’s a risk you have to take. The more you train and the more your opponents train, the safer things tend to be. I still train in the ring 3 to 5 days a week and in the gym 7 days a week to perfect the craft.

You’ve always been very active, but then you got pregnant. What was it like for you to take a break from wrestling?
Honestly, I think it’s different for every woman as far as what their limits are during pregnancy, and how much they’re able to push through. I had a very active doctor and was actually squatting [at the gym] the day I went into labor. So I was fortunate that not too much had to change. I wasn’t maxing out weight or anything like that, but I was able to stay very physical. Obviously, I wasn’t in the ring anymore and I missed that.

Was it an easy transition getting back into the ring after you gave birth?
I wouldn’t say it was easy. It’s never easy, even if you’ve come back from a small injury. Any time away is something you have to build back up to, but I was very determined. I had great people to train with and that was really helpful and motivational for me.

What’s been a guiding principle for figuring out the next steps in your career?
If it’s something that doesn’t serve me or I don’t wake up excited to do, I shouldn’t be doing it. And thankfully, there are a lot of opportunities out there I do get really excited about. But of course, another motivation these days is my baby. I would love for her to see that she can do anything she puts her mind to, excites her, or makes her heart content. These days I’m more apt to try new things because I want her to not be afraid to do that.