Paola Mayfield Wiki, Biography
Paola Mayfield was one of the first cast members to be introduced to viewers of 90 Day Fiancé, having appeared in the franchise’s debut season in 2014. She met her current husband, Russ, in 2013 in her native Columbia, where he worked as a field engineer. Their tumultuous relationship was documented in the first season, as well as in 2016 when they appeared on the spinoff series 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After.
The couple has come a long way since then. Although they were on a short break, they were able to patch things up, get together, and are now seen living happily in their newly purchased home. Paola, on the other hand, has managed to carve out her own identity after making a name for herself on reality TV. She entered the world of fitness and became a health coach while continuing her career as a wrestler.
In a conversation with Sportskeeda’s Varsha Narayanan, Paola opened up about her journey towards health, fitness and wrestling. Speaking about entering the world of fitness, the star said:
“I needed to find a life of my own.” 90 Day Fiancé star Paola Mayfield talks about her wrestling and fitness journey.
Paola Mayfield is known as one of the most popular reality stars in the TLC franchise. Her life, her modeling career, ups and downs with her husband Russ and other details were extensively documented on the show, and fans have followed the star on her journey religiously ever since.
After her stint on the reality show, Paola took a deep dive into her fitness journey after concerns about her own health began to surface. But it was also because she wanted to create her own identity that prompted her to embark on this career, and nothing about her has stopped her since.
Q) Could you tell us about your fitness journey and what inspired you to take it?
PAOLA: When I moved to the US, I gained quite a bit of weight. The food was delicious, I wasn’t training or doing anything. He wasn’t as active as before. The culture around me changed and the language barrier… not being able to do much in Oklahoma… I said I needed to do something with myself and focus on something to take my mind off the fact that I was living so far away from my family. I needed to find some passion besides my marriage.
Paola then revealed that at first she could only run for five seconds and she felt like quitting several times. But she worked hard and was so passionate that Russ suggested that she try out to become a personal trainer. However, she realized that her lack of understanding of the English language was causing a hindrance.
The 90 Day Fiancé star then took classes and was eventually able to earn a personal trainer and nutrition coach certificate. She found her next passion, which was wrestling, thanks to her athletic build and her positive outlook.
Q) Have you always been passionate about dedicating yourself to wrestling or was it something you thought about in the future?
PAOLA: Well, I wasn’t familiar with wrestling until I started training in 2020. I saw a movie and was inspired by the actress. For me, this transition hasn’t been easy because I’m learning English as I go, and if I was entering a new world, it was a whole new vocabulary for me. The names of the moves, being able to understand your opponents from different countries… I didn’t expect this transition, I didn’t expect to be so passionate about it.
Q) How does it feel to be able to dedicate yourself to wrestling now that you have had fights?
PAOLA: When I get in the ring, I feel like I have this potential, I have this talent that I didn’t know I had and I’m capable of doing it. I hope it’s not too late even though I’m trying really hard. I want to be able to make people see me not only as a reality star, but also as someone who has this talent.
Q) What was the type of challenges or criticisms you had to face when entering the world of wrestling and how did you manage to overcome them?
PAOLA: At this point, I’ve been in this for almost a year and a half and I haven’t had more than, let’s say, 50 games. I’ve worked with amazing companies and I feel their reviews are good, the people I’ve met have always said something positive and I’m looking forward to hearing.
Wrestling, however, is not just about moves, it’s also about psychology. And it’s also about understanding that I have a purpose and telling a story. Being in what is called a male-dominated field and looking at amazing women, I would love to see a balance between the two. Women are very talented and should be able to show themselves, because…why not?
Paola also talked more about her relationship with her husband Russ, moving into her new home, her stint on 90 Day Fiancé, and what she thought about the current shows in the franchise.
Keep watching this space for more on Paola Mayfield and her life.