TPA’s newest police officer is following her dreams to success

In the middle of nowhere

Henley joined the Army National Guard because she loved helping people. Typical deployments are in disaster areas to help after a hurricane or flooding and usually last no longer than six to nine months. But on the border, Henley quickly found out her deployment would last much longer: 13 months in the middle of nowhere. Her team's mission was to serve as an extra set of eyes on the border and to report illegal crossings to the U.S. Border Patrol.

"Where we were put, there was no other civilization around," said Henley. "There was a McDonald's about 45 minutes away in the nearest little town, but that was about it. The closest Walmart was an hour and a half."

Living in the middle of the New Mexico desert meant there wasn't always much to do.

"In our off time, we were so bored," recalls Henley. "All we could do is cook for ourselves because we had nowhere to go."

Luckily there was a gym, and Henley began spending more and more time pumping iron. In the past, she'd considered competing as a bodybuilder but never thought she had the right body type.

But now, with extra time and extra income from so few places to spend her money, she decided to hire an online coach and give her long-forgotten bodybuilding dream a shot. If she didn't enjoy it after six months, she could quit, she reasoned.

Not only did Henley fall in love with bodybuilding, but her coach told her she was making unbelievable progress. The new hobby helped the next months pass by quickly, and she felt great.

"It really puts a new perspective on how you look at health and food and the decisions you make," said Henley.

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