Ellis becomes pro bodybuilder

At 5 foot, 6 inches, Sierra Ellis appears short in stature, but her heart and grit make her 10 feet tall. Growing up wasn't easy for her in Ellijay, Georgia. She took to lifting weights at 10 years old, using her family's thrifted equipment and watching vintage bodybuilding documentaries. Today, her best lift is bench press at 205 pounds, and her best deadlift is 325 pounds while weighing 138 pounds, making her power-to-weight ratio very high.

"As soon as I was old enough that lifting and training wouldn't stunt my growth or cause any health issues, I immediately started lifting. We have a gym inside of our home. It's very grungy, but I really liked it," she said.

Ellis is now a University of North Georgia (UNG) senior pursuing a degree in psychology and a minor in studio art. She is a student worker in the Recreation Center at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

Thanks to years of training, Ellis has recently been making major moves.

With support from her brothers, Logan and Coleman; boyfriend Blane Lott and UNG's Lesli Gray, Ellis registered for the Queen City Showdown in North Carolina. Ellis ended up winning all three of her divisions and was crowned the overall winner.

"I was standing on stage crying. I didn't even think I was going to make it through, and I won. I had a crown, I had a trophy and the whole audience was cheering,” she said. “It wasn't how I looked. It's the fact that I was able to save myself from not being here anymore. When you've been so lonely and so lost and so desperate and you're standing on stage in front of 100 people, calling out your name, I can't even explain to you what it does. It's so wonderful to not feel alone and have purpose."

The following weekend she competed in Greenville, North Carolina, where she earned first place and her World Beach Body Federation (WBBF) pro bodybuilding card.

"I just sobbed. I never in life thought that I would be a professional athlete. I was doing it to cope with hardships and to give myself reason to push through and maybe show others that you still have hope, you have what it takes," she said. "I had flashbacks to watching those 80s bodybuilding documentaries on my living room floor. And suddenly I'm one of them."

Ellis started competitive powerlifting in college and earned several state titles. It was also the hardest time in her life financially. There were days she would go without eating. There were times she'd sleep in her car or on someone's couch. She even slept in a closet — all while working three jobs.

Ellis struggled with self-doubt, fighting thoughts of guilt and shame, but won those battles through training and turned to body building. She found a nearby bodybuilding competition. Without a coach, trainer or dietitian. Without money. She picked up extra shifts, worked doubles and continued her studies.  

"I won my first show. The joy, adrenaline and pure emotions behind that moment — proving to myself that I could do that and I win — was life-changing. I have no words to describe how good it felt that I just proved the world wrong," she said. "I knew I was going to continue. I just knew it. I was like, 'I have a reason, I have a purpose and I have a calling.'"

Ellis said she hopes to inspire others as she continues to compete. People think bodybuilding is conceited and Ellis said she understands that. But she adds that she is fighting for herself and to show others they have a reason to be here as well.

The highs and lows of her budding career included what Ellis said was probably the worst struggle she'd ever had in life, facing the aftermath of crimes allegedly committed by her father.

"I was at the lowest point of my life. I completely lost myself," she said. "I didn't get out of bed for days. I wouldn't talk to anyone. I wouldn't eat."

By the fall of 2025, she went back to working three jobs to pay legal fees, medical bills and rent. She withdrew from school for the semester. Lacking a car, she walked everywhere. There were days she thought would be her last. She had said her goodbyes. 

Ellis will compete in the WBBF World Classic in Daytona, Florida, in August in one of her handmade competition bikinis.

"Earning professional athlete status as a bodybuilder is an amazing accomplishment, but it honestly doesn't surprise me or anyone who knows Sierra. The discipline, focus and dedication it takes to reach that level are the same qualities she brings to everything she does," Gray said. "Sierra is truly one of those people everyone enjoys working with. She comes to work with a great attitude, works hard and is a positive example for everyone at the Recreation Center. She is dependable kind, and always willing to help.”