Meagan Martin talks the mental mindset that’s kept her consistent for 5 seasons

Meagan Martin is a model of consistency on the American Ninja Warrior course. Since her debut in season six, she has never missed a chance to advance to the City Finals. Season 10 marked her fifth year on the extended course. After a stunning run that put her on the ninth obstacle, Iron Maiden, she’s now heading to her fifth time on Stage One of the National Finals as well.

Meagan’s life off the course has been charging forward as well. She’s a model and professional rock climber, jet-setting all over the world for her competitions and location shoots. Needless to say, her success and strength have made her a fan favorite, inspiring countless others to pursue their dreams.

Before her runs in Minneapolis, Meagan chatted with us about what it’s like to live life on the move, her views on her future, and what American Ninja Warrior means to her.

“My life has been pretty busy! It’s been go, go, go since... I can’t even remember. Lots of climbing and modeling. I got to do Celebrity Ninja Warrior again this year. Lots of travel. Trying to stay healthy and have fun.”

“That amount of travel really impacts my training. I don’t feel like I’ve been training at all. I’ve just been bouncing from place to place and hoping that I’m still in shape basically. I haven’t even gotten to train for climbing the way I normally like to. I’ve just been going from competition to competition. I didn’t have a lot of Ninja specific training this year. At least not nearly as much as I would have wanted to.

But you know, Jake (Murray) said that I looked strong the other day. So maybe it’s fine! (Laughs). He’s like, ‘You look better than last year.’ I’m like, ‘Cool, I’ll take it.’ That makes me feel better.”

“I definitely like all the stuff I’ve been doing. I’ll probably only compete in climbing for like another two years, because I’m getting older. It’s hard, competing against a lot of teenagers. But I really like the opportunities I’ve been getting. I really want to be an actress so I’m trying to do that kind of stuff.”

“This has been my biggest year for an experience with a fan. My friend Celina is here! She’s six years old. I met her at the Wolfpack Ninja Tour and she is amazing. She just finished her last chemo for leukemia and she’s healthy enough to be here so I’m really excited to see her. It feels weird calling her a fan. She’s my friend.”

“I need to keep myself calm. I think my body really does know what it’s doing. My Nationals this year for climbing, I didn’t feel as prepared as I did in previous years, but I did better this year. I think it’s because even if I didn’t get to train as much as I wanted to, I was still there. If I was mentally on my game, it was fine.”

“I try to speak positive words to myself. I like to remind myself that I’m having fun, that I like what I’m doing, that I’m good at this. I know what to do, it’s not a big deal. I repeat that it’s fun a lot. It’s fun once you’re doing it, but at the very beginning it’s terrifying. Once you’re through the first obstacle you’re like, ‘This is fun!’

I just want to be able to do my best. I hope to hit a few buzzers. I’m going to try my hardest. I don’t want to set any expectations. Have fun and do my best!”

The National Finals kick off on Monday, August 27. Meagan Martin will be one of the Ninjas looking to hit a buzzer on Stage One.