Across the Federation Lines with Brenda McDonell ICN New Zealand President | Episode 17 Season 2

What happens when you cross the federation lines in New Zealand bodybuilding? This week, Chris and Rachel sit down with someone who's been in the sport for over three decades, competed across IFBB, NABBA, and INBA, traveled to the Natural Olympia, and then decided to build something completely different.Brenda McDonell is the co-founder and President of ICN New Zealand. She and her husband Andy launched ICN NZ in 2019 after years of competing and a career spent working as a socaik worker. What started from personal dissatisfaction with the competitive experience has grown into four annual shows and 350+ athletes a year.We are incredibly grateful to Brenda for giving up her time just three days out from the ICN Great Lakes Classic 2026 to sit down with us for this conversation. That generosity says everything about the kind of person she is and the kind of federation she runs.In this episode, we get into how Brenda went from her first show in 1989 to co-founding a federation, why the ICN athlete experience keeps people coming back, the realities of drug testing in natural bodybuilding (including WADA protocols and anonymous reporting), federation politics in New Zealand, judging standards and what ICN is doing to evolve them, and what success looks like for ICN five years from now.This one was long overdue. Whether you compete with ICN, another federation, or you're just trying to figure out where you fit, this conversation is for you.00:00 - Welcome and introductions01:04 - Brenda's journey from IFBB in 1989 through NABBA, INBA, and beyond08:14 - How competing in different federations shaped the ICN vision12:38 - Launching ICN NZ, COVID, and navigating personal tragedy17:03 - Handling public criticism as a federation leader19:23 - What Brenda is most proud of: the ICN community21:27 - When ICN became bigger than just Brenda and Andy25:26 - The hidden workload behind running a federation29:28 - Do federations actually make money?32:37 - What a good athlete experience looks like35:19 - How natural is natural bodybuilding?39:12 - Eligibility, PED policies, and WADA testing protocols46:03 - Who's responsible for protecting natural bodybuilding?51:28 - Federation politics and why hostility doesn't have to be the norm56:11 - Social media, online abuse, and the ugly side of the sport1:04:07 - The evolution of divisions across federations1:17:14 - The future of ICN New Zealand and the pro pathway1:22:36 - Rapid fire with Brenda1:28:26 - How to get involved with ICNLike and subscribe on Spotify and YouTube - it helps more than you'd think.Find us here:🎧 Follow The Macro Lounge on Spotify📸 Instagram: @macro_lounge_podcast▶ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@TheMacroLoungePodcast⁠📩 Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Work with us:👙 Posing School: Accentuate Posing Academy ⁠https://www.instagram.com/accentuate_posing_academy/⁠💪 Coaching with Chris: Team Bold Physique ⁠https://www.instagram.com/teamboldphysique/⁠✨ Competition Bikinis with Rachel: Accentuate Bikinis ⁠https://www.instagram.com/accentuatebikinis/⁠