Steve Cook: The fitness superstar on bodybuilding, steroids, body dysmorphia, depression, and why what you see online rarely mirrors reality

College football star, champion physique athlete, international cover model, and social media superstar. There’s not many things Steve Cook tries that doesn’t result in huge success.

At least from the outside. Throughout the prism of Instagram, he’s living the perfect life and his legion of fans adore him.

But does the reality mirror what it’s really like to live under that social media spotlight? Or he is just as affected by some of the negative impacts of living your life online that we all suffer?

In a hugely honest and revealing conversation with Unfiltered editor-in-chief Joe Warner, Steve opens up about his life, lifting and his legacy and - in a world exclusive - reveals his experiences with using performance-enhancing drugs and the impact they've had on his long-term health.

In their wide-ranging intimate chat, Steve also explains how he bounced back from getting burned out by the challenges of satisfying the relentless demands of creating new content; his mental health struggles as COVID-19 restrictions kept him and wife Morgan continents apart; the internal pressure he put on himself by seeking external validation for how he looked with his shirt off; the body dysmorphia and eating disorders issues that are prevalent in the health and wellness industry.

He also explains why his new-found love for golf is the greatest metaphor for a life well lived: the more effort you put in, the more joy you get back.

To watch our video on Steve Cook talking about how he deals with the pressure of living his life in the spotlight, including battling his demons around burn out, imposter syndrome, body image pressure and more, visit https://unfilteredonline.com/steve-cook-social-media-body-issues/

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