REGINA Bailey has leveraged her role as an NFL cheerleader to become a leading doctor, lawyer, motivational speaker, and beauty queen.
Bailey cheered for the NFL's Washington Redskins while she was earning a law degree at Georgetown University from 1998-2001.
After working as a lawyer for three years, Bailey moved into medicine and became an emergency room doctor in Houston.
Bailey has an incredible four university degrees.
She is also the creator of fitness company Fit and Fine in No Time, which offers "weight loss products, nutritional supplements, and fitness equipment."
Bailey is also the owner of Finesse Med Spa in South Houston, has written multiple books and even won Ms. Earth International.
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And she believes that her time at the Redskins paved the way for future success.
"Professional cheerleading by itself is not a sustainable career," Bailey told The New York Times.
"But that does not mean that...the pursuit cannot prepare women for future careers, strengthen their current career or open doors in similar entertainment-oriented fields.
"Although cheering wasn't my career, I believe it helped me professionally.
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"I developed a great sense of self-confidence and fearlessness; after dancing in front of more than 70,000 screaming fans, there is not too much that makes me nervous.
"I honed my public speaking and communication skills; I did many appearances and talked with people from all walks of life.
"And I use all of those skills today."
NFL cheerleaders are billed as having one of the most envied, celebrated, and sought‐after jobs in sports entertainment.
However, they are subject to a number of strict rules and regulations that place severe limitations on their personal and private lives.
These include maintaining "an ideal body weight," engaging in the "proper use of tampons" and refraining from wearing sweatpants in public.
Bailey believes becoming an NFL cheerleader "opens many doors, offering a bridge to other careers."
But she believes they should be paid much more for their time.
Pay is an issue for cheerleaders, with many earning as little as $75 per game plus additional money for appearances.
According to USA Today, some cheerleaders earn less than $1,000 a year.
Yet they must pay hundreds of dollars for their uniforms and sell raffle tickets and calendars but receive none of the proceeds.
"I do believe I should have been paid for my time I spent rehearsing, at games and for posing in the swimsuit calendar," Bailey said.
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"At that time we did not get paid for those activities, but were paid for appearances and given season tickets.
"... I think cheerleaders should be paid for the time they spend working on and off the field."
