Today we’d like to introduce you to Joelle Edwards.
Joelle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Joelle, a health and wellness enthusiast hailing from the beautiful city of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Before losing 96 pounds, I’d spent the majority of my life being morbidly obese. I can remember, at the age of seven being the biggest student in each of my classes. That would carry-on throughout elementary and middle school. For a very long time, I figured it was my destiny to be overweight. A portion of my family also suffered from weight issues, which further strengthen my belief that I could never change. Things seemed to only get worse when I arrived to college. I had a newfound freedom, which meant I could eat absolutely anything at anytime. I took full advantage. However, I didn’t fully hit the peak until my senior year.
That year, I tragically lost my close friend and roommate in a car accident, which sent me into a deep depression. Food became my only comfort, which in turn negatively affected my health in a major way. It wasn’t until I seen an unflattering picture of myself that I realized the seriousness of the path I was headed. With a slew of emotions running through me, I decided to finally step on the scale. I weighed in at a whopping 270 pounds. It was at this point I decided I had to seriously make changes.
In February 2013, I made a decision and commitment to myself to NEVER see the numbers 270 ever again. I started my weight loss journey, giving 120%. There were days that I wasn’t sure if that I would see progress. There were days that I cried. There were great days and then… not so great days. One thing was for certain. I refused to give up on myself. Furthermore, I wanted to make my late friend Kayla proud. In six months, I was able to drop 70 pounds and in less than a year, I went on to lose 96 pounds. I can’t put into words how incredible I felt accomplishing something that I thought was impossible. Health and Wellness became my passion and I wanted others to ultimately feel as good as I did.
I started sharing my story on several social media platforms in which allowed me to help men and women from all over the world reach their health and fitness goals. Outside of weight loss, I want people to realize that they can do absolutely anything they put their minds to. All it takes is a little dedication and consistency. Everything else will work in your favor.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey of self-improvement comes with its share of struggles. There has been many deeply rooted issues that I had to deal with in order to get to where I am today. Many believe that once you lose weight, your life becomes much easier. You become happier and live life carefreely. In a sense, yes! You do feel much better after losing a significant amount of weight. The truth, however, the numerical loss is the easy part. The “weight” itself from years of living a certain lifestyle, to now suddenly changing is tough. You have to address the main cause of obesity for long term success.
Please tell us about Get Fit With Coach Jo.
Get Fit With Coach Jo was founded in 2015. It is my passion, something near and dear to my heart. My goal as a health and wellness influencer is to constantly show people that “it is POSSIBLE!”. No matter what life has handed you, no matter how many times you’ve tried and nothing seems to work… It is STILL possible! Helping individuals to trust their process while overcoming fear, doubt and other insecurities is my motivation. I must say that I’m most proud of speaking life into people. Not just a certain gender or race but to people from all walks of life all over the world.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from my childhood has to be the times with my mother. She was my first motivator and the one that always spoke life into me. Because of her, I am the woman I am today.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 4072181053
- Email: GetFitWithCoachJo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jojoeyjoe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetFitWithCoachJo
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mZm90PVfYXXuAeyPQX85A
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