Today we’d like to introduce you to Joselyn Miller.
Hi Joselyn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my fitness journey in 2014, before my husband and I married and lived in Houston, Texas. I started Motherhood Strong to become the fitness coach that I needed. I was a professional dancer trying to “make it.” I auditioned without success until I started Crossfit, which my husband convinced me to do. After about two years of participating in Crossfit, I was in love with exercise, more successful as a dancer, and decided to become certified as a coach. The gym my husband and I were members of hired me and mentored me as I learned how to coach others. In early January 2017, I got pregnant with our first daughter. I wanted to continue dancing, working, and doing my normal activities. My OB told me the typical blanket advice: “don’t lift more than 25 pounds, and keep doing what you’re doing.” That alone was contradictory because I could lift more than 25 regularly in my daily workouts. The other mothers and coaches at the gym gave me generic advice: no sit-ups, avoid box jumps and don’t lift too heavy.
Halfway through my pregnancy, my husband and I moved back to the Saint Louis area and settled in Saint Charles. I continued to do Crossfit workouts, convinced I was preparing to have easy labor and delivery. It was after my daughter was born, however, that I realized the blanket advice I had received and was receiving about returning to fitness was not serving me in any way. I was in a body I didn’t recognize, with issues like incontinence with movement, pelvic pain, and a large abdominal separation (diastasis recti) that I was afraid of making worse.
At this time, I began coaching Crossfit at an area gym and realized that other mothers were struggling with the same things. I ran classes out of the gym I was coaching Crossfit and was amazed at the number of women that came to me as soon as they heard about me. I became certified to coach pre and postnatal mothers through their fitness journey. When I got approved and started my business, Motherhood Strong, my daughter was four months old. As my business grew, I realized that business had more opportunities for growth at a different Crossfit gym, and I moved to UnCharted Crossfit. At this time, I was pregnant with my second daughter and also realized that the certification I held had many holes. I found Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism and took their coaching course. It was 50 hours of online learning and studying in the early morning before my oldest woke up, and I took the test after my second was born. I remember nursing her at my computer and answering questions. After this certification, my business grew, and I was much more confident as a coach helping these mothers.
It’s now 2022, and I’ve been in business for almost 5 years (I opened in March 2018). Motherhood Strong has weathered a lot, including surviving the pandemic doing online classes and my own postpartum time with two more daughters added to my family. I’m proud of the community of moms that this little passion of mine has created and that I can help so many mothers feel more confident in their bodies with the support they deserve.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No new business venture is ever a smooth road. I’m very blessed that my husband works in business development and has been able to mentor me through the bumps of starting. It was a steep learning curve learning the basics, like how to track my profits and expenses. I am the primary caregiver to my children; our family dynamic allows me to be home with them full-time. I run this business in the early mornings while sitting at gymnastics, watching my girls tumble during nap time. That can be a challenge, but it’s also a huge blessing. This wouldn’t be a section on obstacles if I didn’t mention the pandemic. Shifting very hands in the personal business to accommodate for covid took work. I coached group classes on Zoom and enjoyed it for several months. I realized that many moms liked the ability to work out at home; it was easier for childcare, they didn’t have to leave their homes after shuffling kids home from school, etc. As the world started to open again, I realized my schedule could not support coaching online and in-person classes, so I shifted to programming workouts for online clients that they complete independently. I’m a one-woman team, so the business could be more active if I’m not working. Since starting Motherhood Strong, I have also had two more babies. Navigating having three children in less than five years would be an obstacle for anyone, but maintaining clients and my business while also honoring my needs for maternity leave has been challenging.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
Motherhood Strong is not just a workout company. I am certified to coach pre and postnatal moms, but I am also a pre and postnatal mother. I understand firsthand the struggles of an ever-changing body, working out while breastfeeding, and navigating urinary incontinence. As a coach, I specialize in keeping mothers and babies in utero safe, helping postpartum moms find confidence in their bodies and true athleticism to support their activities of daily living. I get how to do this because I am in the trenches with these women, and that truly sets me apart from other fitness coaches or brands. But I also know my scope; I’m not an MD or a physical therapist. I have no problem saying, “I don’t know, but let me find out,” or “you need help from a professional that isn’t me.” I’m always hungry for education and genuinely want to help my clients have better lives, so I work well with area physical therapists, chiropractors, and doctors to support our shared clients because of this. I’ve found that often women have graduated from physical therapy but need a bit of help going from that type of care to the athleticism they want to maintain before having children. I’m a good bridge for that.
What matters most to you?
What matters most is that I help support moms in the way I felt I needed. My first pregnancy and postpartum period felt like the Wild West. I want my clients to feel like I can be a fitness resource and friend in this crazy journey. This matters because I know the struggles are daunting and hard as I go through them myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.motherhoodstrong.com
- Instagram: @motherhoodstrongstl
- Facebook: @motherhoodstrongstl
Image Credits
Gretchen Day Photography
