Coaching women to heal through movement.
Running to Exhale is a space for mothers and women of color seeking to enrich their mental and physical well-being through the transformative power of movement.
Meet Your Coach
Hey, girl! I’m Joyner, a holistic fitness and run coach here to help you create a joy-filled relationship with movement.
My own fitness journey started a decade ago, when I was working as a School Social Worker. After exploring group workout classes, I quickly realized that I wanted to share the mental health benefits of intentional movement and breath connection with others.
In 2015, I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training and began teaching across a variety of disciplines, including yoga, barre and HIIT classes. 2 years later, I completed my personal training certification and became a trainer, then head coach, at Orangetheory Fitness. I went on to complete the BASI Pilates Foundations program, and CycleBar certification to expand both my experience as a comprehensive athlete and knowledge as a fitness professional.
Although I’ve been working in the fitness industry for 10 years now, I didn’t begin to think of myself as a runner until completing my first ever nonstop mile in 2019. Prior to this, I only ran short sprints for HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts.
After getting out of my own way, and running farther than ever before, I was able to break down mental barriers that had been restricting my full athletic potential. Later that year, I got pregnant with my son and continued to connect with the pavement until the day I delivered. While navigating postpartum depression and grieving the loss of my own mother, I found strength and solace in endurance running as a tool for healthy coping and self-regulation. In September of 2021, at 16 months postpartum, I ran my first half marathon in my mother’s memory.
Endurance training helped me heal and rediscover my joy.
Since then, I have completed 9 half marathons and 2 full marathons, including the Chicago World Major in 2023 while pregnant with my daughter. During my second pregnancy, I learned to adjust and give myself grace, completing my 80/20 Endurance and Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Certifications with the support of the Coaches of Color Initiative (COCI) Apprenticeship. This time as a student, mother, and coach inspired the vision for Running to Exhale.
Through Running to Exhale, I hope to be the change that I want to see regarding representation and accessibility in the endurance fitness industry when building a running community and providing coaching services.
Conquering distances that I never thought possible became a powerful tool for healing and rediscovering my joy and I am now committed to helping others experience the power that endurance training has to positively impact their overall well-being, too. I look forward to serving curious and committed joy seekers who are ready to build a healthy relationship with movement with grace and grit.
Our Mission
We’re breaking barriers to inclusion and creating a welcoming space where women can thrive through the power of movement.
Our mission is to help women, especially those who have been historically marginalized, connect to their breath and bodies through running. We’re breaking down systemic barriers to belonging alongside the barrier that we’ve built up within ourselves. Here, every step forward is an act of reclamation, celebrating the process of progress over perfect outcomes. Together, we harness the breath of women ready to claim their space and power.
Every day is another opportunity to begin (again).
I can’t wait to guide and cheer you on! Reach out to start your journey.
Courtesy of Chocolate City Relay, 2023