Donna Richardson Joyner Proves Anything is Possible!

 The soft light from the flickering candles danced on the walls, creating the luminescent glow and beautiful ambiance that world-renowned fitness guru, Donna Richardson-Joyner, 55, enjoys daily.

But this particular evening was different.  She was going through a lot, wasn’t feeling well, and was very distracted—an uncommon state of being for the typically upbeat motivator who calls herself, a “cheerleader for Jesus.”

But it is commonly known that even the most tenacious and celebrated among us cannot escape the furnace of affliction.

Richardson-Joyner is a member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN). Her inspirational fitness programs are currently in 150 churches across the nation. She has traveled to 50 states, 50 countries, and 7 continents helping millions get fit—physically and spiritually.

And yet, she says, at that time, “The enemy was attacking and God kept saying no, I need you to stay in my presence.” There was an internal tug-of-war going on and Richardson-Joyner was struggling to gain her balance, and focus.

As she leaned over to blow out a candle, unaware that her honey-blonde afro puff had slipped into the fluttering flame, within moments, her hair was ablaze.

“I can tell you, it was because I was distracted. That’s why that happened. I was not paying attention. But that hair did catch on fire. It just frizzled up and started falling out,” she remembers. “But it was just God reminding me, you need to focus on me.”

Though her singed locks eventually grew back and Richardson-Joyner escaped serious harm, that moment served as a real wake-up call and reminder to zone in on her faith in God, instead of being preoccupied with tough circumstances.

Today, the author of EEW Magazine’s 2013 Best Book of the Year™ selection, “Witness to Fitness: Pumped Up! Powered Up! All Things are Possible!” is on fire once again. This time, though, it is a spiritual burning to empower others to fight back and defeat challenges through faith.

Despite negativity, setbacks, heartaches, and life's pressures Richardson-Joyner says emphatically, “The devil is a liar! You have to be able to say, whatever comes at me it won’t matter, because I will prevail. When you have that faith, it doesn’t matter what anybody tries to do to you. I’m God’s daughter. When you have that will, when you have that strength, when you have that faith, nobody can take that from you. Nobody can break that. You can’t give anything or anybody that power. You get back that power!”

This petite and strong woman warrior isn’t willing to take the adversity life throws her way lying down. She is a fighter who works her faith to accomplish great feats, like her climb up the Tanzanian mountain, Kilimanjaro. It is the highest peak on the African continent at approximately 19,341 feet above sea level. Many have tried and failed to ascend to the top, but with the help of the Lord, Richardson-Joyner succeeded in 2011 along with 3 friends: Raquel LeVert, ShaNay Norvell, and Rance Elgin.

Imagine encountering 89-degree temperatures at the bottom of a mountain and below-zero temperatures at the top. That is precisely what Richardson-Joyner and her mountain-climbing companions faced.

“People say, ‘Would you do it again?’ And I’m like, no!” she laughs. “And then I had to take it back. I said, well, if it’s for a good cause. There were a couple of times, let me be honest, when I didn’t think I was going to make it. But I had to automatically delete that from my mindset. And I had to use that faith to give me the extra willpower to take the extra steps.”

Even while watching other weary climbers give up, with some even being carried away from their failed mission to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, Richardson-Joyner continued leaning on God. “It was because of His goodness and grace that I got up that mountaintop and I got back down. And I remember seeing those other hikers from Europe and they said, ‘Oh, good luck!’ And I turned back, I said, “Luck? Uh-uh, you better know Jesus!”

This is one woman who is crystal clear about where her help comes from—the Lord. “I was walking with Jesus. There was a time when we were singing and dancing in the beginning, because, in the beginning you’re not as challenged. You’ve been preparing for 3 or 4 months. But, ooh, when you get to that peak, when you summit, oh my God, it’s just you and God.”

It was no walk in the park, not even for the optimally conditioned Richardson-Joyner, the creator of best-selling DVD’s “Sweating in the Spirit” and “Body Gospel.” At one point during the climb, through labored breaths, she recalls exhaustedly singing the lyrics to James Cleveland’s “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired,” which say, “I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me…”

“Summit day was 8 hours and 14 minutes in the dark for most of the time, below 0, minus 5 wind chill factor, snow on the ground, hailing. It was horrible weather. It was the worst that it could be,” she shares.

Without the Lord, the relentless go-getter knows, whether hiking up a mountain or overcoming some other obstacle, determination alone isn’t enough. “When you need that extra something that pushes you through, that pushes you over the finish line, that helps you to overcome mountains like I did, and helps you to go around and be victorious, well, that something special, that’s your faith,” she explains.

“You’ve got to dig deep in that belly and get that inner-strength, because it’s not easy. And you are going to have some challenges in losing weight, but you can’t forget that you’re relying on Him. And He said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”

The fitness and faith expert says anyone can win at anything when they place God in the center and use their faith. “I don’t care what it is: weight loss, climbing a mountain, new promotion, a new job—you’ve got to give it your all. It’s got to be that passion and that purpose that fuels you.”

For her, the greater purpose for the arduous Kilimanjaro climb was revealed in Arusha, an African city in Northern Tanzania. “For the next 4 days, we went to orphanages and we gave them love, and we gave them prayer, and we gave food, and equipment, and whatever the needs were, we found out beforehand. We raised money and we gave back to the people, to the kids. And talk about an experience! That was why we were supposed to be there to help those kids.”

Richardson-Joyner says it was one of the most memorable experiences of her life, and made the pain worth it all. In fact, she believes the hardship of climbing that mountain has assisted her in overcoming more of life’s terribly complicated challenges. “In my mind, I go back to that mountain. I would say where I am now, I have used that pain. I have used that struggle. And that fuels my passion and purpose to help people.”

Not only thaFirst Lady Michelle Obama, Council member Donna Richardson Joyner, and Council member Dominique Dawes (Not pictured) participate in a dance routine to show children that physical activity can be fun and good for you. (Official White House Photo)t, but Kilimanjaro taught her an invaluable lesson she continues to carry with her. “I learned to decrease self and increase God. Even though I’m serving, and I’m honored and humbled to serve, I had to go to zero. When you’re up on that mountain you have nothing,” she says. “You are stripped down to nothing and He built more character in me. He built more strength and courage because, whatever He was taking me through, I knew He was preparing me for this greater assignment.”

Taking the message of Witness to Fitness to the masses is a huge part of that assignment. Already, it is changing lives, as well as perspectives on health. “When I think of transforming your mind, to me, first you have to have a paradigm shift in how you think about your health, because when you change your thinking, your actions will follow. And people need to know that change occurs when you become sick and tired of being sick and tired. And this is for anything. It’s not just weight loss. It could be getting a new home, getting a promotion, whatever your goal is, whatever it is that’s that challenge.  I always say to people, you have to want to change more than you want to stay the same.”

For those who are struggling with discouragement on their weight loss journeys, Richardson-Joyner says, “I find people who always say, well, I did this diet. I used this gadget. I did this program. But I say, was God at the center of it? You trust in Him with everything else and now you keep failing. You keep spinning your wheels. You keep limiting yourself. You’ve got to trust in Him and be a better steward over your temple. And that’s where that whole spirituality component is so important.”

As the discussion carried on, Richardson-Joyner asked a specific and challenging question. “How do you trust in God with all other areas of your life and then you get to your health, you get to your temple—the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit—and you think that you can do it on your own?”

Witness to Fitness, which is rooted in the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:26, answers the question. He said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

In 2013, instead of making a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, Richardson Joyner admonishes those seeking to improve their overall health, to draw from a motivational quote to help them. “My pastor, Bishop T.D. Jakes, I remember him saying, you cannot conquer what you don’t commit to, moving forward.”

Commitment makes the difference, she says.

“I witnessed too many loved ones suffering from preventable illnesses. I witnessed too many loved ones going to heaven way too soon. I witnessed too many loved ones knowing better but not doing better. And I witnessed too many loved ones being a prisoner of their own health.”

Nevertheless, Richardson-Joyner remains optimistic that the message inside EEW’s award-winning book selection, Witness to Fitness, will help change that disheartening trend as readers combine their faith with fortitude.

“We have to take that same commitment we have for our God and apply that to our health. That’s how we get things started and moving on a good foot.”

Witness to Fitness is now available in stores nationwide. To win a free copy from EEW Magazine, click here.

To learn more about Donna Richardson-Joyner and to see her tour schedule visit www.DonnaRichardson.com.

 Feature and interview by Dianna Hobbs, President & CEO of EEW Magazine.

© Copyright 2013. Empowering Everyday Women Online Magazine. All rights reserved.

If you have tried everything and failed; if you are frustrated with the same old tired platitudes and quick-fix fitness myths; if you want to transform, not just your body, but your entire mentality when it comes to your total health; if you are ready to make a commitment and finally stick it out to the end; and if you are willing to admit you have left God out of your fitness goals, but are now ready to place Him at the center of everything, Donna Richardson-Joyner is a God-send.

World-renowned fitness guru Donna Richardson-Joyner, author of “Witness to Fitness: Pumped Up! Powered Up! All Things are Possible!”  is featured in EEW Magazine.

is to enjoy a spicy gumbo of motivation that stirs up a fire in your belly, and sets your soul ablaze.

Built upon the foundation of Matthew 19:26 and the words of Jesus—“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”—Witness to Fitness is not your average, run-of-the-mill fitness book. It is a Bible-based, faith-filled, motivational work that will help you achieve the holistic health you’ve always wanted-mind, body, and soul.

Richardson-Joyner’s first book, Witness to Fitness is such a great read, that it has been named EEW Magazine’s official 2013 “Best Book of the Year” ™—the publication’s highest honor for a debut written work from an African American Christian author.

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To read world-renowned fitness guru Donna Richardson-Joyner’s book, “Witness to Fitness: Pumped Up! Powered Up! All Things are Possible!” is to enjoy a spicy gumbo of motivation that stirs up a fire in your belly, and sets your soul ablaze.

Built upon the foundation of Matthew 19:26 and the words of Jesus—“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”—Witness to Fitness is not your average, run-of-the-mill fitness book. It is a Bible-based, faith-filled, motivational work that will help you achieve the holistic health you’ve always wanted-mind, body, and soul.

Richardson-Joyner’s first book, Witness to Fitness is such a great read, that it has been named EEW Magazine’s official 2013 “Best Book of the Year” ™—the publication’s highest honor for a debut written work from an African American Christian author.

The self-labeled “Cheerleader for Jesus” known for her best-selling fitness DVD’s “Sweating in the Spirit” and “Body Gospel,” however, is much more than a buff-bodied, honey blonde-haired beauty. She is a passionate, unique brand of Christian evangelist, inspiring others never to leave God out of their fitness goals or their life.

“I’m so excited! It’s been a year of writing. And now I have given birth to my baby,” Richardson-Joyner celebrated during our discussion. “I’m so excited because I know God put that in my heart to share. And this is what I’ve been doing for years in terms of integrating mind, body, and spirit. And I think that, for so long, people have just struggled and had setbacks and challenges with their weight loss goals, and I try to educate and empower people to see that losing weight and becoming healthier is not just physical. It is spiritual and it is mental, and it is emotional.”

She is a mountain climber—naturally and spiritually. The buff-bodied, honey blonde-haired, 55-year-old go-getter successfully climbed the Tanzanian mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro—the highest peak on the African continent at 19,341 feet above sea level. Many have tried and failed, but with the help of God, she made it.

It’s pretty remarkable.

She encountered 89-degree temperatures at the bottom of the mountain and below-zero temperatures at the summit—something that left her gasping for every breath as the air got thin.

But despite the difficult climb of the physical and metaphorical mountains of life, Richardson-Joyner uses her unwavering faith in the power of God to propel her forward into destiny, and she is going to help you do the same thing.

As you enter 2013 with new focus and determination to live your best life, I thought it fitting to chat with Richardson-Joyner, whose book is also

During our discussion, we talked, laughed, and explored what it really takes to reach our life’s goals. Immediately, one thing became clear about the self-labeled “Cheerleader for Jesus” who is known for her fitness DVD’s “Sweating in the Spirit” and “Body Gospel.” She doesn’t take her success for granted, nor does she rely exclusively on human ability to accomplish anything.