CHILDS, Pa. — This is where Joya Whittington spends every morning.
On the floor of her new gym, E-Motion Fitness in Childs, outside of Carbondale.
After many years in the making, she has turned her dream of opening a women-only gym into a reality.
“Before we actually opened the physical place, what really got us going was during COVID, when the gyms shut down. And women and people had nowhere to go. So we just redesigned our front porch and turned it into a gym,” explained Joya Whittington, E-Motion Fitness Founder.
One of her first clients back in 2020 was Sam, who says Joya got her health back on track.
“Obviously, the weight loss, I really didn't do it for that. I really did it for my mental clarity, and this is the way to start the day. And I know once I can get through this, I can get through anything my 7th and 8th graders throw at me,” said Sam Masco from Carbondale.
Being a full-time teacher and mother, Sam shares how she struggled to find a gym that made her look forward to working out.
A common issue among many of the clients Joya works with every day.
“It's a little bit intimidating to walk into a public gym and not know what I'm doing. And that was something that weighed on me heavily where I've been in those spaces,” Whittington mentioned.
“You might walk in not knowing what one piece of equipment is, but after your one session with Joya, you'll be a pro, and you'll get better every time,” added Masco.
Joya's goal is more than helping her clients stick to their workout programs but is to educate everyone on how to have a healthy lifestyle.
“Whenever they can't renew, they move, whatever it is, we want them to continue this. We need them to, they need to. For all the right health reasons,” Whittington said.
She hopes more of her clients will be like Sam and use their success stories as a reason to keep coming to the gym.