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As she works out with the women around her, she exudes energy and enthusiasm. She doesn't butter up her assessments, but tells the truth with a smiling ease that encourages rather than dissuades.
Her name is Joanna Ward, and today she is back in Orangeburg, the place where she says she "went through a lot of changes and transitions," but credits all of these things as being "part of her destiny."
Those who are not fans of the TV reality show "Survivor" probably wouldn't know who Ward is, but for the people whose lives she has touched through her fitness instruction and ministry, she continues to be an inspiration and a source of knowledge on how to lead healthier lives.
Ward was the guest speaker Saturday at the Spiritual Foundation Ministries' Health Awareness Festival that celebrated healthy living through the knowledge of proper nutrition, fitness and the functions of the human body.
With the onslaught of numerous programs, devices and pills that all claim to help individuals lose weight hassle free, Ward has an approach to fitness that is as unique as she is. As a personal trainer, Ward deals with the overall person instead of just concentrating on their bodies.
"I try to deal with people spiritually and connect with them. Once I am connected with you, then we walk and as we walk, not just your body changes, but your mind, your body and your soul changes," she said. This, Ward says, helps her to see past a person's weight to the "person they are ordained to be instead of what they have become," an approach that enables her to help people like Darlene Jamison and the other individuals and corporate clients she assists.
Ward is also part of President Bush's "Healthier US initiative" and has won part of a grant from this initiative for Dekalb County in Georgia. She sees the obesity in America as "an epidemic," but believes that people are realizing that it is better to take care of themselves rather than incur high medical bills if they don't. She also believes that overweight people don't really want to be that way but "don't have the discipline, the knowledge and the determination to make the change#."
Her faith is paramount, and Ward says that she lives her faith.
"It's not a Sunday, Wednesday thing for me. It's not church-affiliated; it's God," she said. This belief in the omniscience of God, Ward says, helped her to stay encouraged and to enhance and maintain her faith while she was on the "Survivor: The Amazon" show. This faith didn't come overnight, but was developed over the years through her many experiences, she said.
"Things that I went through (like) getting through undergrad, getting through graduate school, being divorced, having a son while I was in college — all those challenges made me a survivor before I got on the show and also helped me trust in God before I got on the show," Ward said.
She said her mother was a major influence in the faith she has today. The product of a single-parent home, Ward notes that her mother was always spiritual and constantly prayed for her and encouraged her on to greatness.
After the television show, Ward had no time to let up as her reputation for high morals while on the show opened up opportunities to speak and do fitness workshops like the one at the Spiritual Foundation fellowship. Ward works at churches, schools and businesses nationwide, providing what she calls fitness with a "survivor spin." She is also busy running her company, Hallelujah Productions, that manages her pursuits in the ministry, lecturing and fitness.
Ward's number one priority, she said, is raising her 12-year-old son, Deontre.