Women With Ambition - Issue 5

A TRIBUTE TO FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS

VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1

The Real Housewives of Toronto

JANA WEBB AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE REALITY TV STAR AND FITNESS CELEBRITY

Discover the world of

JOGA

®

FITNESS DESIGNED WITH THE ATHLETE IN MIND. JANUARY 2018

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“ WHAT ULTIMATELY BRINGS YOU HAPPINESS IS BEING COMFORTABLE WITH YOURSELF AND THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU - THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE.

” - Jana Webb

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editor’s

LETTER Happy New Year friends! 365 new days. 365 new chances. 365 new opportunities. I’m so excited for all that’s in store for 2018. From passion projects to daring dreams, proud partnerships and bold beginnings, I can’t wait to see where these stilettos take me! For some, a new year symbolizes a new beginning, a fresh start, a blank page and a clean slate. While others seamlessly transition from one year to the next, giving very little thought to the “newness” factor at all. I fall into the first category. The new year to me represents an opportunity to reflect back on the past 365 days and truly take it all in. The accomplishments and achievements, the highs and lows, the unforgettable moments, and the list of still to-dos. If we never take time to acknowledge how far we’ve come, or the current circumstances of our lives, how can we ever really grow and take our lives to the next level?

If you haven’t already, I strongly encourage you to take some time to plan for a positive 2018. This isn’t just about writing out goals or adding to the already long to-do list. This is about taking an honest look at your life and asking yourself a good set of questions to help you become clear on everything you want, and everything you’re ready to rid of. How do you want to feel this year? What do you want more or less of in your life? What do you need to let go of? What do you need to overcome to move forward? Clarity is power and power fuels the perseverance we need to become fearless in the pursuit of our desires. Don’t plan for perfect, plan for progress and make a commitment to celebrate even the smallest of victories along the way. And when life throws you a curve ball, learn to throw one right back! Obstacles are put in your way to see if what you want is really worth fighting for so stay fiercely focused on your goals and make the life enhancements necessary to support the person you are becoming. Your future-self will thank you for it.

Wishing you all an amazing year ahead filled with love, laughter, health and prosperity. Cheers to a fabulous 2018!

LISA AQUILINA Editor-In-Chief of Women with Ambition™ and Founder of Stilettos and a Stroller JANUARY 2018

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JANA WEBB FOUNDER OF JOGA

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INTRODUCTION Real Housewife’s of Toronto star, Jana Webb, took the fitness and sports industry by storm when she unveiled her revolutionary training programs, JOGA. Inspired by the fundamentals of yoga, and redesigned with the athlete in mind, JOGA has become so much more than a brand and form of exercise; it’s become a lifestyle. After not one, but two serious car accidents, Jana turned her recovery into a career and a new form of body conditioning was born, bridging the gap between sports and fitness.

Having the privilege of interviewing Jana and learning about her life on and off camera, I was simply amazed by her down to earth, honest and positive demeanor, and even more in admiration of her strength and determination. Some of you may recognize Jana from The Real Housewives of Toronto (RHOT), while others may have seen her as the new face for Reebok Canada. But what many don’t know about Jana is underneath the celebrity status and outside of JOGA House, Jana is a mother, a dreamer, and a fighter who used the scariest moments of her life to fuel her into a future she was destined for.

Read on to learn more about Jana’s remarkable journey through business, fame, health, and motherhood, and her inspirational insight on the life lessons she values most.

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Who is Jana Webb?

At heart, Jana Webb is a small-town girl from Bentley, Alberta who grew up in a very humble home, farming the community, and in a sports environment which has heavily influenced my career. Over the years I’ve evolved into a businesswoman and entrepreneur, a public figure and media personality. As a celebrity fitness trainer and founder and creator of JOGA, I’ve grown leaps and bounds both personally and professionally. I believe who people think I am versus who I actually am can be quite contradicting at times – especially being on a reality T.V show and being in the public eye, it’s easy for people to portray you as a certain type of person. But who I really am is rooted from my parents, my upbringing, and my family.

What inspired you to create JOGA? What is your “why?”

JOGA has evolved from when it first started to what it has become today. From a fitness perspective, JOGA is an individualized training program that bridges the gap between yoga and sports.

Ultimately, it is a training program designed for athletes or individuals with athletic builds who want to incorporate yoga-like movements into their fitness routines but focus more on body conditioning versus posture and static poses.

Beyond our training programs, JOGA is a brand that advocates growth and an evolution of women in business in general. It was designed to build a community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for fitness and personal evolvement.

Creating a feeling of belonging – a huge component that I felt lacked in the yoga world – was extremely important to me after what I learned throughout my own journey. I wanted to create job opportunities for individuals like myself and create an environment that highlighted people’s strengths and expertise. An opportunity for people to feel celebrated and a part of a community. I’ll never forget applying for a job at a specific yoga studio and

feeling so rejected and judged. It made me realize that the yoga world wasn’t really for me. It was that very eye-opening moment that I thought: “Fine if you don’t want to hire me then I’ll just create something myself and I’ll compete with you.”

And that’s exactly what I did. Everything happens for a reason.

With over 400 ambassadors – 100 of which have become coaches and an extension of the JOGA brand, our business is more of a platform for all of our team members to shine and to highlight their strengths. For example, one of our coaches is a singer so we incorporate all of her music into our events. One of our other coaches is a dancer/ choreographer so we have had her choreograph a JOGA Routine for our fashion show at Toronto Women’s Fashion Week House of JOGA By Reebok.

Another one is a Nutritionist, so we are looking to incorporate nutrition programs. Our goal is to learn JANUARY 2018

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JOGA House is a place for innovation, creation, movement, nutrition and optimal well-being.

about everyone’s passion and find a way to highlight it.

What are the key points of difference with JOGA?

What is JOGA House?

I would say that there are three major points of difference between JOGA and traditional yoga.

Yoga focuses more on poses and posture, whereas JOGA is designed to work with athletic builds, focusing more on movement and the biomechanics of sports. The movements rather than postures are designed for the mechanics of sports performance which is why our programs are so successful with athletes. They are tailor-made and individualized so that all body types and builds can benefit.

JOGA House is a place for innovation, creation, movement, nutrition and optimal well-being. It’s a brick and mortar that acts as a studio and training house. I like to think of it as a lab; a place for us to experiment, develop and introduce new courses to our existing coaches. It’s also a place where we host certifications, as well as classes to the public.

The “house” element was created to provide a place where people can hang out, just be, and feel a part of a community.

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The “language” of JOGA is far more relatable and transmittable to the athlete.

Lastly, the culture of our team and our recruitment process is very different. We don’t look for yoga certified instructors, we look for people with a kinesiology and physiotherapy background that have a better understanding and want to work with athletes.

I understand that it was a terrible accident that created the turning point in your life.

Tell us more about that experience and how it ultimately led you to the creation of JOGA I was involved in two accidents actually, one prior to the development of JOGA, and one afterwards.

The first accident seems so minor now in comparison to the second as I almost lost my life. However, it was the first accident that led me to yoga, which I was introduced to through rehabilitation, and also a very significant turning point in my life and career. After my accident, I had lost my job and decided to pursue a life-long desire to be a singer and dancer. I enrolled in a performance school and it was my teacher who introduced me to yoga as a conditioning tool to improve my breathing. I soon became very addicted to yoga and would attend as many classes and different studios as possible. But I started to develop this love/hate relationship because although I loved the breathing and mindful benefits of yoga, I never cared for the instructors, and began hating the moves because I couldn’t do them. I came from an injured, athletic body and although my competitive nature wanted to be able to do every move, I simply couldn’t. My body was not capable. So that it was ultimately peeked my curiosity about why there wasn’t something available for people like me; people with tight, injured bodies who still enjoy the benefits of yoga. So, I went on a quest and found this course in Japan called ISHTA yoga (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda) which means “individualized” and I was immediately drawn to the philosophy and practice. Ishta yoga concentrates on the individual to make them comfortable in themselves which was exactly my goal. Once I became certified, I decided to bring this concept back to

Canada and use these elements to create JOGA – an individualized training program that forms a bridge between sports and fitness. It wasn’t long before I was hired to train athletes and professional teams and through these experiences, I learned how to adapt this practice for the athlete and create a more tailored variation of mind and body conditioning training.

My second accident was Nov 12, 2016. I was in a head-on collision with a cement truck going 120 km per hour in the Dominican Republic. I broke my back and suffered a severe brain injury.

Two weeks before the accident I had finally found an official investor for JOGA House, and one week later, signed my lease for my new space in Yorkville. The timing couldn’t have been worse! I have no recollection of this, but apparently, during the accident, I had face timed my investor from the ambulance in Dominican and told him that I didn’t think this was a good investment for him anymore. Even though I was physically broken and in a state of trauma, my business was still at the forefront of my mind. The entire experience was such a huge learning lesson, especially since I didn’t want to go to the Dominican to begin with.

My instincts were telling me not to but I didn’t want to pass up the great opportunity and its financial reward. I am truly grateful to be alive and have learned to always trust your intuition.

With your dream brand at your fingertips and the commitment of a new lease and investor, what was the timeline for your recovery process and being able to move forward with your business?

Believe it or not, I was actually guiding the construction process from my hospital bed in the Dominican.

There was no time for recovery, that’s the irony in all of this. And to this day, I haven’t fully recovered because I never took the proper time and care to.

That’s the thing about having your own business, there is so much at stake. I didn’t have the luxury JANUARY 2018

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of sitting back and healing. And because of this past year, I have experienced massive depths and shallows of emotions – the lowest of the low to be honest.

However, I have also developed a whole new level of strength which is what has kept me going throughout this entire process.

I vividly remember this one particular incident where I was driving my son to hockey and I started to throw up, which was a symptom of my concussion. At that very moment, I looked up and saw myself on a billboard for the Real Housewives of Toronto. It was so surreal and a moment I will never forget because with my son and business flashing before my eyes, I realized that I had to keep going and somehow find the strength to move forward.

I never really got to enjoy my time on RHOT because of everything I was experiencing physically, mentally and emotionally, but somehow, I pulled through and was committed to participating however I could. Thankfully, my friend and fellow housewife, Joan Kelley Walker, referred me to a designer for JOGA House which was truly a saving grace. I was then able to move forward with my business plans while struggling to recover.

Did your experience on the RHOT create the brand awareness you were hoping to achieve?

Yes, and that was my intention from the beginning.

I knew that I had to find a platform to gain exposure and share my brand and purpose. I didn’t know how this was going to happen or where to begin looking, but that’s what’s interesting about the universe and putting things in motion for you. When I first received the phone call about an opportunity to be on the Real Housewives of Toronto, it didn’t initially make sense to me as I was no longer married - I was divorced and didn’t suit the lifestyle and overall image of what they were looking for. However, as time went on, and I learned more about the show and the amazing opportunity that was being presented, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. It was 8

the platform and publicity that I needed for JOGA and a chance to let my authentic-self shine through. Although the fame and lifestyle that goes along with it were wonderful, it literally took hitting a cement truck to really put things back into perspective and be reminded of what matters most; my family, my health, and my roots.

What was your biggest takeaway from RHOT? My biggest takeaway was learning about what really goes on behind the scenes of reality T.V. That wealth does not bring you happiness, nor does becoming an instant Canadian Celebrity. What ultimately brings you happiness is being comfortable with yourself and the people around you - the simple things in life. After going through such a traumatic experience, you can’t help but change your perspective and see life through different eyes. I think being on the show and my accident taught me all of this and more at the same time.

What was one of the most surprising things that you learned throughout your business journey thus far?

I’ve learned not speak about things and projects that I’m working on until they are signed, sealed and delivered. If you talk and not deliver, it translates into your entire business so I’ve learned to work in silence and deliver results.

in our JOGA culture at all. When people are negative, I like to turn it into a positive by being positive.

Negative situations, on the other hand, I like to view those as a challenge rather than a problem.

This allows me to be more solution driven.

To be honest, I don’t ever feel unmotivated. There’s always too much to do to not be motivated. The past year was an exception because of the dramatic setbacks with my health, however, I was dealing with more discouragement rather than a lack of motivation.

The days that I do feel worn down, I have a few people in my life that I reach out to and seek advice from. These are people that I respect and tend to lean on because I trust their opinions.

What are your future business plans?

I am currently in the process of launching in the U.S market so that is really exciting! The plan is to have two head offices, one in Seattle and one in Toronto. We are really focusing on the culture of our brand and expanding through our Coaching and Certification Programs. This allows us to create more jobs for people and grow as a business and community.

I’m also working on specific brand items and recently created a low sugar JOGA House Red and White wine. My focus is on building brand merchandise and lifestyle products that compliment JOGA and what we stand for.

Now that we have one bricks and mortar location, the plan is to open more; either as pop-ups or to build additional locations.

I’ve also learned not to believe everything you hear. Not everyone has your best interest at heart. Trust your intuition and always stay true to yourself first.

How do you deal with negativity, obstacles and lack of motivation?

I don’t tolerate negativity and we don’t breed that

Tell us more about your recent partnership with Reebok Canada.

I used to be an ambassador with Under Armour for 5 years but decided to explore other brands that I aligned with more. I’ve always had a great relationship with the President of Adidas/Reebok and after learning more about the company, I felt that the mission and message of Reebok resided with me JANUARY 2018

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on a deeper level. Their brand philosophy is: “Be More Human”, which is about inspiring people to live up to their full potential. Their mission is to encourage people to be themselves and live more authentically. I really feel that the message behind Reebok is so relatable and I’m truly proud to be a part of this brand and movement.

If you could change anything about your business journey thus far, what would it be?

Ah, so many things! Ultimately, I think I would’ve taken the advice I received many years ago which was to create a proper business plan. I don’t think I really knew my business as it grew organically and very quickly. I feel that if I had put in the work to establish a proper business plan, I would be much further ahead. But I’ve learned and I’m more focused than ever.

How do you balance motherhood and entrepreneurship?

It’s an ongoing struggle to find the balance. I do my best to be very present when I’m with William and be very involved in all aspects of his life and what’s important to him. And when I’m working, I’m completely focused on the tasks at hand and sometimes completely lose myself in my work.

This is where the “mom-guilt” kicks in but it’s part of the process I guess. My son is only 9 years old so he doesn’t understand the business world and the why’s, so it’s an on-going adjustment for both of us.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are just starting out?

Surround yourself with great people who know more, and are more successful. Ask a ton of questions and learn to talk less and listen more.

I received these words of wisdom many years ago and will share them with you: “Smart people learn from their mistakes. Wise people learn from the mistakes of others.”

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What is your life motto?

It used to be: “Work hard, play hard” but after everything that has happened to me and my experience with this past accident, I feel that “Compassion versus Passion” is more fitting. There’s a big difference between the two and I try to do everything from a place of compassion first.

What are some of your “Little Luxuries?”

My favourite thing to do is to go to the spa – I love it! It’s a treat for me and an opportunity for me to “check out” and reset for a few hours.

I love to enjoy a nice meal and bottle of wine with great friends. I choose my company very carefully and truly enjoy great conversation with good people.

And lastly, I love to travel. Anywhere on a beach is considered a little luxury for me.

Where can we get more of Jana?

Which platform are you most active on?

I’m just learning to be more present on social media as I’ve always been very private. Instagram is definitely where I’m most active and what I use to highlight my business and share what’s new and exciting. This is where followers can stay up-to-date with me, but not necessarily get to “know” me. I have future plans to expand on a new platform which will allow my fans and followers to get more up close and personal with me; kind of like “Jana Webb un-plugged.” I know that my story and journey is very relatable and my goal is to inspire and encourage as many people as I can.

It was an absolute pleasure spending time with Jana and I’m truly excited to see what unfolds in the JOGA world this year. Her journey is so inspiring and a true testament of where perseverance, resilience, and determination will bring you. No matter what life throws your way, stay fiercely focused on your goals; the universe responds to a stubborn heart.

STAY SOCIAL WITH JANA janawebb.ca , jogawithjana.com @jogajana, @joga_world @janawebb, @thejogaworld @jogajana, @joga_world

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