Posture Specialist

At 15 years old, Joa was diagnosed with Scoliosis, which means her spine curves from side to side. A healthy spine is linear if viewed from behind. The Schroth method, which treats the disorder by strengthening the muscles around the spine has been effective in eliminating pain since the 1920s. Indirectly, she began to fix her anomaly while learning Yoga and Pilates, which emphasize spine and hip alignment. She became an instructor after realizing how effective the activities were at relieving pain.

In 2010, Joa became a personal trainer. She works with individuals who range from absolute beginner to experienced athletes who have an agenda. She also does group sessions. “One-on-one is better if you want fast results,” she tells me. It’s because she caters the workout according to your needs. Having a personal trainer is better than training alone because of the competition. “Me, when I’m training [people], they have a lot of pressure because they see me doing something that they can’t do yet.”

She shows me the trick to working out my latissimus Dorsi. It’s simple: a pull up. She encourages, “Be patient, have persistence, and never give up. Last year was the first year I didn’t feel pain from my Scoliosis.”