Today we’d like to introduce you to Donya Jackson.
Hi Donya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I started bodybuilding because I didn’t want to take medication. I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and had very high cholesterol and heredity. I’ve been athletic my whole life, but my eating habits were terrible. Like everybody else, I could out-exercise a bad diet, but eventually, it caught up to me. My doctor gave me an ultimatum. Get right or take medication. I was introduced to bodybuilding by a friend that works at the gym. She said she loved it, but she hated that she had to eat clean. As soon as she said that, I knew it was for me. I hired a coach the next day, and 91 days later, I wanted my first bodybuilding competition. I just did it because I didn’t want to take medication. I never thought I would win. Before bodybuilding, I became a weight management consultant. I worked with many bariatric clients; then, I fell into bodybuilding. I became a personal trainer when many clients asked me to train them. I didn’t find this career. It found me. And I’m glad about it.
I have a type A personality and am dyslexic, so the discipline, commitment, or organization required to bodybuild works for me. I started bodybuilding at age 44 and was the oldest, first American, and first African American to win the Arnold amateur at age 46. Seven months later, I turned pro at age 46. Even at my age, I’ve always competed in the open category, and I’ve always been competitive. Bodybuilding does more than change your body. It changes you. You have to go down in the valley and dig your way out. It will humble you, expose flaws, and break you to make you. It’s like a potter with clay. That’s the best way I can describe bodybuilding.
Would it have been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My family hated that I was bodybuilding. I am the daughter of a Pentecostal pastor. My mother is a missionary. All they could see was me standing on stage half-naked. So I had to endure a lot of criticism from them and the church for many years. It was hard. But then I had to take a look at the people who were criticizing me. Overweight! Unhappy! I can’t run to the corner and back without going into cardiac arrest. So why the heck would I care what you think? So I kept going. I knew God had given me this gift, and I moved forward as long as my husband was okay with it. When I competed in the Arnold, I begged my dad to come. I told him it was the biggest competition of my life, and he was missing it because he was listening to the church and not loving and supporting his daughter. My dad showed up that day and watched his daughter make history. To this day is the best competition of my life because I did it before my dad.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a weight management consultant, personal trainer, and competition prep coach. I have a successful online training company that’s doing very well. I love my job! I love it when I can help someone do a sit-up for the first time, watch a woman who can’t Look at herself in the mirror because she hates the way she looks, and can finally look at herself and smile. Fitness is not just about changing your physique. It changes you—changes from the inside out. And I love being a part of that. I would do it for free if I could. I also do what I do because My community is in an emergency. Currently, African American women comprise over 58% of the obese population. You can’t walk down the street and count 10 people; not half of them will be fit; all will be obese, meaning over 30% body fat. We are killing ourselves with our knives and forks. I’m trying to do everything I can to change our perspective on health and wellness. And to help heal the negative relationships that we have with food.
Please talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy.
I love watching my clients hit their weight loss goals. I love when a client starts crying when they do their first push-up. I love watching my clients walk across the stage and get their Pro cards. I’m happy because I was a part of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: deejsfitnation.com
- Instagram: deejs_fitnation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dee.jackson.543?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@DeeJsFitNation
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