Wednesday's Woman: Joi Barkley

Joi Barkley grew up in a home where “competition, athletics, and getting involved” was important.

“I was so competitive to the point where I hated to lose,” said Barkley, 31. She gravitated to other physical activities such as dance, and focused on academics. “I was always very athletic and enjoyed sports, but it was important to me to want to put in the work and to be extraordinary in it.”

Barkley has taken that interest and dedication to fitness and launched , an effort to get families on a healthy path together. Coming up on June 25, Families Get Fit will host its Snellville Family Fitness Tournament from 8:30 am-2:30 pm at Briscoe Park.

The day will include flag football, tennis, soccer, dodgeball and badminton competitions. Martial arts school Kim Brothers will bring its students and families out to compete. “They’re seeing it as an opportunity for team building,” Barkley said.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children. Click here for more detailed ticket information.

Barkley was inspired by her mother, Judy Davis, whom she described as “very strong willed.”

“She taught us at a very young age the importance of a good work ethic, not feeling like there’s anything you can’t do. She was really always positive. She has a a glass half full perspective on life, which is exciting for a child – that the sky is the limit. She gave us the freedom to be creative and think outside the box.”

First Lady Michelle Obama, who launched the “Let’s Move” program last year, is also an inspiration. “Let’s Move”  is “so aligned with my own set of values and what I deem important, “ Barkley said.

Barkley came to Snellville with her husband in 2009, leaving congested life up in the New York –New Jersey area.  For nearly four years, she endured the commute from New Jersey to Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she was working on her doctorate of education. Her husband Daryl was going to Princeton Theological Seminary.

“We thought, we cannot stay here,” she recalled. “There is no way we’re going to live here. It’s too expensive. We needed a place to go where it was affordable.”

So Georgia it was, where Barkley had family. She and her husband now have a 13-month-old son. “Snellville seemed like a great community,” she said.

Barkley was fortunate to have supportive parents who uniformly stressed excellence and hard work to their three children – but in some ways, had different focuses. While her father was physically active, taking his children to the park to go running, for instance, Barley said her mother encouraged the children in other areas. “She pushed us to be overachievers, but not so much in regards to fitness. “

Barkley, who manages the faculty at Ashworth College in Norcross, said it’s ideal to have a unified emphasis on fitness in the home.

“I think it’s so important for both parents to make fitness integrated into the family structure and to communicate that to children,” said Barkley, who also teaches online for South University. “Just like we teach our children not to steal, and certain ethical values, fitness needs to be included in that .”

“I think it’s so important for both parents to make fitness integrated into the family structure and to communicate that to children,” Barkley said. “Just like we teach our children not to steal, and certain ethical values, fitness needs to be included in that.”

The pluses to a family-fit life don’t end with the physical.

“The other benefit of it, in addition to working out together and making it a family value, is it allows for family bonding,” Barkley said. “I think often times when you establish that rapport with your children on a regular basis, you have greater access to them. They begin to let that wall down and begin to share things they’re going through.”