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Life and Work with Koya Webb

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Koya Webb.

Koya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I wasn’t born into the healthy lifestyle that I live and teach today. I was raised in the south. My parents had 4 kids and I remember my younger days living in a trailer and having powdered milk for breakfast. My family struggled with finances in my early years. When we finally got an abundance of money and a bigger home, I remember my dad giving me the credit card and telling me to just stay under $200 for the week for groceries for 6 people. I was SO excited I bought everything I knew my family would love like bacon, eggs, pancakes, pizza, chips, soda, ice cream, Jiffy cornbread, hamburger helper, smoked sausage and a cabinet full of snack cakes.

It felt great to have all the food I wanted in abundance. My mom made meals of one meat, 2 veggies and a bread most nights. My family never really pigged out but we had no restrictions on what we ate and never read labels. As long as it tasted great we ate it. We had no idea about the long-term danger of preservatives and chemically processed food.

My first problems started after puberty. I got chronic yeast infections and I tried every pill, cream, and box on the shelf. When that didn’t work I reached for the natural health books my parents had on the shelves for natural healing and found relief. I took sits baths, stopped eating as much fast food and cut back in the chips and snack cakes. This helped a little but I would still have unexplained flare-ups. It wasn’t until years later that I learned about candida overgrowth and how to heal myself.

Once a year, I would get sick and break out with a full rash all over my face and body. It was SO bad, I didn’t want to be seen but I still had to go to school and endure name-calling and bullying. I felt unattractive and many times like I wanted to disappear.

Luckily, the outbreak would only last a week then I was on to my regular life. Life got better mentally for me when I started running track and field. I couldn’t make the basketball team or cheerleading squad, so it was my last opportunity to have something exciting to do away from home. I worked hard and went to the state meet my freshman year on a relay team. We didn’t do that well but it was fun to be a part of a team and feel important.

Running and lifting became my outlet and for stress at home and school. I ran my way into a full ride at the University of Tennessee at Martin but after a terrible season, a bad breakup and gaining 25 pounds, I transferred to Wichita State University. I cleaned up my diet and after a year of vigorous training, the coaches favored to win the conference meet the following year.

I was the kind of athlete that would put my body through everything it could handle until one day I dropped to my knees from a striking bolt of pain that I later found out was a stress fracture in my 4 lumbar vertebrae. My session was over… my full scholarship threatened and I all I had to offer the world at that point was an overflow of tears.

A concerned counselor suggested I try yoga. I’d never really heard about it before and remember my first class being full of pain and tears. Somehow, I found myself halfway on my head and I thought it was going to explode. I think if I had a way out I wouldn’t have returned for a second class but I signed up for the semester so I was stuck.

Day after day, inch after inch I saw myself improving. After a week I’d cried all the tears, my body was capable of and my teacher suggested I focus on my breath. I stopped thinking about the poses and only thought about fully breathing the entire class.

After a month, I was no longer depressed and I added swimming and biking to my routine to heal my body. I forgave myself for being so hard on my body and after a year of therapy and self-love I returned to the track to win 3 Championship titles in the High Jump, Heptathlon and Mile Relay and lead my team to Wichita State’s first Women’s Track and Field Championship title. My continued practice of yoga has helped me strengthen my body and my mind.

I’ve learned that the body needs balance. We all put a lot of emotional and physical stress on our bodies daily. I focus on balancing that stress out with meditation, yoga, and swimming. I’ve also learned that some things come quickly… and others slowly but with continued practice, everything that is for you will come.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think all young women should have a daily practice of yoga and meditation.

Meditation has helped me cope with stressful situations and has given me direction when I’ve asked for answers.

Yoga has helped me keep my mind and body toned. Linking movements with the breath provide a moving meditation that helps detox and heal the body.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Get Loved Up – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Get Loved Up is a global brand built on the practice of holistic health and yoga. Our intention is to inspire self-care, unity, and eco-friendly living.

We are different because we look at the whole body instead of just parts.

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I believe barriers only exist in our minds. Once we remove mental barriers, we realize all things are possible.

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Image Credit:
Brialle Ringer, Laura Kasperzak

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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