Journey of Joy: Debbie Johnson's Transformation from Homemaker to Fitness Icon

Debbie Johnson's story is one of resilience and reinvention – a tale that begins with a leap of faith from California to Florida, and blossoms into a community-embraced fitness phenomenon. As your host, I had the privilege of capturing her inspiring journey, one that will resonate with anyone who's ever faced the daunting prospect of starting over. With Debbie's transition from homemaker to celebrated fitness instructor, we uncover the profound impact of diving into new experiences and the infectious joy that comes from pursuing your passions.

This week, we tackle more than just physical fitness; we explore the art of forging deep personal connections. Debbie and I share the simple yet powerful technique of remembering names – a skill that turns strangers into friends and fitness classes into tight-knit communities. We also touch on the importance of music in our routines, drawing on hip-hop's beat to bridge generational divides and keep those energy levels soaring. Nostalgia takes a front seat as we reminisce about cultural icons and my stint with the Orlando Magic dance team, painting a vibrant backdrop to the narrative of our diverse lives.

In our heart-to-heart, we celebrate the myriad facets of life that spark joy and fulfillment. From the bliss of spending precious moments with grandchildren to the creative satisfaction of repurposing furniture, our conversation is a testament to the simple pleasures that enrich our existence. We also stress the significance of embracing technology in our quest for knowledge, as we equip ourselves with the tools needed for DIY success. So, join us in this episode for an immersive journey through fitness, community, and the lifelong pursuit of learning and growth that binds us all.

 Become a Supporter: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1974255/support

Chapters

• 0:10 Life and Fitness in the Villages
• 8:59 Memorizing Names and Hip Hop Fun
• 17:10 Debbie's Diverse Passions in Life
• 24:23 Podcast Episode Announcement and Shout Outs

Transcript

Debbie Johnson 

[00:00:00] Emily: Welcome to The Open Forum In The Villages, Florida Podcast. In this show, we talk to leaders in the community, leaders of clubs, and interesting folks who live here in the Villages to give perspectives of what is happening here in the Villages Florida. We hope to add a new episode most Fridays at 9:00 AM We are a listener supported podcast.

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This podcast brings me joy, brings you knowledge, inspiration, and a lot of things that people need to know about the villages and the people that are living here and what's actually going on. Creating this podcast is a labor of love, even though it demands more time than I can easily spare. But hey, Time isn't something we can buy [00:01:00] back, right?

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That way there's no extra money out of your pocket but you are supporting the podcast. Check every week because we're going to be adding new Amazon products that you can buy and support the podcast with. Thank you. And your support means the [00:02:00] world to us. Stay curious, stay inspired, and keep those headphones on.

If you have a book that you would like to turn into an audiobook, let us know via email to mikeatroth. com. Hope you enjoy today's show. This is Mike Roth on Open Forum in The Villages, Florida. I'm here today with Debbie Johnson. Debbie, thanks for joining me. No problem. Debbie. Why don't you tell what our listeners, what brought you to Florida from sunny California?

Sunny California to sunny Florida. I had previously been married for almost 25 years, found myself alone suddenly and job for us for a single woman that her skills were being a homemaker and raising three children was very difficult. So I did my best, did a lot of different things, learned a lot of different things.

And then I was laid off of my last job and said, Mama's going to Florida. My middle daughter was accepting her second child. So that was a destination for me. Never in my dreams did I think I'd be living in Florida. So your second [00:03:00] daughter lives in Florida? Not currently. She's in Texas now. Okay. Her life has been interesting too.

A lot of people's lives have been interesting. Okay. And Debbie, how long ago did you move to the village? I moved to the villages in 2010. I had been on a dating site and met this man. And a year and a half later we were married. So that's how I didn't even know about the villages. I was in Tampa. Doing my own thing, trying to, I was just got hired to work at a golf course, which I thought I'd find me a rich golfer, but that didn't happen.

So I met Bill and within four months I'm in the villages. And then six months after that, we were married and I'm not kidding you. A week after I was moved in, I was teaching classes. So it was pretty quick, got involved right away, got involved right away. That's good advice for new villages. It is. You gotta try it all.

Try everything you can to find what fits for you. I think there's a limit. I will confess that the first year that I was in the Villages, I joined 21 different clubs. You [00:04:00] win. It was a big mistake. I enjoyed the clubs. It tied up my schedule and drove me crazy. That's the thing. It's that I'm a homebody, even though as much of an extrovert that I am.

I'm a homebody and I can find chores all day long to do. I love crafting. I love cooking. So I don't want too many things to interrupt that because that makes me really happy. Yeah. A lot of people like that. And I got a lot happier when I reduced the number of clubs. There you go. Which also might be. I was going to say that seems like a lot too.

It is since I run three of them. Busy man. Yes. And then I took on the teaching of a course at the Enrichment Academy on podcasting. That's a big commitment. Yeah, three weeks at a time and three sessions a year at that's enough. Why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about the program or the club that you run?

Okay. I was still in California back in the eighties. I discovered jazz [00:05:00] and was immediately hooked. I got all my friends hooked and it was just, a love at first class. After a few years, I decided what the heck I can do this. So I became an instructor. And when you are a Jazzercise instructor, you are a franchise owner.

So I had my own business, was really successful at it, enjoyed it so much. And then, so Jazzercise is a franchise. It is when you teach a class, you are now. So did you have to sign a franchise agreement? Oh, very definitely. And yep, they get their fee right up on top. And then, it was a business.

I learned a lot from doing that and my mother became terminally ill. So she moved in with us and then when, after she was gone, that's when my marriage stopped. And I quit teaching and then did various things. And then I. Re auditioned again, went back to it because I knew it made me happy, was teaching in beautiful Newport Beach, California.

You couldn't ask for a better setting. Absolutely gorgeous. And then I [00:06:00] stopped again because I had to make another move. So I've moved all over in those few years. So then in 2009 is when I moved to Florida. And when did you start the Synergy group in the villages? Synergy just happened.

I was teaching with a good friend of mine, Rosie. When I first came here, we were at a Jazzercise class and she looked at me. She was also a previous instructor. She goes, you're teaching with me. And I went, oh, okay. So that's how that happened. And I taught with Rosie. She did Monday. I did Thursdays for about three years.

And then things happened. And I said I think I want to be on my own. I want to be just me. And so I literally sat up in bed one night, came up with the name out of the clear blue sky, designed my business card, had it ordered all before the sun came up and that's how it started. Good.

Some of the best ideas happen when you're sleeping. I don't sleep, so I'm working on two hours right now. [00:07:00] Wow. I need seven hours. Oh, lucky you. I'm jealous. My major supporter, Dr. Curtis, has a lot to say about sleep. Seven hours is usually pretty good. Oh, that's what they say, but it's not always the case.

Yeah keep yourself in shape with this dance synergy. Group Synergy Fitness is what the name of the class is, and the format is very much like a Jazzercise class, because even though today I still believe in their format. So I'm very careful that I don't do something that might hurt a novice that walks in.

I'm very much aware of the people in my class and I don't know what I'd be doing if I didn't have this to do. How many people typically come to a class? Currently with, we've got extra people in town right now, that was a nice way of saying it right now. I averaged between 80, 90 students.

Wow. Yeah. You must have a big room for that. Where do you teach? I teach Tuesday mornings, eight o'clock at Laurel manor, Friday mornings, Eisenhower. At nine o'clock and it's [00:08:00] Saturday at Rohan nine o'clock. Now my Saturday class is my powerhouse. We go an hour and 20 minutes, one solid full hour of aerobics.

But I warm you up nice and slow. We get you cooking and then I bring you back down. And then we do strength training. So that's a long class. Yeah, they leave exhausted. That's good. Just to tell you my last Saturday class, I had 11 gentlemen up on stage with me having so much fun. And yesterday's class.

Tuesday at Laurel Manor, I brought all my tutus that I own, which I have a gazillion of them. Everybody had on a tutu almost, and pom poms, and we just have fun. That's great. That's great. It's, if you're not having fun What's the point? Why do it? Exactly. What was your My role model? Yeah. I've thought about that.

My biggest role model was probably my father. And if I start tearing up, I'm sorry. He's been gone for three years now. After I lost my mom, my dad was an [00:09:00] absentee father. He was always there, and I knew his worth, and I knew who he was. But didn't contribute a lot, to me. After that We lost mom, he had to step up to the plate.

And let me tell you, that man did. He's my closest friend, my confidant, my everything. After he passed, I have to tell you, his wife found a folder. Every single clipping article, newspaper thing, I sent him the physical copies. All the time he kept every single one. So when this picture came out last week in the paper, I went, Oh, man.

So I held it up high so he could see it from heaven. That's great. That's great. What do you aspire to bring to your classes? Oh, this is a good one. Just for instance, after class yesterday, a little lady came up to me and she said, they all know that I was going to be doing this today. And they said, Debbie, make sure you mention that you are biggest motivator.

That you motivate us. Every class you bring joy, you your enthusiasm, because I'm always trying to [00:10:00] instill them with positivity. I say, if you negativity is does not belong in this room. It doesn't come in here. So that's, and of course a good workout, a safe workout. My favorite line is don't make me come down there.

Cause I will, cause I'm up on a stage, and I love getting down on the floor with them. It's just, I said, you're not my students. You're my friends. And I feel really important about that. That's really close to my heart. I know almost all of those people's first names and I address them by their first names.

And who doesn't like to feel special like that? Do you have them wearing name badges? No, I just memorized them. You memorized them? That's real good. Been doing this a long time. But you're memorizing first names only. Yeah, I do that association game right away where I look at them and you have to look at the person intently and find something that you can associate them with and then you got it.

Yeah, that's an old Dale Carnegie routine, I think. I think it might be. Let's take a quick break and listen to a Alzheimer's tip from Dr. Craig Curtis. [00:11:00] Dr. Curtis, what can someone do if they know that they have Alzheimer's that runs in their family? So there's a lot that they can do. So published actually in the Journal of the American Medical Association in February of 2024, so this month, this was a study done primarily at Rush University in Chicago.

Looking at those with brain amyloid, so those people that already have amyloid, can a healthy lifestyle protect them from developing dementia? And the answer was yes, by following these five healthy habits that were tracked. And those where they did not smoke, They did moderate exercise for at least 150 minutes a week.

They kept their alcohol consumption to a minimum, approximately one to two drinks a day, and they regularly stimulated their brain by reading, going to museums, etc. And the final category was how well they followed the MIND diet, or a Mediterranean type diet. And they used autopsies. They actually [00:12:00] used approximately 530 autopsies to prove that those that followed those healthy lifestyle habits or had those healthy lifestyle habits actually had less amyloid.

It correlated those had less amyloid in their brain. With over 20 years of experience studying brain health, Dr. Curtis's goal is to educate the villages community on how to live a longer healthier life. To learn more, visit his website. Craig Curtis md.com or call 3 5 2 5 0 0 5 2 5 2 to attend a free seminar.

Debbie, what are the first words that you say to your group in the, from the stage when they're ready to start the exercises? Words from my father. Let's do or manure. That's what I say. Doer manure. Doer manure. My father had his own language. Really? Yeah. Cowboys aren't cowboys. They are kaboys. He just had this flavor about him.

It was so contagious. My maiden name was Smith, so he was known by Smitty to everybody. So my dad was a character. He was a character. [00:13:00] So they, the students say, we need to make t shirts that say that. Group Synergy lets a doer manure. I think it's hilarious. But I guess other than that, I say, are we ready to do this?

Are you ready to go? And they're already going. They're already, I always have background music playing before we start the class and they're already dancing. I just brought in a new hip hop routine for them, digging it big time. So that's, you're shaking your head at me, Mike. I will admit that I don't get it.

Hip hop. And when I'm presented with it, I usually hit the fast forward and leave. I am like minded, but because Usher was doing the halftime show, so I brought in an old Usher song, made it real simple, three moves, and it's just got to make them do the stank face, and they got the attitude going, so it's.

Just playing. We just have fun. We'd never do hardcore or anything like that. I make sure I play the clean version because you have to really watch for that. Sometimes I get surprised because I missed a word or two. [00:14:00] So then we sing over it, make up our own words. It works. It's okay.

The lyrics are too fast. Yeah. And I can't understand the words of most hip hop songs. And this one's only two minutes, this new one I brought in. Two minutes. And it's a new song. So it's real catchy, real cat. And it's not quite, it's not rap. Hip hop is a little different than rap.

So there is a difference. I guess I, I object more to rap. You do. I think. Than hip hop. Exactly. I was at the improv. Festival in Sarasota last summer and the last show on Saturday night that I was in was turned out to be a rap show rap fest rap hip hop and I wound up leaving. I couldn't understand the words.

Yeah, we did. I brought in a really old Tupac. You remember Tupac? And I think the song is like 20 some years old and it was California. And cause I was representing my. California days, yesterday's class with the tutu and a [00:15:00] shirt my father had made for me. And I was surprised how many of his seniors knew the song.

But this was back when it was still relatively clean. It wasn't, that kind of evolved through the years. I'm not an expert by any means. I don't call me out on it. But yeah, I think he was the guy that was shot on the highway in Cincinnati. He was. And I guess someone told me yesterday that they just now.

found out who was guilty of that. So amazing. Yeah. I lived in Cincinnati. Oh, did you shot? It was amazing. He was only in his early twenties. I think very young. Now you work with the Orlando magic. Must've been in the senior dance team. I am. You still are. I still am currently been doing it. This is my ninth year.

Start out as a silver star. I don't know if you're familiar with that. That usually has something to do with movies in my mind. No there's no, none of that. So I was teaching class and a gal who was on the silver stars, cause they had already been up and running for six years or something.

They were having [00:16:00] their first open audition that they had in years. Sure. You know what? They all go, wow. I don't know how many people fill this room, but there had to be over a hundred of us. And we learned a routine. Practiced and then you auditioned. So they selected 14 and I was chosen.

So I did that for about six years and then Orlando magic decided they wanted to rebrand their entertainment. So they shut everything down, rebranded, brought us they didn't bring us back. We had to re audition again. Now it's, I'm a classic 407, which is a senior hip hop team. When I was a silver star, the sweet bus would come and pick us up and take us to Orlando.

So nobody had to make that drive. And it was awesome. My husband used to go all the time. Now he doesn't cause we have to get ourselves to Orlando for practices, to learn the routines and for game day. So it's a bit, how many times a month do you have to take the drive to Orlando? We perform six times a year.

That's one performance a month. [00:17:00] We drive to Orlando for practice on a Saturday and a Sunday and sometimes a third practice and then back again on game day. So it's not too bad. Yeah, and this is the court. We're only on the up there on the court for a little over a minute, but it's worth every single thing it's so much fun.

We get so pumped up We run off at the court and we're going through the tunnels back to our locker room And we look at each other and go did we just do that? I want to do it over again I don't remember because you don't it's so fast, but it's so much fun and they love us The crowd loves us. Are you on the same team with Mark went and his wife Bridget?

Oh, I absolutely love and adore those two. They have brought so much joy to this team. I can't tell you. Yeah, they were in our improv club for about a year. Yeah. He and I talked about it a little bit and yeah they, in fact, cute story. Sorry, mark, but I'm gonna s I'm gonna squeal on you. He was gonna drive his wife down to Orlando or up till or whichever way it is over there for the audition.

And I looked at him, had never met [00:18:00] them before and said, I'm sorry, you're auditioning too. He goes, no, I'm like, yeah, you are. He was a natural. Yeah, he was. Yeah. He's an, they both are. Oh, she's, she is so talented. And he's very well known in the community for all the good works that he does. Very giving couple.

And I love them dearly. So what are your passions in life? Oh, my passions. I have so many. Of course, my grandkids are number one on the list, even though I don't get to see them often enough. They're coming out to visit me sometime in during the summer break, so I'm real happy about that. . They're coming from Texas.

And see, I love to cook. Okay. My husband has no taste buds. Zero taste buds. Wow. He would eat a chicken sandwich every single day and be a very happy man. Okay, he now eats different foods because I just tried just like a two year old just take a bite, And he's discovering different things, but he's you know, no green no veggies.

No nothing And so what I do is I cook enough They'll have a little bit and then I give it to my neighbors Mike who is my class [00:19:00] manager. He's single Ladies, he's single and he gets a fact. He's got food in my refrigerator right now waiting for him on for Friday's class So that's one of my joys. I paint I'm not an artist by any means people say oh you're so artistic No, I just try I mean sell your paintings.

No, they're not very amateur but It's always Grandma Moses. Like I found an old chair at Goodwill. It doesn't look anything like it did when I started. One of my friends brought me a little side table. Her friend was going to throw it away because it was broken. She goes, Oh no. Let me give it to Debbie.

She is going to make something. And I did. I put it together and painted it a sunflower. One leg is green. It's just adorable. And I paint bottles. I take off the labels and I do floral designs. Give them away as a gift. I put little twinkle lights inside. Very cute. I didn't have one. I was gonna bring you one, but I didn't have one to, ready to go.

Okay. He's good. I've got enough stuff. Enough stuff. Most people do [00:20:00] at this age, don't we? I gave away a whole bunch of Mercedes stuff that I can't use on my cars anymore. And I felt real good about it. And then a guy came over and said, could you help me with my rib nuts? And I said, what the heck is a rib nut?

And it's a combination of a rivet and a nut. We all know what pop rivets are. Yeah. Okay. But this rivnut has a thread on it. And I said where does Mercedes use rivnuts? And he says, oh, it's to hold the license plate on my car. And three of them are broken, and my license plate rattles. Sorry.

Yeah he had to buy about 100 worth of tools and rivnuts. And the other day we took off the broken rivnuts, which was a pain in the tush, and put in the new rivnut. His license plate no longer rattles. So he's leaving, and I said, Why don't you take the tool? It's yours. He says, no, it's yours now. Oh, so now you're the proud owner.

Now I'm the proud owner of a rivnut tool. So if anybody needs it. Anyone's license plate with a Mercedes is rattling. [00:21:00] If you've got a rattle. We've got a cure. But in a strange way, that was fun. Just fixing the rib nut. Oh, absolutely. Those are the things, just you say passions. It's sorry guys, but I do like to say this a lot.

I don't need no stinking man because I was single for 17 years. I learned how to fix things. I learned how to make things work like, Oh you're curtains or to the broad. Isn't long enough. I figured out how to extend it on my own. Just by using things around the house, don't look too close, but it worked, I love doing stuff like that, figuring it out. I'm very tenacious. I won't stop until I've got a solution. Yeah. I love watching YouTube. YouTubes are fabulous for all that stuff. I have no idea what a R Knott was or how to use it. We're back to that. Are we back to that? I must have watched 10 riv not.

Spots on how to put them in repair, fix a broken one. And that's how I figured out what tools we needed to get the bad ones out. It was amazing how accurate the [00:22:00] videos were on YouTube. They're such a good tool. Just, you know how, when you pick up your phone and their phone can automatically rotate, Yes.

Okay, mine had gotten turned off and it was driving me nuts. My daughter says, I don't know. I said, Oh, I am not going to edit hit this. No, there's there. There's a button. I found it. So I sent her the solution because yeah, mom, go. I subscribed to a something on the web called. Android Academy. It costs about a hundred bucks a year.

And every week there are two Android tips on how to use your phone to get the most out of it. Cause we don't get the most out of our phones by a long shot. I've had people in my improv class who tell me the only time they use their phone is if they're in the car and there's an emergency, other than turning it on and off and making a telephone call, they don't use it for email, they don't use it for texting.

Hey, some people are too set in their ways. Too set in their ways. But it's this is another thing I instill in my class. I may be right in the middle of teaching a routine that they've done a million times, [00:23:00] but my brain doesn't stop. I'm always four beats ahead of what we're doing and I'll change it.

Just to see their faces and they're like no. I go yes. Today we're going to do it like this. So just forget about it, and it makes, cause it makes them use their brains. I says, we get so used to doing things the same way all the time. I think it's great. Change where you stand back row, come up front, cause I think it's really good for us to stimulate our brain. That's one of the things we do in improv. We tell people to say the first thing that comes into their mind. That's dangerous for me. It's fun. It's fun. You haven't said anything so far. We have to end it out. I'm being very contained.

Nothing you do well in the improv. It's the first four Mondays of the month at Rohan from 630 to 820. Okay. And then we have a social hour over at the Paisanos. Yum. Yes. Great sandwiches, food, and pizza. Yeah, I've been there. It's good. Yeah. So do you have any closing remarks that remind our listeners how to You have to sign up in advance for your [00:24:00] classes?

No. We're all volunteers here in the villages, so you know, that's the cool thing. And just to come to class right now, I advise you to be there at least a half an hour. At least a half an hour. I have some ladies, I ask them, where's your cot? I know you sleep here, because they're there an hour and a half ahead of time.

Cause they really want their place and there's a group and they have great social time. I call it the stitch and bitch, and that's what they do and then that's fine with them. But right now we have such high volume classes that you need to get there early. And so no, you don't sign up for anything.

You just show up. I do put people on mailing list if you would like that, because sometimes I get bumped out, especially at Rohan. And so I've got 350 people on an email list. So if they want to get on your email list, how do they do that? They contact me through, my email is@gmail.com. Des is my nickname from my dad.

I've been called that my whole life. So it's o des o Real easy or it's listed in the Daily Paper under Group Synergy [00:25:00] Fitness, my name and email and phone number, and don't ever hesitate to call me or contact me. Thanks for being with us, Debbie. Thank you, Mike. Remember our next episode will be released next Friday at 9 AM.

Should you want to become a major supporter of the show or have questions, please contact us at mike at rothvoice dot com. This is a shout out for supporters, Tweek Coleman, Ed Williams, and major supporter Dr. Craig Curtis at K2 in the Villages. We will be hearing more from Dr. Curtis with short Alzheimer's tips each week.

If you know someone who should be on the show, contact us at mike at rothvoice dot com. We thank everyone for listening to the show. The content of the show is copyrighted by Rothvoice 2024, all rights reserved.