Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Kirk.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have lived in Florida most of my life and graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. I taught fourth grade for five years before venturing into the corporate world, where I worked in the technology, hospitality, retail, and banking industries and held various titles from Corporate Trainer to Product Developer to Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Though my corporate roles were varied throughout the years, I always had an element of “teaching” in everything I did. While working my full-time jobs, I also taught group exercise classes on the side at the Dr. Phillips YMCA in Orlando, teaching classes like kickboxing, boot camp, and Step Reebok. I was also an adjunct instructor and taught Kick Boxing at Valencia Community College. This side gig was my way to staying healthy while getting a free gym membership… I thought it was a win-win situation!
Throughout my adult life, my preferred methods of exercise were always the high-intensity types of workouts: Kick Boxing, Zumba, running, etc., and I used yoga as a complement to those exercises on my active rest days. It wasn’t until 2019, after years of abusing my body with high-impact activities and suffering from plantar fasciitis and my second torn labrum in my hip that I began a truly consistent yoga practice.
I’ll be honest. I wasn’t thrilled when my Orthopedic surgeon told me yoga was the only option for exercise for me. He said it was the one activity that wouldn’t do further damage to my hips. Even walking wasn’t an option despite it being low impact because the repetitive motion would likely cause further damage to the already torn labrum and result in a total hip replacement sooner rather than later. I had gained 35 lbs over recent years, was depressed and in constant pain, so I needed to give yoga a chance.
After starting a consistent practice at a local studio, Warrior One Winter Garden Windermere, I quickly became passionate about yoga. What initially started as an alternate form of exercise to manage pain quickly became a journey of discovering the power of yoga as a tool in changing and reshaping not only my body but my mindset. Yoga helped me cure my plantar fasciitis, manage stress and physical pain, and overcome depression. It was apparent to me yoga was something I desperately needed in my life because it helped me transform and grow in so many ways. I knew that if I could benefit this much from yoga, I needed to share about it with others.
In October of 2020, I completed a 10-month Yoga Teacher Training program and became a 200-HR Certified Yoga Teacher. I also became certified as a SUP Yoga Instructor and loved the added challenge of practicing yoga while floating on water and connecting with nature at the same time. In February of 2021, I finished my Stand-Up Paddleboard Instructor certification, and because I want to always continue learning and growing, I still mentor with other yoga teachers and assist in other training programs.
My goal is to use yoga and paddling as tools to empower my students to discover the boundless possibilities of living life beyond the extent of their own imaginations. I believe we all just need the opportunity to discover and explore, and I hope to provide that for my students through yoga, whether it is on land or water.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road by any means. I believe it took my whole life, with all of the ups and downs, twists and turns, and setbacks, to get to where I am now. For about five years, I went through a pretty tough period where I had a number of negative things occur. Our house was broken into while we were out of town, which left me feeling violated and unsafe in my own home. Additionally, I was starting to suffer from injuries (first torn hip labrum) and was in extreme pain, which resulted in surgery to repair it.
I had what was a “dream job” with a wonderful company, working with a great team doing a job I loved, but the last two years with the company, my work situation was pretty horrible and extremely stressful because I worked for a person who was abusive. It was a hostile environment, and the constant stress took a toll on my health. I went from being a confident employee and team member who excelled in everything I did to being a person who was nearly in tears every day feeling like nothing I did was ever good enough, even though all my “numbers” were exceeding previous performance. I dreaded having to go to work each day. I tried working with Human Resources to remedy the situation, but it was taking too long for changes to occur. It wasn’t until my doctor made me aware that I had been to see him more during that 2-year period than I had in the 15 years of being his patient that I realized how much the stress of the job was affecting my health and well-being. After eleven years with the company, I finally made the decision to leave the job.
During this period, I also experienced the loss of my two dogs that my husband and I had for 15 years. Then I lost a very close friend from a sudden heart attack and another friend who was like a little sister to cancer. On top of that, I moved out of state for my husband’s job, leaving all of my friends and family behind. I became very depressed. I credit yoga for pulling me out of the depression. Yoga helped me put an end to the self-loathing and self-pitying I had been putting myself through. It helped me realize I was still strong and had all the power within me to get through all of the negative situations I suffered. Yoga helped me manage the pain, both physically and emotionally, and I now feel better equipped to handle stressful situations without allowing them to consume me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In my work as a yoga teacher, I strive to make each human feel comfortable being where they are in their own journey, not only in their yoga practice but in their life journey. I encourage my students to apply the lessons they learn on their yoga mats and paddleboards to their daily lives.
I love seeing my students who are experienced and fit realize they can still set new goals and push themselves to do things they have never done, just by encouraging and supporting them. And nothing makes me happier than to have a student in my SUP Yoga class who has never stepped on a paddleboard leave feeling proud and empowered for being brave enough to do something that was completely out of their comfort zone.
I’m also a Tribe Leader for a local Stand Up Paddleboard Community for women called SUP Girls Central Florida (one of eight global chapters). After going through a period of my own depression, I realize how important having a sense of community is. Through this community group, I help connect and lead other women across Central Florida who share the love of paddleboarding and nature. It’s incredible to be part of a uniting group that promotes sisterhood – or as we like to say, “Seasterhood” while making connections on the water.
I believe what sets me apart from others is my 50+ years of life experiences and how I relate those experiences to my students. I am constantly and continually adapting and changing, growing and evolving and always learning. I come from a place of acceptance and encouragement and truly want everyone I come in contact with to flourish in their own way.
Contact Info:
- Email: donna@empoweryogaflorida.com
- Website: https://empoweryogaflorida.com
- Instagram: @donnafitover50
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donnafitover50
- Twitter: @BookOfDonna1212
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/TheBookofDonna
Image Credits
Robbie Arkovich Otter Paddle Orlando
