19 Things You Don’t Know About Elise Joan
You know Super Trainer Elise Joan from 3 Week Yoga Retreat, Barre Blend, FIRE AND FLOW with Jericho McMatthews, and now her power yoga + primal movement masterpiece BODi LAVA.
Get to know Elise — her idea of a perfect meal, what motivates her to work out, her greatest achievement, and more!
What You Don’t Know About Me… by Elise Joan
1. Three words I would use to describe myself: Visionary. Intuitive. Effervescent.
2. My astrological sign: I’m a full-blown SCORPIO and I LOVE it!! Passionate, powerful, fiery, intuitive, and loyal!
3. Music that always puts me in a good mood: I not-so-secretly LOVE ’90s and 2000s hip-hop! It always makes me smile. And classic ’80s and ’90s music. I also love listening to classical music while I work, and anything from the Rat Pack era when I cook. I think different kinds of music make me feel happy in different ways.
4. One thing I’m really good at: Maintaining a positive outlook on life. Oh, and baking!
5. One thing I’m really bad at: Driving.
6. My favorite food: I have so many favorites! But I LOVE anything chocolate. And salt and vinegar potato chips!
7. What motivates me when I’m not in the mood to work out or eat healthy: I’m mostly motivated by a desire to FEEL good. If I’m not working out and nourishing my body well, I tend to get brain fog, fatigue, and anxiety.
So, my greatest motivation is to feel my best and function at my highest potential so I can create and be present for all the people I love.
8. How my fitness journey has evolved: I’ve become more confident in who I am, and in my abilities. I no longer try to be everything to everyone.
Now more than ever, I trust that by creating innovative, intelligent, cutting-edge programming that both pushes us to optimize our capabilities AND supports our body, people will find me.
I trust that people want to explore different modalities of “fusion” fitness like mine; movement that leaves them feeling empowered with full-body work that also improves mobility, functionality, mental acuity, and mindset.
9. Why I’m so excited about BODi LAVA:
It’s the perfect workout. We have an agility day, endurance day, HIIT training, and metabolic burn — all within 20 minutes where you don’t stop moving.
So it’s a hybrid fusion workout: power yoga with a mix of primal flow. But this program is unlike anything else that’s out there.
In a weightlifting program, I want progressive overload; I add a heavier number to my weight.
In this program, I have to go deeper, I have to stay longer, I have to find that place that is the mental threshold of a champion where you cannot give up when it’s game time. You have to actually work harder and dig deeper in those moments.
And I would say that this is a program for the brave. It’s an intermediate program — I ask people to come out of their comfort zone every second of BODi LAVA.
But I do want to encourage beginners to try it. If you want to make progress, if you want to make a change, you have to be willing to come out of your comfort zone.
10. My favorite recent memory: Walking out onto the Super Workout stage at Summit 2022 for my FLOW segment and seeing nearly 10,000 people transition from loud cheers and high energy to absolute silence while taking two deep breaths together.
It was so powerful!!! It reminded us all (myself included) of the value of stillness and silence.
11. What motivates me to keep going when things get tough: Gratitude. I remember how fortunate I am to have people I love; to have a healthy body and mind, and the ability to earn my living doing what I love.
I remember that most growth begins as a challenge, and that often the perceived obstacle is actually an opportunity to explore another direction.
I remember how good it feels to invest in myself, and I remind myself that I am the creator of my experience, by CHOOSING what I focus on. When times get tough, I put my energy into what I am capable of changing, and practice letting go of what is out of my control.
12. The people who have made the biggest impact on my life: All my ongoing education teachers, and my amazing husband Nolan, who reminds me to enjoy life between accomplishments.
Plus the amazing humans in our BODi community who have the courage to step out of their comfort zone and take on my uniquely challenging programs have also had a big impact.
The feedback they give me on the importance of the mindset and personal development that grounds all my workouts makes me realize that speaking my truth, sharing my struggles, leaning into my empathy, and showing up authentically, are actually my superpowers.
The people who press “Play” on my physically and emotionally empowering programs are absolute warrior Jedis. I look up to them in every way.
They are moms and entrepreneurs. They are men who value mobility. They are cancer survivors and elite athletes.
They are authors of their own stories and humans who want to feel their best. They are women empowering women.
They know the value of holistic health, and I learn from THEM how to be strong and resilient.
13. If I had a theme song, it would be: “I LIVED” by One Republic.
14. The qualities I most admire in someone: Kindness, a solid work ethic, generosity of spirit, accountability, integrity, and a killer sense of humor.
15. I have two rescue pups: Larkin is 7 and a terrier mix we rescued as a puppy. He’s intuitive, loving, calm, quiet, and definitely an old soul. He loves to chase squirrels and snuggle while watching sports with the family.
Boomer is a 1-year-old husky-mix puppy who is very willful and energetic and can’t be trusted when out of sight! He’s loud and talks all the time, and he loves aggressive belly rubs. His favorite pastimes are tug-of-war, eating all the food, and long walks on the beach.
If you ask my husband Nolan, Larkin takes after him, and Boomer takes after me!
16. Qualities that have gotten me to where I am today: Optimism, authenticity, empathy, and resilience.
17. The best advice I’ve ever gotten: “Trust yourself, and your path … and find joy in the journey as it all unfolds.” —my Dad
18. The best advice I could give someone: Stay focused on being the best version of YOU you can be…. And then show up intentionally and powerfully each day in the direction of your goals, and surrender what is out of your control.
19. My idea of a perfect day: Waking up early and enjoying my hot coffee and morning gratitude meditation, followed by a workout.
From there, I’m pretty easy — maybe a beachside brunch with my friends and then an afternoon adventure with my husband and pups!
It would DEFINITELY include an afternoon nap, FaceTime with my nieces and nephews, and then maybe a romantic dinner with Nolan, followed by a movie night at home.