IDEA Member Spotlight: June 2019

Shebah T. Carfagna

Member Since 2014 • Miami

Shebah Carfagna began her fitness journey, well . . . “frazzled. I turned to fitness in 1997 to manage the stress affiliated with challenges of a corporate job and being the single mother of a child with autism,” she explains. Meeting with a personal trainer was life-changing and, in 2005, Carfagna established Panache Fitness Company, completing the evolution from eager client to trusted professional. Panache now offers medical fitness, group classes and life coaching, as well as business consultation services to other facilities. Carfagna loves drawing from her knowledge and compassion to help clients reach their goals. “We are on the same page as IDEA, inspiring the world to keep moving,” she says. “I believe that quality of life is the most important asset a person can have.”

Damien A. Joyner, JD

Member Since 2016 • San Diego

In addition to running his own business, Incremental Fitness, Damien Joyner is a fitness specialist at the exclusive Golden Door Wellness Resort. He meets some famous folks, but he considers his regular over-50 clients to be the real rock stars.

“I love working with this demographic,” he says. “I challenge them in the gym in ways that translate to moving better in their everyday lives.” Joyner himself is no stranger to challenges. “The winding road I have taken personally and professionally gives me empathy for individuals’ struggles,” he explains. His advice for others on their journeys? “Find a mentor to help you move in the direction you want to go.” And be a mentor, too. “If there are people in your life trying to find their way, be patient with them and cheer them on!”

Jana Lerbach

Member Since 2017 • Washington, D.C.

Many people wish to be fit. So did Jana Lerbach. In fact, she made her wish from the top of the Sydney Bridge in Australia. Two weeks later, she met a personal trainer and began making her dream come true. “Most of my life I struggled with my body,” she says. Now? “I’m the assistant fitness director at Sport & Health on Capitol Hill. I love what I do because I can positively impact people’s lives and help them become strong and confident—physically, emotionally and spiritually.” To accomplish this, Lerbach incorporates numerous fitness specialties—including mind-body work—into her programming, noting that her clients “started succeeding much faster” with this holistic approach. Her next wish? “One of my goals is to be an IDEA speaker. I cannot wait for that day to come!”

We’d Like to Put the Spotlight on You!

If you would like to be featured in this section or know an IDEA member who stands out in the fitness crowd, email a brief description of your (or your colleague’s) fitness activities and achievements and a high-resolution digital photograph (at least 300 dpi, in focus, well-lit and at least 3” ├ù 3” in its original digital format) to [email protected]. Please include your IDEA member number, if possible. You (or the colleague) must be an IDEA member to be considered for this section.