Sports Illustrated and Empower Onyx are putting the spotlight on the diverse journeys of Black women across sports—from the veteran athletes, to up-and-coming stars, coaches, executives and more—in the series, Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports.
A first glance at Monica Jones’s Instagram (@trainwithmon) shows a petite trainer with golden curls, tight abs, an upbeat attitude and laser focus. It’s hard to look at Jones on social media—often squatting 200 pounds—and imagine that she ever struggled with body image issues or grappled with her emotions. But in reality, this strength comes from Jones leaning into fitness as a coping mechanism. Her fitness journey took a turn for the best once it became less about how it made her look and more about how it made her feel, which ultimately led her to discover her true purpose: teaching other women how to shift their mindset as well. Early on in her career she struggled, like so many do as adults, to find the answer to the age-old question of: What do I want to be when I grow up? One thing she was clear about: She wanted to be happy and not stuck in a career that didn’t fulfill her.
“I had ADHD socially, I had [body] dysmorphia, I had acute bulimia,” Jones says. “The only thing that healed me was realizing I needed to work towards something that, one, I enjoyed and two, that there was a goal other than looking different.”
The farther Jones ventured into her healing process, the more passionate she became about fitness, women’s wellness specifically and the mindset behind self-care being so often ignored. She understands that women—young, old, single, married, rich, poor—juggle a lot and can be willing to put themselves on hold for whatever is needed of them. Jones trains women to reprogram their mindset and see themselves as a priority. Once women do that, they can set aside time for themselves to work out guilt-free, which strengthens them both physically and emotionally.
“As women … we’ll do so much for others. We must do the same thing when we make the decision to start working out,” Jones says. “If I don’t make time for myself, nobody’s going to respect my time. Working out is simply showing up and taking time for yourself. That’s it.”
Jones makes it sound easy, but she knows it’s hard to actually implement a new mindset. So how do women break the cycle of sacrificing their time by adding a workout to an already busy schedule?
“When it comes to women creating that time, they've got to have a deeper understanding of their why. Getting into movement empowered me, and it gave me the energy I needed to empower other women,” Jones says. “If you dig deeper, it’s never just about how we look. It’s never just about having abs. So, the concept is different, and it feels way more empowering than to train for something superficial.”
Jones does take women’s physicality into account in her training, understanding that women’s hormones and genetics are not always compatible with HITT exercises and strict nutrition plans. So Jones created “Hustle and Flow,” a workout program that takes a woman’s unique biological makeup into account—menstrual cycles, hormone fluctuations, cravings and energy levels are all considered to optimize results.
“Women are constantly being judged for being too emotional, but it is really our superpower. I wanted to study how I could help other women, answer questions like, When are you most creative? or When are you better with decision-making? And understand those phases,” Jones says. “There are no studies on women. I've put all my effort into [making] Hustle and Flow for cycle-syncing and specifically for women's hormonal health.”
By having transparent conversations about body image and mental health, Jones has taken fitness beyond the gym and helped women harness their power to accept what they can’t do and prioritize themselves. Jones understands women’s strength is in their femininity. Just one conversation with her will feel like an emotional workout—one that inspires, motivates and reassures women to be O.K. with who they are, appearance aside. When asked what Jones sees as her official role in helping women, the answer is simple.
“You can get so much from the lifestyle, rather than just thinking it’s all going to happen at the gym,” Jones says. “I’m a women’s wellness coach and provider of vibes.”
Senita Brooks is a contributor for Empower Onyx, a diverse multi-channel platform celebrating the stories and transformative power of sports for Black women and girls.
