EXERCISER PROFILES
MELINDA HOLLADY
“Leonard Cohen is the soundtrack of my childhood.” When she was little, every morning her father would put Leonard Cohen on the stereo and it would waft through the whole house. While Melinda had a happy childhood, she definitely considers Leonard to be more of a poet than a singer. We noticed she blanches whenever we use a Leonard Cohen playlist in class. Melinda has been exercising with Bodies-in-Motion, Inc. since 1994 and is now a shareholder in the company.
What is your academic/career background? “I graduated from high school at 17 and went straight to college and then to law school. I felt like I wanted to be a lawyer from the time I was young…which I guess is good and bad.” She graduated Vanderbilt Law School and became a litigator. Her mother was an educator and an activist and her father a scientist and physician, both of whom influenced her early life choices. Her mother taught small children with reading issues, a Title I teacher, and continues to tutor children at Atlanta’s International School. Her dad, who just turned 87, is an immunologist running a research lab and lecturing since Melinda was little.
“I am now a Specialist in Alternative Dispute Resolution {ADR} resolving disputes outside of the court system through mediation/arbitration that gives the parties more control over the dispute. Restorative Justice is also part of the ADR movement. Less formal than court; less adversarial; quicker; less expensive.” She acts as a “judge”, hearing disputes as the neutral party and deciding them. She also is on the American Arbitration Association [AAA] faculty now training new arbitrators.
“ADR is only for civil law because it is a voluntary process and every criminal defendant has a constitutional right to a jury trial. In theory no one’s lives or freedoms are on the line in civil disputes. Neutrals are invited to take a case so the parties get to choose someone with expertise in the subject matter who will arbitrate/mediate their case. You have to disclose everything you know about the dispute---the parties, the attorneys, witnesses, organizations or companies---so you are truly neutral. It is a higher standard even than judges. The organization I work for is based out of NY but they have regional offices in Atlanta.”
Melinda moved to Atlanta after graduating law school. “Atlanta is my chosen home.” She was born in London while her father was doing a fellowship at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the country’s leading center for treating sick children. The trust supporting this hospital is funded by Peter Pan royalties. She was the first born and has three younger brothers; a neurologist, an immigration lawyer and an architect. She has lived in London, San Francisco, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Birmingham Alabama [where her dad started an immunology department at UAB] and Paris. She gave up her dual citizenship at 21….it was an elective choice. Another option she still has is an Italian citizenship since her mother and both her grandparents are Sicilian.
How, when, why do you exercise? “I love exercising with a group of people and especially like this group of women [Bodies-in-Motion classes]. I also like the emotional boost of exercise. I’m not particularly self-disciplined so having a scheduled class is a good fit for me. And I love, love, love Molly, her incredible spirit, and her amazing playlists!.” Outside of Bodies-in-Motion classes, she loves long walks, yoga, kayaking and paddleboard. She and her husband bought a house on Lake Blue Ridge after they became empty-nesters and take long weekends there. But, she says “I LOVE the beach….I am by far a beach person.”
What is your favorite music? “I don’t have a favorite music but I gravitate towards music by women. I like Aretha Franklin…I guess I just love soulful, powerful music by soulful, powerful women.”
Do you have any pets? "I’m not good with animals so my service to animal-kind is to NOT have pets."
What are you up to now? "Outside of my paid ADR work, education, women’s reproductive rights and the political process are what I spend most of my non-paid time on."
Education: “I have served 12 years on the Board at Paideia School and just finished 4 years chairing that board. So I know a little bit about running a school and a lot about educating the whole child. “
Planned Parenthood: “When I was a young law student I would walk to class at Vanderbilt and there must have been an abortion or family planning clinic nearby because I would see people standing out in the street holding incendiary, shocking photos so, as an enthusiastic budding constitutional law scholar, I endeavored to engage in a reasoned debate with these people and soon discovered there was no debate to be had. From that moment on I became a staunch advocate for women’s reproductive rights and access to healthcare. I have been a single-issue voter my whole adult life. I joined the Board of Planned Parenthood of Georgia which then became Planned Parenthood of the Southeast and I ended up chairing that Board for 2 years. I’m still very active in Planned Parenthood.”
Political Process: “I usually like to drive people to the polls on Election Day but this year I’m going to be a Voter Protection Captain for this extremely important election.”
Melinda adds that no profile of hers would be complete without including a mention of the loves of her life: her husband and two adult daughters!
Interviewed by Molly Lay on September 20, 2020
BARBARA JOYE
Barbara has been exercising with Bodies-in-Motion for about 25 years. She says the reason she loves working with BIMI is that she “like[s] the music. It was a relief from all the disco/club crap. The people who work out with BIMI are also on my wave length.” Barbara worked as a writer/editor in the Communications Office of the State of Georgia Department of Human Resources […”not personnel”] and learned a lot about public health and aging there. She retired in 2006. Before that, in the early 80’s she was working for the Safe Energy Communication Council in Washington DC to develop PSAs to counter Southern Company’s public relations blitz designed to offset the fallout [no pun intended] from the Three-Mile Island disaster. She is also one of the founding members of the Atlanta alternative radio station, WRFG, 89.3. In fact, she was the very first voice heard on that station and she played the first song “Is There Anybody Out There Listening?”
Follows some questions we asked Barbara, and her answers:
What is your academic background? I am a writer, despite my parents’ efforts to induce me into their field of math and science. I graduated from Vassar in 1963 with an undergraduate degree in the classics---Greek and Latin. I received my Masters Degree in Medieval English Literature from Yale and pursued a doctoral degree but did not complete it after I switched from Yale to Columbia.
How did you become a “political animal”? My parents were both left-wing, active in the 30’s. After honeymooning in Russia they became quite disillusioned [interesting story I will tell you more about some time] and, on returning home they became liberal democrats but retained the values of social solidarity and anti-racism, anti-militarism and anti-exploitation that they passed on to me. I grew up in Manhattan and the injustices were obvious. I did not, however, take part in active protests until the Spring of 1960 when myself and several black Vassar students took a bus into Poughkeepsie, New York where we picketed the Woolworth’s, with around 200 others, to show solidarity for the black students’ sit-in at the Woolworth’s counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Of course, they were serving blacks in Poughkeepsie, so folks were mostly just curious about what the heck we were protesting so we used the occasion to educate the public about the discrimination that was going on in other parts of the country. That event inspired me towards activism. I realized how a small event could effect positive change.
What are you up to now? I work for The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International [gorillafund.org], writing, editing and doing photo research. The gorillas studied by us are mostly on the Rwandan side of Virunga Volcanic mountain range in Volcanoes National Park. I am interested in the gorillas but also very interested in how people are helped through this organization.
Why and where do you exercise? I exercise for weight control, stress reduction and to build bone strength---I have osteopenia. I visit the fitness room at the Mills Center twice a week, come to Seminole on Saturday mornings and take water aerobics on Sundays at the Decatur YMCA. I also walk a lot. I deliberately live in a walkable neighborhood.
What is your favorite music? Folk, blues, progressive bluegrass and country, jazz, Irish, klezmer.
Do you have any pets? Yes, one cat named John Cougar Meloncat, sometimes known as Cougar or JC. He’s orange, hence the melon reference….cantalope.
Interviewed by Molly Lay on July 23, 2011
JOYCE McKAY Joyce has been exercising with Bodies-in-Motion for about two years. She says the reason she loves working with us is because "The instructors are knowledgeable about how a body works and cognizant of limitations and allow us to work [to our max] within those limitations." She retired in 2009 and is enjoying her newfound freedom. Utilizing this new flexibility in her life, she attended her first annual national meeting in 15 years of her professional organization, the American Dietetic Association [eatright.org]. In 2005 and 2006 she completed her first marathon...notice I said "first". Joyce inspires everyone who exercises with her to push to the edge of comfort and never say "I can't do that!" until you've tried. She is an inspiration to those of us who train her, too. Her good humor, dedication and consistency make her a model student. Follows some questions we are going to ask all of our profilees, and her answers: What is your profession/training/degrees? I am a nutritionist. A registered, licensed Dietician in Georgia. I have my BA in Dietetics and my Masters in Nutrition. Folks can go to my website to get the whole story: www.joycemckay.com. Note that the photo of me with the dumbbell was taken in your Seminole Studio at the Happy Hour class! What has been the most appreciable gain in your fitness from your exercise routine? Improvement in functionality. Do you have pets? No What is your favorite workout song? "I Got a New Attitude" by Patti LaBelle. What is your favorite exercise class format? I like it all. I have no preference. It all works together. I take FitBall, Happy Hour, water aerobics, I walk and I work with a personal trainer one day a week. What is your exercise motivation/focus? Good health and alleviation of my arthritis symptoms. How many days a week do you exercise? Five. What did your last fortune cookie say? Continue the course you are on! [BIG SMILE] Interviewed by Molly Lay on December 22, 2009 |