 Joel YounkinsHigh Performance Coach Motherhood is the most demanding performance role in the world, and most women are trying to do it exhausted. Somewher between school drop-offs, laundry, late nights, and endless responsibilties...She disappeared a little. A lot of people know me for working with motocross racers, team sport athletes, powerlifters, and business owners.
But there’s a group that has quietly become one of the most powerful success stories inside JYT. Moms. Long before Kelly and I had our three kids, I was coaching mothers who were trying to find themselves again. Women who had poured so much into everyone else that they couldn’t remember the last time they poured anything into themselves. They didn’t just want to lose weight. They wanted to feel like themselves again. They wanted energy, confidence, capacity, control, and they wanted to feel strong. The Invisible Load Motherhood is one of the most demanding performance roles in existence. Whether you stay home or work outside the house or a combination of both, the demands never really turn off. You are the scheduler, the driver, the comforter, the organizer, the problem solver, and the glue. What happens next is predictable. Stress becomes constant, sleep becomes inconsistent, meals become rushed or skipped. You end up running on caffeine and willpower. We wouldn't encourage Olympic Athletes to compete this way, so why do we accept this as normal for motherhood? The human body is built to handle stress in waves. It can spike, recover, and return to baseline. What it struggles with is stress that never shuts off. When that “stress knob” stays turned on, even slightly, your body doesn’t get to enter true recovery mode. Instead of shifting into rest and repair, it stays in fight-or-flight. And when that becomes the norm, everything feels harder. Energy drops, patience shortens, confidence fades, and your cup feels empty before the day even begins. The problem isn’t that moms are weak. The problem is they’re operating under chronic load without support. In these types of environments, systems begin to break. High Performance My coaching philosophy was originally built around helping elite athletes perform at the highest level. But here’s the truth; moms are already high performers. They just might not see themselves that way, yet. The same principles that make an athlete faster, stronger, and more resilient are the principles that help a mom feel grounded, energized, and confident again. We don’t chase extreme dieting. We don’t chase exhaustive, punishing workouts. We don’t chase vanity, we build capacity and create performance. And when capacity and performance increase, everything else improves. When a mom gets stronger physically, her daily workload feels lighter. When she sleeps better, her patience improves. When she fuels properly, her mood stabilizes. When she trains consistently, her confidence returns. The physique changes? Those become the byproduct of the real work that's being done. Physical Performance First We start by getting the body moving the way it was designed to move. Squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, and bracing. Not because that’s what athletes do, but because that’s how humans function. We start light and we build slowly. We increase intensity only when the body is ready for it. There is no forcing, only building and creating. When we put things in motion, strength training builds the ground floor of general fitness. While low-intensity aerobic work supports recovery. In the beginning, conditioning is restorative, not depleting. Think Zone 1–2 heart rates. This promotes blood flow, parasympathetic activity (recovery), and stress reduction. We’re not trying to drain the system. We’re trying to rebuild it. When general fitness increases, daily life feels easier. Carrying kids, groceries, long days, and unexpected chaos. Strength changes the experience of those moments. It makes you prepared for life. Nutrition & Hydration Most moms walk in wanting to lose 10–50 pounds. And almost all of them are under-eating during the day. They skip breakfast, they pick at lunch, and they overeat at night because they’re exhausted. We don’t fix that by taking food away. We fix it by structuring it. Hydration comes early and consistently. Not back-loaded at night or neglected all together. Protein at every meal, especially breakfast. Something fast and realistic; a shake, yogurt, fruit. 30–50 grams to start the day.
Carbs are not the enemy, they are fuel. We encourage moms to consume sources like rice, potatoes, oats, fruit and even grains like breads and pasta in the right amounts. When you’re running a household, carbs support that output. The shift is dramatic. Within weeks, moms are shocked: “I feel like I’m eating more than ever… but my clothes fit better.” When the body is fueled properly, it works for you instead of against you. And when energy returns, so does fat loss and confidence. Sleep We treat sleep like we would with an elite athlete. Because recovery is king, or queen in this instance. We aim for consistency, 7–8 hours as much as possible. Simple bedtime routines with intentional wind-down processes. You cannot perform at a high level, in sport, business, or motherhood, without sleep. Sleep regulates hormones, improves mood, enhances recovery, and builds resilience. As a mom, perfect sleep doesn't happen every night, but if you can get it 90% of the time, you will be able to move mountains with those numbers. The Family Effect Here’s something I’ve noticed over the years. My mom clients are often the ones who say, “I need to be here” when referring to their training. Even during busy seasons, during the holidays, and more often than not, their husbands encourage them to keep training, because they see the difference. They see a version of their wife who is energized, confident, clear-headed, and present. That’s powerful, not just for the mom, but for the entire household. Final Thoughts If you’re a mom reading this, you already know the weight of the title you carry. But here’s the truth that doesn’t get talked about enough; you are the heartbeat of the family. When you’re exhausted, the house feels heavier. When you’re overwhelmed, everything feels chaotic. When you’re strong, energized, and grounded, everyone feels it. Taking care of yourself is not selfish, it is leadership. “Mom Strong” isn’t about abs or how much you can lift in the gym. It’s not about perfection, it’s not about comparison, it’s about resilience, it’s about capacity, and it’s about reclaiming the version of you that feels powerful and alive. Because when the heartbeat is strong…Everything else runs better.
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