Who moves across the country to do the thing she loves to do? Joanna J. Yates does — that's who. Originally from West Virginia she and her husband fell in love with mountain biking to the point where they just wanted to do it year round. Thus began their journey to Sedona, where Joanna began her coaching career.
Bettering her skills while learning how to coach others was a natural path. Understanding that it’s not “one-size-fits-all” in the biking industry, she’s here to help people gain confidence on the bike and to help them find ways to succeed that works for them.
“It’s just so much more than just riding your bike. It is building this resilience all the time, because you’re doing that hard thing each time you get on the bike. It’s teaching you to show up for yourself.”
Joanna advocates for showing up for yourself by setting an example of having a work-life balance that includes doing what you love. She teaches practical MTB skills using phones to record movement and progress, how to use your body weight to manipulate where the bike goes and what it does, and what skills you can practice even when you don’t have a trail.
We cover a lot of ground on this episode.
Here are a few of the major points:
• Was your move to Sedona because of the community there? Or was there not much of a mountain biking community in West Virginia?
• What are your dogs’ names?
• How did you get into coaching?
• Have you ever been to Iceman in Northern Michigan?
• Do you call mountain biking “cycling”?
• What do you think it is that makes women who mountain bike so inspiring?
• What percentage of coaching do you do in person versus remote?
• Do you have to deal with cacti?
• Is the terrain (in Sedona) mostly rock?
• Was there a mountain bike event in Sedona recently?
• What’s a tubeless tire?
• What has been the biggest hurdle for you in skill development?
• Why focus on a skill like a manual on flat ground?
• What makes a group ride fun?
• Do you coach through your own business?
• When do you take a break from practicing? What’s the limit, where’s the line, how do you know when to stop?
• How do you advise approaching an advanced skill like a jump?
Want a good foundation but don’t know where to start?
(We know a great coach.)
Get all the info you need about Joanna’s coaching at Sedona Mountain Bike Coaching: https://sedonamtbcoaching.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannajyate
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-pJ0H4qfLmvmN8LoYGTKNQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joannajyatesmtb
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannajyates/
Not sure where to begin, want to collab or share your win? Send Joanna a message at joannajyatescoaching@gmail.com
If you're headed to Sedona, AZ:
Check out TrailLovers.com for more resources https://traillovers.com/
Go to Thunder Mountain Bike https://thundermountainbikes.com/ for the full Sedona MTB culture experience!
Get professional coaching by Joanna herself at Sedona MTB Coaching https://sedonamtbcoaching.com/
