Jana Webb – Real Life, Unfiltered
Photography by Carlyle Routh
Jana Webb is a successful entrepreneur of the Joga method, a reality TV star on The Real Housewives of Toronto and single mom to her 10-year-old son—and she is well-acquainted with the curveballs life can throw at you. Today Jana wants to share more, and break the ‘perfection’ mold to offer a more open perspective on managing life and how the struggle is real. Here with us, Jana opens up about reality; no filters, no facade; just the real deal, in all its glory.
A quick glimpse at Jana’s Instagram page shows a vivacious young woman, living the life that so many of us dream of. She is the CEO of the thriving Joga business, one that she started from the ground-up. A combination of yoga and functional movements and exercises, Joga is now a worldwide sensation that has Jana travelling the globe, training professional sports teams, elite athletes and olympians. Her Joga method increases flexibility and promotes strength and agility. Her clients rave about the undeniable impact that Joga has had on their endurance, performance and recovery.
She is also a star on the hit Canadian TV series The Real Housewives of Toronto and her social media pages display photos of the glamorous, red carpet lifestyle that her fame has brought her. Most importantly though, Jana is a single mother. Her home life revolves around raising her son, racing off to hockey practice and helping him with his studies.
From the outside, looking in, Jana’s life is the stuff dreams are made of, filled with fame, a successful business and a happy homelife. But things aren’t always what they seem. “My life is a juggling act” she laughs. Finding balance with such a hectic schedule would be difficult for anyone but for Jana, there is an extra challenge. Two years ago, while on a business trip to the Dominican, Jana was in a devastating car accident. Her recovery has been a long and arduous process. She is now left trying to cope with the aftermath and continues to struggle with the symptoms of her brain injury. She suffers from memory loss, vestibular disorders, constant nausea, chronic physical pain and the emotional pain that goes along with it all. “Every day is a battle”, she says. “The pain is exhausting, and my endurance is much less. I’ve had to find new ways of coping.” Everyday, she wakes up and puts on a brave face. She has to be strong and feels the need to shield her vulnerabilities for her son’s sake, for television and for the sake of her business. “I just have to keep plugging through”, she says.
It is the words of her father, a successful and hardworking farmer, that have helped to get her through the tough times. “The sun will come up tomorrow”, her dad always said and remembering this is what has kept her going, looking for the positives. “It’s important to be mindful of the fact that, no matter what we go through today, the sun will rise tomorrow and we will get another chance, another opportunity to try again.”
Jana has now become more empathetic towards others and the unseen struggles that they may be facing. At one time she found herself spending too much time scrolling through social media posts, comparing herself to the images and standards of others that flashed across her screen. She now realizes, after reflecting on her own experiences, that what other people choose to show, may not be the whole story. Far too often, people hide their reality. Depression, mental illness and chronic pain are often hidden behind the filtered, photoshopped pictures. “I’m sick of it”, Jana says. “It’s not authentic. Showing our real battles is more relatable and identifiable” and that’s what has kept her talking about her accident and the real-life daily struggles that she encounters.
So, what does she do to stay centered and grounded through it all? Find out by checking out the full article on iTunes!
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