Joy Ohayia’s new book doevtails with her Quantum Quest business
By Mary Keampfen Special Writer
Carroll Drive resident Joy Ohayia is an ambitious and determined entrepreneur and a very lively and charming person.
Her ambitions and determination led her to start Quantum Quest, a company that offers a 30-day program using fitness counseling, nutrition planning, and workable motivational techniques for interested corporate members, groups and individuals.
Ms. Ohayia has also written a book called, “Don’t Let ‘It’ Get You,” subtitled “An empowering fitness guide for women,” just published by iUniverse Inc.
And the lively and charming part? The petite Ms. Ohayia manifested these qualities as she sat across from me in my living room and talked about Quantum Quest, adding that she was certified in both fitness and nutrition counseling.
I asked her about her work, including why she’s called the “Body Image Maker.”
”Because I motivate people to do the best with what they have,” she said. “The program is based on your body type need, it is for busy people, it is natural, and we even make individualized tapes for people.”
I noticed her book presents strategies for getting around competing priorities by providing advice about a personalized work routine, portion control and more. I wondered if reading a book would be as satisfactory as a personal encounter for most people.
”A personal encounter is more satisfactory than reading in a book about exercise and nutrition, but a book can inspire one to action,” she said.
Ms. Ohayia said she believes how a person feels about themselves is important.
”The goal is to be independent to feel good and be healthy, not be dependent what others think, to be able to afford a happy life style,” she said, with an engaging smile which seemed to attest to her zeal for her clients and business projects.
Quantum Quest provides body image counseling, so sessions begin with an inspirational talk, followed by a workshop focusing on a topic related to the counseling discussions.
That’s followed by a seminar that allows Ms. Ohayia to take her clients through a series of topics plus hands-on exercises selected for their individual needs. She said the inspirational talk comes from her heart, and is based on her own experiences.
”I tell my own story of how I had to take weight off after a pregnancy,” she said. “Then I ask, ‘How many of you wear multiple hats (the “it” in her book’s title)? In spite of these multiple hats, is there anything else you would like to be doing? Don’t be afraid to make a change love yourself .. . the skin that you’re in.”
Ms. Ohayia said she began developing her philosophy when she was more than 50 pounds overweight following a pregnancy.
”I felt awful and uncomfortable,” she said. “I had to make up my mind to stop, to be determined. I was working at Merrill Lynch at the time, it was 2005. That’s when I left the company, and now I am a nutritional and wellness consultant.”
Setting and achieving goals are topics Ms. Ohayia knows about: 20 years ago, she was a star collegiate athlete, setting records in sprinting at Stony Brook College in New York. But that doesn’t mean her concepts won’t help a non-athlete because her plans incorporate nutritional, goal setting and fitness.
”You have to have a goal just for yourself,” she said. “We want Quantum Quest to be leader on health and fitness. And there’s a meal plan for each person who needs it. We don’t rely on supplements.”
I asked what makes obstacles and other people hinder someone trying to change their diets or set exercise routines.
”Other people don’t always give us positiveness, and that’s what we need,” she said.
Ms. Ohayia holds a masters in applied math and statistics from Rutgers, which she said has been helpful for her in starting her business (but then, she added, “Everything I have done has helped me.”)
In addition to her work, she also helps out with the Junior League at the Greater Princeton, teaches a math class online through Colorado Technical University, and is listed with Professional Speakers Bureau International.
But of all of Ms. Ohayia’s many hats, she would probably say her best one is as wife and mother: wife to Dr. Chiji Ohayia, and mother of two boys, Chikezie, 17, and Kemji, 14.
For more information about Ms. Ohayia’s book or Quantum Quest, visit the Web site, www.quantumquestonline.com or call 888-497-9996.