Joyce's Biography

How did a five-foot, 40-something (now 50-something) year old woman come to be a leader in helping women who really mean business to get in shape?

In many ways, it was Joyce who gently edged the women into daring to pick up weights! Yes, Joyce even got housewives from Iowa working out as their bodybuilding sons stood by in awe. "Mom, I can't believe you're doing hack squats," became a familiar cry.

And Just how did Joyce accomplish all of this–a Ph.D in English Literature from NYU, a high school and then college professor? Well, as Joyce tells it, she was getting fatter every year–and began to be embarrassed to stand up in front of the classroom. After trying many failed diets and workout plans, Joyce ran into bodybuilders and modified and experimented with their techniques, reinventing them for "real people" (specifically women, then later, for "real" men). In time, Joyce had to put her secrets into book form– and then video, due to popular demand. "People want to get in shape--but they don't need or want to spend hours doing it," Joyce says. So she invented a system.

But that's just the beginning. From the time Joyce appeared on The Sally Jesse Raphael show in 1991 to the present, her books have sold nearly two million copies. She has been on the New York Times and USA today bestseller lists four times– and once even beat every book in America–including Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh.

Her books are bestsellers in Australia and other countries. What is Joyce's secret? To put it bluntly, "she's for real." If Joyce says something, you can take it to the bank. And she pulls no punches. A Bronx native, Joyce knows how to get to the point. No ducking and dodging. What you see is what you get. Also, Joyce is not perfect. Her five foot, 55 year-old body is perfectly proportioned for her– but as Joyce says, "I came in last even in my early thirties when I foolishly entered a beauty contest." Joyce likes to tell the story about how her whole Russian family is fat and look like boxes on wheels. Well, some of them now follow her routines so they too think of boxes as things of the past!! (See her sister Barbara on the back cover of Definition, and her uncle Dave on the back cover of Top Shape!)

Joyce and her best friend Dave (the bulldog) spend hours at the computer writing (Dave snoring or nagging to go out)! She leads a simple life. "I answer every letter and every email because I am thrilled to be able to give the secret to not only getting in shape but staying in shape to those who will listen. But not only that, I'm talking to myself when I talk to these women (and men too). I worked two jobs and was a single mother when I invented my workouts. I write for those who have lives–who don't have all day to spend working out. Who want a workout that gets the most for your workout "buck," so to speak. In fact, I wrote Top Shape and Gut Busters for men who were sneaking around using my time-efficient women's books.

Joyce is the mother of 27-year-old Marthe who just had a baby! Joyce says, "I'm training the child to call me mommy." (Just kidding) She is sought after guest and has appeared frequently on Oprah, Montel Williams, Sally Jesse Raphael, the Today show and on and on, and often does radio and newsprint interviews. In addition, Joyce is an in-demand lecturer. In the words of Paul Adamo, formerly of the learning Annex, "In all the years of my having lectures, I've never seen an audience react to anyone the way they react to Joyce. People walk away with love in their hearts. A relationship develops. It's something to see." Always thinking about the "whole person" Joyce has also written the popular motivational inspirational books "Get Rid of Him," and Look In, Look Up, Look Out! (Note: This is also Joyce's biography, the amazing story of her climb from extreme poverty in the Bronx to her present status.) Here's what Joyce says about her Bulldog Dave.

"People think Dave is fat , but he's not. He's just muscular!! -- like me. In fact, we work out together. I'll never forget the time I saw Dave skulking across the floor with what I thought was a treasured bone. NO. It was a ten pound dumbbell held firmly in his relentless jaw!! Dave is not a dog -- he's a person. He's the first thing I hear in the morning as his low whine slowly evolves into a piercing bark if I don't give him the respect of getting out of bed in ten minutes, and he's the last thing I hear at night as his gentle rhythmic snore from the kitchen lulls me to sleep. it's hard to imagine life without Dave. He's my amigo!! I named Dave after my father, because like my father he's both tough & gentle."