Sisters Circle host, R&B Divas TV star and real-life singer/songwriter Syleena Johnson is known for songs such as "I Am Your Woman” and “Hypnotic” and collaborations with superstars like Kanye West and R. Kelly. The beautiful wife and mother of two has a singing legacy that runs deep, being the daughter of the legendary Syl Johnson.
Johnson's road to music was hardly easy. Her father, Syl, was not encouraging, and on top of that, Johnson suffered from vocal nodules and had to go through speech therapy. When Johnson was fifteen, her parents split up. Despite these setbacks, Johnson's relationship with both her parents and her music remained strong. After having nodes removed from her vocal cords, she took two years of speech therapy. She has seven years of vocal training.
Despite her parents' separation, Syleena has been married for over 15 years to basketball legend, Kiwane Garris.
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"Happy Anniversary to my King, my best friend, and baby daddy. I love you with everything that I am!♥️ 13 years and counting," she posted on her Instagram.
After marriage, Syleena began growing a family and giving birth to two boys in four years. After her sons were born, she worked incredibly hard to lose nearly 70 pounds. Syleena then took it upon herself to help other mothers do the same. Johnson wants to help mothers get their bodies and souls together with "Mommy's Got Soul" - a workout DVD specifically designed to help mothers lose baby weight and get in shape. What sets this workout DVD apart from other baby boot camp DVDs?
“I wanted to inspire real mothers who look like real women and make a realistic DVD that will motivate the average sized woman,” says Syleena. She added that it's time mothers mixed being caregivers with taking good care of themselves as women.
Syleena combines her music career, advocacy for women, and love for health and fitness all into one passion packed workout. The 50-minute DVD consists of different types of workouts, including a kettle bell workout, yoga, and a cool-down. The video features Syleena, as well as her R&B Divas co-star Nicci Gilbert, Chanita Foster of VH1’s Football Wives, trainer Justin Sawochka, and the DVD co-executive producer, Sheena Minard.
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Selena also helps women struggling with weight in her blog called, "The Weight Is Over,". In it, she dishes out advice on how to not only lose weight but keep it off.
Recently, she challenged herself and her body by committing to being in a bodybuilding fitness competition.
The 45-year-old officially took the stage for the NPC Texas Cup, looking bronzed and toned, posing it up in a sparkling bikini and clear heels while doing the women’s figure category. She took fans through her experience from start to finish on Instagram.
The beauty placed third in the competition, fifth place for “True Novice” and sixth place for “Novice.” She went home with three trophies and a sense of accomplishment. She thanked her trainers, past and present, for not only inspiring her to take part in the show, but for also helping her to prepare to take the stage. According to Johnson, “They changed my mindset and body” and helped her to go from 236 pounds down to 179, pushing her through injuries and moments where she struggled.
“I would encourage anyone trying to reach a goal in fitness to hire a coach or trainer,” she told her followers. “I thank God for them.”
While it might have been a surprising move from the star for fans, she shared in her video series, #From1Stage2TheNext, that flexing her muscles on stage was something she’d wanted to do for years.
“This has been a longtime dream of mine. This is not something I just woke up yesterday and said I wanted to do,” she said. “I don’t want to live this life and not do all of the things that I think I can do. I just feel like we can accomplish our goals and dreams, all in this life. And so that’s what I’m doing. I’m just pursuing all of the dreams and desires and goals and wants that God puts in my belly. Being a fitness competitor is one of them. I will continue to compete hopefully with the grace of God, but the first competition, I just want to get on the stage.”
In a post on her Instagram page, Syleena Johnson shared a photo of her transformation with a quote from Serena Williams.
“You can be whatever size you are, and you can be beautiful both inside and out. We’re always told what’s beautiful and what’s not, and that’s not right.”
-Serena Williams
"Taking care of the mind is equally as important as taking care of the body. One of the methods I use intermittently throughout the day is called the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or tapping," explains Syleena in her blog.
"According to my favorite naturalist doctor and health advocate Dr. Joseph Mercola, EFT is the psychological acupressure technique based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over 5000 years, minus the invasiveness of needles. It is done by tapping lightly on specific parts of the body that release magnetic energy flow, while voicing positive affirmations."
"It is a simple technique you can use anywhere, and it can immediately help you remove negative emotions, reduce food cravings, eliminate pain and implement positive goals. Stress can hinder the journey to health and wellness. EFT can be a key element to help you reclaim control of your emotional state and promote mental well-being. It can create calmness and peace, allowing you to refocus and regain control of your diet, your finances, your relationships or anything that you have anxiety about."
"For example, I use EFT when I am experiencing a sugar craving. I just tap lightly on the top of my head, my temple, my chin, my chest or under my arm and repeat to myself,...
... 'Even though my body craves sugar, I am completely at peace with not having it. I am OK with my feelings and emotions about these cravings, and I am OK without sugar.' I repeat similar positive affirmations as I rotate the tapping of these body parts. I normally either forget about the craving or feel at ease about not having the sugar."
“I’ve been every size, so I can relate to any woman at any size and encourage them,” she says.
Here's a look at her inspiring fitness DVD
https://youtu.be/DoAWzhdqBjI
