Today's discussion centers around the transformative impact of corporate wellness, particularly through the lens of Jessa Messina, founder and CEO of YoJo.

Jessa's journey into wellness began with her experiences overcoming personal challenges, including a traumatic accident and health struggles, which fueled her passion for creating accessible and trauma-informed wellness solutions.

At YoJo, she has successfully integrated wellness programs into organizations like NBC and Urban Outfitters, emphasizing the importance of fostering a safe and inclusive work culture.

Our conversation delves into the necessity of meeting employees where they are, the dangers of toxic positivity, and how genuine healing requires acknowledging both struggles and triumphs. As we explore the intersection of personal experience and professional innovation, we aim to illuminate how wellness can be a powerful catalyst for change in corporate America.

Our Guest this Week:

Jessa Messina is the Founder & CEO of YoJo, a corporate wellness company that has brought trauma-informed, accessible wellness to teams at NBC, TIME Magazine, Urban Outfitters, and Grubhub.

Her path began in 2006 teaching yoga to FSU students and the university’s football team, and by 2011 she’d earned Trainer of the Year at Tribeca Equinox, where she pioneered yoga programs for men who never imagined a studio was for them—and later partnered with the landmark Stonewall Inn to create space for the LGBTQ community. Drawing on more than 10,000 combined hours of teaching and training, plus three years in tech sales that sharpened her understanding of the corporate grind, Jessa built YoJo into a comprehensive platform of live workshops, ergonomic programming, and on-demand classes designed to reduce burnout and improve retention.

Having healed from both an autoimmune disease and major head trauma, she leads with hard-won compassion, building wellness that meets people exactly where they are—intersectional, accessible, and deeply human.

Takeaways:

• Real healing rejects toxic positivity. Making space for grief is what lets people move toward healing—and being truly seen is itself a form of medicine.
• Purpose is a power for business. Culture is revenue, and the ROI of keeping one person in their seat is far greater than most companies realize.
• Meet people where they are. Lower the barrier to entry and give people service they can actually use, rather than what looks impressive.
• Keep moving, and ask for help. Growth genuinely gets harder over time; that’s not a personal failing, and smarter strategies plus mentorship close the gap.
• Let technology augment humanity, never replace it. AI should automate busywork and guard people’s data while protecting human connection.

Burning Questions Answered:

• How can a founder make purpose and goodness a genuine engine for growth and profit?
• How do you break into corporate and HR wellness—and build traction that lasts a decade?
• How do you sell effectively when sales wasn’t your original passion?
• How do you design wellness that a stressed, fight-or-flight nervous system can actually receive?
• How do you adopt AI without losing the humanity at the center of your business?
• How do you know which “hat” is truly yours, and when it’s time to pass the torch?

Chapters:

• 00:07 - Amplifying Women's Voices in Leadership
• 00:34 - Jessa Messina: A Journey Through Wellness and Healing
• 18:34 - Building Unique Communities for Wellness
• 24:43 - The Future of AI in Business
• 28:24 - Transitioning into Community Activism

Guest Offers & Contact Information:

Jessa’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessa-messina-87780720/

YoJo Website: https://www.yojo.co/

YoJo App: https://www.yojo.co/app

YoJo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yojo-llc/

YoJo Instagram: http://instagram.com/yojoyoga

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wisdomofwomen/id1728992296

RSS Feed: https://feeds.captivate.fm/womengetfunded/

Coco Sellman, the host of #WisdomOfWomen, believes business is a force for good, especially with visionary women at the helm. With over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, she has launched five companies and guided over 500 startups. As Founder & CEO of A Force for Good, Coco supports purpose-driven women founders in unlocking exponential growth and prosperity. Her recent venture, Allumé Home Care, reached eight-figure revenues and seven-figure profits in just four years before a successful exit in 2024. A venture investor and board director, Coco’s book, *A Force for Good*, reveals a roadmap for women to lead high-impact, high-growth companies.

Learn more about A Force for Good:

Website: https://aforceforgood.biz/

Are Your GROWING or PLATEAUING? https://aforceforgood.biz/quiz/

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Welcome to the Wisdom of Women Show.

We are dedicated to amplifying the voice of women in business.

A new model of leadership is emerging and we are here to amplify the voices of women leading the way.

I am your host, Coco Selman, five time founder, impact investor and creator of the Force for Good system.

Thank you for joining us today as we illuminate the path for unlocking opportunities and prosperity for women led enterprises by amplifying the voice and wisdom of women.

Today we have a wellness warrior for the weary in our midst.

Jessa Messina is the founder and CEO of Yo Joe.

That's right, Y o J O a corporate wellness company that has brought trauma, informed, accessible wellness to teams at NBC, Time magazine, Urban Outfitters, and Grubhub.

Drawing on more than 10,000 combined hours of teaching and training, plus three years in tech sales that sharpened her understanding of the corporate grind, Jessa built Yojo into a comprehensive platform of live workshops, ergonomic programming and on demand classes designed to reduce burnout and improve retention.

Having healed from both an autoimmune disease and a major head trauma, she leads with hard won compassion, building wellness that meets people exactly where they are, intersectional, accessible and deeply human.

Welcome Jessa.

Thank you so much Coco.

I'm so happy to be here.

Oh, just honored to be with you and to get to learn all about you and your business.

What is a book written by a woman that has significantly influenced your life?

Jodi Pico is always trying to open minds to marginalized communities or people suffering that we're not always as aware of or doesn't get the spotlight.

And this is a story about trans lives and she one knew that wasn't her lived experience, so she partnered with a trans woman.

I listened to a lot of podcasts with them afterward and it was one of the most beautiful partnerships.

They would write their own chapters and pair together and it's just how she is as a person.

Sometimes it's so much more about what you do than what you say.

Anyone can write an inspirational book and pull things together.

But to really live from place and create a model on how to lift other women up and other people up who might be more marginalized than you is, is something that I aspire to and it's something that really moves me.

I don't think there's quite anything as interesting as lifting other people up in that way.

Mad honey.

Such a great read for, I mean, for anybody really.

But how intentionally you are thinking about the storytelling and the building and how so much of that, I think, reflects so much into how you built Yojo.

So we'll come back to that, but first I'd love for you to talk to us about some moments in your life that shaped who you are today.

We'll start with the harder moments.

When I was 20, I was hit by a car on a moped and I broke my skull in my first vertebrae and I had a near death experience.

And from that it really shaped one.

I had a lot of autoimmune after that.

I was struggling so much.

I was in college and it opened my mind to understanding accessibility, invisible illnesses, things so many people deal with.

The near death experience also opened up an entire Buddhist practice for me because it just shaped how I looked at life and death.

And it's why there's a skull in my company logo because I think a lot of the beauty comes not from the flowery yoga practices that may have more toxic positivity because they don't want to look at the hard stuff.

It comes from these deeper moments of actually overcoming things or just seeing that life can be beautiful even with terrible things.

Another.

Another one.

I think just being queer is huge.

I think being part of the queer community and understanding the essence of community, understanding what feels inclusive and what doesn't, and having that lived experience is such a huge piece of my journey.

I think a lot of times people don't seek community unless they don't see their selves in mainstream community.

And so when you do and you feel this shared joy, I don't know if there's anything better than community.

And so for me, that has led how I created Yojo, where whether it's a live workshop that I'm teaching or content on my app, I want people to come into something where they feel a sense of belonging to like a deep sense of, I belong here, I matter, you know, I'm welcomed.

Third one.

Probably being raised by a psychologist and a physical therapist, I got to watch healing from that perspective.

I got to see the physical and the emotional healing.

And being raised by Two people who dedicated their life and career to, to being in the healing arts, that it was a no brainer to me.

One, they worked for themselves, both of them, and two, they worked in healing.

So it felt like, why wouldn't I do that?

I didn't question that as a focus because I got to witness it and I had a template of it every day.

Okay, these are really so telling about who you are.

I want to take the next step in a moment and find out how and why you decided to start YoJo and what it is and all of that.

What you said about invisible illness, what it takes to be disabled and to relate to being disabled.

And if you haven't been disabled ever, it's invisible, perhaps to you.

I've also loved what you said about toxic positivity and a lifelong connection with your parents around psychological well being and physical wellbeing.

And also permission to run your own ship and work for yourself.

Yeah, I was gonna say that.

I think that a lot of that we don't need toxic positivity because there is so much that is positive on itself and there's also so much that's not.

And that's okay.

I think when we put artificial positivity or try to say things are okay, we don't make space for grief.

And without the process of grief and mourning, you don't get to a place of healing.

So that's another thing is I think with inclusivity, with belonging and with moving beyond toxic positivity, healing comes from giving people a space and a container to work through what they need to so that they don't have to live with that heaviness.

And it's an acknowledgement.

There used to be this concept of what we would say, we felt like as white people, we would say, I don't see color.

And now we're like saying you don't see color, saying you don't see a person.

And so it's actually important to see things and to see people and to see their grief and say, hey, that's okay, that is real.

Or if someone has a disability, acknowledging.

Because then you get to see people, you get to see what are the experiences that they're having.

What is it like to live a day in their shoes?

And that in itself, to be seen is to be healed.

So that is an intricate piece.

And I think that's like a cornerstone of Yo Joe.

If I were to say the cornerstones, one would be creating a true container for healing, which is validation, being seen, getting more information and understanding about Your experience and the other is just genuine good old fashioned white glove service.

What does it mean to show up and take care of?

Whether it's a corporate client or someone using the I want people to truly feel like someone is there taking care of them.

Like it's a Michelin star restaurant and it doesn't matter, you don't have to afford a Michelin star meal.

You deserve the treatment regardless.

This is the reason I wanted you on the show.

Because what I'm most interested in is how purpose and goodness is a power for business.

Right?

When the intention behind the business is transformation.

Whether you are a company selling undergarments or you're a company that is baking cookies, or you're a company that is delivering wellness to corporations.

Like what is that transformation that's happening and what's the purpose, the deeper purpose, the non transactional experience and reason why your company exists?

So just so our listeners can understand exactly what is Yojo and who do you serve and what is it that you solve for them?

Yojo's a corporate wellness company and I will do live workshops so I'll come in.

If you work in corporate, you've probably had professional development or mental health trainings or burnout workshops.

That's what we focus on.

But really constantly iterating on what those topics are because I think some of them have been totally exhausted at this point.

So I have had the privilege for over a decade of sitting next to HR managers and leaders and sitting with them through everything through whether it's a round of layoffs, leadership changes, just socio political changes, sometimes even the death of an employee.

How do you move and handle those things and create a positive culture and how can we create programming for you that matches that?

And the longer I work with the company, the better and more personalized it gets because I start to embody and understand their institutional knowledge.

So I really know, okay, this is the culture.

How can we create content?

So for some companies they'll bring me in one off.

Some companies I start to feel like I'm an extension of their team and it feels great and I love that intimate relationship.

And then there's the app which is essentially like part of their benefits.

Often their insurance covers it.

So you know, it's great.

If you have wellness dollars from your insurance company, you can put it towards that.

And we try to offer a lot between live classes, going a little beyond like a headspace or a calm, something that really feels like you get to know the brand and then courses on things.

We even have one on Processing grief for burnout, management for managers, things like that.

So that it's an all in one they can go to to have that both personal and professional healing and education.

I know a lot of startups right now that are trying to get into that corporate wellness space and find their way into the HR departments.

And you've been there for 10 years, right?

And you have built incredible traction doing that.

Talk to us about that.

That's a major accomplishment.

Well, thank you.

A lot of them were positive accidents and being just when you throw yourself in something cause you don't know any better.

I was in my 20s and thank God for the invincibility that you have at that age because you don't understand.

So I had worked at Equinox, I was national trainer of the year.

It opened me up to getting a lot of attention and all these things.

And when that happened I was in more interesting rooms and I was getting more information and I saw a statistic that people are more likely to go and actually show up for themselves in proximity to the gym, to their work, not their home.

And so I thought, what if we just bring this right into their office?

There's no proximity.

The barrier to entry.

So how do I take the barrier of entry to make it easier for people to show up first and second?

It's already too expensive and inaccessible.

And so I what if their company pays for it and they can get a quality experience on the company?

Kind of very Robin Hood take from the corporation and give to the employee.

But it's good for the corporation.

You know the level of how much companies lose if having YoJo retained one employee.

The amount they'd save on recruitment, the amount they'd save on all that's lost when one person leaves suddenly.

And now that job is distributed for five people until you get a replacement, trust is down.

I don't think that ROI on keeping a person in a seat is understood.

And so when you make someone feel seen or you ease their stress or suddenly their manager isn't burning them out as much, the culture changes completely.

So that was why I got into it.

And then what I learned and the importance I didn't realize it held as I continued to do it.

I was pretty naive.

And for anyone wanting to do this, let me tell you, yoga in the office is a terrible idea.

Do not show up and bring a yoga class to someone's office.

Do you really want to be doing a down dog and having your butt in the air in front of your manager?

I don't think so.

That is just reducing your stress.

And also the place in which you are maybe in fight or flight a lot of the day and your nervous system is too on.

Yeah.

You're not going to be able to shift into that level of relaxation.

There's.

There's a place in our nervous system that we can go for self care and we're not going to want to do that in the same place that we're like living in fight or flight all day.

And most people do feel like that at work, especially with all the change we're going through.

You know, every year is unprecedented times.

Oh, that has exactly stopped since the pandemic.

So people are more.

Their nervous system is more dysregulated and on edge than it ever has been.

So how do we close that loop now?

And if you want to do that for people, give them fast, easy ways to calm down from stress in a safe place, which may not be their office.

That's why the app, it's in your pocket anytime.

And so that.

That's what I would advise in office.

Sure.

The workshops are great.

There's a lower barrier to entry.

You can sit and passively listen in your regular work clothes.

You don't have to show up in, you know, spandex.

These things people don't want to do at work, you know, so.

So that's one thing that I would say.

If you want to serve people, meet them where they're at, give them service they actually can use that would benefit them.

So you were at this point where you realized there was this opportunity to support people with wellness at work or near work.

So what was the first big step?

What was that first chapter like?

Yo Joe came from a men's yoga class and they called themselves Yoga for the Average Joe.

And it turned to Yo Joe.

And these guys were amazing.

And I felt so much community with them.

And it just lit a fire to create something so awesome.

And then the next.

Which is funny because, like, I'm not a man, but I taught this.

It just felt so fun to get people in the door and get them thinking like, hey, this actually is for me too.

Yeah.

It was like a bunch of my clients were like, take my husband, please get him to do this.

And I thought that was really nice.

Like, it was like, they.

Women take on so much labor already.

And it was a way to.

They didn't have to do it to get their husbands on the same wavelength.

And to say, okay, I don't want to drive you to this class.

I want us to both have these things.

You know, you kind of figure that out on your own.

And I, you know, that's.

That was great.

See, how started it was mostly my female clients wishing their husbands would go and creating a space that was less intimidating than a general yoga class.

We let them vocal playlists.

There would be like all kinds of music that felt more tailored.

It felt comfortable, unintimidating.

And then.

So that was one step, like, how do I build unique communities then really the second one I built was I partnered with Stonewall Inn and get a drink ticket.

So you'd go to yoga first.

And honestly, it's kind of a microact of harm reduction because instead of going in on a Thursday night, maybe you're going to have one or two less drinks.

You're going to feel in a different headspace and make slightly better decisions.

It's not about feeling, being perfect.

It's about just elevating things 10%.

If, if you're entering an experience in an more relaxed head, you know, headspace, you're going to make better choices.

And so it was such a cool thing to watch this group of people come from yoga into the bar.

And it was a totally different energy.

And then that opened the door because people saw how excited I was.

Someone in the community said, I want you to be the person to come into Urban Outfitters, need these huge classes.

And so I, I feel like life will always be challenging when you're doing something you love.

The sweat equity is necessary, but when you are in alignment, there will always be a door that opens for you to give you the sign that you're in the right direction.

And for me, that was one of them.

I just showed up, I, I didn't know what I was, was doing there.

And it was presented to me, it was very, very simple.

And then also someone from Stonewall, Stacy Lenz, helped me.

Literally, I will be grateful to her forever.

She helped me build how I actually did outreach and sell to companies and, you know, do all of that.

She taught me so much on the business development side and spent so many hours training and that was, yeah, so it's show up when you feel that thing light up for you and you know you're in the right place.

Stay.

A door will open to let you know, go to smarter, more experienced, talented women and ask for their advice.

Just have a template, because they will, they will be there.

And I think there's nothing Like, I know for me, if someone comes to me, there's nothing I want to do more than help them.

And I do believe people want that.

Well, and you brought up such an important piece, because I know this, this is, this is the piece that the sales piece is essential.

And you and I have talked about this separately, that none of this happens without making those powerful invitations.

And so talk to us about how you've approached.

So I think there is.

When you run a business, you have to accept that there are going to be long periods of time where 80% of the things you do are not the thing you started your business to do.

And it is going to be if you change your expectations to know that you have to love what you're doing so much that you're willing to build the skills that allow you to do the thing right.

So I do happen to, to like sales.

I think sales, it's more about numbers than emotion.

When you really get into it, it's a very data driven practice.

You can literally look at the end of your year and see, how do I divide the revenue that I had?

What are the sources that I got that revenue?

What was the lift or the heaviness behind that?

So some of them were like referrals, some of them were renewals, some of them were cold outreach.

Now what was the level of effort I had to do on each of those?

And if I could do that better and replicate that, increase that and scale that, what would that look like?

So I always go backwards and I analyze the data and then I keep re.

Strategizing, reiterating.

I'm gonna be honest that if the practices I did when I was much more novice at this, like, I feel every year I've grown a lot.

Of course I can be making five to 10 times as much money with the competency I have now.

Yes.

Where I was five years ago.

Yes, it is.

Okay.

Like, I want to say that because I don't want women or women listening to this to be guitar and think, sometimes it's not that you're doing something wrong.

Things really are getting harder.

And that's good to know that because one, I also have to step back sometimes and say, like, I'm not behind, I'm not doing worse.

It just takes more to get to the finish line.

So we have to get smarter, use different strategies, never stay still.

And I also want to admit that, like, if I, I didn't keep moving forward and looking at these AI driven business practices, I, I would and will get left behind.

So I'm aware that these are the necessities.

And I just want to say that because I think too many people make it look too easy.

And then that I don't want someone to feel bad about themselves and think they're missing something.

You know, it's okay.

Those things have changed.

They have gotten harder.

It's not you, but it doesn't mean you can't get there.

You just have to keep up, work harder, ask for more help.

Absolutely.

I mean, it's that constant refinement and the world is always expanding and changing, and we always.

It's always upon each of us to find our own insights.

Right.

And part of it's data and part of it's what's inside of you, and part of it's the universe conspiring with you to find, you know, bring you opportunities.

But I love how you just keep.

Me moving the needle forward.

So tell us now, you talked a.

Little bit about AI.

Where are you going?

What is the future?

What is the brighter, better future you are creating with Yojo?

And how are you incorporating AI and tell us about the future.

Well, I have so many theories about AI because I think AI is an augmentation of whatever you put into it.

So a lot of people think, oh, AI is going to make people dumber, because I don't think that at all.

You have to have so many skills to prompt and program it.

So I don't want to mirror anything that I'm seeing out in the corporate world that is actually causing harm or is not making the right choices.

I look at AI as a way to augment what I'm doing.

It should automate things so people on my team and myself get more for less.

Should make the distance between where we're going and what we want shorter.

It takes a lot of, like, keeping up with and learning and iterating and sitting in the mud and being confused for a while and researching.

So that's, that's one thing.

But I work a lot.

Right now, the biggest piece is again, automating tasks and creating a faster sales engine.

Those are two places I'm using it.

But to come, there is an AI component that I will be bringing into the app.

And I'm very thoughtful about that one people's data is very, very important to me.

So I do not want, especially with anything mental health related, I want the privacy kept and to ensure that that can never be used for anything.

The other piece I'm constantly thinking about is the environmental component that I haven't figured out, but I want to continue to be thoughtful.

And then the last component is AI should never replace a person.

So I see a lot of mental health and wellness almost like they're going to AI instead of a therapist or they're using it for these purposes.

AI is a robot.

It should give you algorithms and data.

And so when you put that in there, where it's just helping you get the data you need to go faster, then great.

But I also want to make sure that we keep our humanity and we never let it replace a connection to a person, but only enhance our connections to people.

Beautifully said.

And so what is the future of your business?

Like, what are you, what, what.

Where will you be in 10 years?

Tell us what you, what your, your vision is.

Well, I, I hope in 10 years, honestly to be.

I've been doing what I'm doing for a really long time.

I think the next thing that I do will be my, like, that'll be, you know, my big opus.

That will be what I put out that is, you know, the best thing that I've made, I feel.

And I will probably pivot after that and do different things.

I mean, truly I want to make something and put it out in the world and then I think the world needs more communities.

So I think I would probably after that, maybe in five to 10 years, I'll be able to move into just being more in community activism.

I've been in tech for a long time.

I have things I want to make and things I want to do.

But I think I would love to open different chapters of my life.

Right, so you'll use this platform, will expand and grow to a point where it's no longer needs you is what I'm hearing you say.

I think that you know a lot of entrepreneurs, so what I see women do this a lot less than men, is they realize the hats they can wear, they realize what they're good at, and they don't try to say they're good at other things.

I kind of know what I'm good at.

I was not made to be the CEO of a huge company.

I don't have those ingredients.

It's not for me.

I'm truly an entrepreneur and I can wear that hat to a certain extent.

And then it's time for me to pass the torch.

So the things I want to build, I only want to build to a certain point.

And beyond that, it's really not for me anymore.

And that's okay.

Not everything is for everyone.

I want to innovate, create, and let someone else grow it.

And that's something I've kind of always known about myself.

Oh, okay.

So now let's move on to a fast fire round where I'll ask you five questions you can answer in five words or less.

And so the first question is a sound that instantly calms you.

My dog's at the door.

The body part that holds your stress.

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes.

One thing every HR leader misunderstands.

Your culture is your revenue.

The place or space you feel most grounded.

Under.

My weighted blanket.

The shift Yo Joe brings to corporate America.

Feeling safe at work.

Brilliant.

Oh, that was really fun.

Thank you, Jessa.

I love those answers.

Those are great.

You have such access to your wisdom.

Honestly, that's just, like, palpable.

You can tap right into it.

Very, very, very cool.

It's a superpower.

The ultimate superpower.

So thank you so much.

So tell us, how can our listeners and viewers learn more about you and yojo?

You can 100% download the app.

It is open to anyone.

However, you can totally bring me to your company.

You know, tell your hr, Tell them, hey, I think this girl's got something.

And then you and all your employees can get.

Your coworkers can get it for free.

If you are an HR person or you're the head of an ERG, I do a lot with women's, LGBTQ+ and disability ERGs.

So, you know, bring.

If you even want to just book time with me and ask me questions, I'm happy to, you know, do that, too.

I. I love to share information and support, and, yeah, I think those are probably the best ways.

Awesome.

Yeah.

Cause you're on LinkedIn, which we.

We'll put the show in the show notes.

Your LinkedIn and Yojo y o j o dot co is the website, so you can go there and learn more and definitely follow on all your, you know, on your social medias and all of that.

And it.

It's.

You're a smart, savvy entrepreneur.

You are, like, it's.

It's.

You are a remarkable example of what it means to be a force for good in business.

And so I thank you for being here today on the Wisdom of Women show.

I thank you for illuminating light to all of your customers.

All the companies that you're supporting and for unlocking prosperity and opportunity for all of our listeners today.

Thank you Coco so much for just creating an opportunity for women and lifting women up and giving this space.

Because doing that is is so purpose driven in itself.

Making space for other people is.

You know, everything I talked about is you are the model of that.

So I'm so grateful and honored to be here.

Thanks for being here and thank you to all of our world changing listeners.

Be sure to follow like and share the wisdom of women.

Show on whatever your favorite listening reviewing platform is.

And remember that the world is made better by women led business.

So let Falco make the world a better place.

Cheers.