VALERIA KOOPMAN
Founder, Executive Director, and Board Chair of FIT FOR JOY: Garden of Well-Being — 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Author, Facilitator
I’m a dedicated advocate for wholehearted living and a devoted messenger of joy. After years of trauma, I chose resilience over tragedy, transforming pain into pathways for compassionate and creative living.
By listening to my intuition, cultivating healthy habits, and engaging in healing modalities and spiritual practices, I experienced deep transformation.
Inspired by that transformation, I wrote three books on self‑love, inner peace, and joy and launched Fit for Joy, an online community of hundreds of well‑being practitioners and authors. Over six joyful years of collaboration, our podcast has reached thousands, and I was humbled by a Helen Keller Award nomination in 2025..
Since discovering that joy can be cultivated and is always available, I live guided by intuition, gratitude, compassion, creativity, and love—and I help others find nourishing paths to well‑being.
T H E S H O R T S T O R Y
I was born in Brazil and deeply affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). I promised myself I would be resilient in my quest for well‑being, yet with limited resources and education my teenage years were marked by unnecessary suffering. At nineteen, I met an American mentor who brought me to the United States and introduced me to healthier eating, regular exercise, and the healing power of art therapy—music, dance, and singing. My curiosity and willingness to heal opened the door to inspiring experiences.
I learned to dance flamenco and performed professionally in Miami. I wrote my own songs and played guitar—little sparks of JOY returned to my daily life. When I moved to New York City I became a certified personal trainer and guided many people toward fitness, health and wellness. I later won first prize as a fitness competitor in two divisions, a testament to my dedication and professionalism. What felt like a well‑being destination turned out to be only the beginning of a deeper healing and spiritual exploration.
In my mid‑thirties I fell into a deep depression and was diagnosed with complex PTSD (C‑PTSD) rooted in my childhood trauma. The work I had done to heal my body and mind was meaningful, but only halfway complete. I committed myself to well‑being education and embraced a range of healing modalities to address C‑PTSD more fully.
During this ongoing exploration I traveled, wrote books, got married, became a dog mom, and launched a podcast that has connected me with hundreds of well‑being facilitators across the USA and around the world. I continue to learn and to uncover profound insights about the essence of well‑being.
Through it all I’ve come to know that JOY is our nature—an unlearned expression of gratitude and appreciation for the dance of life. Our limitations don’t need to become our destiny; they can guide us toward our own wholeness and toward the wholeness of life.
We are all FIT FOR JOY. :)
T H E S E A R C H F O R J O Y
In 2016, I signed a publishing deal for Fit for Joy. In this book, I share my search for happiness and the discovery of inner peace, as well as my experiences with childhood abuse, self-doubt, depression, fears, and low self-esteem.
I also share my experiences as a successful fitness trainer and first-prize fitness competitor in New York City. Although I promoted health and wellness, I was unwell and unhappy. I felt that something was missing in my life, but couldn't figure out what that was until self-love, joy and self-awareness became a practice.
T H E S E A R C H — M Y L O V E F O R T R U T H
In 2015, guided by my heart’s deep wisdom, I embarked on an inward and outward journey to discover my own truth.
OTHER BOOKS & WORKS INSPIRED BY WHAT I’VE LEARNED
Besides the Fit for Joy book, I published the Inspirational Writing Course for Beginners.
I also published Inner Peace and What Is Love? — In the latter, I share practical self-care methods and thoughts on love, non-duality, and self-inquiry.
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?
2025 and beyond…
In 2025, I started a nonprofit organization with the vision to establish a well-being eco space on Kaua’i, Hawaii.
For more information and updates on this new well-being calling, please visit: https://fitforjoy.org/gardenofwellbeing
Trusting my heart’s intuition, I’ve been guided every step of the way up to here…
FIT FOR JOY - GARDEN OF WELL-BEING ON KAUA’I
© Copyright 2025 — Fit for Joy All Rights Reserved
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