About Me
Once upon a time there was a little girl who was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia to working class parents. She was a precocious little girl… inquisitive, creative, and athletic. Although her parents had only a high school education, they taught her that it was important to get a college degree and most of all… to have integrity.
Of course, that little girl was me.
My mother was a seamstress and sewed beautiful outfits for me. She instilled a great artistic sense in me and even at a very young age, I could often be found using my creativity for all types of “arts and crafts” projects. She also loved fashion and that certainly rubbed off on me. And so, the seeds were sown (no pun intended) and off I went to Drexel University, where I earned my Bachelors Degree in Fashion Design.
While at Drexel I won the Golden Thimble Award, given to the most promising Junior in the Class and as a Senior was invited to exhibit my Senior Collection in the Easter Extravaganza, a fashion show held outdoors in Center City, Philadelphia. Having a passion for theatrical-looking clothing, my Collection was quite avant-garde and two of them were based on Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. (see fashions below). This was before Madonna came along and started a forward-looking and highly-touted style of dressing for the club scene in the 1980’s.
After graduation, I spent 15 years as a fashion designer. With an entrepreneurial spirit, I had my own design business, twice, and worked for other companies too, designing children’s wear, body wear, bridal gowns, and cocktail dresses. It was during this time that I developed my talent for hand-painting on embroidery, which I applied to lace collars and other accessories.
Along the way, the world of fitness emerged.
Although I had run track in grade school, I wasn’t permitted to run in high school, because there wasn’t a girl’s track team. So, I became the manager of the boy’s track team. I guess even back then, at the ripe old age of 17, I had a business sensibility.
The first running boom was in 1972, after Frank Shorter, an American, won the Olympic marathon. During that time, my brother became a runner, and six years later, I followed in his footsteps. But there were very few women running, and no running shoes made for women (who have narrower heels than men), so I wore Keds® sneakers.
While living and designing in Philly, I went to running camp in Vermont the summer of 1989, and it changed my life. I realized that I had talent to run and I met people who were from New York City. As a designer, I always wanted to go to NYC, so three months later, I packed my bags and off I went to the city that never sleeps.
I found a job as a designer but started to get very serious about running, both as an athlete and as a coach. I got certified as a running coach and a personal trainer and while still working full-time in the fashion industry, I started coaching runners at night and on weekends, capitalizing on the second running boom in the early 1990’s. I also became a competitive runner winning age-group awards, placing in the top 10% of races, and running six marathons.
I built a very successful fitness business and became a running expert, training all levels of people, from beginners aiming to run their first 5K to experienced marathoners looking to place in races, and everyone in between. Since 1992, I have coached 12,000 runners. You can read about my coaching business on The Running Center.
Fast forward to 2018. With a desire to revive my lace-painting into a 21st century fashion item, I have created Mindy Joy Designs™, featuring lace apparel and accessories for bridal and special occasions. Most notably, the Wedding Wristlets™ are the beautiful way to carry your phone and personal items. Carry it today… Keepsake it tomorrow.
From measuring clothing patterns to measuring running courses, and now back to measuring patterns again, my wish is to help brides and their bridal parties to look beautiful and to stay fit and healthy during this exciting, yet stressful time. To that end, I created Brides on the Run, a fitness and running program to help you run through to the finish line… YOUR WEDDING DAY!
MINDY JOY
Fashion Designer and Professional Running Coach