The certified Zumba instructor and amateur competitive body builder began hosting nightly toning exercise classes on Facebook Live shortly after an order from Gov. Mike DeWine closed fitness centers on March 16.
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“It keeps us all connected because everyone is kind of stir crazy and slap happy,” said Williams, who earned her “Diva” nickname during her days in local radio.
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The mom of adult twin daughters is among a host of fitness instructors offering such classes.
The Facebook Live classes have presented a chance for Williams to get back in the teaching game.
Chronic knee problems — she's had eight knee reconstructions and a total knee replacement — have meant that in recent years, Williams only taught the occasional class at Everybody Fitness on Woodman Drive or hosted fitness events for her cancer patient outreach nonprofit, Muevelo Cares.
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The carpet on her floors makes teaching class possible, she said.
“The impact is a hell of a lot different on my knees,” she said. “A lot of people who are online with me remember my choreography from a long time ago.”
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About 170 people — friends from the gym and all around Dayton and the country — are part of Zumba Quarantined w/Diva , a special group created for the free workouts.
Fifteen to 30 people, some from as far away as England, take the class live each night with others watching at their convenience.
Richmond, Ind., native Jeannette Frye watches from Las Vegas, where she works as a pharmaceutical operational trainer.
Frye met Williams during fitness events at Therapy Cafe during her short time in Dayton. She fell in love with Williams’ energy.
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“It’s almost like you forget you are working out,” Frye said. “She is empowering and encouraging, one of those people who says, ‘If I can do it, you can do it.’”
Frye says she has invited a cousin and a friend to take the classes.
It is not as personal as an in-person class, but the motivation is there, she said.
“During this time it is very helpful. It is a way to stay together,” Frye said. “We are in it together. Let’s all get together. Let’s move.”
Dayton resident Starla Sutherland met Williams seven years ago at one of her classes and they became friends.
“She is so much fun, she has so much energy,” Sutherland says of Williams, who just turned 52. “We just laugh. We just have a good time.”
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Sutherland says she is also impressed by the work Williams, a professional singer, does for cancer patients and her families through Muevelo Cares.
Williams started the charity in honor of Mosses “Moe Beats” Montgomery, who was battling squamous cell carcinoma.
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Montgomery, a producer, died of cancer in 2006.
Among other things, Muevelo offers scholarships to musicians and care packages for families and individuals battling cancer.
Sutherland's son Joshua Sutherland died of brain cancer in 2000 before she met Williams.
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She said she wishes she would have had someone in her life like Williams during that time.
“It is special to my heart that she does that,” Sutherland said. “She’s there for everybody, the family and the patients.”
Although its is done remotely, Sutherland says Williams coaches her students during the classes.
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“She is still full energy. She is still there to help us with whatever we need,” she said. “She laughs. She cuts up. We still have fun with with her.”
For her part, Williams says the classes are as beneficial for her as they are for her students because they keep her moving.
“Everybody just stay positive. Stay focused, stay humble,” she said. “This too shall pass. It may pass like a kidney stone, but this too shall pass.”
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