Creating Community One Mom at a Time
/Joy Sandefur and Audrey Anderson Help Moms Find Support, Community, and Joy Through Exercise
By Sarah Vammen
photo by shane darby
Motherhood bonded them, and the need for community pushed them to build a business. Friends Audrey Anderson and Joy Sandefur are the owners and operators of Fit4Mom Texarkana—a pre- and post-natal fitness group for moms of all ages and stages of motherhood.
Audrey is a New Mexico native who relocated from the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Texarkana in 2020 with her husband, Luke. Together they have two children, Ada and Owen. Audrey worked as a speech-language pathologist for 13 years and is currently a stay-at-home mom. Joy was born and raised in Texarkana. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Ray, for seven years. A former elementary school teacher, Joy now stays home with her two children, Emma and Ben.
Audrey and Joy became friends first and business partners second. Their friendship grew organically. “We were both members of Junior League of Texarkana,” Audrey said. “Our daughters both went to school at Williams (The Williams School), so the more we were around each other, we just clicked and became friends from there.”
“Joy’s strengths are my weaknesses. I’m the ‘right brain,’ and she’s the ‘left brain.’” – Audrey Anderson (photo by shane darby)
When Audrey was still living in DFW, she searched for a local community of moms in hopes of finding support after her daughter was born. “I actually typed into Google ‘mom and baby friendly activities,’ and Fit4Mom came up,” she said. “I showed up not knowing a soul and met mom friends who really validated the highs and lows of motherhood.” When she moved to Texarkana, Audrey set out in search of a similar community of moms but found nothing. As her friendship with Joy grew, the two began bonding over this shared need for a community of moms who knew what they were going through. “We both shared the perspective that Texarkana as a community and as a whole needed support for moms and their families,” Audrey said. “We didn’t find that here.”
So, the two friends sprang into action and partnered together to open their own Fit4Mom franchise in Texarkana. While developing a business relationship may be challenging for many friends, it was a natural and seamless transition for Audrey and Joy.
“We spend a lot of time planning these events and working with businesses and other people in the community to put this on for the moms and for the kids.”
“Nothing has changed in our relationship since we’ve started this business,” Joy said. “We’ve had to work through really hard things and really fun things. We’ve accomplished really huge things. We’ve had monumental highs and worked through really hard lows.” They say their resilience is thanks in part to their complementary personalities.
“Joy’s strengths are my weaknesses,” Audrey said. “I’m the ‘right brain,’ and she’s the ‘left brain.’” Harnessing Audrey’s big ideas and Joy’s pragmatism, they’ve been able to put on fun-filled events while building a close-knit community.
Now in its second year, Fit4Mom Texarkana has been steadily growing a community of moms since day one. Joy and Audrey want to promote the idea that Fit4Mom Texarkana is more than just exercise classes for mothers. “We are also big on community and helping moms to find their fit and village,” Audrey said. “We offer ‘Moms’ Night Out’ once a month and play groups (for kids) to cover all aspects of community.”
Fit4Mom offers two categories of classes: “stroller-based programs,” to which moms can bring their babies and young children, and “mom-only classes,” which are kid-free.
Though showing up to exercise with a small child in-tow can feel daunting for many moms, Joy and Audrey work hard to make the experience a fun one for moms and babies alike and encourage moms of any age and stage to try it out. “We definitely understand it’s vulnerable. You’re moving your body in ways you maybe haven’t in awhile, or you’re worried about how your child is going to act in the stroller,” Audrey said. “But what we want moms to know is there is absolutely no judgment whatsoever. It’s a very comforting environment because, even though our backgrounds are all different, we all unite in that we’re mothers and we completely understand what each other is going through.”
While moms who attend get the benefit of exercise, friendship with other moms, and time to bond with their children, the kids get a fun experience as well. “The kids are so entertained watching their moms run around crazy,” Joy said. “We’re singing to them, reading books, or blowing bubbles.”
In addition to regular “Stroller Strides” classes, Fit4Mom Texarkana frequently hosts community events, kid-centered activities, and other types of exercise experiences.
In addition to Joy and Audrey, the Fit4Mom Texarkana team also includes Mia Ray, who is a class instructor, and Shelby McElhany, who serves as the social media manager. The whole team encourages anyone who is interested to check out a class or community event. “Audrey and I have a lot of fun things planned for the next few months,” Joy said. “We spend a lot of time planning these events and working with businesses and other people in the community to put this on for the moms and for the kids. We hope to see more new faces and continue to see our same community at these events.”
Moms who are interested in learning more about Fit4Mom Texarkana or attending a class or community event can check them out on Instagram at @fit4momtexarkana, on Facebook at Fit4Mom Texarkana, or at texarkana.fit4mom.com.