About the Passing of My Friend, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Before I share my thoughts on the passing of my client and friend, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I first want to extend my condolences to her family who meant so much to her—especially her daughter Jane, her son James, and her beloved grandchildren.

Many people know about The Justice’s dedication to her work, her workouts, and her love for the harmonies created by the divas of classical opera.  All of these led to the feeding of her mind, body and spirit. I am exceedingly grateful that I had the opportunity to train the Justice and help her get stronger. But also, I had the chance to learn from the Dynamic Wisdom she carried for all the 20+ years of knowing her—while being her personal trainer and friend.

My story with the Justice began in 1999, while she was battling her first bout of cancer.  Her husband Marty, knowing the effects of cancer treatment on the body, has suggested that she start working out—to improve her strength.  She took his wishes to heart and began searching for a personal trainer.  She found me.

It didn’t take long for me to see that The Justice was different. If you look at the story of her life, she was never afraid to challenge the status quo.  She was never afraid to fight for freedom and equality.  She did that in her professional roles as well as in her personal life. She was consistently breaking down barriers.  After completing her cancer treatment and when we began training, The Justice was not strong enough to do a single push-up.  We started with push-ups against the wall.  Once she was strong enough to do a number of those, we progressed to push-ups on her knees. After some time, to further challenge the Justice, I convinced her to do push-ups off her knees while I was assisting her. One day I said to her, “Justice, you just did push-ups off of your knees without assistance.” At that moment she was beaming with excitement—like her soul had come back.  She wasn’t excited because she satisfied some ego-driven desire.  She was empowered because she saw one of her core beliefs come true: the belief that progress was everything, and with persistence, real change can happen.  She realized her body was getting stronger.

The Justice had a clear sense of purpose.  Some days she would come to our sessions after only getting a few hours of sleep the night before.  Yes—she understood the importance of rest.

However, her workout was equally important because it allowed her to continue her work as a voice and protector of equality. She was focused.  She was diligent. She was consistent.

Justice Ginsburg’s famous dissents gave voice to many people who felt like they weren’t being heard. But what I was able to learn through our interactions and workouts was that all of those accomplishments were the result of the work that she did on the inside.  They were the result of her mindset.

Underneath it all, the real inner-genius of The Justice was her wisdom.  She carried with her a “Dynamic Wisdom”— a constantly-evolving intelligence that drove her to simultaneously grow physically, mentally, and socially.  She knew that her life was more than a bunch of unrelated or disconnected tasks and responsibilities.  The Justice understood that her body, mind, and ability to positively influence others all worked in harmony to allow her to live a life of impact.  This harmony gave her the wisdom that she will forever be known for, and she applied it to everything she did. Whether it was in legislation or in her two arms, every day, the Justice pushed to make things better and she worked that way until the end.

Because of this harmony, and because she was never afraid to take the lead, that’s why I told her she is and always will be a “Super Diva.”

Bryant Johnson
Personal Trainer to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Author of RBG Workout