About Yolanda Harper

I've been an athlete all my life, dating back to jumping over my grandfather's garden fence down in East Texas and collecting blue ribbons at Field Day. Those early victories taught me something fundamental: success comes from preparation, determination, and refusing to settle for less than your best.

This winning mindset carried me through school, where I excelled in volleyball, basketball, and my favorite—track and field. These successes earned me a full athletic scholarship to the University of Houston, where I trained alongside some of the world's greatest athletes, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

My specialty was the 100-meter hurdles—an individual event where success depended entirely on my performance. But then came a pivotal moment in my athletic career: being selected to anchor the 4x100 meter relay. As the anchor leg, I received the baton last, responsible for either maintaining our lead or chasing down competitors ahead of us. This dual experience—excelling individually while contributing to a team—transformed my understanding of performance.

I realized that championship teams aren't just collections of talented individuals. They're strategically positioned specialists who understand both their unique roles and how they connect to create something greater than any single star could deliver alone.

This revelation became the foundation for my professional journey. In 2009, I launched Fit&40 Crew, an outdoor fitness bootcamp. As others noticed my passion, I was invited to speaking engagements, which led to my first book, "Achieving Peace," a fitness devotional.

Entering corporate America, I found myself in various leadership roles across different settings. I approached each with that same championship mindset: clear goals, strategic execution, and unwavering commitment to results. This led me to create Alpha Discovery Group LLC in 2017, bringing physical, personal, and professional development under one umbrella.

In 2023, I delivered my TEDx talk, "Runners Take Your Mark—Positioned for Success." When a friend challenged me to do more with these insights, "Relay Ready: Turning Individual Excellence into Championship Teams" was born, released in May 2025. 

Are you strategically positioned on your teams? Are you showing up at your highest potential? These questions drive everything I do today.

So whether I'm speaking at your next event, facilitating a leadership workshop, or training your team on the Relay Ready methodology, you can expect to be entertained, engaged, and challenged to reach for excellence. I bring the same energy, passion, and commitment to the stage that once propelled me around the track. My goal isn't just to inspire you for a moment—it's to equip you with practical strategies that transform how you and your team perform.

Because the champion's mindset isn't about being the loudest voice in the room—it's about bringing out the best in yourself and others. And just like in my relay days, I'm not satisfied until we cross that finish line together, baton firmly in hand, knowing we gave everything we had.