We were lucky to catch up with Juanita Lomax recently and have shared our conversation below.

Juanita, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I came up with the idea for Hit Like A Girl because I saw a glaring gap – not just in golf, but in women’s professional development overall. I remember sitting in countless meetings and networking events, realizing that the men around me were deepening bonds on the golf course, making deals, getting mentorship, and building real trust with each other while playing. But women weren’t there. We weren’t invited, or we didn’t feel confident enough to say yes. And that exclusion was costing us opportunities, promotions, and access to leadership conversations.

The statistics back this up. Nearly 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf, and 54% of businesswomen feel that being excluded from informal networking opportunities like golf has hurt their career growth. That hit me hard because I knew so many brilliant women who were working twice as hard for half the recognition.

The idea for Hit Like A Girl came to me during a personal turning point. I had asked a friend to spend just 20 minutes introducing me to the sport to see if it was something I might be interested in learning. Shortly after, an executive at the company I was working for saw a picture I posted online and invited me to attend my first golf outing. More than 100 times, I tried to talk myself out of going because I didn’t want to embarrass myself, my company, or my leaders with my lack of skill. But there was that one moment when I gave myself permission to be awful and simply learn more about this elusive environment.

When I attended the event, I was blown away by the relationships I was able to cultivate in such a short period of time and the powerful conversations I was included in and exposed to. I noticed something else that day – I was one of only a handful of women there. I thought: What if we had a space where women could learn this game confidently, connect with each other, and build power both on and off the course?

In that moment, I knew I wanted to be a delightful disruptor and find a way to bring more women into this space.

I knew it was a worthwhile endeavor because it solved a layered problem: lack of access, lack of confidence, and lack of community. Yes, there were golf lessons for women out there, but no one was truly using golf as a tool to accelerate women’s careers in a holistic, intentional, and culturally relevant way. We approach it differently. We build skill, confidence, networks, and strategic thinking all at once – and we do it in an environment rooted in belonging.

What got me most excited was envisioning a future where women are not just invited to the table but are leading the tee times, hosting the deals, and creating impact on their own terms. Hit Like A Girl isn’t about teaching golf for golf’s sake; it’s about giving women back the $10,000 to $30,000 in average annual career earnings they lose by being excluded from informal networks. It’s about ensuring women have every tool they need to win in business and life.

That was the logic that made this undeniable for me. We weren’t just solving a problem – we were reclaiming opportunities that were always meant to be ours.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For those who may not know me yet, my name is Juanita Lomax, and I am the Founder and CEO of Hit Like A Girl. I am an innovator, strategist, and advocate for creating equitable spaces for women to thrive – both professionally and personally.

My journey into this work was not linear. I built a career in healthcare strategy, organizational leadership, and operations, leading multi-disciplinary teams and managing multimillion-dollar initiatives to improve care delivery. Throughout my corporate career, I saw firsthand how women, especially women of color, were often left out of informal networking opportunities that drive influence and advancement. Golf was one of the biggest of those opportunities.

I created Hit Like A Girl because I wanted to change that narrative. At Hit Like A Girl, we provide golf programming designed specifically for women – from beginner clinics to business golf intensives. But it’s not just about the game itself. We equip women with the confidence, strategic networking skills, and executive presence needed to walk onto any course and into any room with power and intention. We also host social and corporate events that create authentic community, while breaking down barriers in a historically exclusive sport.

What sets us apart is our approach. We don’t teach golf in isolation – we integrate it with leadership development, professional strategy, and intentional connection-building. We help women reclaim access to the powerful networks and conversations that happen on the course, networks that research shows contribute to the **54% of businesswomen who feel excluded from opportunities tied to golf**. Our work ensures women no longer have to choose between authenticity and access – they can have both.

I am most proud of the courage it took to create a platform that challenges norms while empowering women to step fully into their potential. Every time I see a woman pick up a club for the first time, close a deal after a golf outing, or walk away feeling stronger and more connected, it affirms that this work is bigger than any one program – it is a movement.

For anyone learning about Hit Like A Girl for the first time, I want you to know this: we are here to make sure women never miss another opportunity simply because they weren’t included in the invitation. We’re not just teaching golf. We’re building confidence, economic power, and a world where women can thrive on their own terms.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What has helped me build my reputation within this market is my unwavering commitment to creating spaces that value women for their full selves. I intentionally focus on a group that is often overlooked, providing them with an environment where they feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable and grow stronger from that place of vulnerability.

I started Hit Like A Girl from that same space myself – knowing nothing about golf, but knowing deeply that I could be the change and create the impact that was so clearly needed. That authenticity resonates. People see that I don’t just believe in building networks; I believe in building true, meaningful connections. I lead with love, respect, and a genuine desire to see others succeed. My first question is always, *“How can I help you be successful?”*

What also sets me apart is creating a community where women can bring their whole selves – beyond their professional titles. Whether it’s motherhood, dating, marriage, being a student, career transitions, or entrepreneurship, our programs are designed to be safe spaces for honest conversation and growth.

I never do this work alone. I am surrounded by an outstanding team, an incredible support system, powerful partnerships, and a sister circle that grows with each new cohort. This sense of community and my commitment to advocating for those who may not yet feel strong enough to advocate for themselves is central to my reputation.

Ultimately, I believe my reputation is built on trust. Women know that when they engage with Hit Like A Girl, they are entering a space that will welcome them exactly as they are while equipping them to grow into all they want to become. I welcome people from all over the world – trainers, aspiring program leaders, or women simply looking for their golf community – because I want every woman to know she belongs here.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

What’s a lesson I had to unlearn? That I have to be strong.

As a Black woman, I was raised to believe that strength was my greatest asset – that I had to carry everything with grace, never show cracks, and always find a way forward no matter how heavy life felt. For years, I wore that as a badge of honor. But what I’ve learned is that constantly trying to be strong isn’t sustainable. In fact, it can be isolating.

There was a time, early in my life, when I was juggling corporate & community demands, family responsibilities, being a student, and trying to figure out life all together, while carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I remember sitting in my living room at the end of a long day, completely exhausted and on the verge of tears, thinking to myself, “If I fall apart, everything will fall apart.” In that moment, I called one of the women in my sister circle just to talk. She reminded me that I wasn’t meant to carry everything alone, and that just as it takes a team to achieve goals in business, life is no different. True leadership is about knowing when to lean into your community and allowing others to support you as you support them.

For Black women, unlearning the need to always be strong is radical self-care. We are often expected to be the backbone in every space we enter – our families, workplaces, and communities. But when we give ourselves permission to rest, to be vulnerable, to ask for help, and to let others pour back into us, we create space for our fullest power to emerge.

Hit Like A Girl was built on this principle. It is a sisterhood where we do not have to perform strength. We can be soft, real, tired, joyful, learning, and still be leaders. We can lean on each other just as much as others lean on us. Because the truth is, *strength is not in how much we carry alone – it is in how deeply we are connected to those who lift us up when we need it most.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hit-likeagirl.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hit_like_a_girl_pgh/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Hit-Like-A-Girl/100083097862262/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanita-lomax-ms-b0934333/
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/public/Juanita-L-Lomax/

  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5V5Y6QLiph/

  https://www.instagram.com/juanilom12/profilecard/?igsh=MWZ1amNkd3AzcmU0Ng==

Image Credits

JVisionary Visuals Co – JVisionaryVisuals.com (Headshot)
Life Camera Soul Photography – www.lifecamerasoul.co (all other photos)