Meet Jenna

 

My Journey

 

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. My journey into health and wellness hasn't been linear. It has been a winding, sometimes bumpy, path led by my heart, my gut, and luck. Along they way I've experienced tremendous growth and self discovery, conquered challenges, and met the most wonderful people. I feel immensely grateful for landing here and having the opportunity to share my passions with my clients.

 

I grew up between northern Minnesota and Fargo, ND. Some of my fondest memories are from spending time on the farm gardening and baking with my grandmother. I think this experience planted a seed for my later love affair with food and nutrition. My grandmother intuitively understood the value of nutritious, home-cooked and preserved foods and instilled in me the joy of cooking for myself and others. Besides those rosy farm memories,  I grew up eating the standard American diet and only exercising as a means of getting around (walking, biking, rollerblading). 

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Fast forward to middle school and highschool. I attempted sports but found that team sports weren't for me and my heart was in music. I was an accomplished singer (fun fact: I studied opera in college) and an academic overachiever. I still enjoyed riding my bike and rollerblading, but that was about it for activity outside of gym class. 

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Onto college - this is where things began to shift. I decided to go vegan once I had moved out of the family home. I read voraciously about veganism and nutrition. I lost 20# freshman year and fell in love with cooking and grocery shopping. This reading obsession eventually led me to find the Eat Clean diet by Tosca Reno and I decided to try weight training. I hired a trainer at the campus rec center and started eating meat again with the goal of looking "toned." The research and self-experimenting phase had begun. Over the next few years I found CrossFit, the paleo diet, and a LOVE of doing hard things.

(insert joke here about a vegan and a CrossFitter walk into a bar)

My body was changing, my self-esteem and self-efficacy was growing, and my social circle was changing. 

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I moved to Colorado in 2013 to start a new chapter away from home. I found a CrossFit community there that shaped the rest of my life. I started coaching in 2014 and for the first time, I truly felt like I was doing something with meaning and purpose. Since then, I have coached hundreds of people of all ages and ability levels in CrossFit, bootcamps, personal sessions, nutrition,  and more. Nothing lights my fire like coaching.

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Like everyone, I too was affected by the 2020 pandemic. I got an office job that I could work remotely, moved to Minnesota to be closer to family, and just settled in. Anyone who knows me will understand that "settling in" is not me. I felt stuck, passionless, and lost. I began searching for my next step.

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After months of research, I joined the FMCA Functional Medicine Health Coaching program in 2023. In 2024, I passed my board certification threw myself fully into coaching again. You can find me coaching group classes and personal training at Tonka Fitness in Hopkins, Fit Studio in St. Louis Park, and Torque Strength & Conditioning in Woodbury.​

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CERTIFICATIONS:

 

• Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach

• NSCA-CPT

• CrossFit Level 1 & 2 & Gymnastics

• Pain Free Performance Specialist

• First Aid/CPR