EP16: Jennifer Penfield - Fusion Health Coach

This Episode of Soul Aligned CEO features Jennifer Penfield – CEO of Jen’s Fusion Fitness

Jennifer is an Exercise Physiologist and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.  She has over 25 years’ experience in the fitness/health industry teaching thousands of classes, training hundreds of clients, and coaching using her “Fusion Fitness” philosophy…fusing mind, body, & soul to create a healthier, happier life you desire and deserve!

Jennifer has a passion and love for helping people learn the tools to achieve their health goals. Her motivation and knowledge shine through!

In this Episode we discuss: 

· Jennifer’s background of growing up always active in sports, dance, teaching and passionate about fitness.

· We talk about her entrepreneurial journey of owning a studio, working with clients and how she shares a realistic approach that there is no one size fits all to fitness.

· How she discovered that emotional health impacts our physical health and also the spiritual aspects of being well. 

· She is also going to share with us some practical tips for exercise and nutrition that you can get started with today!

**Note the topics discussed in this episode are not medical advice, always speak with your health care provider**

Jennifer’s Contact Information: 

Follow on IG: @jensfusioncoaching   https://www.instagram.com/jensfusioncoaching/ 

Facebook: Jen’s Fusion Fitness & Coaching

 Email jennifer@jensfusion.com

 Program link jensfusion.com/headabovewater  (scroll to the bottom sign up for newsletters, monthly tips and coaching). 

Soul Aligned CEO 

Follow on IG --> @soul_aligned_ceo

You Tube -->  https://youtube.com/@SoulAlignedCEO?si=MNY0fQ2v2zWbcn7G 

Transcript

Jenni (00:00.594)

Hello and welcome to Soul Aligned CEO Podcast, the show that shares the journeys of entrepreneurs from all around the world who have started businesses and they are doing that soul aligned. I'm your host, Jenni Morey, and on today's episode, I am so excited to welcome Jennifer Penfield. She is the CEO of Jen's Fusion Fitness.

She is an exercise physiologist and integrative nutrition health coach. She has over 25 years of experience and I am so excited to learn more about your fusion fitness philosophy today. Welcome, Jennifer.

Jennifer Penfield (00:42.838)

Thank you, Jenni. I'm so excited to be here.

Jenni (00:46.034)

So before we dive into your journey, I was hoping you could share a little bit about what your current offerings are.

Jennifer Penfield (00:54.182)

Sure, absolutely. My business, Jen's Fusion Fitness and Jen's Fusion Health Coaching, has definitely emerged over the years. And my career has always been based around exercise and fitness. And then it's kind of rolled into a different form along the way. And so what I'm currently kind of shifting into is more comprehensive coaching. And I'll be launching my.

my coaching program called Head Above Water in January, and I have a couple of free trainings going on in December. We can get those dates out. And really what this coaching program is and this kind of merging, the shift that I made, was based on my personal experience and experience with clients, that even if they may be struggled with their exercise or with their nutrition and what to eat, there was other areas of their life that was really contributing to their health and holding them back.

And whether it was things with their career and stress, with kids, with relationships, they really finding themselves stuck and struggling against themselves. And so with everything I have learned from like dozens and dozens of modalities over the years and incorporating these other areas of health that we don't really think about on a daily basis, that they can finally kind of be their own best expert and find the solutions that work for them.

so that they can live the life, the happy, healthy life that they desire and deserve.

Jenni (02:16.154)

I love that. And I think so many people are seeking that right now. So I'm really looking forward to diving into that more with you. So on today's episode, we are going to talk about Jennifer's background. She's always been active in sports teaching and very passionate about fitness. And then we're also going to discuss her entrepreneurial journey of owning a studio, working with clients, and really how she shares a realistic,

fits all approach. We're also going to talk about how she discovered the emotional health impacts that it has on our physical health and also the spiritual aspects of fitness as well. And then at the end, she's going to share with us some practical tips for both exercise and nutrition that we can all get started with today.

So because of the nature of the topics in today's episode, I just wanna make sure that everyone understands that none of this is medical advice and to always speak with your own practitioner. All right, so let's get started with your background. So you had mentioned to me before that you have always been a very active person into dance, sports, all kinds of things. So share about that.

Jennifer Penfield (03:38.118)

Yes, I have been. It was just my childhood growing up. I was very involved in sports. My parents were helping to coach. I evolved from sports into dance, which was really challenging for me. And I ended up kind of dropping off all the sports in high school to pursue dance full time at the dance studio. And that's kind of right, like kind of looking back, that even shows a little bit of the entrepreneurial spirit I had even at that young age of just kind of like going against the grain and then trying something that was just really calling to me.

Um, so, so I've been fortunate that way. So exercise has always been a part of my life in some form or another. And, uh, the other thing growing up is we had a pretty healthy relationship with food and I mean, it was unfortunately in a lot of ways, the typical American diet, you know, I think my parents had the, uh, you know, the Crisco air fryer out for like fried chicken and fried fish, you know, once a week, but as far as like your, your relationship with food, I was really taught that food is fuel.

you need it for energy, you're gonna burn it off. And so I'm fortunate that way, I didn't really have any stigmas of like, oh my gosh, if I eat this, I'm gonna get fat or things like that. So I am very grateful for that upbringing, kind of that Midwest upbringing that I had.

Jenni (04:49.266)

got it. And so then you decided to go to college and then kind of further pursue those interests.

Jennifer Penfield (04:56.786)

I did. So when I went to college, I was still working at the dance studio and I thought I was going to become a teacher. And so I think probably somewhere in my second year of college, you had to start to choose like, what are you going to major in minor in? And I was like, Oh dear Lord, like, I don't like history. I don't like math. Like, Oh my gosh, what am I doing? And so I stumbled across this track that at the time was in the college of education at Michigan State called exercise science.

And it was kind of the same track that people would take to maybe go on to be a physical therapist and other jobs and careers on that path. So I was like, oh my gosh, this is perfect. And so while I was in school, I got my certified group fitness certification. And so I started teaching group fitness classes. And around this time I stopped, I kind of got away from this dance studio just with things going on in college and some other things in my personal life. And then got my certified.

personal trainer, certification, and then got my degree and started working as an internship and my first job at the Michigan Athletic Club, which was a very progressive club that my mentors were really, way back then, were already into the functional fitness and just really not that straight weight lifting. And so I was very, very blessed to be exposed to a lot of different things at a young age in respect to fitness.

Jenni (06:13.33)

Mm-hmm.

Jenni (06:21.658)

Right. So then how did you decide that you wanted to start your own business and work with clients?

Jennifer Penfield (06:28.354)

Well, I think that goes back from when I was working at the dance studio, I always thought I had my own dance studio. And so as I merged into fitness, I loved teaching classes, and I loved training clients. Wherever I'd work, I would work either as a program director, bringing in new programs and innovative ideas. And then it was probably in my mid-20s, we could just see the direction of where the

the health club that we were currently at, me and a couple of my friends, my coworkers. We just didn't really like the way that direction was going into. And so my friend, who's now my soul sister, and she became my business partner, we said, you know what, let's do this ourselves. And we went out and we opened up our own studio, teaching Pilates and personal training, fitness classes. We do different workshops.

And it was great. It was, I mean, I still have friends and clients from way back then and everyone's like, that was the best studio ever and it was really a special place.

Jenni (07:28.678)

sounds really exciting. I mean, and I can imagine how rewarding that must have felt and still feels to be working with people and helping them. Yeah. So tell me a little bit about your experience working with people or with groups. What is that like for you?

Jennifer Penfield (07:36.788)

Yeah, absolutely.

Jennifer Penfield (07:46.382)

So you tend to, depending on where you're training and what area you live, you do tend to get, with referrals, a lot of similar clients. And so for me, I'd be working with these clients. And at the time, most of them were middle-aged women, some men, usually have kids, a career. And everybody wanted to lose weight. They wanted better muscle tone. They wanted all these things. But.

We kind of look at other areas of their life and it's like, well, wow, you really go out to dinner a lot, or you like to have your wine, or you're running around nonstop as the car mom. There was a lot of other things that's like, well, this really has nothing to do with what you're exercising and what you're eating. These are just other areas of your life that's maybe making it more challenging. So I would always tell my clients, tell me what you want, and then I'll tell you what you need, and we're gonna merge it together.

And so that's kind of how that early fusion fitness philosophy started. It's gone a lot deeper since there, but that was really kind of like, okay, let's meet, you know, you tell me your goals and I'm going to tell you what you're doing is not going to reach your goals, so we need to tweak them. So what are you willing to give up? What are you willing to add? And let's be realistic about it rather than trying to say, you know, hey, here's your diet, here's your exercise, expect all your results in six to eight weeks. That's just not how it works.

Jenni (09:06.184)

Hehehe

Jenni (09:10.738)

Now just do it. Yeah. So that's really kind of interesting how you were able to notice that there was a bigger picture of what was going on with, you know, everyone and maybe why they weren't achieving the results that they wanted. So what would you say are the most common things then that people struggle with as they're, you know, trying to achieve their nutrition or fitness goals?

Jennifer Penfield (09:11.902)

Yeah, exactly.

Jennifer Penfield (09:22.252)

Yeah.

Yes. Yeah.

Jennifer Penfield (09:38.078)

At first I thought it was because their goals weren't clear. And I really don't think that it's not clear. They're just not really aware of what steps are necessary and how they end up kind of struggling against themselves. You know, so a lot of people make these broad statements, and there's nothing wrong with saying I want to lose weight or I want, you know, whatever to go down to, you know, address size or whatever, lose inches off my abs.

But I think they end up struggling with, feeling lost, feeling overwhelmed, feeling like maybe they've tried everything, hearing a lot of different things. I mean, it doesn't take long to listen to the radio and the TV and magazines, all this stuff now, all the way through the internet. It's like, they've got the best solution for everything out there. And so I think it's very overwhelming and they end up kind of really losing.

They lose touch of themselves. They kind of lose that inner guide to where like, you know what you like to eat. You know what feels good when, you know, you know what feels good to move your body. And they end up kind of like, having that separation. They kind of end up losing that and kind of get lost in this like, this shuffle, this crazy shuffle of really not knowing what to do and spinning their wheels.

Jenni (10:49.71)

Right. And I think sometimes it's easy to just, like you said, not know where to get started. And then there's kind of an emotional component of that, which I want to talk to you about, because I think that, you know, we all know we should eat better and we should move more. Like it's not like...

really that complicated, but when you add into it kind of the emotional component, how have you seen that really impact people and what they're trying to achieve?

Jennifer Penfield (11:20.806)

Yeah, the emotional aspect, and I'm kind of just kind of back that up to, they don't even really realize that there is an emotional aspect going on physiologically in their body. So the easiest way for me to explain it is using stress as a, as an example, because most people today deal with a lot more stress than what our lives used to be. And it kind of becomes the norm.

Jenni (11:31.623)

Right.

Jennifer Penfield (11:45.738)

And it almost kind of becomes like a crown that they wear, like, oh, I'm so stressed out, but I get it all done. You know? So them not realizing how the stress affects the physiology of their body, they might feel it in an energy drain, because that's another common thing that everybody wants to do is they want to feel better and they want to have more energy. I want to feel good throughout the day and have more energy. And if you are dealing with a lot of stress,

Jenni (12:07.762)

Great.

Jennifer Penfield (12:10.958)

chronic stress and then extreme stress, you know, here and there throughout the day, that just wreaks havoc on your physiology and it ends up wearing on your energy, on your immune system, you know, how your body processes the foods that you're eating. It just completely changes it and you can't see it and you can't even really feel it that much and the more you get in tune with your body, you can, but it takes a while to really get to that point.

Jenni (12:31.814)

Right.

Jennifer Penfield (12:39.306)

So having that stress and how that affects their emotional health to me is huge. And just most people don't really understand how much is affecting them.

Jenni (12:50.266)

Right, and then all of a sudden something will usually happen or kind of halt you to make you notice it.

Jennifer Penfield (12:54.965)

Yes.

Jennifer Penfield (12:59.258)

Yes, yes. That's actually a really good point because I would say that happens the majority of the time. That we kind of get knocked on the side of the head. And it's like, whoa, what just happened? Oh my gosh, you know, I'm so bloated and I'm, I, you know, feel terrible all day long. I'm getting migraines now. I have this or this or that. And it turns into like a chronic condition that they don't know where it came from. And these things don't come out of the blue.

Jenni (13:26.995)

Right.

Jennifer Penfield (13:27.35)

That's for sure. I mean, in my experience for working with people and for myself, it usually has been kind of brewing for a while.

Jenni (13:34.306)

Yes, definitely. And I think if you don't stop and listen, when you get those initial nudges or indications, you know, that's when you let it keep brewing, it can really, really impact your health. And so what are ways then that you work with people to kind of help them with that stress and kind of understand how it's impacting them?

Jennifer Penfield (13:45.439)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Jennifer Penfield (13:59.41)

First, it's just them getting real about their current lifestyle, their current daily responsibilities, just kind of their current, you know, I wake up in the morning, what does a typical day look like? What does your typical week look like? And until we really know where you're starting from and kind of what you've been doing, it's hard to make any changes.

And so I like to have them look at it, okay, where are the times are you waking up? We'll continue to use stress, because it's something that most people suffer from at some point. Are you waking up in the early mornings with that like panic feeling? Where you're like, you're waking up and you're like, oh my gosh, I feel like I'm forgetting something. I've got so much to do today. And that's how you're starting your day.

and that's not very healthy. So we can look at, okay, this is how you're starting your day this way. Okay, we need to start with some early morning practices to help calm down your nervous system, to kind of help regulate your body a little bit better so that the exercise and nutrition, which helps to support that, is going to be beneficial for you. And then you can have somebody else who's like, no, I feel great in the morning. I rock and roll the whole day. It's like three to five o'clock in the afternoon. I just change into a different person and I'm moody, blah, blah.

So then you take that and you go, okay, you know, you're feeling good up to this point. Now we need to kind of look at, all right, what are your habits? Are you stressing about the evening? Are you, you know, are you just overwhelmed? And so again, we can look at, all right, for this person, what are the habits and techniques that we can use to help support you at that time of your day that can help you get through and feel better?

Jenni (15:37.882)

Yeah, I mean, really it's a lifestyle. And I think especially, you know, the older that you get, you start to realize that all of your choices, you know, add up and really you are a result of everything that you're eating, drinking, doing, seeing, saying, like it's all cumulative. And so I really like that approach because I think a lot of people kind of get into either a fitness or a nutrition journey and kind of are very laser focused

Jennifer Penfield (15:55.606)

Absolutely.

Jenni (16:07.836)

maybe stick with it for a few months and then can easily get sidetracked. But the way that you're looking at it seems like you're incorporating their whole lifestyle and how can we make better choices?

Jennifer Penfield (16:22.13)

Absolutely. And you're never, in my opinion, you're never going to be at your best exercise program and your best eating plan and you're meditating all the time and your kids are perfect at the time. It's hard to maintain this, like everything is going perfect all the time. And so it's kind of learning to like, why I say like kind of ride the waves of health and fitness in your life so that you might be going through an extra crazy stressful time with work, with your

The holidays is a perfect example. A lot of people get stressed out. And so it's learning how to adapt in those ways to not just like give in fully like, okay, just here's where we're at, nothing's going right. Why am I gonna, like I just throw up my hands and I'm just gonna say screw it and I'll start again in a few months.

Jenni (17:10.446)

Right. I mean, it's easy to just stop and to give in to the overwhelm. And we're going to talk a little bit about some practical things that everyone can start doing. But in your opinion, so then what does someone really experience if they kind of integrate the emotional with the physical? Like, does it help them kind of succeed?

Jennifer Penfield (17:33.566)

Absolutely, because it's, I hate to say the word teaching them because they already know it. It's guiding them to kind of like their own inner guidance, their own inner knowing, which kind of goes along that emotional to that spiritual connection. And so when they're really becoming aware, and that's kind of the first step in so many things, it's like becoming aware of the choices you're making. I always say we really want to try to as often as possible, we want to respond.

versus react. And that goes from all areas in our life. I react plenty more times than I wish I would, but it's also nice when you just catch it. Oh man, I'm reacting again. I need to take a step back so I can respond. And that kind of actually goes from like people like choosing their workouts. You had a stressful day at work, screw it. I'm not going to the gym. I'm gonna go home and eat popcorn and might drink my wine instead because that's what I wanna do.

Jenni (18:13.658)

Right.

Jennifer Penfield (18:30.902)

And I'm not saying you shouldn't do that sometimes, but it's just, are you responding or are you reacting to what's going on in your life? So when they can start to realize that they are in control of their responding part to their health, their fitness and their life, to me, that's just huge. You're empowering them and ultimately it is their choice. And even when you make such great choices,

It's like, no, you know what? I know this isn't really what I should do, but I really want to do it. And it's like, you don't feel so bad about yourself. It's not like you're just throwing in the towel. You're like, you know what? No, I'm going off for this weekend and I'm not going to think a thing about exercise, nutrition or whatever. I'm not meditating. I'm just going to go out with my girlfriends or my whatever family and just knock out a bunch of fun. And that's great. And that's to me is actually necessary as well. Like learning how to find that balance.

Jenni (19:21.062)

Right, right, kind of enjoy that chocolate cake from time to time. I really liked that what you said about responding versus reacting. And I think that that's important, even in the example that we're talking about with stress, because I think so often when people are just super stressed and like are managing a lot, it's easier to just like mindlessly eat and you're kind of reacting and soothing that stress. And so I really like that.

choice, like I'm going to respond to how I'm feeling. I don't need to have a bag of potato chips. Maybe I'm going to go for a walk instead, you know.

Jennifer Penfield (19:58.486)

Right, absolutely. Yeah, it's a perfect example. And when we take stress to a more extreme, to where it is manifesting into anxiety or depression, things like that. And again, this is not medical advice. But it is proven that the best ways to help cope with anxiety, depression, which are usually caused from an excess of stress, is through

exercise, diet, getting enough sleep, and having, whether you call it meditation or just that mindfulness time to where you're just kind of disconnecting for a little bit. So, those four things help regulate your stress on a regular basis. And so that way, if you tend to, like I have suffered with anxiety over the years and I still do. And I've kind of got my little bag of tricks that work for me most of the time.

Jenni (20:39.994)

Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Penfield (20:57.09)

But if you're not eating well, you're not exercising, you're not sleeping well, you're not taking the time, even just five minutes here and there, just to kind of shut the brain down, you're just setting yourself up for, you know, a really rough roller coaster ride.

Jenni (21:11.534)

Right. So that's kind of a nice segue. So how about we share some practical tips? Because I think that, as you mentioned earlier, often, you know, there is so much out there to choose from, and people kind of don't know where to start. And it seems like too much. If I can't go to the gym for an hour, if I can't have my full meal plan all situated out, you know, is it worth it? Like, where can I start? And does it really help to take those simple steps first?

Jennifer Penfield (21:41.458)

Yeah, absolutely. And to me, simple steps is really the only way to get started, simple practical steps. There are people out there, and it's like their personality type, they're like, nope, give me, I want it clear cut. I don't care how strict it is. I'm going to do it. I'm going to follow it to a T. Most people aren't like that or can't maintain that for a very long period of time. But if that works for you, then go for it. But otherwise,

for exercise, we'll kind of break it down. For exercise, it's just the number one rule is move your body. And it is now proven that sitting and being sedentary is one of the greatest health risks for diseases as you age. So you need to move your body. Now, where do you start? Okay. Well, what are you doing right now? If you're not doing anything, then.

getting up and moving your body throughout your house, throughout your office, going for a walk. Walking is literally one of the best exercises you can do. It doesn't matter when you're starting. If you're walking slower, you're walking fast. You just get moving. And then if you're like, well, I walk three times a week and I feel pretty good, but I feel like I need to do more. Great. And you probably should be doing a little bit more. That's where I would recommend getting in some light resistance training, either body weight training. I love to use just free weights at home.

I do my own workouts at home now through my Zoom, my Fusion Zoom classes. And it's just a very simple way. It doesn't have to be complicated. And it doesn't have to take hours in the gym. And then, you know, I do like to incorporate some sort of like stretching, whether it's a yoga or Pilates into most of my clients, just because it usually makes their bodies feel really good. So those are kind of the three areas, you know, getting on the walking or car, anything you enjoy, move your body and do something you enjoy.

Jenni (23:19.227)

right.

Jennifer Penfield (23:26.538)

and then you kind of tweak it from there for what your goals are.

Jenni (23:29.594)

And is there a certain amount of time that you would recommend?

Jennifer Penfield (23:35.195)

There are some guidelines. So it's also looking at what your schedule is. So if you are someone who, you know, I'm kind of wide open, you know, tell me what's the most beneficial. I say exercising three to five times a week, depending on how long. If you're going to work out for closer to 45 minutes to an hour, then three times a week is good. Even twice a week, you're going to get results. If you're working out more to that like 30, 40 minutes, then, you know, four or five times a week is going to give you a little bit better benefits.

And that's kind of mixing it up too. It's not having to do the same thing every day. I think the recommendations now for cardiovascular and just what it shows to help disease and all that is 20 to 30 minutes, five times a week. But that can be overwhelming for people. And that's where it's like, I don't have that time. I mean, I get it, especially like a busy mom or this or that. So if you only have...

Jenni (24:18.299)

Right.

Jennifer Penfield (24:27.458)

10 minutes, five or 10 minutes to move your body while you're getting ready in the morning, doing some body weight squats while you're brushing your teeth, doing some pushups while your coffee's make countertop, pushups while your coffee's brewing. It all counts. It all counts and it all adds up. And then maybe you have time on the weekends to go take a yoga class or something else that you enjoy.

Jenni (24:48.158)

Got it. So just start is basically the message. Like don't wait, you don't need a huge master plan. Like you can start after they listen to the podcast, they can go for a walk and get some, or even listen to the podcast while you're walking. Like that's even a better idea. And so I think that's.

Jennifer Penfield (24:50.566)

Yeah.

Jennifer Penfield (25:00.66)

Exactly.

Yes. Yeah. That's what I usually do. That's actually what I have not actually been walking as much as I used to. But that was where I fit a lot of my stuff in. Because again, how am I, you know, how do we fit all this in, right? All the things on our list that we want to do.

Jenni (25:18.19)

Right. And then it becomes almost more stressful because then you feel like you're not doing what you're supposed to do. And so I really like that approach. And it's gentle, but like, hey, let's be realistic. You need to just start. And I do it too. If I get into periods of time where I'm not exercising and then I kind of get in my head where it's like, okay, no, you just need to start again. Just go do something because you know how good it feels. But it's like your mind tries to trick

Jennifer Penfield (25:24.462)

Yeah.

Jennifer Penfield (25:46.038)

Yes.

Jenni (25:48.064)

like, no, like, don't, you know, don't go and do that. And you're like, wait.

Jennifer Penfield (25:49.298)

Yeah. Out of all of my years, I have to say, I still have one client who, um, who she continues to take my classes. There's only been one person for over 25 years that does not feel better exercising. And I say that kind of jokingly, meaning there, there are a couple of people out there who just really don't feel good, whatever, you know, but my point is that almost everybody feels better moving their body.

Jenni (26:08.69)

Got it.

Jennifer Penfield (26:15.542)

Just, you know, again, starting slow, not overdoing it too quickly, you know, but just as a joke, obviously, you know, I'm like, you know, hey, I use you as an example. I'm like, you're still here and you hate every minute of it, don't you? She's like, I do, but I'm here. Well, good for you.

Jenni (26:29.486)

Yeah, no, that's dedication. So that's great. So basically start somewhere, any movement is helpful. Even just think about, I like kind of the creative suggestions that you gave, like doing squats while you're brushing your teeth or pushups while your coffee's brewing. Just park a little bit farther away when you're going to the store. All of those things add up. So let's talk a little bit about your approach to nutrition then.

Jennifer Penfield (26:57.026)

So I've always had a pretty practical approach and I'm kind of like real food for real people. This doesn't need to be anything, you know, where we're like, you know, having to learn to make all these crazy things or, you know, not eating real food. And we try to stay away from like packaged foods. So real food for real people. And you're really looking at a couple of different things. First of all, we do need to stay away from processed foods. So if you're eating a lot of processed foods, and I mean, I have kids, so I...

I have phases where it's like, oh, the chips and salsa are still hanging around and there's the cookies in the cookie jar. And I still get into them, I do. But I'm aware of it and I minimize it after it's like, okay, this is a little too much. But if we can get rid of the majority of that processed food that has seed oils in it, that has excess sugar and preservatives. So you're already going to be moving in a healthier...

route or a healthier path by doing that. And then it comes down to what do you like to eat? How often do you like to eat throughout the day? There's a lot of people that are not hungry in the morning. And so they kind of end up doing a little bit of intermittent fasting is what they call it. And there's some people who really thrive on eating a pretty solid breakfast within an hour or two of waking up. So there's really no one right way to then...

Develop your meal plan. It's looking at what foods do you like and what foods make you feel good? I think I said this on one of my posts a little bit ago I'm like there's a lot of food that we like to eat that make us feel like crap and We know it and like ultimately we know it and that's kind of like getting in tune with your body again It's like okay. Yeah, I love it when I eat it. It's not that you're feeling guilty afterwards It's like you just physically don't feel that good. Okay, so

Jenni (28:36.826)

Right.

Jennifer Penfield (28:49.858)

Those are the things we have to try to minimize. I'd be like, you know what, let me just stay away from that for a little bit. You're not never giving up anything forever. And then it's looking at one meal at a time. And do you like vegetables? Do you do well on protein? Do you like to cook your meals? So kind of finding out all these little aspects of each person, each client, and knowing for yourself will help you be able to make.

Jenni (28:58.366)

Great.

Jennifer Penfield (29:18.234)

and easier choices as you go along. It's like one meal at a time and one day at a time. And next thing you know, you're like, oh wow, this isn't so hard. I started to clean up my breakfast or maybe not eating breakfast. I added in a fruit green smoothie. I added in some extra proteins in my salad or whatever it is, it's just these simple little steps along the way to where then you end up building your own meal plan.

Jenni (29:43.686)

Right, I like that. And that's something that's manageable too. Like, hey, let's for the next week kind of, let's look at what I'm eating in the morning. And then maybe the next week, let's now add in, what are you having for lunch? And then your snacks. So then it doesn't have to be this like drastic, oh, I'm just eating salad all day long. It's like you can, right, right.

Jennifer Penfield (29:51.988)

Yeah.

Jennifer Penfield (30:04.71)

Right. And for a lot of people, that's not good. Yeah, exactly. They have this conception of what they think is healthy and then that actually ends up hurting their body and their metabolism in the short term.

Jenni (30:14.778)

Right, right. So I love that. So thank you for sharing those tips because everyone can kind of get started today. You know, what am I eating for dinner? You know, what can I add to it that might be more real foods and less processed foods? So that's really great. So let's shift gears a little bit and just talk about this experience of being an entrepreneur for you. And what has that been like to really be doing work?

Jennifer Penfield (30:30.668)

Yeah.

Jenni (30:42.834)

that is in your passion.

Jennifer Penfield (30:46.222)

So like I started with, fitness has always been a part of my life. So I have been very lucky to kind of follow this passion and path right from the beginning. It shifted a little bit here and there, like along the way, and there's been some ups and downs. But ultimately, for an entrepreneur who's getting started, you know you're doing something when it truly lights you up. Like, I love...

I love my job. I love doing, you know, I love teaching classes. I love helping clients. I love coaching and like I feel so good when I'm done. Like it's funny because, you know, talk about like something that helps reduce stress. I can be having a really stressful day and yeah, I'm getting my own workout in or I'm doing, but I'm like helping somebody else and it literally helps fill me up. So, so, you know, just a piece there, make sure you are, if you're, if you're going to go the entrepreneur route, make sure you're doing something that truly fills you up because

It does get exhausting. It can be a lonely track. As I think I mentioned to you where we were getting set up, I'm like, oh, yep, where's my intern? Hello, like I've got like a long list of things I need done here, intern, you know. And for me, one of the hardest things is to stay on track and to be accountable to myself. It's easy for me to be accountable for my clients and my kids, but sometimes you're like, oh, well, it doesn't really matter if I don't do this right now.

Jenni (31:51.078)

Hahaha.

Jennifer Penfield (32:11.15)

So, you know, kind of having accountability partners, I found, has helped me, you know, over the last few years especially. But another thing with following entrepreneur track is not just following like, okay, your passion, what fills you up. For me, I've been able to look at it, how I can merge it around my life and how my life has changed. So...

I had this certain picture in my 20s, before I was married and when I was married, and then I was able to kind of shift that around for when my kids were little. And then I was able to work and I have, and that's been like one of the biggest things that are important to me, is I've always wanted to have my work, my career, be able to work around my kids' schedule.

And I never wanted to be tied to a desk or a job or a different health club where I can't get my kids to their football or dance practice. And I know a lot of people go through that and it's hard. So it doesn't make it easy. There might be periods of time where I'm maybe not working as much or a little bit other times I don't really wanna be working, but it's given me that flexibility that for me is priceless.

Jenni (33:31.97)

Yeah, yeah, I mean, it is a very challenging path and you have been doing it for so long. And so are there any other tips that you would maybe give someone that's kind of a newer entrepreneur in the kind of fitness or health industry?

Jennifer Penfield (33:50.274)

I think my biggest piece of advice is although you are on this path yourself, you don't have to do it all by yourself. There are so many resources out there that are free. And I still, like I love learning. I am constantly taking classes and workshops and learning along the way, whether it's still the physical or nutrition or if it's working with like, you know, a spiritual leader. So it's very important to.

not feel alone, even though this is your own path, that there are a lot of resources out there and to not be afraid to ask for help because there is a lot of help and support out there.

Jenni (34:28.178)

That's great. So let's share a little bit about what you are offering. So you talked a little bit at the beginning about some things you have coming up in December.

Jennifer Penfield (34:39.658)

Yes, so I'm very excited because I'm finally launching my first group coaching program. So most of the coaching I've been doing has been one-on-one. And, you know, I still do my fitness group program that they can, I can give more information on. And I still do work with one-on-one clients who want just a personalized little, you know, exercise program. But the group coaching program called Head Above Water, it is like my baby. It is like, you know, this has been like.

in the works for, I don't even know how many years. And I'll just tell a quick story behind the name of the program, because you're like head above water, what does that have to do with exercise and fitness, right? Yeah, I know. So when I was, we'll say my kids were young, I was still working as an entrepreneur, raising my two kids. And from the outside, I looked very healthy and had a lot of energy, very positive attitude. And, but I just.

Jenni (35:17.598)

Great.

Jennifer Penfield (35:34.83)

I kind of always felt like I was struggling. And I'm like, why can't I just get this done? Why can't I just do this? And so along that kind of spiritual growth I was going through, dealing and educating myself and my body on the emotional health and how that affects my physical health, there was a moment where a little light bulb went off. And I was like, oh my god, I'm just struggling against myself. I feel like I'm constantly being pulled six inches under water and I can't come up.

for just to gasp a breath of air. And that was the feeling that I had. It was just so tight in my chest. And then once I kind of realized, wait a minute, kind of everything we talked about is, there's all areas of your life affect one another. And there's not one perfect, it's not like this balancing. I don't like, I use the word balance a lot, but it's not like you're balancing everything perfectly all the time. You know, you might, the balance might be here, you know, or it might be here.

Jenni (36:22.426)

Right.

Jennifer Penfield (36:32.334)

at that time. And so the coaching program head above water was like me putting everything in that I use, tools and techniques from mentors, classes, programs that I use to kind of put everything together so that I could be clear on my goals, I could set myself up for success for the day, for the week, for the month. Of course, there's bumps in the roads and again, learning to respond versus react a little bit more. But that's kind of how this coaching program came about. So.

So I'm launching it in January and I'll be having two free trainings in December. The dates I have them written down, I think it's December 7th and the 28th right now. I'll double check on those. So it'll be a little bit of a kind of like a preview of the coaching program and then with some practical things with health and fitness and exercise, which is still kind of like my background or my backbone. And then I'll be doing a holiday fitness challenge through the month of December.

Jenni (37:14.091)

Okay.

Jennifer Penfield (37:30.57)

that people can jump in at any time. It's not a contest. I usually do it for 21 days. So they can check out my Instagram at GensFusionCoaching and kind of stay on top and get all the details and information from there.

Jenni (37:44.443)

I was just going to ask you where should people look to get more information?

Jennifer Penfield (37:49.01)

Yeah, Instagram is probably the best for right now. And then you can just reach out personally and then I can contact you from there.

Jenni (37:56.274)

Well, that's really great. So you're going to do the fitness challenge in December. And you said that people can kind of jump in, no matter when they're listening to this, they can go to your Instagram and get more information about that. And then the two free workshop sessions, those anyone can join also.

Jennifer Penfield (38:16.862)

Yes, yes. It'll be the same thing. Follow on my Instagram. I'll give details. It will be through Zoom. So you'll just have to say, you know, I'm interested, register me, and then you'll be sent the link for that training.

Jenni (38:26.786)

Awesome. So those are some easy things that people can take action on and get started today and really kind of experience what it's like to work with you and then find out more about your larger program that you're doing.

Well, I think this is really great. I really appreciate you being here. It's such a timely conversation. I know the end of the year, many people start thinking about their health and their fitness just with the whole brand new year. And it's really important that we take care of these bodies that we have and the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects too. So I really am very interested in these types of programs also.

That's why I wanted to have you here today. So thank you so much for being here.

Jennifer Penfield (39:17.026)

Thank you so much, I love this, this is fun.

Jenni (39:20.074)

And I just want to thank everyone for listening. I hope that you have found this episode informational and interesting and maybe you are even inspired. And until next time, I wish you much peace, love and joy as you pursue being soul aligned.