You Got This with Coach Jenn

There were definitely worse views to have from a hospital room. 💜

But after spending three days looking out at this one, I have a little healthcare rant.

I don’t rant often, but when I do… 😂 And this probably isn’t the rant you think it is.

I’m 6.5 weeks post-op from a parastomal hernia repair and just spent three days in hospital with a complete bowel obstruction thanks to what I’ve affectionately named my “peek-a-boo hernia.” 🙄

But this post isn’t really about the hernia.

I ended up in a downtown Vancouver ER with significant pain and nausea. I handle pain pretty well, but this was a solid 8/10.

I spent about five hours sitting in a chair waiting for the CT that confirmed my bowel was completely obstructed. Until then, I couldn’t receive anything for the pain or nausea.

If you’ve never tried sitting in a chair with a bowel obstruction, I don’t recommend it. My husband’s hand probably wouldn’t either after five hours of me squeezing it. Poor guy. 😂

Once the CT confirmed what was happening, everything moved FAST. Medication within minutes, a bed about 20 minutes later, and fully admitted shortly after.

And the care I received for the next three days was genuinely great.

That’s where my rant comes in.

The healthcare workers weren’t the problem.

I watched staff constantly moving, caring for an ER full of sick, scared and hurting people. There simply weren’t enough of them.

And while doing all of this, they were wearing panic buttons for their own safety.

That really stuck with me.

I can be angry about sitting for five hours with a complete bowel obstruction without pain or nausea medication and still know where that anger belongs.

Not with the people working their asses off trying to care for everyone.

With a system that has allowed this to become normal.

Our healthcare workers are understaffed, underpaid and seriously underappreciated.

Patients deserve better. And so do the people taking care of us. 💜

To the team who took care of me, thank you. I saw you, and I appreciate you.

Tomorrow, I get a piece of my life back.

After six weeks away recovering from surgery, I’m returning to the gym to train my clients.

I have missed it more than I can say.

The people. The conversations. The laughs. Watching someone realize they can do something they weren’t sure was possible.

This time away has reminded me how much I love this work—and how grateful I am for a body that continues to adapt, even when recovery doesn’t follow the timeline I would have chosen.

Tomorrow is also the official launch of Back to Basics.

The timing feels pretty perfect.

I won’t be returning to the gym as the same person who left six weeks ago. I’ll be meeting my body where it is now and building from there.

That’s what I want for the people joining Back to Basics too.

Not pressure to get back to who you were.

A chance to discover what you can build from where you are now.

I’m excited. I’m grateful.

And I cannot wait to see my clients tomorrow. 💜

If you’re ready to begin too, DM “BASICS.”

Your September nutrition plan does not need to begin with throwing everything in your kitchen away.

Inside Back to Basics, nutrition is about building habits that support your training, energy and real life.

We look at things like:

• protein and balanced meals
• hydration
• meal structure
• planning for busy days
• small changes that actually make sense for YOU

No detox.

No good-food/bad-food list.

No requirement to eat like a fitness influencer with unlimited time and seventeen matching meal-prep containers.

Strength and nutrition work better when they support your life instead of taking it over.

Back to Basics launches September 1.

DM “BASICS” for details. 💜

It’s my birthday. I’m 52 today. 💜

I’ve never been someone who looks back and wishes I could be who I was before. I truly believe that all the s**t you go through—the good, the bad and the super messy—becomes part of who you are.

We don’t get to choose all the cards we’re dealt, but we do get to choose what we do with them. My story has given me a level of empathy that I don’t think I could have learned any other way. It’s also given me a very strong bulls**t radar. 😂

I wouldn’t have chosen the illness, the cancer, the surgeries or the ostomy, but they’ve all shaped who I am, the coach I’ve become and the work I care so much about now. They’ve taught me to notice the people who are being overlooked, to understand that a small win can actually be enormous, and to never underestimate how much strength it can take just to participate in your own life.

I also know how incredibly blessed I am. I have Jay, my rock for 35 years, who I wouldn’t trade for anything. I have a super-supportive family, wonderful friends and so many beautiful souls I’ve met along the way.

I now get to do work I genuinely care about, both as a coach and within communities that are incredibly close to my heart. I get to use what I’ve lived through to help people feel seen, supported and a little less alone. That’s something I will never take for granted.

“You Got This” has never meant that something will be easy. It means that whatever cards you’re dealt, you can still choose what happens next and find a way forward.

So here’s to 52, to the people I’m lucky enough to share this life with, and to whatever comes next. 💜

September marketing gets a little… dramatic.

New season. New routine. New body. New you.

I’m voting for keeping you. 😆

Maybe what you actually need is a little structure, a plan that fits your real life, and someone in your corner while you find your rhythm again.

That’s plenty.

Back to Basics starts September 1.

No reinvention required. 💜

DM “BASICS” if you want in.

One of the fastest ways to make restarting feel impossible?

Expecting yourself to immediately do what you were doing six months, two years or ten years ago.

Your starting point is information, not a judgement.

Maybe you begin with lighter weights.

Maybe two workouts a week is plenty.

Maybe walking is your cardio.

Maybe your first win is simply showing up consistently again.

We build from there.

That’s exactly how I’m approaching Back to Basics this September: start with your current capacity, then progress.

No punishment. No catching up. Just a solid place to begin.

Starts September 1. DM “BASICS” for details. 💜

Been meaning to get back to it?

September might be a good place to start. 💜

Not with an extreme reset.

Not by trying to change everything at once.

And definitely not by waiting until you feel perfectly motivated.

Back to Basics is a four-week strength and nutrition coaching experience designed to help you rebuild consistency in a way that works with your body, your capacity and your actual life.

Over four weeks, we’ll focus on the foundations:

• Strength training that meets you where you are
• Simple, realistic nutrition support
• Routines you can actually maintain
• Consistency without all-or-nothing expectations
• Coaching, accountability and support along the way

Everything is delivered through my branded coaching app, so your plan, guidance and support are easy to access wherever you train.

You don’t need to be fit enough first.

You don’t need to make up for lost time.

You don’t need to do it perfectly.

You just need a place to begin—and a plan that helps you keep going.

Back to Basics opens September 1.
Flexible September start dates are available.
Investment: $199 CAD.

This is open to women and men who are ready to start taking care of themselves again, without turning their lives upside down to do it.

DM me BASICS for the full details or to reserve your place.

I also have a very limited number of September openings for in-person 1:1 coaching in Vancouver.

Let’s get back to the basics—and build from there. 💜

Small group. Plenty of space. A squat rack for everyone—and such a good time. 💜

Thank you to everyone who joined us for today’s Move 4 a Cause workout!

Because we had a smaller group, everyone had their own station, their own equipment and lots of room to move. We worked hard, shared a few laughs and raised funds for Step Up for Ostomy, benefiting Ostomy Canada Society.

These sessions are about more than a great workout. They are an opportunity to move together, build community and help ensure that people living with an ostomy have access to connection, education, advocacy and support.

There is just one Move 4 a Cause session left in this series:

Sunday, September 20

Mark your calendar and DM me to reserve your spot. I already have a feeling this final one is going to be busy!

Let’s finish the series strong—and keep stepping up for Canada’s ostomy community. 💜

September has a way of feeling like a second January.

But getting back into a routine doesn’t have to mean going from zero to everything overnight.

If strength training has slipped off the radar, life got busy, your body or health changed, or you simply don’t know where to start again, I’m opening a simple way back in.

BACK TO BASICS starts September 1.

Four weeks of strength, nutrition support, accountability and coaching designed to help you get moving, get stronger and rebuild consistency without the all-or-nothing approach.

More details are coming Monday.

If this already sounds like what you need, DM me “BASICS.” 💜

Six months.

Approximately 15 pounds of muscle.

More mobility. Stronger hips. Higher, more powerful kicks.

Taylor earned every bit of this. 💜

He came to me as a second-degree black belt—already highly skilled, disciplined and in great shape.

He wasn’t starting from scratch. He wanted to build on an already strong foundation: improve his splits, increase his kicking height and power, strengthen his hips and add muscle without taking away from his martial arts performance.

So we built his training around mobility, active flexibility, hip strength and progressive full-body strength.

Then Taylor did what Taylor does.

He showed up. He followed the program. He gave me feedback. And he kept working on the movements that challenged him instead of only doing the ones he already enjoyed.

The photos show the difference: NOW on the left and BEFORE on the right.

Taylor is extremely proud that he now has a butt, his jeans fit properly and his belt is no longer solely responsible for keeping his pants up. 🤣

He’s also pretty pleased that his shoulders look great in just about every shirt.

But the best part is that the results showed up where they mattered most.

The strength work was always intended to support—not replace—the years of skill development Taylor continues at Excel Martial Arts Coquitlam

At his most recent tournament, Taylor didn’t simply perform well.

He dominated.

I created the roadmap, but Taylor walked it—week after week.

These results are his, and he should be incredibly proud of them.

I know I am. 💜