Jackie's Story
I have always had a passion for movement and the positive feelings it gave me. This passion bred from the very beginning of my dance career when I was a little girl. Dancing was my sport growing up, but I did participate in a variety of other activities. Having always been small (think dancer’s build!), I grew up eating pretty much whatever I wanted without giving much thought to nutrition. Although I ate a good amount of healthy food, there was no shortage of processed foods in my diet. And later in college, my diet grew poorer. At the time, I was unaware that being small did not necessarily protect me from health issues. Upon graduating and landing a job in corporate America, I found myself moving much less and enduring a high-stress event planning job that had me on the road constantly — a lifestyle I grew to hate. In 2012, an unexplained gut infection hospitalized me for 4 days. Upon my recovery, I embarked on a new journey of health and wellness. Battling a slew of digestive issues, I was forced to completely rebuild my diet from the ground up. I was able to get off medications that the doctors urged me to stay on and completely turn my issues around by focusing on nutrition, fitness and stress management practices. This took me 2 years of trial and error, lots of personal research, and ultimately re-shaping my lifestyle habits. (Leaving corporate America to pursue a career as a health & fitness professional also helped!) My recovery from daily digestive issues through the adoption of a healthy lifestyle is what truly catapulted me into my mission to help others.
Choosing to take control of my own health and fitness also opened the door for me to try new things and accomplish personal feats I never would’ve otherwise … such as a bodybuilding competition, intense obstacle course races, difficult hikes and extreme sports — and helped prepare me for the biggest physical events of a lifetime: staying fit through two pregnancies and birthing two children! Beyond the physical strength, I developed important attributes and life skills such as: mental strength, confidence, gratitude and self-love ... as well as the impact of these virtues on my relationships. I also grew to understand the power of thought through my experiences. This may sound like I have it all figured out. Trust me — I DON’T. My biggest takeaway is that though the learning and practice never stop, it is worth it.
Fast forward to today — my MOST important job is being a mom and teaching my children to value their personal health so they never have to experience my struggles and have the confidence to go after their dreams. As the owner and head coach of Empire Fitness, I am so excited to help other moms make simple, positive changes that will lead to feeling stronger, more confident and happier as a mother ... and ultimately, allow you to feel like you can conquer anything you set your mind to!
XOXO Coach Jackie
Jackie’s education, hobbies & more!
Bachelor's of Science in Entrepreneurial Venture Creation; Minor in Dance from the University of New Hampshire 2004-2008
MOM life!!! I have a 1st grader and preschooler.
Family time on the lake in Maine
Moving my body, duh: Lifting weights, dancing, meditative workouts, movement in nature: walking, snowboarding/skiing, paddle boarding & wakeboarding
Disney World lover and not ashamed to say it.
Forever dropping movie lines from: Christmas Vacation, Billy Madison, Home Alone, Happy Gilmore (classics)
Love farm-to-table restaurants and a good coffee/smoothie cafe.
Traveling to new places
Spending quality time with true friends
Fashion preferences: having my nails done (I don’t feel complete without it) and shopping for my daily mom uniform: comfy, cute athleisure wear