Hi, I’m Jess.

I’m mum to two boys age 6 and 9. Before becoming a mum, fitness was always a big part of my life, starting when I competed in cross country running during my school years. I was in the gym up until a few days before my first child was born but looking back, I had very little guidance about how to exercise safely during pregnancy. I tried an anti-natal yoga class but was frustrated at the extreme sedentary pace.

While I was sure that being pregnant didn’t need to stop me from being active, I had little clue about how to safely exercise so just muddled on through as best I could without really managing to prepare my body for what was to come. After my children were born, I found it quite difficult to get back into regular exercise. Running was previously my passion, but I just couldn’t get motivated to run enough to get my form back even though I knew how good it would be for me. I had also moved to a new area so had lost my running buddies. Meeting Jen and joining the Mojo running club was a big turning point. It was great to run with a group of supportive women and I quickly rediscovered my love of running and my fitness mojo.

In early 2019, I qualified as a run leader with England Athletics and started to work with Jen at the mojo running club (now Mojo Run Fit). I’ve loved seeing our ladies develop at all stages of their running journeys. As well as seeing numerous women come through our beginners courses, we have a very active and mutually supportive group of intermediate runners (many of whom started off in our beginners courses). We have a lot of fun and firm friendships have developed. For some, the sessions are about training for races although the group itself is completely non-competitive.

Having dreamt of a career in fitness for a long time, I was spurred on by my experiences as a run leader and 2020 I took the plunge and decided to make the jump from a career in social work to one in women’s fitness. I loved how Jen’s approach was all about helping women feel the physical and emotional benefits of fitness and exercise, rather than focussing on body size or dieting. I wished that there had been someone like Jen around when I went through pregnancy and early motherhood, so I’m really excited about supporting other mums through these stages. I’m also so happy that we are widening the scope of the business to offer support to women at all stages of their lives and to help all women achieve fitness. The really significant physiological changes that happen to women at the different life stages aren’t really acknowledged or discussed and therefore we often don’t know how use physical activity to effectively promote our health and well-being. We want to change this by giving women the skills to increase and maintain their fitness in a way that complements their life phase. We want to use our knowledge to support and motivate women in achieving a fit and active lifestyle and feeling the buzz which comes from this.

Qualifications

Active IQ Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing

Burrel Education Advanced Post Natal Wellness Practitioner Level 2 

England Athletics Coach in Running Fitness 

ITC Level 3 Award in First Aid for Sport, Exercise
and Fitness

YMCAfit Kettlebell Pro

YMCA Boxing Padwork Pro