It’s the last month of 2019 and I have some catching up to do with my #WCW series. So for the month of December I am going to feature a new woman crush of mine every week! The Women Crush Wednesday hashtag and social media trend is nothing new. But I am trying to reclaim that title not just for half naked celebrities or women you actually know nothing about. The women I crush over are using their womenhood, their voice and their passions to make our world brighter. I have some incredible women in my life so I am honored to share them with you. I hope you find them as inspiring as I do.

Meet Jaclyn.

Jaclyn and I connected on Instagram! I instantly loved her vibe and was very inspired by the content she shared. We arranged a phone call so I could learn a bit more about her business and she could learn about mine. Since then I have followed Jaclyn’s journey on the road of solo entrepreneurship on social media and have been so impressed by her strong messages about diet culture and intuitive eating.

Jaclyn is definitely a source of inspiration for me because while I am a fitness & wellness coach I have always felt deeply connected to true lasting health being mind-body-soul. That is not at the forefront of the fitness industry but I am proud that I make it a forefront of my brand and glean inspiration from others doing the same.

Learning more about intuitive eating has helped me to better steer my clients into a sustainable healthy lifestyle and not just a quick fix with one of our short programs. I have transitioned my 3 week online virtual bootcamps to an ongoing wellness community because I think that better represents my philosophy of making healthy living a lifestyle. Jaclyn is young, vibrant, and passionate about helping women especially college students and I love seeing all the beautiful things she puts out into the world!  I’ll let her take it from here!

1. What do you think makes a woman worth “crushing” over?

I think any woman who is following her passions is worth crushing over!! Bonus points to the women who are confident in themselves and their journeys.

2.What do you do for a living? What is the most challenging part about it?

I run my own company, CuspIt. We are a wellness community that educates and supports young women struggling with disordered eating and negative body image. Though running your own businesses has many challenges, I would say the hardest thing for me is actually getting people to realize that their current habits (which often include restrictive dieting, clean eating, counting macros etc.) are disordered and unhealthy. Health is about both physical and mental health and I find that by focusing on intuitive eating, most of my clients are much healthier than they were when they were dieting.

3. Who are three women that you look up to and have inspired you the most in your career/life ?

The first woman I look up to the most is my mother. I am so blessed to have such a powerful female role model in my life. My mom is superwoman. She barely needs to sleep (sadly this is not genetic as I need a solid eight hours to function). While working full time, she is constantly going out of her way to help others. She is the most genuine, kind and caring soul I’ve ever met and I’m so proud to be her daughter! The second woman who I look up to and who inspired my career was my dietitian in college, Allison Tepper. She helped me realized that my habits were very disordered and I needed to discover the true meaning of health. This was where my passion for nutrition originated. The third woman who I look up to is Sheryl Sanberg. Though I’ve only read Sheryl’s books and heard her speeches on youtube, her passion for advancing women in corporate America as well as her ability to handle even the most challenging situations with grace is truly incredible.

4. What is one topic you wish more women knew about on a global scale? Why?

I wish more women knew about intuitive eating! Though in my circles it’s talked about often, when I mention it outside of the nutrition / wellness community most people have never heard of it. If you’re reading this wondering what the heck intuitive eating is- in one sentence it’s making food decisions by listening to your body (this includes hunger and fullness cues, foods you like etc.).

5. What advice do you give to women who feel that they are constantly surrounded by drama in their group of friends?

Small minds talk about people. Big minds talk about ideas! Surround yourself with those who lift you up. Something I’ve learned over the years with friends is to hold on tight to the people who support you when you’re doing really well. It’s easy to support a friend when she’s down. You’re the hero and we all want to be the hero. It’s much harder to support a friend when she’s up. And, the hardest thing and a testament of a true friendship is when a friend is down, yet still supports you without an ounce of jealousy when you’re crushing it. Hold onto those people. Let the rest go.

6. Do you believe being a strong woman with a passion for her career takes away from a woman’s ability to be a loving partner/mother/friend/sister ?

Not at all! I believe both men and women will be better partners/parents/friends when they feel fulfilled. I am the happiest and most loving when I’m crushing it in my career. Though my time is crunched, I am more thoughtful about how I spend it and that’s incredibly powerful.

7. What is something you are really excited about currently in your own life?

I’m launching an e-course about having a better relationship with food in the next month or so and I’m so happy about this. The content is incredibly valuable and I’m so excited to help women who are struggling with what I struggled with.

8. Why is self love an important part of being a modern day woman?

Self-love is everything for the modern day woman! Though it’s great to have a fulfilling career and loving relationships, if we don’t take time for ourselves we won’t have anything left to give to our careers or our relationships. We need to slow down and take time for ourselves each and everyday.

9. If you could have a lunch date with any woman on the planet, who would it be?

I would love to have a lunch date with Robyn Nohling she’s a non-diet dietitian and a nurse practitioner who I really look up to. I interviewed her when writing my book, The CUSP Method- which was an absolute pleasure.

10. How can anyone reading this keep up with you and what you’re doing in the future?

Follow me on instagram @cuspit 🙂

Bonus: What is one question you have for me?

I would love to know what lights your soul on fire?!

Traveling lights my soul on fire. I absolutely love visiting new places, countries, cities, or hiking spots and exploring. Along with travel comes people. Travel and people are my two greatest passions that encompass many more of my passions. I have lived all around the world in the last five years and realized how similar we all are as a human race. It is incredible how people from all around the world all thrive from community, connection and laughter. People struggle with mental health, confidence, body image and relationships all over the world. Connection is so important and we all have the power to build more connection to ourselves and each other by being open to new experiences and simply being willing to learn all the lessons that people all over the world have to teach us! 

Without my health I would not be able to travel so my passion for wellness ties in perfectly. I don’t want to be fit to have the best six pack on Instagram I want to be fit for adventures, climbing a new mountain, exploring a foreign city for hours on foot, or volunteering for communities in need. I think I have learned more traveling and living abroad then I ever did in 5 years of undergraduate and graduate school. The world is such a diverse, exciting, magical place and if we all took more time to explore new horizons I think society would be a much happier place to live.

Thank you for the light you bring to this world, Jaclyn. It is because of strong young women like you that I am reminded just how much power we have inside of us. It’s crazy to think that our paths crossed because of social media and I hope one day we can meet up in person because I just know those good, healthy, passionate vibes would be epic! I know the world of entrepreneurship can be lonely sometimes but just know there are so many of us who understand. I am only one message away if you ever need a pep talk! Keep spreading your message and fighting to help women believe in themselves again! You are awesome Jaclyn, and definitely a woman with crushing over!