Tucson, AZ
I cannot express how lucky and grateful I am to have found Jenna. She helped me regain the strength, confidence, and movement I had in my late 20s and early 30s.
After moving from Australia to Vancouver, I found myself facing an unexpected challenge — I wasn’t physically strong enough to safely lift my 35kg bulldog by myself, who has arthritis and isn’t exactly cooperative when being picked up.
Over the years, I’ve sustained many injuries resulting in severe cervical disc degeneration, arthritis, as well as thoracic and lumbar bulging discs. While I’d always been active in different ways over the years — fitness classes, half marathons, Tough Mudder events, yoga, reformer Pilates, and boot camps— I kept running into the same problem. Every time I tried to progress with heavier weights, my back or neck would flare up, and I’d end up back at square one. I was seeing a sport physio, chiropractor, and massage therapist, but nothing really changed; add in early menopause, hormonal weight gain, and feeling completely defeated, I knew I needed a serious change.
After a disappointing experience with another PT company, I found Jenna and asked her one question: “With everything going on, can you help me?” She reviewed all my scans, took the time to understand my history, and told me honestly, yes — but we needed to rebuild the foundation first. At first, I was frustrated when she dropped all my weights back dramatically. I kept insisting I could lift heavier, but she explained that strength meant nothing without proper movement, core stability, and glute engagement. So we started from the beginning; mobility and functional movement work.
What began as three sessions a week quickly became 5 a.m. starts, five days a week. Jenna even started an hour earlier than her normal shift so I could stay consistent before work. Piece by piece, she helped rebuild my body. The constant burning in my lower back disappeared. My mid and upper back finally released after years of tension. By the time I moved to Tucson, I could easily pick up and carry my bulldog down a huge flight of stairs without pain or hesitation. I was confident in an emergency I could get him help safely.
But the biggest thing Jenna gave me wasn’t physical strength — it was confidence. She helped me like myself again and move without fear or pain. She always met me where I was on the day; if I needed mobility and recovery, we adapted; if I was struggling mentally, she supported me through it. I also opened up to her about my history with disordered eating, and she helped me build a healthier relationship with nutrition while still supporting my goals.
Jenna is far more than a PT, and although she still trains and supports me virtually, I miss her so much. She genuinely changed my life, and I’ll always be incredibly grateful for her support, knowledge, patience, and belief in me. In a new city feeling very lost, she was my anchor, my reason to get up, and my happy place. Oh, and my boyfriend strongly approves of “Glutes by Jen” and thanks her every time I walk away from him 🤣