We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenna Mccoy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenna, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It started out as a love that I’ve always had a love for fitness. I didn’t play many sports growing up mainly due to how shy and insecure I was with myself, but I did dance. From this, I learned how amazing it felt to move my body and how I craved it. I’ve never been one to sit still for too long. As I grew older and my interest in fitness grew stronger I unfortunately developed a not so positive relationship with both diet and exercise- I treated the two as a way to punish my body since I hated what I saw in the mirror.

My relationship with the two only worsened when in 2012, my sister was diagnosed was cancer, ultimately passing away in 2014. The only way I knew how to cope was by over exercising and undereating; it was at least one thing I could control. This continued on throughout my 20s, I was constantly trying all the latest fad diets and spending hours in the gym to try and become the smallest version of myself. All that changed when I was introduced to weightlifting.

Slowly, things started to change for me. I started enjoying my workouts; the gratification of being able to add just a little bit more weight each time. Naturally, I began learning more about how vital it was for me to properly nourish myself if I wanted to keep training like this. And for the first time in my life, I was no longer striving to be the smallest version of myself, but the strongest.

This inevitably lead me to getting my certification in Personal Training and Nutrition Coaching. Overtime I realized more and more the bigger challenge that most of these women I was working with were facing- and that’s the inner work. I began incorporating mindset work techniques like releasing limiting beliefs, thought reframing and even nervous system regulation into my work.

As all this was happening, I was facing my own mental health struggles. A lifelong battle with depression and anxiety had hit me at full force, this time bringing me to rock bottom. I sought out healing modalities as a way to work through it and process stuck emotions. That is when I fell in love with breathwork. For the first time ever I was able to not worry about quieting the voice in my head, I could just breathe and heal.

Since becoming a mom last year, the practice has been more important to me than ever. I deepened my practice, ultimately becoming a facilitator myself, using it as a powerful tool for my own clients.

As I’ve entered into this new chapter of my life one thing has remained clear- I want to continue to help people feel their best because I know what it’s like to feel your worst. I’ve moved into the realm of helping women heal their relationships with food, exercise or even themselves from the inside out. And I’ve never felt more aligned.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I own Deadlifts4Donuts, a coaching business designed to help women achieve mind-body health by managing stress + releasing subconscious blocks. Starting out, I was simply doing what I saw everyone else in the industry out there doing- just a copy + paste. Ultimately I learned the importance of making my business my own by using my own story to create what feels most aligned to me. Every challenge I’ve faced in my life up until this point has made me who I am today and what my business is all about; My business shouldn’t look like anyone else’s because it’s uniquely mine.

I think the most important thing I’ve learned in my journey is that the work on yourself is never done. You need to keep showing up for yourself, continuing to expand and work through your own shortcomings to be the best coach for your own clients.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite places to eat in San Diego would have to be Anime, Oscar’s, La Dona and Mike’s Taco Club- that one will always hold a special place in my heart. A visit to the rooftop at Trilogy Sanctuary in La Jolla is a must as well, maybe even add in a yoga class. I would be sure to take them around Ocean Beach- spent many years living in OB and in a lot of ways that is where I found myself. I love how it just envelopes the ultimate SoCal lifestyle and of course how completely unapologetic of a place it is. Not surprisingly, we’d be sure to catch a sunset at Sunset Cliffs. Some activities on my list would have to include snorkeling in the cove, walking along the bay and a hike at Torrey Pines.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d never be where I am today without the unwavering support of my husband, Brian. He has been my number one cheerleader since day one, believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. He quite literally saved me when I hit rock bottom during my mental health struggle, not only walking beside me but holding me every step of the way. He has never once questioned any of my crazy ideas to continue to grow my business nor complained when he’s forced to pickup the slack at home due to my workload. I couldn’t be more proud to call him my husband and feel so incredibly lucky that my son has this role model to look up to.

Website: https://www.nourishedandnurture.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deadlifts4donuts619/

Image Credits
Kaitlyn Wendler

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSoCal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.