Hey ,
It's been a few weeks since I've written and that largely due to life taking a few sudden and interesting turns as it tends to do.
Earlier this year, I received an opportunity to work with a group of senior citizens, supporting them in their diabetes management. The program is largely funded through both Medicare and Medicaid, and the start of my contract was uncertain with threats to the future of these programs looming. Thankfully, they were able to bring me on in mid-June, and I've since "adopted" a caseload of 100 spirited (and sometimes challenging!) seniors who I spend a few days with on the phone each week.
The insights and learning I receive from them has truly filled a space in my heart. And even though I've definitely been hung up on a few times and even left next to a speaker while the music was turned up (it's ok, I liked the song) I've found such gratitude in helping people who are often forgotten feel seen, heard, and important in their well-being journey.
Unfortunately, many of my conversations with my seniors surround affirming the fact that their lives have value and meaning, even in the later years. When illness and challenges in general enter the picture, it can be hard to find the effort to keep going and thus, easy to give up. One of the most important parts of my job is to help people remember that their life is something worth fighting for. If I'm being honest, I didn't know I had this much hope in me, but it turns out that call after call, it's there. With every shift I help my clients make, my own fortitude grows as well.
I've been saying "yes" to more lately - simply for the experience of it. Returning to my Mary Oliver phase of wondering what to do with this one wild and precious life - even amidst the chaos, heartbreak, fear, and stress of our day to day life in 2025.
- I said yes to opening up my space to some beautiful teachers to expand their private practices and experience community again.
- I returned to the Miss Connecticut pageant this year as a producer and learned about young women creating opportunities for the unhoused, pediatric cancer research, autism spectrum disorder, medicaid funding and more.
- I said yes to a corporate position delivering wellness events and talks to companies like McDonalds (!!) Salesforce, Willis (Sears) Tower, and more across Chicagoland and the midwest. We start this month and I'm so excited to teach them what I know.
- I said yes to returning to a Pilates conference next year as a panelist after a very gracious invite hit my inbox... more to come on that one!
- I said yes to a new partnership and with it a new way to share my voice - being vague on this one.. but more to come.
- AND I said yes to planning a mini retreat in Chicago that's coming in September... STAY TUNED!!!
I write to you from a hotel somewhere close to Notre Dame in Indiana before we head out to watch my son play his first game of a weekend tournament. I said yes to this tournament and no to another one 😂 - it's called balance.
I'll be back to writing more regularly with tips and info next week. In the meantime, I'd love to hear how your summer has been going. Hit "reply" and tell me what you've been up to!
Living Well With You, Not At You,
Coach JZ (Jenna)
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