Jennifer Brokaw shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
I wake up at 6am, get myself dressed and ready for the day, and have a cup of coffee and peanut butter toast before I leave for work. I start teaching Pilates at 7am and finish by 3pm each day (Mon-Fri). If I have a break at work, I workout or get groceries. After work, I head home and clean up the house from the morning rush, then I cook dinner. By 6pm, most of my family is home, and we eat dinner. Then I do dishes and any other chores I need to do. I’m on the couch by 8ish watching my favorite show or reading a book gearing up to repeat this the next day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! My name is Jen Brokaw, and I am the owner of Studio Synergy – a boutique fitness studio in Arnold, MO. I am also a Pilates instructor at the studio.
Studio Synergy is different from other gyms and workout facilities in that we are small and very client focused. We take a holistic approach to helping people feel better and get stronger at the same time. I teach a very traditional form of Pilates (Romana’s Pilates) which utilizes the exact exercises and movements created by Joseph Pilates to help with core strength and flexibility. These two things can lead to so much improvement in the body! It lengthens and strengthens you ultimately creating longer, leaner muscles.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest moment of feeling powerful was when I was in the first grade. My parents signed me up to play soccer, but there weren’t very many kids who signed up to play on the team. We lived rurally, so it was a small school. They ended up combining four grades to make a team. So I was on a team with girls from first grade all the way up to fourth grade.
We played in a league where the other teams were all fourth graders. The size difference between me and our opponents was staggering.
In one of our first games of the season it began to rain. The game continued on despite the rain coming down in droves, but since there was no lightning, we kept playing. Soon the field was covered in mud.
I ended up playing offense, and their defender got the ball. As I ran up to try to steal the ball from her, she wound up and took the biggest kick of her life! Since she was about double my size, it was huge to me. The ball hit me square in the nose, and my nose instantly started bleeding. I fell to the ground holding my face. The referee paused the game so my coach could check on me. I got up determined to keep playing! They cleaned me off, and I finished strong the rest of the game.
Overcoming the fear of being hit with the ball, and continuing to play through pain and adversity made me a tougher and more resilient person. I’m thankful for moments like these!
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
It was the summer of 1997, and I was a Plebe (freshman) at the United States Naval Academy. I was about halfway through the indoctrination process of Plebe summer, which equates to boot camp for Midshipman. It was seriously hard. They tried to break you at every moment. The idea was to break you mentally and physically, and then build you back up so you would be the strongest version of yourself.
I had made it through the first few weeks at this point, and we were at morning PEP. This is a very intense workout that starts at 5am, lasts a couple of hours and is led by a group of Navy SEALS. My body was giving up on me and I was exhausted. I concluded in my head that there was no way I could do another push up or really anything at all.
I was about to stand up and tell them that I was done. I would turn in my gear and go home. I couldn’t do this – I was giving up. But then I took one last look around me while in the front leaning rest (plank) position, and I saw people just like me. I looked at the detailers, the ones yelling at us, and realized they had once been in my shoes. If they could do it, I sure as hell could too! I was not going to let them beat me.
I made my mind up then and there and never went back. Once I made that mental transition that I was not giving up, everything became easier and I even began to enjoy it a little!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie my industry tells itself is that more is better. It seems like most gyms and fitness studios want to grow bigger, get more clients, have more classes, hire more instructors, get more equipment…it goes on and on.
In truth, by staying small or even reasonably sized, you can stay more client driven and keep focus on really helping people get healthy. Knowing your clients and filling their needs with a combination of expert instruction and proper apparatus (think quality not quantity) is the key to making people feel and achieve their fitness goals.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
If I knew that I had 10 years left, I would immediately stop worrying! I feel like in general, we as a society worry way too much. We especially worry about things that are out of our control such as our future, ours kids’ futures, our finances, our health, etc.
I think there would be a sort of freedom associated in knowing your timeline. You could make time now for all the things you have been putting off. Travel – see the world, spend more quality time with family and friends take up a hobby you’ve always been interested in. Basically stop worrying about work and creating a financial safety net for your future. Make enough money doing something fun that can get you through the next 10 years while you deepen your closest relationships. I feel that we will never regret time well spent with loved ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.studiosynergy-mo.com
- Instagram: @jenbrokaw1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiosynergy-mo
Image Credits
Myself
