Caribbean Dreamin'

Everyone wants to move to a tropical island at some point in life. Maybe at all points. At least I know I have said it a few times. Heck I even looked into an interpreting school in the Virgin Islands many moons ago when I first was thinking of a career as an ASL-English interpreter. Sadly the school shut down. Ohhh I would have been so in for that!

I think we all dream of picking up and moving somewhere new/unexpected/fun. And then we start on a path with preconceived ideas of what our lives should look like. Do X then Y then Z. That's what "normal" people do. Anything divergent from X then Y then Z seems out of place. I wonder why because the most exciting parts of our lives comes from the unexpected plan. And not usually X then Y then Z. Ever ask someone who's been dating for awhile, if and when they will get married? Why do we do that? I've been guilty of this. Now I try to understand why... And not just say and ask things because its always been that way. In the event that something different sits funny in my gut, I take some time to figure out why. Society norms? Personal expectations? Insecurities? Maybe all? Maybe none?

Most recently I was forced to learn this lesson hard when someone mentioned to me that they didnt want to be "an old parent" so they needed to have kids by age 25. Oooo I felt personally attacked, which wasn't this person's intentional at ALL. I doubt this person even thought about me. But, yup. I'm an old parent to them. That's ok. That's their journey, not mine. But it burns a little. I wonder what makes them scared of "being an old parent"? While my initial reaction is defensiveness of my age, although I never feel "old", I try to tap into my empathy that everyone has ideas that serve their desires. This was his X then Y then Z. But everything that is "normal" now, was once considered non-traditional. The fact I married a German Catholic man is proof of that. While my father's first engagement to a non-Jewish woman was quickly and intentionally broken up by his parents, my grandparents (ain't no way their son would marry someone NOT Jewish), now it seems like no big deal to have interfaith couples. How cool is that?

Point of this tangent, being unique is cool. And what you think are your idiosyncrasies probably will be totally normal years from now. Not to mention the people I look up to the most are the unique ones who don't feel stuck by norms. At any moment change is possible. It comes at a "cost", as does everything, but those who are willing to go through big challenges for their unstuckness are something special. And they make the best kinds of friends. Their own journey will keep you checking in on your own progress.

And that's my next friend. She is living her unique X then Y then Z and inspiring others with her passions too.

So all of that, sorry not sorry, to introduce my friend Jamie Reisinger. I'm stoked to share about her. I know some people think making friends as an adult can be tricky. But it can happen anywhere. So let me share how we met.

My gym partner in crime, Megan, and I decided to take a girls trip to Texas several years ago to check out a Paleo convention. If you know me, you know I love health and wellness. And for a long time I gave credit for my good health thanks to a paleo diet. So when Megan mentioned going to this conference, HELL YEAH I was in. Paleo foods, active people, Austin, Texas in the spring. Sign me up. And if you have never been around me and Megan together, that's a shame. Together we are hilarious (very personally biased of course).

Independently we are both fun, but together we are unstoppable. Or at least that's what we thought on this trip to Austin (again very personally biased). Airports aren't usually a place I like to chat with strangers. But the Megan and Marcy show was rolling, and we were stoked to connect with others. At the airport gate waiting for our flight out was this gal. She was holding a water bottle with some kind of sticker on it that gave us the sign she was a paleo-eating comrade. So we should talk to her. We were probably going to the same place. We weren't wrong. Jamie was also heading to the paleo conference too. But she, like Megan and I independent of each other, wasn't down to chat with random strangers at the airport who were jazzed up on a ton of caffeine, sleppin' around frozen steaks in their carry-on bags (like the caveman did, duh). But we knew we'd win her over later. How could be not be friends? We liked fitness, paleo foods, flying early morning, and drinking water (I mean, she had a water bottle so that's the only possible thing we could assume).

Fast forward so this blog isn't 80,000 pages. We became acquaintances. We liked the same things of course, but at a convention with thousands of people and thousands of things to see and do, there wasn't much priority on becoming best buds. So we shared social media pages and went on our way. Obviously you know me now to be a person who THRIVES on 1:1 connections. This convention was obviously not the place for that.

But you know what rocks, social media! You don't hear that often, right? Well in this case, it 100000% does. Because over the months after the conference, Jamie and I interacted on Instagram. Her content was awesome. As a nutritionist and gym owner, she posted a lot and engaged with her audience online a ton. So we got to know each other.... and realize we really liked each others vibes! Does this sound like new aged love story? Kind of feels like one! Why cant friends find love and admiration for each other online? I think we need to make this the new norm. So after rupturing my Achilles, having surgery, and spending months in PT, it made total sense for us girls to meet back up IRL, have a lunch date, and cryo-freeze!

That's what fitness friends do, I think? Cava, cryo therapy and talk. And the more 1:1 time I got with Jamie, the more I realized, she's my kind of people. She is a hustler for her passion. Running an online business is no easy venture. There is definitely mutual respect since being a freelance interpreter can have many similar challenges. So more fun stuff in common. And like me and connecting people who otherwise wouldn't connect, her online health and fitness business is her calling. Jamie's first degree was in Exercise Science from Salisbury University. Seems fitting to where this story is going because that college is close to the beach... I see the trend. After college and working with clients for some time, she then felt called to make a bigger impact and decided to continue studying. She then went to the Maryland University of Integrative Health getting her Masters in Nutrition and Integrative Health. Now her clients would get to absorb both fitness and nutrition from Jamie. Because the old saying it true: you can't out train a bad diet. I'm living proof of that. I ate McDonald's everyday for 8 years while being a competitive gymnast. And while I looked healthy, I sure as hell was not. It took a nutritionist to help me see that. So Jamie's combo tackles health as a whole. As it should be. When I asked, (because I am always curious WHY someone loves something so passionately) Jamie shared her love for this space, and the life she has been creating and reinventing, comes from an excitement of positively connecting people through fitness. Whatever that fitness may be or evolve to be. She revels in breaking old molds/norms too: Women can be strong and sexy and love their bodies for more than just its looks. There is beauty in lifelong independence and strength. Yes, yes, yes to ALL of this!

Not to mention, her father is also doctor in internal medicine with a focus on cardiovascular prevention. And while he wasn't the reason Jamie got into the field, he most certainly planted the seed to her curiosity to understand the body more. This just adds to her unique ability to see and understand what fitness and nutrition can do for your health.

So how cool is Jamie?? Damn cool. But there is so much more to this girl. And the "so much more" is the the biggest part on why she continues to be someone I want to be more like: As an entrepreneur, oh hell, just as a human.

It is SO easy, especially online, to see an image or a bit of content and assign a narrative of what we assume the story is. I don't think we mean to make light of what we see, but no one can ever know someone's full story... even with ALL the context. We just don't have enough time or language to accurately explain ALL the life that has brought us to our "now" and how those experiences shape our views, thoughts, decisions, and desires.

So check out this babe. Currently, Jamie is living on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. She works her fitness and nutrition clients remotely. What a place to connect with nature, take in the warm sun, and appreciate this beautiful world.

Must be nice to just pick up and move to an island, right? Our narrative for Jamie. But this girl has not had life handed to her easy. She's had shit handed to her. Like us all. And yet, she picks up and tries again: BIG. When her marriage ended, so did her gym ownership. Ever lost your job and your partner at the same time? I can only imagine the complexity of reestablishing huge identities that were so much of your core self. So she picked herself up, moved, tried again. Found love, found a space that felt right. Shit happens again. She is resilient. She picked up again. And while I say this, its not like picking up a quarter on the street and feeling so lucky. Nope. It's just shit. Like a hurricane. Things flying all over, you're running to find shelter, and trying to salvage whatever you can. And all the while, she's running her own business because if she isn't working the business, money isn't coming in. As a freelance interpreter, I get that too. So I can only assume these "pick up and try again times" are filled with lots of stress and pressure to operate as "normal". But there must have been uneasiness about big things like money, confidence, and direction.

This is why I love Jamie so much. She openly shares this content on her platform too. Not to drum up business but to be vulnerable and real. We have all made assumptions about others and experienced others assuming about us. Hopefully, sharing a bit of our darkness helps to change the narrative we instantly assign when we see a picture or a post. I think she sees what we all see in others struggling. We all go through this stuff. Not as a competition for who's is worse. It's subjective and shitty no matter. Period. End stop. It feels like seeing others struggling is almost like your permission to do it too. Especially if you admire a person.

So here's my friend, showing up, sharing, and fighting for the life she wants to live. I admire the HELL out of that. Pair that up with empathy, passion, knowledge, experience and ambition, well shit, that's the best kind of person. The world could use more of that!

And while, I have probably only hung out with Jamie 3 times in my entire life, she is still someone I connect with and most certainly call my friend.

I HIGHLY recommend you check her out.

Connect with Jamie's Website

And definitely give her a follow on social media. Andddd she captions everything! Ahhhh accessibility for all! Love her extra.

Jamie's Instagram

And it doesn't hurt to have a contact in the Virgin Islands? Right? I mean, I'm due for a visit. And an updated picture without sun-in bleached orange bangs.

And an actual picture WITH Jamie. Because if you know me, you know I think something doesn't really happen unless there is a picture. Mostly an excuse to take obsessive pictures.

Point: I see you, Jamie! Doing your thing. And crushing it! You are inspiring and giving and genuine. The message you put out into this world is FAR deeper than the content you create around fitness (and that content ROCKS). And while your why is connecting people through fitness, it feels much deeper than that. I can NOT wait to see what you do next!