Finalist of the Community Fitness Awards, Jenny Hilton joins Tracy for a Real Life Journey on Sweat, Grit & Hustle. Jenny went from attending fitness classes to blow off steam, to running her own community fitness business catering to people in person, online, and on demand. Hear Jenny’s incredible story of building something for communities that not only benefits them physically, but mentally and emotionally too.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 

• Community fitness is taking your fitness classes and taking them to the community, to a sports hall or church or any space you can fit in. People don’t need to join a gym or anything like that, the class and equipment is being brought to them.
• The reason Jenny started JH Fitness was to deal with mental health and social problems, rather than physical ones. She found that getting physically active was such a huge help for her history of mental health issues. The people who attend Jenny’s classes say the exact same thing, getting fit is just a bonus.
• When things got stressful running a business, Jenny always looked back on her ‘why’. Why did she start doing this in the first place. Simply, to help people, and that pushes her though.
• Covid hit Jenny’s business very hard, she obviously couldn’t do any classes face to face. But it only took a short time for her to adapt and take her classes online. She knew her customers needed to keep fit, to stay healthy, and to have that social interaction. Jenny ended up spending over £1000 on equipment to make the online sessions as good as she could and is very proud of what she achieved.
• Jenny now teaches hybrid classes to both those who can be there and those who can’t. And then that gave way to the birth of her on demand classes with over 200 workouts.
• When she was at a point where mental health issues overwhelmed her, Jenny was so surprised with the response of her community. People who had never taught classes before stepped up and volunteered when Jenny couldn’t teach. They did it because they loved the environment she had created and didn’t want anything in return.

 

BEST MOMENTS

 

‘It doesn’t feel like it’s exercise, it just feels like having a laugh with friends’

‘They’re like family to me, not just people in my class’

‘We’re able to reach more people now through the power of being online’

‘In business you need to have a thick skin’

‘I’m like a pocket hurricane because I just don’t stop’

 

EPISODE RESOURCES

 

www.jhfitness.co.uk

@JHFitnessNotts

[email protected]

 

ABOUT THE GUEST

 

As a busy NHS professional, Jenny hated going to gym, but discovered she loved going to Zumba classes... These classes became her “happy place”. When her instructor could not do classes due to injury, Jenny stepped in and trained as an instructor and so became the first 9.5 years of her fitness life as an instructor running classes in gyms. Since then Jenny has started her own business, JH Fitness. She is passionate about the benefits of community and class based fitness, as getting fit is not just about getting fit, for many it's about the connection with others and that is why she focuses purely on fitness through group classes.

 

ABOUT THE HOST

 

With over 25 years of experience in IT Management and Business Consulting and 10 years plus helping hundreds of property investors through training, mentoring and speaking; Tracy founded Witch Property. Tracy is renowned for her knowledge on property & business and her ability to sell, market and grow the property individuals and companies she works with.

With a wealth of experience in business and property, Tracy has a rare capability of mixing her skills in this space with her knowledge on the mind, to ensure a truly rounded experience for growth and development.

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PODCAST DESCRIPTION

 

This is a podcast for anyone starting out in business with a willingness to learn from others. Hear stories from guests that have gone from zero to hero in their business and find out what advice they have to share. Tracy will also be bringing you stories from everyday people who are just starting, or are only part way through their own story to su