Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Nelson.
Jenna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I became involved with health and wellness at a young age, but I never thought it would be my purpose and passion as an adult. Dealing with chronic low back pain at a young age due to scoliosis I was constantly meeting with personal trainers, physical therapists, doctors, and other practitioners to try and find ways to alleviate my pain. Nothing seemed to work. As I was headed into my junior year of college I met a practitioner who changed everything. Instead of simply looking at my back and addressing a specific area of my body she looked at my body as a whole. She also took the time to understand my lifestyle, my diet, my sleeping patterns, what made me feel better and/ or worse. I noticed that not only was my back improving, but my entire lifestyle was positively transforming. It all just made so much sense to me. She looked at me one day and said “this clicks for you, you should do this”. That’s what I did, and that choice put me on the path I’m still on today 12 years later.
I started Milestone Fitness because I wanted to help people feel better. It’s that simple. My mission has not changed. We focus on posture, quality movement, safe and effective strength training, nutrition, lifestyle, and conditioning. Depending on each client’s personal goals they might spend more time focusing on certain areas over others.
For years I did everything on my own and was a one woman show. After I had my first son I knew I would not be able to keep up the quality training services and grow the business on my own. I brought on two fantastic trainers Kara, and Sandra and they helped me grow in a whole new way. About two years ago my husband Dave left the tech industry and partnered with me at Milestone Fitness, while also starting a sister company, Milestone Mind. Here we are today continuing to grow, expanding our services, and always staying focused on the mission, help people feel better and move better.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As a trainer it has been smooth in the sense that I have never lost my passion for the work. It only continues to grow.
In a time where it seems like the big box gyms are competing to see who can sell the cheapest memberships, we are constantly reminding ourselves of the value we feel we bring each client. It can be hard not to follow the pack sometimes but we want to offer more than what is out there. We care about truly connecting with each member. Hearing their stories, and their goals, and then creating a unique plan that is realistic to their lifestyle to help them get to these goals.
As business owners we are always challenged with trying to think about how to evolve and to continue providing value to our customers, as the industry is always changing. This industry is very much about the next big thing, the magic pill, and what will provide the quickest results even if not sustainable. That is simply not what we are selling. We are selling long-term health, wellness, and strength, and that takes consistent action every day.
As a mom, and business owner I could say that time management is something I’m always working on. Balancing family, training clients, and growing the business at the same time is not always easy. Having Dave come on board has certainly helped on the business side of things. He has a strong background in business. As we’ve continued to grow I have found having a variety of skill sets among your team is important for continued growth.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Milestone Fitness – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Milestone Fitness is a training studio in Easton, Ma. Working with general populations. We offer semi private training, group classes, and nutrition coaching. We use fitness to help people move better, feel better, and improve their everyday lives.
Our semi private clients all go through a postural evaluation and movement screening before starting an exercise program. We believe improving posture and movement patterns helps to eliminate pain and help people move better. When we have a solid foundation to start with, it is much easier to help them improve their fitness and strength. We believe smart strength training programs are essential for long term health.
Our classes include strength and conditioning, spin, and kickboxing. Even though everyone in a class does the same workout we are always watching for quality movement and good form.
We are known for helping each client leave our facility feeling better than when they came in. We provide a positive training environment that helps people get strong and leave happy. To improve strength, we use a number of tools in the studio such as kettle bells, cable machines, tubing, bands, stability balls, ropes, and sleds among much more.
What sets us apart from others is attention to the details. Addressing postural issues and movement patterns is not something a lot of trainers do. It is very easy to create a killer workout that would leave someone sore for days. That is not what we’re looking to do. Creating a program for someone that allows them to feel better and get stronger each day that is exactly what we’re going for!
Even with our classes – we have had so many clients tell us that they have never had a trainer correct their form in a class before because the trainer is usually doing the class with them. They feel like they are getting personal attention in our classes and that’s important to us.
I’m most proud of the community that has been built within Milestone Fitness. I am so excited to go to work each day because I get to connect with so many great people. There’s no computers or phones, just real human connection. It’s awesome! Wonderful clients, an amazing team of trainers, and a beautiful facility have created a very special community. After being in business for over 10 years I recently found out that for the first time ever Milestone Fitness won the Readers Choice Award in Easton, and we also won the readers choice regional silver. I think that acknowledgement speaks to how great and supportive our community is.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We would like to continue growing in our current training facility. Our trainers all have different passions within the industry and we all plan to shake things up a bit within our niche.
I am really looking to work more closely with local physical therapists and bridge the gap between physical therapy and general fitness. There are way too many people suffering with chronic pain who need, and deserve more help. Insurance only covers a certain number of sessions for physical therapy, and after that most people go back to wandering around the gym wondering what they should be doing. I want to help people continue to improve and gain back quality movement and strength after Physical therapy. Chronic pain is stressful, debilitating, and depressing. I know our training programs can help and I want to get it out there more.
We are growing our nutrition programs as well. We have a health coach, Kara, who is the real deal. No quick fixes, no gimmicks. She is guiding people to health through intuitive eating.
Our trainer Sandra is quickly growing her Strong Girlz program. Helping young girls at the ages of 11-15 realize the importance of strength training for confidence, injury prevention, and team work.
Dave is growing our sister company Milestone Mind so we can continue to integrate the importance of mindset and mindfulness with all of our current clients and new clients.
Movement, Strength, Nutrition, Mindset, Mindfulness- They are all essential for long-term health and we plan to keep busy spreading our knowledge on these topics.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5 Hampden Dr. South Easton, MA
- Website: www.milestonefitness.us
- Phone: 508-944-7871
- Email: jenna@milestonefitness.us
- Instagram: milestonefitness.us
- Facebook: milestonefitness
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
