AUSTIN LORD/GATHER PORTRAIT STUDIO
Jess Thompson
Whether they’re working behind a desk, in the field, or on the road, trailblazing women are paving their own way in Music City. Now they’re taking a break from their busy schedules to share their success stories with us.
THE DAILY HUSTLE
I am a boutique fitness studio owner, but I am so much more than that. What we do at our gym is unique. We are anti-diet culture, anti- oppression, pro compassion, and pro belonging. Community is at the core of what we do. So yes, I teach fitness classes, but I also activate community. I wear a lot of hats, but my favorite thing about my job is creating space for authentic conversations, unlearning our relationship with movement, and joining together to fight systems of oppression with meaningful action.
EARLY ASPIRATIONS
I started a small blog about fitness and food in 2015. My mom passed away in 2017 and it completely changed my life. At the time of her diagnosis, I was deep in diet culture and struggled with disordered eating and over-exercising. I struggled with depression for six months after and took some time off. I started a wellness coaching certification and transformed my blog into a group called WERK Your Curves and joined a gym owned by Maria Bascetta called the Southern Squeeze where I was introduced to fitness coaching. During that time, Kate Moore, former owner of getFIT615, and I would meet for coffee and talk about ways the fitness industry needed to change. 2020 hit and I started hosting workshops around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in wellness. Kate told me she was moving and getting ready to transition getFIT615 and I knew it was time for me to step up and do what I felt called to do. With the support of my husband, we jumped in.
CHALLENGES FACED
One of the biggest challenges of being in fitness is the idea that your body’s your resume and that all fitness must set out to change your aesthetic. And that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yet, in a world that pushes that narrative, standing 10 toes down on our mission is both hard and necessary. It makes for a very niche space, but every body needs a space like ours. [There] are reasons a non-diet gym may not seem appealing. But we aren’t anti-diet, we are anti the culture that tells us our bodies determine our worth. Couple that with more folks working from home, inflation, and shifts in the way people move in the world, and finding the perfect cocktail for growth has been tough.
THE DEFINITION OF SUCCESS
Success is owning who you are and doing things you are called to do on your terms. It’s about finding the right balance for you, identifying what’s really important, focusing in, choosing to commit, and staying steadfast when it gets tough. Life can be beautiful if you know what to look for and we don’t find that outside, it’s within. For me, that’s in choosing divine calling over what others think you should want.
ADVICE FOR OTHERS
It doesn’t matter your race, size, gender, sexual orientation, or ability, fitness is for everybody. Learn from other great studio owners, but more importantly, learn about bodies. That starts with learning the nuances of your own body. We’re not here to punish ourselves to “health” but to live full lives with balance. We need more fitness folks like that out there.
Meet Jess Thompson and other women in the local community who are the best in their fields at our annual Women in Business event.
>>> PURCHASE TICKETS
The mix and mingle reception will be held on August 18 from 5-7:30 p.m., to network with our Women in Business honorees plus 300 other local business professionals. Throughout the evening, we will be doing live Q and A sessions with each woman!