THE PROFESSIONAL ANSWER:

Jenny Footle has been teaching fitness and wellness since 2013 as well as teaching dance since 2008. Over the years she has been offering fitness programming to people who have experienced exploitation, mainly by meeting them where they’re at in safe houses, schools, halfway houses, and recovery programs. She volunteered over 500 hours of her time to serve people who have experienced exploitation before starting Beautiful Feet Wellness (the parent organization of How to Fit) in 2020 to be able to offer more services to more people. 

We believe you deserve the best, so we stay up to date on training and research around anything fitness, wellness, trafficking,and trauma related so that the How to Fit curriculum is relevant and effective. While we do also educate the public and continue to serve more partners and get funding, we also wanted a platform, resource, and community just for you which is why we created How to Fit. If you want to learn more about Beautiful Feet Wellness or spread the word, visit beautifulfeetwellness.org

THE PERSONAL STORY:

Hi, Jenny here. When I hit a rough patch during my own exploitation as a teenager, I began running. At first I was running to try and quit smoking and be able to eat more pizza, but then I began to run for all the reasons. I ran when I was really happy, really sad, angry, when I didn’t feel at all. I ran to avoid people, my problems, Type 2 Diabetes, you name it. Running became my outlet, my new addiction, my time alone with God, time in nature, and the list goes on. Before running I had discovered a passion for dance, but really what I’m getting at is that I discovered movement as a way to move through life. Movement helps us get through the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

The second part of my story is that I also have a deep desire to not leave people behind. Ever since I was a kid, I was always that person who befriended the new kid, who tutored other kids in the back of the class or after school, who included everyone even if they thought they couldn’t do whatever it was. As I got more into fitness and dance, I really loved taking people along with me and seeing them get excited about all they could do if only someone was patient enough to show them and do it with them. Now as a fitness professional, I get many opportunities to go off and perform or train with the best, and I could be making a lot more money, but I want to see my tribe of survivors get access to quality, professional, and passionate service. 

Another thing you should know is that I pay attention. I wasn’t privileged to get a lot of training in my youth, so when I finally did, I soaked it all up and took notes. I had to work through a myriad of injuries because “no one told me that.” When I was diagnosed with PTSD I read SO much and I still take opportunities to learn and grow through it, daily. I’ve been teaching fitness classes to all ages for almost a decade now and so I know what people commonly do incorrectly and can use language that helps them improve. When I encounter a new illness or limitation in one of my participants, I look it up so I can better support them next time. What I’m saying is, I see you, you matter a lot to me, and I’m invested in your healing journey to help you thrive.

I hope this helps you understand how we got here, who we are, and the heart behind it. I’d love to hear your journey and how fitness has positively impacted your life, please feel free to reach out to me anytime.