Hi, I’m Jade! I wanted to create a place that makes the pursuit of holistic health easier for everyone. I’m an ACE certified personal trainer, NASM certified nutrition coach, and have been working with 1:1 clients in the health & wellness space for the last 4 years. My passion for wellness began in my first year of college, where I found the gym as my getaway. 

Fast forward a year, I found myself doing fad diets & having psychologically concerning symptoms. I was over-eating when stressed and would hate myself shortly after. I was hyper-focused on what my body looked like, always trying to fix the many things I saw wrong with it. My weight fluctuated, my clothes never fit right, and I even lost my cycle for several months due to stress. On the outside, however, I was the picture perfect image of health. I was a healthy weight, had some muscle tone, and looked good in a bathing suit. What more could you ask? 

While it’s possible to look healthy on the outside, that doesn’t always mean you are healthy. I share this with you because the rough part of my journey is actually what brought me to holistic health. I learned the hard way that having a fit body is nothing if the mind is not aligned. While I’ve always loved fitness & found it easy to learn and apply, I struggled with nutrition and mindset, even to the point of letting it control me. 

It’s easy to tailor fitness programs and do challenges while simultaneously avoiding mental and spiritual health. While it’s good to include exercise and love to move, it’s just as important to flood your body with nutrients, avoid harsh chemicals, have a daily spiritual practice, and deal with your traumas thoroughly. Many of this can get crowded out if the focus is just physical fitness. 

In fact, there are a lot of issues stem from the physical-focused, go hard mentality of the fitness industry. There’s constant advice floating around the internet with little to no evidence. There’s both structure and lack thereof, pointing you to no where. There’s an embrace of health-damaging products and tendencies that are written off as normal or trendy. The well-known current “fitness industry” is really more than just working out and getting fit. It’s a lifestyle that unfortunately promotes some things that can be extremely damaging.  

Cherry picking the good things out of the fitness industry can optimize your life, yes. Regular movement is good for the body. However, high stress levels, high amounts of caffeine, an imbalanced or unenjoyable diet, and altered sleep schedule must be left behind. Safety is not an important factor for the body in this day and age. However, for everyone and especially women, safety and rest is required to reach optimal health. 

It’s vital to understand that health is not a single facet. When faced with mental and physical ailments, a holistic approach is required. Basic advice of eat less and move more may work for some initially, but for many the issues lie deeper. Fitness is good, but more is required for optimal health. Daily routine, hormone balance, stress levels, allergies, neural pathways, mindset, nutrition and more must all be considered in order for a hurt body to heal AND maintain healing. Constant stress will eventually add to the issues. 

All in all, there are ways to advance your life in focus of optimal health. It may not look the same for everyone, but the patterns are obvious. There is wisdom in history and nature that everyone can apply in their own way for a better life. Fully forward was created to share the ways I’ve learned to do so, simplified, applicable and with the evidence to support it.