Meet Jess Kaplan: YouTuber/Fitness Enthusiast/Activewear Addict

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jess Kaplan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
I find it very difficult to give up on anything. When I was a kid my parents taught me to see everything through til the end. In third grade I played softball and my team was last in the whole entire town. I played right field, which means the ball rarely came my way. I never swung at bat because I knew the pitchers weren’t all that good and would usually just walk me. You might say that’s giving up, but I call it strategic. I didn’t like playing softball and I desperately wanted to quit, but my mom would not allow it. She said I would be letting the team down, and that they couldn’t play without me. Personally I think they would have been better off without me, but who knows. I think back to my jobs- 3 years as a newspaper carrier, 4 years at the children’s retailer The Rugged Bear, 9 years at J.Crew, 15 years at my current job. Once I begin something, I am extremely loyal.
It’s hard for me to give up. It takes a LOT! Albert Einstein said, “You never fail until you stop trying.” I believe in that wholeheartedly.
When I think about my fitness journey I have tried many activities, different plans, different gyms. It took testing out different things to finally connect my love of fitness with activities that I can continue to do and look forward to every day. At times I felt like I had failed, but I never gave up. I always found a way to keep trying. I tried working out in a big box gym, following YouTube videos, Crossfit, and now I go to Burn Boot Camp. Each step along the way helped me build my confidence and get closer and closer to reaching my goals.
I don’t think I will ever give up, because I’m always going to be striving to grow and get better. If anything, goals may just shift and evolve.
Before the pandemic I had a goal of doing 3 unassisted pull-ups. I almost achieved it, but when lockdown began I no longer had access to my gym. Even though I had to put that goal on hold, I never gave up. Now I’m back in the gym and working back up to 1 pull-up, and then 2, and then 3. Now my goal is 5!
Even if your goals change, I don’t see that as giving up. People change and evolve, and it’s okay if that means what you want shifts too. You always can reevaluate and revise your goals! If you’re still striving for growth and improvement then you haven’t given up!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I never thought of myself as a creative person, but when I started my YouTube channel it unlocked a creativity that I had never felt before. My channel “Jess Kaplan” is all about activewear, fitness, and living a healthy lifestyle. I have always wanted a YouTube channel since I found YouTube years and years ago, but I was too scared to start one. When I first started my channel, I made recipes. Putting myself out there online was scary, so I thought recipes would be something “safe.” The funny thing is, I’m not a very good cook. I would show my meal preps for the week or different healthier snack recipes, but it wasn’t fulfilling. After a while I didn’t really want to do it anymore. That’s when I took a risk and filmed my first activewear try-on. I have always loved clothes, and especially gym outfits over the past few years. It was hard pressing “publish,” but the feedback was really good and people seemed to like it. As my confidence grew I tried out more topics, and my channel grew. Hitting my first 100 subscribers felt like such a huge accomplishment, and when I hit 1,000 I was in absolute shock.
It has definitely been a challenge to keep my channel going while working full time, but it is my passion and my creative outlet. A lot of people don’t realize just how much goes into running a channel. Filming, editing, and making thumbnails is a lot of work. But it is also so gratifying! And I never could have imagined that I would have this whole network of amazing friends from all around the world! I have met so many other amazing creators and subscribers through YouTube, and I am so grateful for all these incredible connections.
I have learned so much through trial and error, and it never stops. I am constantly trying to learn to to get better at every single aspect- filming, editing, tagging, overall social media presence. And as social media evolves, I don’t think the learning will ever stop.
But it is so fun, and I am so grateful that I finally took the leap!! I have watched YouTube for years and years as an outsider, but now it feels amazing to be a creator on the inside! If there is something that you have always wanted to do, but you are scared to do it, this is your sign to GO FOR IT!! You can do it!! Stop holding back!!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely take them to the beach!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Burn Boot Camp has helped me gain so much confidence and made me a better person!

Website: http://jesskaplan.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesskap1/

Youtube: http://youtube.com/jesskaplan

Image Credits
Jess Kaplan