Meet Jody Eaton | Personal Trainer, Health Coach & Group Fitness Instructor

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

Hi Jody, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

Family has always been first for me. When my boys were both old enough to go to school though, I was ready to get back to work. I didn’t know what that would be, I just knew that I needed to build a work life around supporting their needs. When I was young, my dream was to be a physical therapist and originally went to college for that but then got a little side tracked and switched majors halfway through. My degree is in Forestry and although I LOVE to be outside and in the woods, I knew that wasn’t the direction that I wanted to head. My true passion has always been movement and form – how a body should be moving and grooving and stretching and strengthening in order to thrive all through life. I decided that becoming a Personal Trainer/Health Coach/Group Fitness Instructor would afford me the opportunity to start my own business, build my own schedule and still be available to support my family.

What’s one thing about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?

That lots of us are not in sports bras and spandex without shirts every day. That we are not taking selfies and striving for mirror muscles. We are a group of educated and talented people who want to teach correct movement patterns so that our clients can jam through their lives with less injury and more happiness. I’m not in it for the likes, I’m in it for the hugs.

Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

By nature, I am not a risk taker. I like to know my bearings and stay oriented along a path that is steady and safe. But when I decided to start SoulShine Training ten years ago, I knew that I was going to have to blast out of that safe space and build a new and improved me. I’ll never forget the first class that I taught where people actually gave me money!!! I was scared shitless. Seriously, my adrenaline was through the roof, my heart was jumping and I couldn’t really catch my breath. BUT, that first HIIT class was beyond amazing and fun and I loved every second of minutes 2 through 60. Over the years, I’ve gained the ability to recognize the difference between how my body feels with fear and how it feels with adrenaline. I know the little heart flutter is not telling me that I’m afraid, but instead, that I’m excited and ready to roll.

Other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?

Writing authentically and from the heart. Every weekend I write a letter to my team sharing that week’s class schedule and most of the time I include information that I feel is relevant and will be helpful. Over the past decade I’ve dug into the importance of many topics such as drinking enough water, standing tall, body image, lifting heavy weights and getting plenty of sleep. The time spent thinking and writing and connecting has helped to not only cultivate our amazing community (also known as Team SoulShine), but it has also inadvertently helped me heal my body and mind because in order to write authentic words for the reader, the words have to be real for the writer. I can now say that 95% of the time, I have a healthy relationship with food, my body, who I see in the mirror and the way that I feel about my strength and self-worth. I am a person who can lead with genuine self-love which in turn helps others do the same.

What is the most important factor behind your success?

Team SoulShine!!! Oh my gosh, I am the luckiest!!! Although our team is small, we’re mighty. We have a special community of men and women who are welcoming, supportive and motivate each other. Had I known my future self would feel as fulfilled and gratified in this career, I never would have been so fearful about beginning my business. Seriously, in class we talk about all the things. Nothing is too much. Periods, lack of periods, bladder control while doing burpees, kids and spouses and taking care of aging parents. It’s all good and it’s all welcome. When I’m one on one with clients, I like to create an environment of love and acceptance, where my clients can lay down their armor, say all their words, and move their bodies, creating a frame that will propel them through life and mind that believes.

What’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?

It’s funny. I’ve struggled with how to answer this question. I can’t really think of a time in which I’ve had to make a difficult decision because as I said before, I’m not really a risk taker and I am now mature enough to know that answers eventually reveal themselves. So I sit and wait and practice patience until the decision becomes crystal clear. I try to always trust my gut.

Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?

My work life balance hasn’t really changed that much over time so far. I have always tried not to dilute the SoulShine experience by committing to too many classes or clients per week. For the past decade, I work while my children are in school and hang with them (or cheer for them) when they’re not. But, my first born is now a freshman at Boston University (you rock Colby!!) and my second is a freshman at our local high school (you rock just as much Kyler!!!), so they are evolving, have their own things and don’t need their mama as much. I am positive that my business has the opportunity to grow at this moment and I am ready to grow too, but don’t know exactly what that looks like yet. So many people are really understanding the importance of taking care of their bodies these days and I’m truly looking forward to welcoming people both near and far into Team SoulShine in 2023!!!

Do you have a favorite quote or affirmation? What does it mean to you/what do you like about it?

Let your SoulShine! After I passed my Personal Trainer certification, I didn’t necessarily have a business plan per se. My process was and will always be to go with what “feels right”. What felt right was to come up with a business name first. I remember early on wavering between Jody Eaton, CPT, or something fun and bright and shiny, a name that would describe the experience that I wanted to create. Rewind to 1994, the summer that The Allman Brothers released their record “Where It All Begins”, I was 19 and living at my parent’s cabin in upstate NY with a bunch of my girlfriends. It was the most beautiful and loving and nurturing time and I felt so ME!!! We LOVED the song Let Your SoulShine and would belt it out at the top of our lungs over the valley. My soul was shiny that summer and I wanted to build a business around that feeling of being loved, supported and accepted. SoulShine Training was born that day, my third child who I am so grateful for. Let Your SoulShine baby!!!

What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want people to remember about you?

I would like to be remembered as someone who made others feel comfortable, able to be their most authentic self and feel genuinely respected. That I didn’t love small talk, I dove deep for the real talk because life is just too short for superficial connection. AND that I drank a gallon of water every single day. 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Team SoulShine!!! Without their love, support, motivation and willingness to come back to classes and sessions week after week, none of this would have been possible. I’m beyond grateful!!!

Website: https://www.soulshinetraining.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulshinejody