When I first met Jess I was pretty impress… a coach coming from NYC woooo. So beautiful, so inspiring. I was like “ ok this girl is just at the top. Like Jenny from the block ^^. She will have something better to do than speaking with me. But I tried nonetheless.. and met a lovely person. So inspiring, naturally kind and really brilliant and lively. The girl next door, that you would love to have as your BFF. But do not let yourself be mistaken…even if very sensitive she is also a real strong and hard coach when it’s time to make you sweat ! It was such a pleasure to discover her own training The Next Level TNL 58′  and her motivation to make us move that I really wanted to make this interview… here we are!

TNL 58′

Empower the heart, body & mind.

FOCUS JESS KING and TNL 58

First, tell me a little bit about yourself?

I moved to Paris from New York 6 years ago for my first career and passion of songwriting and performing music. Although on the surface music may sound very different from sports and coaching, for me these fields are naturally aligned. Both are about meaningful connection and release, and tapping into something deeper within ourselves. The power of music does this effortlessly for each of us through its ability to transport with a feeling, rhythm or lyric. Sports do this too, as when we work out we must be present; when we practice pushing ourselves we realize how limitless we are. Personally, it is my goal through music and coaching to inspire and empower others to just “go for it” in their lives – to live fully, to enjoy the moment, to follow their passions and to believe in themselves. (I just realize you asked a simple question and I expanded on it but that’s just me – passionate. ☺)

it is my goal to inspire and empower others

Have you always exercised and been healthy? Or did you learn to love it?

I grew up playing team sports, like most kids in our neighborhood. However, I discovered track and field at age 14 when my sister convinced me to try out for the track and field team. I knew I had some natural ability, but what I loved most about running and racing was that the harder I worked, the faster and stronger I became. This sounds obvious I guess, but this simple fact inspires me a lot – as it pertains to the rest of life too. I was blessed to have had an incredible coach who helped me believe in myself (I didn’t have much family support). To this day, I’m grateful for the guidance and self-confidence I received as a teenager through sports. I’m a big believer in loving what you do and being intentional with your time – whether it’s your workout, your job or the people with whom you spend your free time. As for working out, I think it’s so important to love whatever sport(s) you practice. This way you’ll stay motivated and it will become a natural part of your lifestyle.

You want to be dedicated to empowering others to live their best life. What does it mean for you?

It is my greatest hope to help support and inspire others to be their best, happiest and most fulfilled selves. It sounds like a lofty goal, but positive change begins with our mindset and the decisions we make in daily life. For me, the physical workout is an essential aspect, but no more important than other forms of self-care. Self-love needs to be at our foundation to nurture who each of us is and to allow our inner light to shine outward.

positive change begins with our mindset and the decisions we make in daily life

Tell us more about TNL 58’. What is it ? How did you create it and how do the tnl58 work exactly?

TNL 58’ stands for The Next Level (TNL) and is a 58-minute personalized heart-first high intensity workout. By heart-first, I mean that TNL 58’ is not like typical bootcamps which tend to have kind of a “macho” vibe that can be intimidating to some. I believe there is a way to effectively reach more people with high intensity workouts that connect at a deeper level through incorporating meditation into the workout experience, and through synching each exercise with the tempo and flow of each song.

Each 58’ minute workout is set to a curated playlist that has a conscious and intentional flow to it; the meditative and restorative boost half way throughout the class allows us to push harder in the “third quarter” of the workout (track and field reference) before we slowly wind down.

As a long-time runner, I’ve learned the importance of cross-training and strengthening muscles to prevent injury and increase overall strength; add to this a workout that boosts our mindset, and the HIIT workout experience is elevated to TNL (The Next Level).

And tell me more about your website nobubblegum.com?

No Bubblegum is a website I launched several years ago with the goal of inspiring, educating and empowering others – as well as highlighting interesting and passionate individuals. No Bubblegum is a polite way of saying “no bullshit”; in other words, No Bubblegum is a place of 100% authenticity. At times the wellness world online and in social media is not altogether coming from a place of heart, kindness and truth. No Bubblegum is my attempt to create a space to highlight exceptional people. While launching TNL I needed to step back from NoBubblegum last year but stay tuned for the launch of No Bubblegum video interviews coming in February 2018.

FOCUS TRAINING & EVERYDAY LIFE

What interested you in fitness in the first place?

Fitness just feels good. No matter how challenging a day you’re having, working out is a place where each of us can escape, be present and take time for ourselves. As a kid, I loved team sports because of the community and the enjoyment of playing with friends. Competing in track and field, thanks to an amazing coach, taught me so much about myself and gave me confidence that I really needed. As a coach I am in love with sharing my enthusiasm with others, and working to help them achieve their personal goals. For me, it always comes back to the heart and helping instill in others a love of sports and – above all – of self – knowing that all is possible through hard work, resilience and dedication. It’s about connection for me as a coach, helping inspire a lot of working out, increasing confidence and building a supportive community (through TNL 58’).

As a coach I am in love with sharing my enthusiasm with others

What is your everyday routine ? How often do you work out to achieve the body you have?

My routine is ever-changing these days. When I launched TNL 58’ I was not able to run as much as before because I put so much into coaching, and as HIIT workouts have been new to the majority of my TNL 58’ community in Paris, I’ve had to demonstrate a lot more than I normally would (which is a pleasure!). However, I personally love to vary my workouts with running, TNL 58’ and strength training. I’m a firm believer in strengthening the core and there are plenty of bodyweight exercises I do often; however, hitting the gym a few times per week is ideal. One thing I’ve learned the hard way is the importance of listening to my body. For instance, I know I need more yoga in my life, LOL 😉 and the importance of taking days off in order to prevent injury is also so important. I don’t work out to have my body though. I am grateful and blessed that my body allows me to do what I love – to work out and share it with others.

What are your essentials when working out? Your favourite pieces of fitness wear?

I’m all for trying new fun colors, especially when the weather is grey at times in Paris. I’m a big fan (and ambassador) of Lululemon, where I adore the community as well as the high quality wear. I’m personally in love with anything camo, so if you’ve been to my class more than twice you’ve probably seen in me in camo ;P … I also love the brand Girlfriend Collective and love that each pair of their leggings uses 25 recycle water bottles at a fair trader facility in Taiwan. I’m a big fan of brands that are grounded in values I believe in – in making the world a better place.

What does your normal daily to-do list look like?

This one can fluctuate from non-stop from 6am until midnight to something close to this – or when I have a creative project to work on (my other career and passion is music/songwriting) I will block off an entire day that is “blank” to create. This time away from social media and connection is critical for the creative process. And sometimes I will just block in a 4 hour break because I need time and space to RELAX. We are not robots, I remind myself 😉 As motivated as I am, taking time out is essential at times.

Who is your inspiration, be it body or business?

I don’t aspire to look like anyone physically – I am happy with who I am and determined to be the happiest and healthiest version of myself I can be. I appreciate beauty and believe it comes in all shapes and sizes and I don’t like that the fitness business has a tendency to focus purely on the physical. For me this is the lowest level – we have to take things up a notch and work on ourselves – so our inner light shines through – and we are truly happy, healthy and our radiant selves. 😉

I am happy with who I am

FOCUS NUTRITION

How do you maintain your diet and size?

I honestly don’t spend too much thinking about what I eat, because I’m so often on the go these days. I try and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables and I still eat gluten. I begin each day with warm water with lemon (unless I’m too rushed, in which case I’ll go right to my oatmeal with raisins or goji berries and coffee). I always have a banana or two in my sports bag, just in case I’m hungry on the go. I almost feel guilty to admit that I still eat pasta pretty often (whole wheat, with gluten) and I enjoy it. ☺ I also love stir-fried tofu with vegatables and brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes (since they’re easy to make, delicious and nutritious). I eat a lot of salmon (cooked Asian style with soy sauce, again very easy to make). As I’m not a gifted cook and when I’m hungry I tend to be impatient, I look for meals that are easy to make, tasty and relatively healthy.

What’s your favorite snack?

I’ve been in love with hummus for as long as I can remember. I’m a snacker and need to continually have something nearby. Usually I’ll have hummus on a healthy whole grain cracker or carrot sticks. I love crunchy snacks – usually I’ll have something healthy like apple slices or popcorn, but I also cave into my cravings if I’m craving something a little less healthy. After working out I love having a protein shake (I’ll add some fresh ingredients for flavor and a little spirulina), my favorite is USANA’s smartshake booster because it’s 100% whey protein – nothing else). I don’t eat much meat and I’m not an excellent cook (#goals) so I make a special effort to make sure I’m getting enough protein in my diet.

This is not a snack, but I really love Kombucha – for the taste as much as its potential health benefits. I love almost every type of seafood.

Best tip for weight loss?

Balance is so important – not to deprive yourself of foods you love, while consciously not overindulging too often. Learn about the nutritional value of what your eating and how it nourishing you. Stay active, find workouts you love and do them consistently; if you fall off track, remind yourself that each day is a new opportunity to be healthier and happier. Be your best ally, work on feeling good about yourself. When we love ourselves more, we take better care of ourselves – physically and emotionally. Meditation is a great way to step up our self-care (even as little as 10 minutes / day to start; there is a wonderful free app called Insight Timer with plenty of guided meditations).

Balance is so important