Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Shaw.
Hi Jen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
LIFT started out as a small personal training group over the holidays in 2010. The Crossfit gym I worked at was closed for several weeks, and three of my female clients wanted to continue training over the holiday season. I had been coaching women’s only CrossFit classes for two and a half years and knew that on strength days, everyone seemed to show up in a better mood and enjoy themselves a bit more. I decided to take the two weeks as an experiment and use some strength-based programming I had written that included smaller amounts of conditioning instead of that portion as the main event. Throughout the two weeks, I saw more improvement in strength and form than I had seen in the past two years. In a small group, you can’t hide and neither can your mistakes. It was a great opportunity for me to observe and provide detailed feedback. The group was positive and I knew instantly that I wanted to continue with this type of programming. After the new year, I asked to start a small strength class on opposite days of the regularly scheduled CrossFit programming. After months of prodding, I was finally granted the opportunity for a class capped at 6. It took off from day one and was consistently sold out.
After six months, I knew this was not a compliment to Crossfit anymore. It was its own distinct program. It needed more time, space, equipment and dedication. Years later, when Travis and I opened Travis County Strength, we maintained a distinction with LIFT as a women’s only program. We did this because we know how important it is for women to gather and to come into the gym with support, love, motivation and a healthy dose of heckling. From three to 70, this group of women has witnessed every life transition there is. No matter what someone goes through, there is someone else who has been there and can offer a shoulder, help or an ear. The gym is more than a place to workout. It’s a soft spot to land, a place to find community, a group that’s there to help, to love and to see you through it all. I have never been a part of a group like this, and I am willing to bet most other women have not either. This group has grown and developed into the most caring community that I’ve ever been a part of. Ten years in, LIFT is the most successful and integral part of my business and life.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Opening a business has infinite struggles. Setting aside the brick and mortar issues, payroll, taxes, LLC’s and learning how much money you have to make to survive, you have to focus on what built the business in the first place, the presentation of your craft. The absolute hardest struggle has been rebuilding engrained ideas from childhood about women who lift weights. What women look like, how they dress, what reps and sets, and most importantly, the idea that they would lose femininity because of it. Unfortunately, this is not a struggle that is one and then you can move on to the next, and this is constant with each female that walks through the door. My job is to change minds by action. Women need to see other women that lift. They need to see their own bias thrown out the door daily in order to rebuild these ideas of what strong women look like.
We’ve been impressed with LIFT for Women, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
LIFT for Women began as a way to rebuild the minds and bodies of women. In the seven years as Head Coach of this program, I’ve seen an unmatched community of empowered, confident, and truly strong women flourishes under my guidance. LIFT for Women unites mothers, grandmothers, college students, young professionals, and competitive athletes under the common goal of constantly testing and surpassing their limits. There are no levels; there is only effort, group motivation, and progress. I’m not interested in working toward the goals society pushes on women–outdated and fragile versions of beauty, avoiding getting dirty, having muscles, or having a voice and opinion. My coaching is geared toward showing women that their power is already within them. All it takes is hard work, a supportive community of peers sweating alongside them, and some helpful guidance to come into their own strength. Every woman has this potential, no matter her age or experience. What I ask is that you show up ready to work, willing to fail, and excited to cheer others on. My goal is to help women find their confidence and discover what they’re truly capable of–body and mind, inside and outside the gym. What sets this program apart is that any female from any part of the female/motherhood transition is welcome here, in the same room and same class as everyone else. I am a certified Birthfit coach and have coached dozens of women up to their birth and then after. Most gyms and trainers are scared of this time, but I welcome this with open arms.
Any big plans?
I would love to bring LIFT to other cities, gyms and communities to show women all over the state what feminine and strong can look like.
Contact Info:
- Email: jen@traviscountystrength.com
- Website: Liftforwomen.com
- Instagram: @Lift4women
