Meet
Coach

My Story

Hey y’all! It’s your Coach, J Man, and this is my story.

In 2018, I was working a corporate job as a manager for a technology consulting firm. Over the five years I had worked there I lost sight of the motivation for why I was coming into work everyday and quickly began to fall into a deep depression. Having dealt with depression before but never fully addressing it, the stress from my job alongside my anxiety over being unable to cope with my resurfaced depression, spiraled me lower and lower, until one day I thought about ending my life. For weeks this thought dominated every waking moment, and eventually one night I found myself sitting on the edge of my apartment rooftop. There seemed to be ample justification for why there was no reason for me to exist anymore, and how all of the pain I felt in that moment could be washed away instantly.

Just as fear had led me to the edge that night, it also pulled me back. I had finally reached a point where I could reckon with the fact that I needed help, and a few days later I found it in my community. I went to the doctor, began sharing my story with my loved ones, and saw a therapist regularly. Those actions put me on track to a deeper understanding of who I wanted to be and what I may want to do with my future. In February of 2019 I quit my corporate job, purchased and upfitted a van to live in, and dedicated myself to better understanding me.

Looking back on my mental health journey up to that point, I realize that what got me through some of my darkest times were dedicated practices to my physical health: lifting weights, running, biking, swimming, yoga, hand balancing, rock climbing, and healthy eating habits. When all else seemed like it was in shambles, I always had the physical practice of moving and nourishing my body, and progressing toward actionable goals. In addition to this new understanding of myself, I also realized from my time as a manager that there is nothing I loved more about my job than working with others on a common goal, especially mentoring team members to help them better understand what their goals were and how to achieve them.

These realizations materialized while living out of the van with my sister for half a year. Peeling back the curtain and working on my own mental health, it became clear what I was passionate about, and also what I was best positioned to do. While in the van I became a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and as a result of the societal lifestyle changes we’ve made because of the pandemic, I decided to move forward with starting my own business as an online fitness coach.

So here I am now, all-in on one thing: helping you crush your goals. Every day is a new chance to start, and I can’t wait to help you in any way that I can to be stronger than yesterday.

Looking forward to growing together,

J-Man

about

Certifications

  • Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine
  • Certified Nutrition Coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine
  • Certified Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED through American Red Cross

relevant Experience

  • 20+ years of experience in team sports, including 4 years at the collegiate club level at Notre Dame for ultimate frisbee, one of which as captain and president
  • 15 years in the gym training for sport with the last 5 years including a dedicated weekly resistance training regimen
  • 7 years of dedicated mindfulness practice including yoga, meditation, and breath work, with a particular fondness for hand balancing
  • 6 years as a team lead and mentor for Deloitte's Technology Consulting practice
  • Most recently, in the last 4 years began a foray into outdoor and endurance sports including rock climbing, mountaineering, cycling, and triathlon

outside of Fitness

A midwesterner through and through! Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, went to college at Notre Dame, and worked and lived most of my life after college in Madison, WI and Chicago, IL.

Family means the world to me. I’ve got two of the best parents around, and my sister is my best friend and better half of BROSIS. Oh and don’t forget Chief, our golden retriever! 

In 2017, I rode my Harley over 12,000 miles while completing over 500 hours of volunteer work for non-profits in the western US that supported low income families. 

Throughout 2019 and 2020, I lived in a van that I designed and built myself. Traveled over 35,000 miles visiting 41 states and 7 provinces. 

PushIng SLEDS

J Man U Can operates around a value set. We work hard to make sure we are always pushing our SLEDS. Meet our north star:

why push?


Because we won’t be able to understand or meet others where they are without being honest with ourselves. We are comfortable in our own self-expression. We strive to build a community based on truth and honesty that allows members to turn inward, and bring their true self to the table.


Because everything we do should be done with the intention that we owe it to our communities to lead others the same way we hope to be led. We should understand our group’s purpose and fuse it with the individual needs and wants of all of those included, aiming to elicit greater participation and motivation for all invovled.


Because eliciting change in ourselves and in our communities takes tremendous strength and vitality, that of which we can only cultivate if we have the energy to do so in the first place. We value action and ideas that energize us and in turn allow us to share that momentum with others.


Because we should be intentional and transparent with the things in life that we choose to dedicate ourselves to - people, actions, communities, tasks, causes, or anything else. Once we decide, that dedication should be an unwavering commitment to support, stand, and act in solidarity with whatever we choose.


Because our decisions and actions should always come from an understanding that we are all dependent on one another, and are all stronger together. Working in tandem with self-expression, confidence allows us to focus our attention outward to what's going on outside of our personal world view, specifically the local and global communities that we share with others.

Social Impact Plan

As is indicated by the JMUC vision statement and values, I find it paramount that social impact is interwoven directly into the business from the start. For that reason, the aim of our social impact plan is to support non-profit organizations across three impact areas by donating both time and money to their cause. The impact areas, partnerships, and support for the first iteration of the social impact plan are as follows:

Mental Health

To increase mental health awareness and education, especially through amplification of the intersection between fitness and mental health. Support through community events and partnerships, and quarterly donation of 3% of JMUC profits.

Community

To support and work with organizations that prioritize positive impact for local communities, and to amplify the role fitness plays in local community. Support through community events and partnerships, and quarterly donation of 1% of JMUC profits.

Environment

To be a steward of the environment and play a part in better understanding our business' impact on the earth, and role in stopping climate change. Support through commitment to carbon neutrality, and quarterly donation of 1% of JMUC profits.

© 2024 J Man U Can