We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jillian Reyna a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jillian, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I once heard a quote that said “when something bad happens, you have a choice of how long it is going to bother you. 3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days, 3 weeks, months, etc. How will you let it affect you?” That quote really gave me perspective on how I handle situations and to not spend too much time on the negative. After giving ourselves the appropriate time to be upset and frustrated, it’s time to move forward rather than let that steal our energy and joy. Understandably, some life events will take longer to get past than others. Another meaningful quote I heard from a psychologist is that “no matter what bad things we go through, it does not give us the excuse to mistreat someone.” I find, when I try to act my best and show up as my best self for others, that it helps divert the focus from the negative to the positive.
I think our attitude and mindset control more in our lives than we think. We all have negative events in our lives, but it is how we choose to handle them that defines us. It goes back to the quote above – how long are you going to let something affect you? Obviously everyone is very different and there is no right time or answer on regulating emotions, and some sadness may never go away. But just because bad things happen to us, it does not need to define us. I believe that things will get better and we can always be grateful for what we have and where we are.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a small business owner of a running & nutrition coaching business called Rise & Reign. I have known for a long time that I wanted to do something in the fitness industry. In the summer of 2022, I felt a strong calling and desire to go for it. It was scary, but I had enough people asking me for advice and perspective on running that I knew I needed to go for it.
What was I going to name it? I took my time and brainstormed my vision for the business and what I wanted it to represent. With the help of two creative friends, I settled on Rise & Reign. The meaning behind Rise & Reign is simple – it is all about enjoying the process. My slogan is “Rise to the Challenge. Reign in the Process.” The thought behind this is that there are so many moments between the peak/destination moments of our life. If we are only living for the big moments, then the time in between could be pretty unenjoyable. How do we avoid this? We build our lives in a way that we enjoy. That is my mission as a running coach – to help my runners enjoy the process of everyday training and remind them that the race or metric they are working towards is just the icing on the cake.
I filed for my LLC, Rise & Reign, on July 27, 2022 and it was official; I was a business owner for my passion – running! Shortly after, I couldn’t contain my excitement and shared the news with my neighbor, who also happens to be a close friend. Andrea asked “do you want a dietitian on your team?” and I replied “of course!” That was that – Andrea joined the Rise & Reign team as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist!
Since then, Rise & Reign has grown and impacted many athletes across the United States! One of the athletes that I coach (Jen) has since joined the team as a coach herself! She is also a Certified Personal Trainer which helps us expand to strength coaching as well. Expanding the business even further and bringing on a second running coach was a huge and exciting step for us!
Circling back to what Rise & Reign does – we coach adult athletes of all levels virtually on their performance and everyday life goals with running and nutrition. We are proud to have been part of many breakthroughs, personal records and growth for so many athletes and we look forward to continuing to reach and help as many athletes as we can!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the three most important things to get started with a new business are a positive attitude, relying on your personal experiences/knowledge, and to always bet on yourself. These three points all come back to self confidence and believing in yourself. Putting yourself out there and starting something new – you are being a leader. Being a leader is not easy – you will have moments of doubt from others and yourself. You will have to make sacrifices and difficult decisions. Which is why it is so important to have a positive attitude. Relying on personal experiences and knowledge is important because there is a reason that you have the dream/calling/goal to do this. You have a talent and an expertise that no one else has – feed into that!! Rely on the experiences that made you who you are today and made you want to chase this. Finally, always bet on yourself. If you don’t bet on you, then who will? You will never know if you don’t try!
Developing self confidence is an ongoing process. Something I remind myself when I am feeling less than confident is that I am my own worst critic. The little things I am obsessing over – others likely don’t notice. If there is “competition” from other similar businesses, remind yourself that there is only one YOU. If a client chooses another business over yours, then it wasn’t meant to be and maybe their personality just wouldn’t have clicked with yours. This doesn’t mean that you are less knowledgeable, worthy, deserving or hard working. Always be humble and kind, because you never know when that client may come back and pursue you next. On this same note – always support other small businesses. Not only does this build your network and community of support, but also, nothing says confidence more than someone being able to support someone else! Finally, keep it enjoyable. When you’re doing something you love and enjoy, it will feel natural and the confidence will be present without even trying.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client (which I prefer to call an athlete) is a dedicated individual who is willing to learn and try new things. I have the best success with athletes who are transparent and willing to share details about their training and goals. Those that trust the process and provide candid feedback about their training makes my role as the coach that much easier. Athletes that are open minded and willing to try new training styles and approaches are an ideal athlete.
Another important characteristic – athletes that are willing to have fun!! Staying committed to your goals is non-negotiable, but remembering to keep it enjoyable and fun is so important. My business slogan is “Rise to the challenge. Reign in the process.” This really means – enjoy the process. And to me, that means keep it joyful. If you aren’t enjoying the training, then what can I do as a coach to help and make it more enjoyable to make chasing that goal a better experience?
Finally, an athlete that is dedicated. In order for progress to be made, an athlete must be dedicated. There will be days where the motivation is lacking, but dedication is what gets the athlete through. Consistency is so important to make progress, and in order to be consistent, you must be dedicated.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.risereigntraining.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/risereigntraining/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/risereigntraining
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/risereigntraining/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiseReignTrain
Image Credits
Christine Ruth Photography for headshots (white top)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
