We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jillian Keeler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jillian below.
Jillian, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Sports have always been a big part of my life. I grew up playing a little bit of everything, from swim team to softball, and soccer, eventually focusing my attention and energy primarily on equestrian. There were many times during training, and unfortunately sometimes shows, where my horse would stop short at the fence, and I would fall. I had to stand up, literally “get back in the saddle” and finish what I started. At the time, it seemed more about not letting the horse learn that was acceptable, but I think it was important to me for the same reason. Quitting, failing to finish, and being okay with an unsuccessful effort, were not acceptable. This allowed me to develop some flexibility and willingness to be coached/taught. It also changed my perspective, and my approach to the task at hand, therefore helping me develop better problem solving skills. Inherently, sports are about winning and striving for personal and/or team best. When an athlete steps “between the lines”, they are looking to come out on top. When he or she does not succeed, there is a need to re-evaluate, and figure out a different path to success.
I think sports have been the catalyst to the development of my resilience, and those skills: the ability to problem solve and the ability to see challenges as a learning opportunity, have carried over into other aspects of my life.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an athletic trainer, performance enhancement specialist, and owner of ROAM Fitness. ROAM stands for Resilience, Optimization, Alignment, and Movement. My goal is to help you meet yours! I work with athletes and active people who want to prevent injury, recover from existing injuries, or enhance sport performance. I also work closely with women who are working through a variety of conditions – like building core and pelvic floor strength postpartum.
I love to help people and what is most exciting to me is that every person is their own puzzle. Even when two different people have the same condition they will have different goals, strengths, and weaknesses, so it keeps the work interesting.
I use my background in healthcare and fitness to help my patients compete at their highest levels and live pain free lives. My treatment style uses fascial treatment techniques and performance enhancement strategies that have helped me personally through injuries as well as the wide range of clients I work with.
I am one of only a handful of ELDOA trainers in Tennessee and I am the only one in this area currently studying under Dr. Guy VOYER in his Etiology program. The ELDOA method focuses on postures and releasing compressions in the body to increase movement so that people can optimize the strength and conditioning work they do – hence my company “Resilience, Optimization, Alignment, and Movement” Fitness! Another exciting development is that I will move from the student to the teacher role next year and will host my first ELDOA 1 certification course here in Nashville in January.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three transferable qualities that I think are critical regardless of whether you’re in the fitness industry or another business include being a lifelong learner, relentless in your pursuit of your passion, and developing the confidence to provide the service you market.
When I first knew I wanted to enter the fitness and wellness industry in Nashville, I already had my Bachelor’s Degree in Athletic Training, a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science, and nearly ten years of clinical experience under my belt, but I committed to taking additional courses to continue to broaden my perspective on approaching musculoskeletal injuries. There’s always more to learn that can help clients with different needs. I also started my business in 2020, which came with its’ own set of challenges as I could not provide hands-on services or expand my network during a socially distanced pandemic. This was not ideal, but I was relentless in my pursuit of my dream because I knew that I had the capacity and knowledge to help people achieve their goals – whether they are to move pain-free or perform at an elite level.
Since that time, I have tried a number of avenues that shaped my business into what it is today – one that I am very confident in and proud of. I have curated a client pool that is steadily expanding, which allows me to take a detailed and tailored approach to each individual’s care plan.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The first book that comes to mind is one that I often re-read for its lessons – The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. This year the lesson that stood out to me was to “trust the process”. As one of few ELDOA trainers in Nashville, it has taken a long time to build a network of clients who understand the methodology and the benefits of what I offer. But, as the Alchemist says to Santiago, “If a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” I am reminded that it is often the fear of failure, not failure itself, that holds people back and that failure is really just a redirection and an opportunity to evolve.
Contact Info:
- Website: roamfitandwell.com
- Instagram: @jpkeeler
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-keeler-88ab982b/
