Meet Jennifer Stewart
What originally drew you to join dropgym?
I was taking an online class and one of the assignments was to attend an exercise class in your local area. I had heard about dropgym from a friend who had sent me the website months before. Though I didn’t clearly know if I was going into a gym or class situation I decided I would sign up for a class and get the assignment out of the way! The first 6am class was a small one with Catie leading the group. It was such a surprise! I felt so welcomed and encouraged within one class. I loved that I wasn’t just struggling to keep up but was getting clear instruction. I was learning while I was moving. Each class after has continued to teach me not just a better way to move my body but is retraining my brain in how I think about the workout to how I think about myself. I love that they look at each person as a whole being - body, soul and spirit. This approach is something I’ve been discovering more and more in the last several years and to find a space that is walking it out and teaching others feels like a miracle.
To be honest I didn’t quite know why I felt that I was to sign up for the online class I was taking at the time. But once I did that little homework assignment that led me to Dropgym I knew it was the Lord leading me here!
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
I didn’t have a whole lot of clear direction in my early 20’s. I always thought I wanted to be a dancer and an actress. College just didn’t seem like the right direction for me. I was pretty timid and slow in making decisions and it took a lot to step out of the comfort of home. Finally I had a sudden burst of boldness and I found the courage to leave home. This consisted of me filling my little car up with way too many clothes, shoes and purses and going on a road trip to South Dakota to meet up with some friends that had a Christian Theater group. I had no idea where I was going but I felt like if I didn’t leave I would never do it. This turned into a road trip across the country several times, working at a theater in PA, joining up with a YWAM dance company one summer to finally landing in Florida where I lived for 23 years.
The next bravest thing was moving back home with my husband and kids on Christmas of 2020. Life has come full circle in many ways. We moved home to be a help and support to my parents while my dad has been battling cancer and several other health issues. I am learning a lot about the ministry of “presence”. In a day and time when everything is about having vision and purpose I feel like God is telling me to “wait”, be still & engage with what’s right in front of me. Be present for someone else's hard moment .
It’s been deeply challenging for me to come back to my childhood home in the town I grew up in. So many of the old feelings and insecurities have risen up. There have also been new realizations to behaviors & habits I’ve had for years. I’m seeing where many of the roots started. I recently attended the “Jesus Shift” at the gym. Through one of the breathing exercises I felt the Lord tell me that He’s brought me full circle to heal me. I don’t think I would have ever chosen to move back to Medford Oregon unless God had asked me to. But as I’ve been going through this process I have found that while I am present with my folks, God is very present with me. How gracious He is!
What’s one thing you’d want the woman working out next to you to know about you?
I love being part of the group and it’s a delight to get to cheer you on. We are in it together.
Describe one memory where you felt the most like yourself and the most alive.
This may sound sad but it was after my divorce. In my first marriage I experienced a lot of rejection and deeply struggled with being enough, being myself while trying to keep up appearances that everything was “normal” when it wasn’t. I really feel like God just stepped in and rescued me. In a very quick and a little dramatic way the marriage ended. While I was processing a roller coaster of emotions I remember feeling such a huge weight come off me. I felt relief that I didn’t have to keep living the way I had. I finally knew that it no longer mattered if man didn’t want me because God did want me and that was enough. I felt truly myself, deeply loved and full of hope.
What is one part of yourself you really love and one part you want to have more self compassion toward?
I love to laugh and I feel like in the hard moments laughter can still come through in me. Even if it’s laughing at myself! I have a lot to grow into with Self-compassion. I would like to shift my way of thinking that just because I don’t always eat perfect, respond right or meet the goal of the day, I am not failing or am a failure. Everything is an opportunity to relearn and keep growing.
In one year from now, what would you like to wake up thinking/feeling every morning?
“I can’t believe I get to do this!”
What actress would you choose to have play You, in the movie of your life?
Me!
What are you most proud of yourself for facing in the gym?
Heavy weights, sandbags, Lu & Shantell!
When you feel most safe, loved and like your true self, what are three words that describe you well?
Creative, Prayerful & Joyful
What’s your favorite movement? And is there a movement in the gym that has spoken to you or changed how you approach your life?
I can’t remember what it’s called but it’s pushing that “thing” with weight across the floor. It would definitely not be my favorite but it was a breakthrough moment for me. I was pushing more than I thought I could handle and was crying out to God when Lu challenged me to stop talking, do my breathing and only say in my head “You can do it, Jennifer”. She took a moment to explain where our brain goes when we start talking out loud like that. I was pulling myself out of the moment which was the very place I needed to stay and push through. That little lesson spoke more to me than just pushing weight at the gym, it tied into so much of what I’m walking through right now. There is so much chatter in my head that pulls me out of engaging in the hard moment. I’m learning better how to stay present.
