Could living a wholesome life be the key to unlocking your true potential? Ponder over this question as you join us for an enlightening conversation with our special guest, Jess, who passionately talks about her journey to holistic health. Discover her wisdom on nurturing physical, mental, emotional, and soul health as she candidly shares her experiences, discussing the influence of traditional gender roles and her upbringing on a farm.
Things take a turn from the ordinary as we recount a heart-wrenching personal tragedy – the loss of our child to a rare genetic disease. We open up about how this painful experience sparked a transformative journey towards self-discovery, a path that led us to understand our true capabilities and the importance of not waiting for adversity to strike before unlocking them. We also share the powerful role Alberta Children’s Hospital played in our medical journey, offering us critical care during this challenging time.
Finally, we venture into the subject of community, its power, and the significant role it plays in navigating life’s hurdles. We share some intimate details about the consequences of our son’s loss on our marriage and how we processed our grief. We also arm you with practical advice if you’re feeling isolated or disconnected, emphasizing the importance of cultivating robust relationships. We wrap up the episode with an insightful discussion on group fitness and how it can be a remarkable platform to connect with like-minded individuals. Brace yourself for a podcast episode filled with personal stories, wisdom and the promise of inspiration to lead a healthier, wholesome life.
Justin Slimm:
This is a good place to start. Welcome to AEON Future Future Health podcast. I think this is a really exciting one because this is a person that needs no introduction.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
I do need it. Hey, come on, it’s easy.
Justin Slimm:
So it’s Jess. We’re going to leave it at that, note. Jessica, janssen, I mean you’re an author, you’re a philanthropist, you’re a mother, you’re a hard worker, you’re a former fit. I mean, there’s so much in your repertoire, but why don’t you take a few minutes to maybe just give like the 20,000 foot overview about who you are?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Okay, I also just want to preface the crew that’s shooting this. So, like you have to take out your blue gum, I was like y’all, I can’t. Like I’m neurodivergent, I’ve ate HD, I’m not taking it out. So if you hear the smacking, I’ve given you the warning. I’d also like to make note somewhere you need to put this in that I was not aware that this was going to be this big of a deal and I’m like I’m repping another fitness brand. My sweatshirt’s dirty. Why, justin, why are you in this?
Justin Slimm:
Anyways, listen. If you’re listening in the audio version, you got to check out our YouTube channel and see what she’s talking about, because I’m sorry, you know it’s a production, it’s a whole thing. Yeah, but.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
I’m grateful to be here. Next time I will not just wear a hoodie in my workout clothes. It’s like I’ll just work out and then I’ll go into the thing because we’re just going to record. So I’m Jess. I love chewing blue gum. That’s my signature move. I would one day love to be sponsored by this company because I go through a lot of gum in my household. But you said it, I mean a wife, mother to three small business owners, speaker, author, coach, philanthropist. That’s a high level. At the heart of it, I’m a woman that wants to help others access abundant joy. I do that through my work and through our charity foundation that my husband and I founded. I’m born and raised just outside of Winnipeg. My parents are a farming family, and then I moved to Calgary 17 years ago and this is where I call home. I’m obsessed. I love the city, I love the people in it, I love the community, and you can see me bouncing around or follow me on Instagram to see all the crazy, because no day is ever the same, which is what I love.
Justin Slimm:
And we’ll get to your journey with AEON in a little bit. But longevity is nothing without taking care of your mental health, your physical health, your relationships. And that’s what I really wanted to bring you on for the podcast for is to really go deep about how it’s a holistic thing. It’s not just take these supplements and everything is solved, or take this weight and you’re all of a sudden better Correct.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
How many times have we heard people say I lost the weight and I was still unhappy? For me, it comes down to four things. There’s your physical health, like working out, feeling good, taking care of your body. There’s your mental health and even more so I really started geeking out on brain health, like treating like what does that look like? And now every time I go to like have a glass of wine or someone offers me a drink, I’m like gosh, this really isn’t the best thing for me. I think there’s, you know, a rhythm and flows and seasons. So you’ve got your physical, you’ve got your mental or brain health. Then you’ve got your emotional health, and talking about emotional range and processing that and I think so many sicknesses can be stemmed from. I even have one day I should see if you can get this picture, but it’s a picture of like this foot fungus thing that I got and there was no cause of it other than I think it was stress trapped in my body and I didn’t know where to go and it was the weirdest and grossest thing. I had sausage feet with blisters, could barely walk, but like that’s such a thing. And last but not least, I think there’s our soul health. So like there’s this wide breadth, and I think, too, the reason why I started at EO9, was so excited to be here, was I really wanted to optimize my health. I think lots of people are in good ish health but I’m like, how do I optimize so I really can bring the best to my everyday? And it’s not just one thing, it’s like this for me, it’s this four prong approach of you know physical, mental, soul and emotional health. How am I taking care of myself and those relationships around me?
Justin Slimm:
So I want to go back like obviously this has been a journey to figure out those four prongs and everything like that. But go back to when you were on that farm outside of Winnipeg and everything Like what kind of kid were you Like? What did it look like for your that kind of stuff?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Yeah, I, there’s this joke in the family. I for sure got spokes. I had two brothers, so I was typically in the kitchen with my mom. We all helped out around the farm in many ways, but my brothers obviously gravitated towards like the equipment and I gravitated towards helping my mom. Very traditional farm rolls especially. I remember this one time it has like hey, can you drive the combine to the next field? And you know you, when you’re driving large equipment from one area to the next, typically you’ll have someone following in a truck with their flashers on. And my grandpa was on the radio the whole time and my combine was three times the width of him. You could just not see a clue in front. But do fast and you know, just like that, like such a generational gap of where we are today and redefining that. So I would say I grew up in a very like traditional home, a loving family. My grandparents married my dad’s. You know mom and dad married for over 60 years. My mom’s parents married for over 60 years. We went to church on Sundays. We grew up men and I, but not super strict. We had a one TV with bunny ears, like it was pretty simple and I love that, like you were hand me down clothes. I got bullied as a kid, in both elementary, junior, high and high school. I really struggled, um struggle with mental health, and it’s weird because you look at me and you’re like, oh my gosh, you’re so joyful, you’re so. I still battle this out and I got. I had a meeting with um, someone from your team here, one of the doctors and I in spring of this year of 2020 and 2023, I was like I’m not okay, like I’m like something’s not firing, I’m depressed, I’m not okay and like that’s where you, I’m really learning to listen and tune into my body. But in high school, I really struggled with suicide ideation and I did attempt suicide in grade 11. And thankfully, um, my mom found me right away. I had overdosed on a bottle of pills and rushed me into the hospital and Winnipeg, and so I grew up with this amazing family. But I think there’s some things in my brain that weren’t wired and I felt like different on the outside and now there’s language for it, like I’m neurodivergent, I have ADHD. The way I process or show up or I can’t sit still, um, I feel way more comfortable in my body, but it for a long time, like people would be like oh, you’re razzle, dazzle and your energy is crazy and don’t, don’t be too loud, or don’t you? Uh, lots of times, very strong females growing up will be told don’t be too bossy. Don’t like, don’t shine too bright and it’s not that my parents ever asked me to dampen, but the words like don’t be too bossy and I came from a loving spot. It’s not like they were trying to be mean, they’re just trying to make sure I was inclusive and, you know, allowed everyone to turn so interesting. Growing up I think I fought the roles of like how we fit in and that my brothers kind of had their role on the farm and I was like to the kitchen you go. Um, I had a wild imagination. I would make up TV shows while I do chores on the farm and be like one day I’m going to have my own show in Hollywood. And then I went to college. I hated it. I struggled so much through because it’s schools not wired for someone that learns like me. I think the professors basically were like graduate, get out of here. And I took a chance on an opportunity in Calgary. I had broken up with my boyfriend who lived a mile down the road and we had been on again, off again. And I just remember breaking up with him and being like if you break up, like, we’ve done this a lot Um, I really remember standing in my worth in that moment being like, if you break up, I won’t trust that we can actually like make this work, because we’ve done this so many times and it was like I’m done and so literally four months later, packed my bags, moved to Calgary and then again you struggle to find your footing and you’re trying to make this a home and you don’t. I didn’t know anybody. I came here $300. I use a line of credit and credit card like so stupid, so dumb. And my dad I remember they bought me tools as my housewarming gift. I was like you did that because it’s a farm right off, like you know, wasn’t a new TV or like new clothes or whatever. And it’s been a journey the last 17 years. But I met my husband. I found my voice. Um, you know, I’ve built community here and I love this city.
Justin Slimm:
So how do you go from? You know the traditional roles on a farm, you know having a loving family, but almost being told that there’s certain roles that you need to fit. You need to fit in a certain way to like branching out to where you are today, like, how did you discover that voice? What would you credit a lot of that to?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
It’s a great question. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that. I would attribute it to two things. One is my faith, and I’m very open about that Just having like a security and just a peace in who I am and how I was created to be. And number two is being around good people who believe in you. Jason Kelsey, you know like big hot topic, you know obviously Taylor Swift, travis Swift, kelsey Swift, all this. But Jason Kelsey has a quote and when he finishes his documentary he says the best gift that you can ever give someone is belief in themselves. And that really stood out for me because in these points along my life I think there’s been people who have had this deep seated belief in me so that when I didn’t have belief, I could keep going, and so I would attribute to this beautiful life that I’ve built that has not been easy. Like I don’t want to sugarcoat, it’s been really freaking hard, but it’s also really friggin awesome has been because of community and people’s belief and then because of investing in therapy, working out and being around people whose energy bring you up, not bring you down, I have started to have this deep seated belief in myself that I’m like no, you’re where you’re meant to be. No, it’s okay. I was just on a retreat and one of my really good friends was there and I’ve lived with her and we’ve been roommates and you know 20 years of friendship and you know heartache and all of these things. And in front of her group of women she apologized. She’s like we made so much fun of you when we lived together and she’s like I so understand that it’s like your neurodivergent and you process your brainswines differently, like we didn’t have language for it 25 years ago, but like good people along have come alongside me and been like oh, you’re not weird or crazy or different, you’re just jazz keeping jazz. And when those people foster that, it helps you come alive and continue to be the most authentic version. And the more real I am then, when I’m not trying to dampen who I am or to fit in or to make other people feel comfortable, the better my life is.
Justin Slimm:
Was there ever a point in your life where you felt that you didn’t give yourself permission to be who you were?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Oh for sure, Even sometimes now, like I’m very active on social media. You can follow me at the Jessica Janssen on Instagram. I’d love to be on TikTok but I cannot keep up. There’s too many damn platforms with threads and LinkedIn and all the things. But even now I’ll catch myself and being like oh my gosh, if you do that, people are going to thank you too much, or like I’m wondering what like, and I have to stop myself. So for me it’s almost like a daily practice of like no, no, no, you’re just going to be your most authentic self and people can have opinions or judgments or talk behind your back and that’s their issue and you don’t need to worry about it. So it’s been a lifelong practice, but definitely there’s been a shift. And I mean to bring it back to Lewiston our second child passed away from a rare genetic disease and I remember, on the one year anniversary of his passing, I remember the exact spot. I was driving on the Caffroy Bridge, on Dearfoot, and it was like it’s like, why have you been playing small this whole time? Like, comfortable, small, like you’re just do the thing. Like, keep it. Like you can dream big, but don’t dream too big. Or like, oh, what’s going to happen. And now, like I would call them oversized dreams where I’m like let’s just do the thing. Like I want to be the lady right in the checks doing the things. Like being like you need 10 grand to do the thing because you have this idea, and like you’ve had some tough go, let’s write the check and let’s do the thing. And so in that moment why he’s driving on the bridge? It was like stop playing so small. I just was like my son lost his life and in that it was absolutely hard and horrible and terrible as it is, I feel like I found mine, like I found my voice, and so that’s one of the things I want to inspire people is like why do we wait for death to be knocking out our door to like really unlock who we are, what we’re meant to do, how we’re meant to show up in the world? I don’t want to encourage you to be me. Don’t be me. It’s exhausting and it’s probably not for you. Be you and I’m going to be me. And the more I’m me, the better it is, and I’m just say, the more you’re you. So this is never a message about be more like me. It’s a message of just like be the best version of yourself.
Justin Slimm:
So we are here today, early December. I know November 22 is a big day for you. Are you able to share a little bit more about Luestin and how maybe you know you’ve been inspiring other people to work through their grief?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
So in 2016, we delivered a healthy baby boy or what and I say we, I did all the freaking work. I like my husband gets no credit for that he rubbed my back and held my hand and like, got me like red gator and I did all the freaking work there. So we have this amazing little baby boy. I pushed three times. He was out Like I’m just like boom, nurses break my water, gonna you know, go into the shower and I’ll labor and I’m going to push this baby and it comes out. Literally, that’s exactly what happened. And so we get home from the hospital the same day. I’m at home watching NHL, western hockey, like playoffs. We’re doing the thing. We’re eating pizza, I’m sitting in a diaper holding a newborn baby and my in-laws are watching the hockey game like wild. So you just think like you’re just like through it. And at the two month mark, luestin goes limp and he was also really colicky. So we took him to a Cairo to see if that was gonna, if that was a thing, and she identified labored, breathing, modeled skin and that she didn’t want to treat him. And for the colic. That’s the reason why it got into a Cairo. And so we spend the next six days in the Winnipeg hospital. We’re visiting my family in Winnipeg and so we spent the next six days there. No answers. Come back to Calgary. We do all the same tests, everything on repeat, and the doctor here at Alberta Chilms Hospital goes I’m really sorry, but we think your son has spinal muscular atrophy. I’m like, okay, no big deal. 99% of the people have not heard of it because it’s a rare genetic disease. I was like no biggie. I’ve now helped this family for nine years. We had just finished fundraising $44,000 for wheelchair accessible van and I was really familiar with this family, had two kids, a Sean and Shnaam still friends with them. They’re amazing and they’re now in college. But they were told life expectancy of high school they’ve obviously surpassed that and so I was like, okay, we’ll need a wheelchair accessible van. They’re in wheelchairs full time. They can’t walk, their bodies are up to movement. But I wasn’t thinking anything more than wheelchairs need an accessible van. We’re going to get the blue handicap pass and I’m going to need like a ramp to get into our house. But what the doctor said to us next was where our life like got the lib flipped off of it and the doctor said we’re really sorry. There is no cure, no treatment and there’s nothing we can do. We don’t think he’ll make his first birthday. We’re really sorry, but because he’s been diagnosed so early, we’re just going to be here and a role will be to keep him comfortable. And so you’re like, okay, cool, you know, fall to the floor ball and million tiers feel like the weight of the world is on you, like they’ve got to be wrong. You’re like in denial, like we want to get a second opinion. Go through all of that. And we received the most incredible care at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. It brings me to tears to think about the incredible people, everybody from the unit clerks and the managers to the people cleaning the room to. We had the head of maintenance come in and have dance parties with us. Every single bit of our experience was beautiful and it was because of the staff and the medical team and the nurses and the doctors who did absolutely everything, even though there was almost nothing that they could do medically wise. And so we spent four months kind of bouncing between the unit and ICU and eventually we landed in Rotary Flames. It’s one of only seven children hospices across Canada and we spent our last days with our son there and a part of us held it on belief that we could like maybe go home. But man, just as he would get good, like something would shift and he kind of had like a crash about a week before November 22nd and in that moment he flatlined and my husband wasn’t there and I was like I made them beg, beg or say I was like he can’t, he can’t die like this, he can’t die because he choked on something. And so the team resuscitated and we had to have a really tough conversation of like hey, this is not a resuscitation facility, this is a hospice. And we made the decision that if Lewis didn’t have a fight, we’d have a fight as a family, and if he didn’t have a fight, like, we had to be okay to let him go. And I mean we probably could have done a million and bajillion surgeries and you can take and you can do all these crazy things, but man, he was just fighting for every breath and so to watch your kid fight for, like, the next breath and to watch them, it was just, it was hard. And so we made peace with that decision and a week later we knew he was done his fight. And so with the amazing team at Rotary Flames. They helped us give him, honestly, the most peaceful, beautiful, challenging, crazy death experience that you can have and we’re just so grateful for the people that poured in and helped care for it and the community, and that’s really when I saw a community at its finest. Our family did. We just decided to make our journey public on social media. That’s why I started on social media. It wasn’t, I really wasn’t on it for any other reason, and then it was just the easiest place, like you post a picture and you write a thing. There wasn’t like trying to code a website or trying to figure out a blog. I’m not techie at all and this community of strangers just showed up like people would be dropping off packages of homemade, gluten-free, baked muffins and these kind things and special veggie trays for a daughter, and I just was blown away by strangers. Kindness, they just wanted to help. Friends took care of our yard work and, you know, winterizing our home because we were in the hospice and so it was a wild journey and the doctors were right there was nothing they could do. A lot has changed with spinal muscular atrophy in seven, almost eight years since our son has passed, which is so cool. Like I believe in my lifetime we’ll see a cure and kids that were dying, like my son, they’re now getting. They’re born, they’re able to get diagnosis. We put, we funded a pilot project here in Alberta which helps. You know ripple across Canada that now every baby in Canada is now screened for this disease. So you get a heel prick. Please get your children newborn screening. They screen in every province for different diseases, but every province includes spinal muscular atrophy. And now there’s not one, not two, but there are three incredible treatments. So Lewiston was just born, a little too early, but the science, the technology and how they’re able to help these families and kids that were dying are now downhill skiing. I have friends that little girl was on ski, she’s three and she was downhill skiing on Grouse Mountain last year Like crazy.
Justin Slimm:
Yeah, I want to touch on something. You said a little bit about the community aspect, but before we get there, like I think we need to just pause and say the work you have done for this cause has been inspirational to see how much have you raised to date.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
I think and don’t quote me on this but I can confidently say 2.2 million. But I really hope that by the end of this year we can say 2.4 million dollars in seven years. And it’s. It’s pretty badass because it’s literally been like dollar by dollar, sent by. Sent some really large checks but lots of little checks and $20 donations from strangers on the internet. So if you are a stranger on the internet and you’ve ever donated, thank you, cause, like it truly has been life changing work. And a lot of the funds also go McIntyre, local hospitals, some mental health stuff, some other stuff. But also we help fund families that kids are living with it or adults where they’re like part of their wheelchairs ain’t covered or they need a ramp to get into their house or they want to do physiotherapy. But it’s $10,000 for the year. Like I don’t got $10,000 kicking in my bank account to do physiotherapy for my kid that should just be playing soccer and having fun and running outside with their friends. So we’ve been able to make incredible impact because of community.
Justin Slimm:
And let’s touch a little bit more on community, because we know that’s for holistic health that is so important. You know you may see headlines nowadays too of like people are feeling more isolated than other, more lonely, right. So talk to me about like the not only the power of community that you’ve seen, but like if somebody’s feeling stuck and they don’t feel they have that community, like what would you say?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
So it’s crazy. This is one of the number one topics I’m getting asked as a speaker, so I speak for a living. That’s how we pay our mortgage. It’s one of my favorite things to do in companies and organizations and businesses are coming and saying are people are feeling disconnected? If you follow Dr Doty Carrington, she has a whole movement on like reconnection and it’s amazing. So if you’re needing some like and she’s an actual doctor so you could follow her for very sound advice. She’s also hilarious and swears a lot, so go check out Dr Doty Carrington. But the practical things that I can tell people to do is get in community. And someone was saying I just feel like I’m always left out, I don’t feel like I’m included, and I said, okay, you have to stop sitting on the sidelines Like, unfortunately, no one’s going to do it for you. I’m just going to call a spade a spade. Number one is show up for others how you want them to show up. Okay, great. Some people are like I’ve done that and then I’ve gotten burnt. Guess what. We give generously and we expect nothing. I’m going to just give generously and maybe it’s going to work, or maybe you’re just going to totally take it and run. That’s for you to figure out, not for me, and this one has been a long time lesson learning and lots of like, hurt and like. But I did the thing and then they didn’t clue me and I thought, because it didn’t like, stop it. We’re grown adults, like, do the thing, and so now when I show up, I’m just going to give generously, give generously, expect nothing. Now it’s different in business, that like where you have a contract and clear guidelines. I’m talking about building community with friends and people, that deep rootedness. And the second thing that I always tell people, besides getting to community and like, show up for others, how you want to show up and then give generously, expect nothing is go to group fitness. Here’s why Group fitness is like minded people who want to better their freaking life, and a lot of my closest friends have come from group fitness and I was like unpacking this and I’m like, yeah, because they care about their lives, they care about their health, they’re carving out time and they know how to prioritize. So when you start going and you’re like, oh, people are like, oh, where do you meet? Honestly, my answer is either Instagram, because people have supported, or group fitness, like my closest, nearest and dearest friends. That’s where or you meet people at work. So find the people that are doing the stuff that you want to do or that you dream of doing, and if you’re not great at it, just put yourself out there and the right people will come alongside you and rock your world.
Justin Slimm:
I’m really curious your journey with what happened with your son. How did that affect your marriage?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
How long we got. Oh man, okay, I’m married to Hot Ronnie, so if you follow me on social and literally people will come up to him now and be like oh my gosh, it’s. Hot Ronnie, and I think you could collectively agree he’s hot, he is, he’s a handsome gentleman. You posted a thing today on social and he didn’t write Hot Ronnie, and so on mine. I reposted and I wrote the words Hot Ronnie. So I’m married to Hot Ronnie. He was the guy in my office. We’re polar opposites. He’s quiet, shy and private. Yet when that guy comes alive he puts me to shame. People are like what I had no idea that could come out of Ronnie. It’s just that I shine really bright, so he just takes a laid-back role. He’s the funnest guy. So we’ve been married now for 10 years. We got married in July 2013,. And my husband has a crazy story. It could be turned into a movie, honestly, but he’s lost two dads, both to car accidents. He overcame a drug overdose on meth, he was battling drug and alcohol addiction and he has been off of drugs, drug-free, for 11, maybe 12 years now, which is almost 14 years. I mean, hot dang, the guy’s done the work and you want to talk about someone that will roll up their sleeves and do the work? That’s it. But we didn’t start off in just this perfect world. We got married. Six months later, his dad gets into a car accident, dies in Mexico. It’s a whole schmazzle. We then get this insane bill of $18,000. We’re not making ends meet. He’s starting up a new business. We have no idea what we’re doing and thankfully, my parents are amazing and I ran away from my husband. I didn’t even have money to buy the flight. I had to ask mom and dad to put me on a flight and my dad’s like I think this is just a miscommunication and we need to figure this out. So we communicate and figure it out and then when stuff with Lewisson happens that was three years in we are really united in tragedy and in the pressure cooker. But I think it’s in the aftermath that we both process so differently. So I would say the first two years were really really, really hard. I needed to express my grief outwardly and mine was very public. I used Instagram as a journal. I shared, I cried on Instagram, I shared the things I wanted to do, I talked lots about it and Ronnie just wanted to keep everything safe and close, and so you think your way is the right way. You don’t get why they’re not doing it the way. You’re doing it. Like, after Lewisson died, we went to Hawaii, just him and I, and he brought like grief books and he wanted to roll up and sit in a room and like be doing and I’m like what? The actual no, and so we’re very different. That way, we’ve invested in therapy. In 2018, I put our business bank account into overdraft to go to a marriage conference and that, for us, was a shifting moment. My mom came in and looked after her daughter and Ronnie was so mad at me. It was the first time we’d ever put our business bank account now in withdrawal.
Justin Slimm:
Now it’s there all the time, it’s just really, really common for us.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
You know, I’m like honey, I’ve got another investment, I’m sure we’ll make it back and everything’s going to be fine. He’s like, oh God, like when is this going to end, jensen? But like I made that investment and he goes to me and this I’ll never forget it, he goes. I’m so mad at you right now and I can’t believe you did this without asking me and you just did it without my permission and like it just doesn’t make any sense. But he was like I will go all in with you and he really did. At the marriage conference he unleashed it all. He said that he was mad that we started a foundation. He said that he was mad at SMA. He was mad that I would pour so much time into something that robbed us of having our son, and so we were just like in such different areas and what we’ve both learned is like communication is frigging key. We both want to grow together, but it’s going to look different because of how we’re wired, what makes this take, what works for us? And a lot of therapy. It was our therapist who, like when she identified, and even I just got diagnosed with ADHD in the last few years, so we didn’t have language even for for 10 years. For me I need all these dopamine hits and for me that’s like in how I dream. Even when I’m dreaming that’s a dopamine hit for my body and I can’t access dopamine the regular way that you know people that don’t have ADHD, and so if you don’t understand that, people are like you’re freaking crazy. But for me I just need to speak it out loud. And the therapist was like just let her dream, that’s part of her dopamine hits and she goes it doesn’t mean you have to do it or you’ll figure it out, or it’s actually going to happen. And I think when she gave Ronnie that permission, he kind of was like we’re going to be okay, like okay, and also I’m like no, but for real we’re actually going to go do the things. And so it has been a journey. It’s been a lot of heartache, even just last year, a year ago, in fall, we were at each other. We weren’t even talking to each other, communicating, and it kind of like blows up in your face Like you’re living with your children. We’re not even talking. We’d sit at the dinner table and be in the same bed and neither of us wanted to go downstairs to the guest bedroom because we have a really comfortable mattress. I’m like no, I’m not leaving, I’m not leaving. And it just was come to head and I had to say to him you have to figure out your shit. And then he was like well, guess what? I need you to do this because I can’t function with this happening. And so it’s like knowing what battles to really press into and what stuff you got to let go of. And so I mean, we had a battle yesterday. I was like hey, so you’re going to fix the leaking shower? That’s been like this for three months. He’s like why would I? He was like if I do it, it’s not going to be the right thing that you would do. I was like whoo Touche. I’m like okay, fine, I’ll just call it Like I was just waiting for him to do it. And he’s like why am I going to do it? You’re going to criticize it, you’re going to tell me it’s wrong and it’s not good enough, so you’re going to do it. I was like, okay, I’ll forget to do it because I like my way anyway. Totally Like this is marriage. It’s like learning to like. And now we laugh about it and he’s really good, like if I’ll start losing my ever loving mind, he just starts making fun of me in a way that then, like, I start just laughing. So I’d say, like, learn to have fun, learn to let it go. Our kid died. There’s hard things Like is the shower and the faucet and that whole thing? Is that really worth like being mad at each other for? No, it’s like I’m an idiot. I should have just freaking taken care of it in the first place, because I’m not going to like how he does it anyway. It’s because I’m a dick, totally yeah.
Justin Slimm:
No, I just question about the timeline there, from when Lewiston to that retreat that was two years two years so a year and a half. So a year and a half to hold on to something like that too, right. And that’s the thing about grief and like takes time and it manifests in a different way.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
And at year three we I lost it on him at year three he went to work. On November 22nd, the day our son passed. He went to work that day I was pregnant with our third child, which was amazing my daughter’s at preschool. We’re living in our friend’s home, which was beautiful and amazing and such a gift and a blessing. But I’m on the floor, mad at my friends for not calling and recognizing the day, feeling utterly alone. And then, like Ronnie came home at five, was like, well, what’s for dinner? I was like, are you? I’m going to bed after that. And so, like we’re like, talked about it. And I’m like okay, here’s what I need. I need this day to be recognized and I don’t want to have to cook dinner. And the last thing I can think about on the day that my kid died is like, I don’t know, do you want roast beef or spaghetti and meatballs? Like, are you kidding me? And I also don’t want to clean the fricking dishes, which is a blessing, because that’s such a gift to be able to have dishes in the kitchen to clean. And so we’re like okay, this is what we need. And so we started riding water slides and we started when our daughter was really young and now it’s like the best day ever. We are just us as a family. There’s zero expectations. We eat out every meal and we just ride water slides. I’m like I don’t know. Try to be sad and ride a water slide. It’s pretty impossible. And this year I made a family. We’re matching bathing suits and like it’s about the ebbs and flows. The grief is never going to go away. I will never be over my son. I will never be over that loss. I’m never over the loss. Like I grieve when I see families of three, like it just makes me want to weep because I’m grieving the loss of a family. I thought I had four kids and I’d be driving a suburban and beep, beep, like here comes soccer mom and I got the pale of orange slices, and now I’m like not there at all, and so it’s wild and crazy, but we still are in the hard things. I think we have better language, better tools, we know when we need therapy. We’re both in therapy on our own. I have a coach. He hasn’t gotten a coach yet. I would love for him to have a coach because I’m like therapist helps us deal with the past and the coach is, you know, helping you for the future. That’s why I coach. So it’s been a journey, but both of us also do a really good job of taking care of ourselves, health wise, which has also made us better. Like, for a long time it was like, oh, we don’t have money, I can’t afford gym membership. It’s just ah blah. And it was like spend the money, do the thing, because that will be the thing that keeps us sane, so honoring what that person needs. Like on a Sunday, ronnie felt so guilty for going to want to work out and have a massage and I’m just like I’m going to go book the thing. I need this. I’m going to turn into a basket case and I’m like do the thing. I fully support it because if it’s going to help you show up better than I want you to have that time.
Justin Slimm:
You touched a little bit on fitness too. So your journey as a fitness instructor you’ve done spin for a long time and everything, but you’re staying active here at AEON, too. You’ve been here doing the strength training. So talk a little bit about your fitness. How like there was a picture of your gun yeah I mean, we saw that on social media the other day. But yeah, talk about how your strength has changed over the past two years.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
I’ve never had muscle definition until here, like I haven’t, and it’s so friggin’ incredible. So I’ve been here just over two years now and it’s been a journey and I think some people see me now and they’re like, okay, I want that. And I was like, just you know, susan, I didn’t start seeing results until six months and then, and I think people started noticing around the eight month mark, like really noticing like whoa, like what’s different. And I was decently healthy. I taught fitness, I taught spin and leguri like a Pilates type workout here in Calgary Massive shout out to that business there, incredible business owners, and I think it’s a great workout. And then I mean third three kids, your body’s different. All the things like what worked in your late twenties is not working your late fricking thirties. That’s my experience, anyways, and I will show. I’m gonna show you that picture I just pulled up for another friend. I’ve been as heavy as 210 pounds just because I wasn’t healthy. I was drinking like six diet pepsis a day, like all the Aspartame, like eating like a Starbucks caramel macchiato latte, just bad, bad and a scone, and I was like, oh, it’s a scone, it’s not a donut, like same thing. So I’ve been here for two years and I think because I’ve been able to do very targeted efforts and I’ve really cleaned up my diet, like nutrition is super key, reduced alcohol, like I have seen muscle definitions, and I love working out here because the ARX workout, which it’s like a love hate, I think, almost every client could say that. You’re like damn this machine. But every time I look at my muscles I’m like give me more of the machine. But the ARX it’s like I don’t know. It takes me 10 minutes and I do my arms, my chest, my legs and my hands and I’m out and then I do 15 minutes, 10 minutes of cardio, and for someone like myself who has such a full schedule, I do this workout twice a week here when I’m in town and I’m not traveling. And then I supplement with yoga and we have an at home gym and so I love incorporating. I love I’m wearing church fitness like I love going to support other local businesses. So I do what I can where I’m at, and sometimes I’m just doing 10,000 steps in a day. Then I’ll be like I was waiting for someone. I’m like I’m just gonna do some squats. So I’m just trying to move my body and I think when you have a child that was robbed of movement, like everything, just like I do not take the elevator I don’t think I’ve taken it in almost two years I take the stairs because I know that that’s a gift, a blessing, to be able to move my legs, hold my bags and do all of that. I’m still breathless, I have not figured that part out, but that’s a gift and so if you have a body and you can move it, don’t waste it.
Justin Slimm:
And I love that. You added the fact that you’re supplementing with other things. Right Like sure you’re gonna get a full body workout here in 10, 15 minutes, but this, in conjunction with other lifestyle factors, can be in the magic bullet for a lot of people too, right it’s?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Well, and I would say, this is what I would knock Ian with. I would say you guys figure it out, but I was coming here and then I was forgetting to stretch. I just cut out stretching because you do. I do a weight type workout, then you do cardio and then you go straight into a technology which is amazing, like the Bouncer Pro or Red Light Therapy or the sauna. But I used to go to the gym or after a night stretch for 20 minutes. So my hamstrings were crazy and my body craved yoga. So I’m doing yoga twice a week. I go to a hot yoga. I absolutely love it, clears my mind. But I don’t think there’s this one silver bolt of just do this thing and that’s what I’m learning. And I think when you can tap in and really listen to your body even for food I’ve really tuned into that Like, oh man, I need protein. Living with ADHD, that helps me think clear her, show up better. And same thing, it’s like okay, what does my body need? Doesn’t need a heavy weight workout. And sometimes I’ve come here and I’ve had to tell the team I’m like I’m here because I want to stay consistent, but I’m gonna take it easy today because I’m gonna listen to my body and they’re great at respecting that, and other days I’m like I’m gonna give it all I got.
Justin Slimm:
I’m Hulk, yeah, yeah, absolutely Now, kind of. The first step that you took was a health assessment, right? So this was a good chance to look under the hood. So, like, tell me what that discovered for you. Or like, what did you find that you were kind of like?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
I can’t believe it. I had a fatty liver. I had a fatty liver. I was so mad when they gave the results back and I’m really a pretty open book about my health and I actually had liver disease when I’m in high school so that didn’t shock me because I’ve had liver issues before. But I was like I don’t even drink that much, like why do I have an unhealthy liver, so unhealthy liver? Iron which I know because I’m celiac typically you don’t get enough iron when you’re celiac just because it’s in a lot of foods that carry gluten. So that was really really low, which made sense for some fatigue things and just some other things. And then for the most part was like hey, you’re pretty healthy and nothing was glaring. So I did three months here just with some of the supplements worked out, and then I was kind of frustrated that I didn’t see better results. And that’s when I was like I met with the doc here and I was like you know, like I feel like I can lose more weight, I don’t need to be a stick, I don’t want to be a stick. I’m a curvy like me and Marilyn Monroe are like sisters, like we’re just, we got the curves, we’re kicking. But I was like I feel like I can be a better version and I’m like carrying the extra weight it’s hard on your body, like why do that to yourself? And so we looked at my sugar levels and insulin resistant. I wore a CGM like where you pop that on and you can measure, you know, your sugar spikes. And that was really pretty normal. And so then we took it a step further and he said the next option is for you to use medication to help with weight loss, and I’ve shared this with you before offline. There’s a lot of shame around it. Like I think as a woman who you’re like, but I eat the kale salad and I drink the green juice and I’ve been working out three times a week, like why can’t I do it? And I felt like a failure for a long time and there was a lot of shame around it. And then people were like, wow, you’re not disclosing so full disclosure. I used a weight, a medication for weight loss here, and I’ve gone off of it and I’ve gone back on it Over the holidays. I was like, oh my gosh, I think I need to go on it. I don’t want to gain the holiday weight because it is such a thing, but it worked for me and I don’t want to have shame around it because I’ve gotten so many messages in my DMs from Instagram of women saying thank you for sharing. I was so stuck. I’ve tried everything I had a lady. She shared with me. She’s like I just lost 35 pounds. I finally am prioritizing myself and I feel amazing, like thank you for that gift. And if I can help someone feel amazing and like I’m like do what works for you and you’ve got to be in check with yourself. But if I can help someone figure out a way to get their health back in line whatever that is or inspire someone to make themselves a priority so that they can be refreshed, I think we can better serve the world. And if I can better serve the world, I can help change it.
Justin Slimm:
You know, just like there shouldn’t be, you wouldn’t have a stigma around someone who goes on a statin for blood pressure, totally Right. So I’m glad that you brought that up because, at the end of the day, if this is something that’s going to help with a chronic disease like obesity, this is something that you know and I’m not saying you know.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Yeah, Do your own research.
Justin Slimm:
talk to your own doctor.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Like I’m not a medical expert, I’d like to make that abundantly clear. I think they’ll probably put a disclaimer.
Justin Slimm:
Disclaimer disclaimer. Talk to your doctor.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
But like and this is like. This is probably one of the biggest things that I struggle with is like I want you to love your body and I could show up in a bathing suit and love my body. At 210 pounds, I’m now sitting about 143 on a good day, but I’m like I’ve loved my body, but I’m like was it the best version, the healthiest version of myself? I still have cellulite. I still have stretch marks. They’re gonna probably be there, unless there’s someone who has a magic thing for that. But I’m like I just didn’t wanna coast or accept it. And that’s what I wanna encourage women. It’s not about being a certain weight or a certain size. It’s about are you the best version of yourself? And so if you can stand proud and say, yes, I am. Yeah, I’m fueling my body, yes, I’m fueling my brain and I’m giving the best of the world, then do you. Whatever number that is, whatever size that is, and it’s gonna look different for all of us. But that’s where I just really wanna encourage people. Don’t just coast and be like I love my body and I’m 75 pounds overweight. Like, is that the best version? No, then do what you gotta do to get there.
Justin Slimm:
Now, with the assessment, we’ve made some changes. We look at a comprehensive blood marker, a blood test which looks at over 40 biomarkers. We do a 3D body scan using the Stikoo scanner. That’s a shocker. It can predict like cardiovascular risk.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Ronny just did it and he was like babe, that was eye opening, right yeah.
Justin Slimm:
We got some pictures and videos of him in his skivvies, in his underwear right. So I’ll send you those in your private.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
DMs, can you please? Yes, absolutely. There’s hot Ronny right there for ya, when we the first time that he’s been online in his skivvies, that’s what he said.
Justin Slimm:
You know it’s funny too. I was like do you mind if I? He’s like Jess has me in Speedos on the beach? He’s like I have, there’s no problem here If you wanna join us.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
On May 25th we host a birthday party and you can purchase my husband. He doesn’t come home with you for the night, but he does get auctioned off. It’s all for charity and he does wear a Speedo. He didn’t do it last year and the party wasn’t the same, so he’s like, fine, I’ll wear the dang Speedo again.
Justin Slimm:
So, yeah, so after the blood work is done, we do a 3D body scan, we do a strength test, but a few things that we’ve added into it to make it a little bit more robust and a little bit more comprehensive. Number one we’ve partnered with some AI food technology company.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
You just were telling me about this. I wanna know more, so tell me what it does.
Justin Slimm:
So essentially what we do is we get someone to sign up on the platform and we ask them to take pictures of their food. And then AI technology leveraging AI technology at this clinic when you AI workouts. We’re doing AI, everything like that. But what it’ll do is it’ll give you an idea not only of your macros your proteins, fats, carbs, calories but it’ll also look at things like is this more or less processed food, like it’s really, really interesting to see? And then you meet with a nutrition coach to basically say, hey, this is what we found in your week long report, so we’ll ask people to track their food for a week, for a week, okay For a week so that we can get a good picture as to what their habits are and everything like that. Okay, here’s your report.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Here’s what we found right, are you taking a picture of your coffee and what you’re having for breakfast, like the whole thing, absolutely? See, we’re gonna talk about this offline, but I’m just like dang like, if that isn’t insight, it’s finest, cause it is exhausting, like calorie counting, whatever. And I think there’s so much beauty in AI. How do we utilize this to be better?
Justin Slimm:
Yeah, and, like again, numbers aren’t everything and it’s not an equation that we’re trying to get you at or anything like that, but it’s understanding not only the that side of it but also the ingredients that are coming out of it, too. Right To just get a better picture for that your overall health, and how it can be applicable for you in the future. So that’s one thing that we’ve added. Is this AI technology kind of food support? And then number two is that we’re doing more fitness testing and mobility testing with predictors for longevity. So things like grip strength right this is actually a really good indicator for people as they get into their later years. Right, like gripping a handrail think about it. Right, if you have to get yourself upstairs and you don’t have the grip strength to get up there, right?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
I was thinking about my grandma and like how she’s like, can you open the pickles for me, like you know her old? And so I’m like, yeah, of course I’ll open the pickles. You’re 90 years old, graham. Like I got you, but you like I. Now I was just like man. I’m so thankful I feel like I have strong hands. But yeah, that’s crazy, that that’s a predictor and it makes so much sense that’s right, another one that we’re looking like a sit to sand test, right?
Justin Slimm:
So imagine, heaven forbid, you fall in your 80s, 90s. How are you gonna get back up, right? So to see where we are today and assess that and to say, okay, this is what we found after your testing, right, this can help predict, you know, your longevity down the road too. Then from there, once you’re all done, you’ll have the analysis from our medical teams, or our co-care team naturopathic doctors and medical doctors, because we really feel that bridges a gap right there.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
That’s why I love it here.
Justin Slimm:
Yeah. So you’re not just getting like the medical side of things, you’re also getting that naturopathic side as well. We’ll work with nutrition coaches, fitness coaches and get that holistic approach. So your husband has gone through this now because you know this is something that we gifted to you so that you could give to him. This is something that the whole dang family’s getting involved.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Now I was like you’re not gonna be able to shake us. We’re like a bad stench that just is gonna linger. No, I was so fortunate I’ve been I would call myself an ambassador of Eon, so I’ve been able to work out here. I obviously promote it because I love it. It changed my life and I was saying to you, I was like the shift that’s happened in me physically but also mentally, has been so huge and ebden flow. Life is a roller coaster. You’re doing amazing and then you know you run into a hard thing. But it was such a blessing when you’re like, hey, we’re changing this health assessment, we’d love to walk someone through it. And it’s like, oh my gosh, please can we do hot, ronnie, he was so pumped Cause he’s like you always get all the cool things. I was like I sure some of them, but he was so excited to be here. So thank you for that gift for sure, of course.
Justin Slimm:
Well, jess, I wanna acknowledge you. I wanna give you the praise that you deserve for constantly showing up, not only for yourself, but for your husband, your family, your kids and your community. You are building something really, really special here. Thank you, and 2.4 mil.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Yeah, almost Something to sneeze at right.
Justin Slimm:
So I really wanna acknowledge you for constantly showing up and that is something that helps build community in our small, like Calgary’s big, but it’s small.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
It is.
Justin Slimm:
Right, and so we thank you for showing up constantly.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Thank you, I just encourage people. I think the lesson there’s so many lessons that I’ve learned, but one of my favorites and I just wanna acknowledge you. Thank you for acknowledging me and as a female. We’re like often we’ll downplay up and I’m like hell. No, thank you, I’m gonna take it. I’ve worked damn hard and it’s not just been me, it’s been a community of many people that are in the wings, helping me get to where we need to go. But the three things that I really hang on to is to show up. That’s one of, I think, the often the hardest part is to like put yourself out there. Then it’s to do the hard work of rolling up your sleeves, but most importantly you said it it’s just like stay consistent. You can do that. That is the secret sauce for whatever you’re facing, in whatever season, and you don’t have to do it alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. To be in the position that I’m in, I’ve gotten really good at asking for help from my community, from strangers, from my therapist, from a coach, from a fitness facility. Ask for what you need, and I know that taking care of myself isn’t selfish. It’s the best thing that I can do so I can take care of others and give my best and serve with abundance.
Justin Slimm:
Where can people find out more about you? What are you up to in 2024?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
I’m gonna find a damn publisher and publish my second book. It’s called it’s either the practice of joy or the hard work of joy, and if a publisher has another idea, I’m open to their ideas. But I really wanna publish my book in 2024. It’s gonna be a stretch because it’s usually a long timeline and if I have to self publish. I’ve done it once before, we’ll do it again, but I’d prefer not to sling books out of my garage, but again you know, me. I won’t stop, I’ll find a way. So that’s coming up. We’re gonna raise a butt ton of money again for love, for the listen, to bless families and our board of children’s hospital, cause we really strongly believe in those programs and how we can help others. And then I’m speaking, I’m doing what I love. I’m so grateful, put me in a room. I’m like, put me in coach. I’m here to serve, I’m here to help and I just wanna give others the tools that I’ve accessed and I’ve learned, and a lot of them are free. It’s like, how do you shift your mind? And so follow me on social media. I share a lot of the stuff that I’ve learned. I’ve got some great resources and books that you can either download from the library or listen to a podcast. But, like geeking out on the neuroscience, I’m gonna continue to do that, cause understanding how my brain is wired changed my life and, like I think, took our relationship to the next level and took how I show up in my world to the next level. So, jescajansencom, don’t go tocom. I don’t even know if it exists. It’sca, jescajansenca. Check me out there or on social media. Those are two of the easiest ways and if you have questions, if something sparks something in my story. I am here to serve and if I can I will. If I don’t have capacity, I’m also not afraid to say no, but I always try to offer a solution. But I wanna support others in their journey to health and wellness.
Justin Slimm:
First book. Sorry, bring the Joy.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Bring the Joy is my first book. It’s published in 2020. 2020. Yeah, we’ve sold over 10,000 copies from my garage.
Justin Slimm:
Is it still available?
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Still available Amazon. I just got a surprise $4,000 bill. So if you wanna buy two copies, we appreciate it. But no, it’s amazing and it’s also an audible. I narrate it there. The libraries have it. There was some local bookstores that were carrying it. So yeah, it’s pretty cool.
Justin Slimm:
Awesome. Well, thanks for your time today, Jess. Yeah, thank you. Yes, come on in.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Hey, we did it. I know now we can move, Now I can move. Thanks, Justin.
Justin Slimm:
Well, thanks so much for tuning in to the Eon Future Health podcast, if you enjoyed this and you enjoyed the content, because we’re not just talking about the structural side of fitness and health and longevity, but we’re also talking about the community aspects, the mental health. So leave a five star rating on this podcast, on this video, and we would really appreciate it, and send us a message on social media if you wanna see more topics like this. Thanks so much for tuning in.
Jessica Olstad Janzen:
Like subscribe all those things.
Justin Slimm:
Yeah, all those things.
