Jennifer is a certified Shake Your Soul class Instructor with over 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. Jennifer graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education in 1999. She earned a Master of Science in Exercise Science with a cross-endorsement in Physical Education from Southern Connecticut State University in 2004. Starting as an elementary school Health and Physical Education teacher, her passion for promoting wellness through movement has evolved into teaching an intuitive form of exercise. Today, Jennifer is excited to share her expertise in exercise, her love for dancing, her passion for spirituality, and her purpose of helping others build connections at Revive & Thrive Wellness Center.
A former Zumba Fitness instructor, Jennifer loves to express herself through movement. Soon after an injury sidelined her, she realized that the exercise formats she had always taught no longer resonated with her, leaving her to crave movement in more natural and intuitive ways. As a truth seeker, Jennifer believes that dance can help heal oneself by building a connection with oneself, others, and a higher power. In her search, she discovered Shake Your Soul, a therapeutic movement practice known as “the yoga of dance.” With this discovery, Jennifer exchanged her sneakers and choreography for bare soles and the freedom to express her soul through intuitive dance. She became a certified Shake Your Soul instructor in July 2023, and offers her Shake Your Soul classes at Revive & Thrive Wellness Center in New Milford, Ct.
An advocate for following your heart, Jennifer strives to empower others to love themselves and live life from a place of love. Just as she believes the body naturally moves to the rhythm of the music one hears, she also believes you will find yourself on the path meant for you when you listen to the beat of your own drum. And that beat, she believes, comes from your heart. Therefore, Jennifer’s approach to teaching encourages her students to follow their intuition and trust their bodies when it comes to movement. When you trust your body to move the way your body wants to, you will be more inclined to move!
Jennifer started her career in Brookfield, Connecticut, where she taught health education at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School for nine years before transitioning to physical education in her tenth year. Since then, Jennifer has obtained multiple certifications in various disciplines, such as Group Fitness from the American Fitness and Aerobics Associations (AFAA) in 2004, Mat Pilates in 2005, and Zumba Fitness in 2007. In 2017, Jennifer became certified in the drumming-based fitness program called Pound Fitness and STRONG Nation, a high-intensity interval training format. She was certified in Pop Pilates in 2018 and as a Marconic Energy Practitioner in 2019. In 2021, Jennifer was certified in Generation POUND (for kids), and in 2022, in Emotional Freedom Technique and Life and Spiritual Coaching from the Life Purpose Institute. Currently, she is enrolled in a training program through the Leven Institute for Expressive Movement to become a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist.
Married with two children, Jennifer lives in Woodbury, Connecticut, where she has homeschooled her children for the past decade. When she isn’t teaching or practicing somatic therapy techniques and Shake Your Soul classes, Jennifer enjoys fascial stretching, journaling, baking, and reading about spiritual enlightenment. Jennifer also enjoys spending quality time with her family, dancing in her living room, and communing with nature. Jennifer believes that “separation is an illusion present only in the 3D,” and she applies this philosophy to her teaching. By sharing experiences, connecting, and being with others, she helps guide others towards the light.
To view each of the modalities Jen offers through Revive & Thrive Wellness Center in New Milford, CT (1 Booth House Lane – Unit 1B) be sure to visit our SERVICES page and scroll down the list!
- Spirit Manifestation Circle | with Sachin Hazen
- Shake Your Soul – The Yoga of Dance