Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jessica Bergin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

My undergraduate degree is in Athletic Training. With AT being a bachelor’s degree at the time, and collegiate and professional athletics requiring a masters degree to work, it was common practice to get a job right out of school as an intern or graduate assistant while pursuing your second degree. I worked as an intern in the sports medicine field for 3 years. After my first year, I decided to take a second internship at the University of Tampa while pursuing my Master’s. I loved the school, the staff, the athletic department, and most importantly my teams. My goal was to stick around until they created another full time position. By the end of my 2nd year, the position was approved and I got the offer. I was thrilled! At one of the best schools in the conference, I truly had it made where I working, but my heart wasn’t fully content. During this time I was pursuing my own health and physique transformation endeavors. I longed to work with individuals striving to learn and transform on their personal their health and fitness journeys. After One year into having the full time job, I pulled the plug and took the leap to online coaching. My parents thought I was crazy – to finally have some sort of financial stability, and jumping right back into the inconsistencies of what came with being your own boss. I knew there was no guarantee with what I would be pursuing, but I would’ve thought “what-if” every day that passed. It wasn’t easy by any means – there were a lot of struggles and times I found myself working extra jobs to make things work while I continued to learn and grow as a coach. But almost 4 years later, I have the amazing opportunity to work with clients both online and in-person, and feel more fulfilled now working than I ever have.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I worked for 4 years in sports medicine in college athletics – my main roles were injury evaluation, prevention, and rehabilitation. I felt I was missing a massive part of what I loved, which was bridging rehab and performance, and my passion for fitness. I began online coaching because I wanted to share my passion for fitness, and what I learned during my own journey, to help others tap into their potential and achieve their goals.

Getting started the gym can be scary. For some people, dealing with previous injuries, chronic aches, or physical limitations, resistance training can be intimidating. Understanding anatomy, mechanics, and injuries has provided me with the framework to create individualized training programs for my clients, as well as teach them form from the ground up.

I provide both online and in-person coaching for all experience levels. This consists of resistance training, injury prevention, nutrition guidance (macros, meal plans, intuitive eating approaches), and pursuing physique goals such as losing fat and building muscle.

I believe your fitness journey is far more than just the external physique. Your journey of transformation begins from the inside out.
Every individual will have their own unique goals, limitations, and areas they excel in. It’s important to meet someone where they are (their previous experiences, current beliefs, and experience level) and create an individualized approach for their journey.
Rather than just focusing on the outcome, my goal is to help individuals fall in love with the process. Not just go through the motions of trying to reach a goal, but to thrive in all stages of their health and fitness journey.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Genuinely caring for people.

There are endless coaches out there, both online and in-person. But what sets people apart and truly leads to successful coaching, is legitimately caring about your clients and wanting to see them succeed in their journey.

As coaches, we see clients at some of their highest moments, but also their lowest. Being able to be there for them, be compassionate AND empathetic, go a long way.

When you build a solid foundation of trust in your coach:client relationship, the process is enjoyable for both, and I find both client and coach are far more successful!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Following my first two bodybuilding shows in 2021, I struggled immensely with binge eating, body dysmorphia, poor mental health, and dysregulated hormones. It was an extremely difficult time for me as an athlete, and the mental hurdles were impacting me as a coach. I faced imposter syndrome, which led me, I feel, to have a difficult time connecting with my clients due to that emotional wall that was up.
I was open about my struggles on social media, and about my efforts for seeking help – I feel that vulnerability only made me stronger, further strengthen my relationships with my clients and built their trust in me, and eventually allowed me to gain more confidence as a coach.
When I look back, I am so thankful for the struggles that I experienced, because this helped me to better coach/prepare my athletes that were going through their first bodybuilding competitions, but also gave me another perspective to coach from for my lifestyle clients struggling with their relationships with food, body dysmorphia, and skewed perceptions of their efforts or goals.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jess.bergin
• Youtube: @jessicabergin

Image Credits

Andrea Radford