We were lucky to catch up with Jen Rulon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jen, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

I was remote when I started my business in 2013.

I started realizing the importance of a triathlon coach for athletes worldwide. I was living in Texas and currently live in Costa Rica. It started with local athletes from the San Antonio area. Then I started getting people by word of mouth and being in different groups and teams in the triathlon space.

I recognized that I could provide workouts for my clients and that they were self-motivated to do them independently without their hands being held. Those who needed a hand-holding were not my ideal client, and they dropped off pretty fast, or I “let them go.”

When I started building my brand on social media, such as Instagram and Facebook mainly, I started getting people all around the globe from Sweden, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Australia.

I am currently at almost ten years of JenRulon.com, and I would never look back. And while things have changed for me, being remote has been my saving grace since I moved to Costa Rica and living the life I have always dreamed of.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been a triathlon coach for 22+ years and the owner of JenRulon.com. I received my Master’s Degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise Science. You can find my knowledge as an author and speaker ranging from Triathlete Magazine, Runners World, on the TEDx Stage, Men’s Journal Online, The New York Times, and soon-to-be University of Wisconsin – Whitewater Dec 2022 Commencement Speaker.
I have a book called “Self-Motivation Strategies for Women,” about how I have lived my life through passion, grit, and heart.

I also practice what I preach–I am a 15x Ironman Triathlete who qualified and participated in the World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, on October 14, 2017.

As a triathlon coach, I’ve realized over the last 20 years of coaching triathletes that “success” comes down to so much more than swimming, cycling & running — it’s learning about and leaning into who you are as a human being, genuinely digging deep into what you want out of life, and figuring out how to get there.

As I retired from Ironman Triathlons, I realized the importance of strength training as a 50-year-old woman. Currently, I am living in Costa Rica, staying fit by doing strength workouts on the beach and the gym, running, swimming and walking. I started my app, and it is a mix of strength workouts that you can do anywhere in the world, along with specific exercises for the triathlete looking for activities to help them with their on-season and off-season.

I am a Self Publisher & Author: It was the end of 2016, and I found an article about “How to Write an Ebook on KDP.” I looked at all the blogs I had written, and a lightbulb turned on. I was asked so many times about strength training for the triathlete that I decided to write a book called “Rulon Rules: Strength Training & the Triathlete.”

And I am an author with a Publishing Company: This is where “Self Motivation Strategies for Women” comes in. “Self Motivation Strategies for Women” was designed through passion, grit, and heart. While I had an editor and publisher put together an outline, it truly made me realize that this has been how I have lived my life. I have always lived and loved with passion, grit, and heart.

As I am heading into my ten years of JenRulon.com, I am starting to recognize a shift, as I am blending travel, fitness, and Costa Rica, but that is currently in the works!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Instagram.

I got good at Instagram before Instagram was cool. I started posting every day, sharing my stories about life as a triathlon coach but the realness of being an Ironman Triathlete, trying to qualify for the Ironman World Championship. And when I qualified for that race, everyone felt like they were involved with my story.

I don’t think people share their stories as much as they should on how they started off.

People like to paint the pretty picture of this is where I am, and this is where my business is. But there is a “humanness” of being raw and honest, and this helped me in my social.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The athletes that I coach are not like me as an athlete.

I get my sh%$ done when it comes to training. Do I have my moments, 100%, I do. But I realized that not every athlete that I coach has that drive.

For example, I had an athlete struggling during their training and I had to be very patient with them, as I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t work out. But we started talking through the process and allowed them to take some time off and when they came back they came back stronger than ever!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jenrulon.com
• Instagram: https://jenrulon.com/coachjeninstagram
• Facebook: https://jenrulon.com/facebook
• Linkedin: https://jenrulon.com/LinkedIn
• Twitter: https://jenrulon.com/twitter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JenniferRulon/videos
• Other: TEDx Talk – https://jenrulon.com/mytedxtalk Self Motivation Strategies for Women Book: https://jenrulon.com/mybook

Image Credits
Vanessa Velazquez Kirsten Ellis