My Story
I began personal training and leading group fitness in 1996 while still in high school. As a former competitive gymnast and high-level athlete, movement had always been part of my identity. Coaching became a natural extension of that discipline — first as self-expression, then as a profession.
By 2001, I was actively competing in fitness and figure while coaching competitors and lifestyle clients.
I built athletes from the amateur ranks through to the IFBB Pro League, working with natural competitors who earned pro status and stepped onto world-class stages. At the same time, I was helping everyday women transform their bodies, rebuild confidence, and develop strength that extended beyond the gym.
Behind the stage results, I was also navigating my own challenges. Years in the physique world exposed me to metabolic adaptation, weight cycling, and disordered eating patterns that required intentional repair. I understand extreme dieting not from theory, but from lived experience. That period reshaped how I coach — with precision, patience, and long-term strategy.
From 2000 to 2014, I worked for Thrifty Foods, one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies. As the Vitamins and More Manager, I worked directly with the public on supplementation, holistic nutrition, and root-cause wellness strategies. I collaborated with pharmacy teams, managed staff, and developed a systems-based understanding of health that extended beyond aesthetics.
After the birth of my daughter, who was diagnosed with mastocytosis, I reevaluated my path. I needed flexibility, purpose, and work that aligned with motherhood. In 2013, I launched INJAFit — Inner Jewell Athletics — at a time when online coaching was still emerging.
The mission was direct:
End chronic under-eating
Teach women how to fuel properly
Bring flexible dieting to the mainstream
Normalize reverse dieting and metabolic repair
Build autonomy instead of dependence
At a time when rigid meal plans and “clean eating” dominated the industry, I became part of the early movement advancing macro-based nutrition, science-driven strength training, and metabolic restoration.
The company grew quickly. I aligned with leaders in evidence-based coaching and helped advance data-driven transformation practices within the physique space.
We hosted retreats that brought women together from across North America and internationally. These experiences centered on education, training, empowerment, and rebuilding relationships with food and body image.
In 2019, the business transitioned to Jennifer Kersten Fitness. The name changed. The standards did not.
Over nearly three decades, I have helped thousands of women transform their bodies and minds — from competitors stepping onto professional stages to women rebuilding after years of dieting and metabolic stress.
My approach is structured. Evidence-informed. Phase-based.
I do not coach for short-term change. I coach for stability, autonomy, and strength that carries into every season of life.
The Forever Home Body is not a look. It is a state of ownership — and that has been the baseline of my work from the beginning.