Mat Lock
Jenn Ryan welcome to The Unleashing Potential Podcast. It’s a pleasure to have you here.
Jenn Ryan
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Mat Lock
No, not at all. It’s a pleasure. And you’re dialing in from sunny San Diego in Southern California. Am I right?
Jenn Ryan
Yup. Good old San Diego.
Mat Lock
And how’s it looking where you are right now.
Jenn Ryan
It’s beautiful. It’s been really really nice. Every once in a while. It’ll be a little like gloomy, but it doesn’t last very long. The clouds just kind of fly on by and then we have our beautiful sunny San Diego weather. So
Mat Lock
you get the gloom, the gloom.
Jenn Ryan
Well, they usually call it may gray and June Gloom. But this year, I swear it may has been pretty darn. Not great. So I’m actually really impressed. I’m hoping June Gloom doesn’t come either. For the first time since I’ve lived here. I would be really excited
Mat Lock
about it. Fingers crossed. But hey, we don’t want that little bit of sunshine in amongst this whole pandemic. That’s taking the world by storm. So we’re Yeah, happy to have a bit of sunlight shining down. Yeah. And do your skintone gives you away? You spend Oh, man.
Jenn Ryan
Yeah, well, you know, I’ve been since we the gyms haven’t been open, I’ve just been working out in my quarry or my yard. I’ve got this nice big area. So I’m outside. More than I have been in the past how many years even with games training. You know, we’re still in the gym a lot. So I’m like, wow, I’m already more tanned. I’ve been even like leading into the games just because I’m not inside the gym. Like twice a day I’m outside, which is awesome.
Mat Lock
show you a victim and D levels were through the roof, which is good. Yeah. Very good. So Jim system for those who are not familiar with you, if you could just tell us a little bit about yourself. Introduce yourself to our audience and, and then we’re going to dive in and talk about the road to the games as an everyday athlete. But who is general? And how do you describe yourself?
Jenn Ryan
Oh, man. So um, you know, when people ask me who I am and what I do, I, I generally lead with I I’m an ER nurse, I’ve been an ER nurse for 11 years. I am originally from Iowa, which is in the Midwest for people who don’t aren’t super familiar with the states. That’s the Midwest. Good old Iowa. I lived for 14 and a half years on the east coast and South Carolina. And then I picked all my stuff up, put what I could in my Jetta and drove across the country to San Diego, seven and a half years ago. And that’s where I’ve been. I have been completely in love with CrossFit since I started in 2009. And it’s, it’s kind of been a game changer for me. It I’ll tell you, I think it made me grow up and it made me kept me out of trouble. And it’s really kind of shaped who I am along with being a nurse. And so I’m also a nutrition coach. So that’s, you know, kind of how I identify myself as an ER nurse and nutrition coach and a CrossFit athlete. Um, yeah, so that’s kind of who I am.
Mat Lock
That certainly keeps you busy, I’m guessing certainly keeps you busy. And then yes, I guess there’s an ER nurse. Yeah, I guess things have been a bit crazy with COVID-19. Now well, I’m
Jenn Ryan
also very lucky and well, not lucky, but I haven’t worked in the ER have worked in shifts in a while. You know, being a nutrition coach keeps me on my toes. I find more and more that people need me just as much as they needed me in the hospital. And so I’ve been very blessed to set myself up in a way that I can help people, however I want to. And that to me is so free. So you know I love being in front of people. I love being at the bedside. But I haven’t been there for a little while. I’ve been working with people on lifestyle. on nutrition, I’m just kind of I’m really enjoying that that side of things, you know, but getting to keep in touch with all my co workers, you know, just kind of hearing everything they’re going through right now. It’s a lot.
Mat Lock
Yeah, that’s exactly right. You know, listening to what you’ve just said, about the path that you’ve taken. I’m not surprised, therefore, that we have crossed paths. Because a lot of what you’re saying resonates deeply with me, and certainly would, with the whole team at the very games, no question about it, and lots of the listeners. So she’s fantastic. Now, I guess, how did how did our paths cross, and I guess I reached out to this random guy from the Bay games in Australia. Because I saw a post, I read one of your posts on the second of May. And I don’t have a great memory, I just refresh my stalking on you this morning. Before we chatted, second of May, and I had to say, it was a post, which I’ll let you explain. But it was just something about it really captivated me and kept me reading all the way to the end. And it just, it was really quite beautiful, very humble. It made me want to reach out and sort of make contact with it was very humble. There was an underlying confidence to it. And an overarching, there’s something bigger going on. And it’s not all about me. But I didn’t want to have a mini celebration about this achievement, because of what I know what it’s taken to get there. But maybe if you don’t mind, I’ve got it. I can read it. I put it on my screen, but maybe it’s nice to get your version of that post. behind. Oh,
Jenn Ryan
thank you very much. It. Yeah, that post was? Yeah, well, the, the cool thing was when I posted it, I just so many people reached out or repost it and said, just some amazing things that, you know, just made me feel like, like, what I’m doing is really beyond just being an athlete, which is what I would want, you know, for people to see. But basically what happened was, you know, we found out all the videos for the online qualifier for the Masters war were done, they had assessed them, and then they they set the rankings, and then literally, like, two hours later, I think they were like, oh, and you guys are done for the year. There’ll be nothing else done. No, no prizes given out. You know, see you next year. And so I think many people were left just kind of like, Okay, um, what the heck, and, you know, we didn’t receive anything like an email or, or notification, but you know, that’s CrossFit is very much like that. And I’ve been doing CrossFit since 2009. I have met Dave and, you know, worked alongside him, you know, gotten to personally like, talk with him numerous times. And I don’t take any of it personally, like, honestly, I didn’t take the fact that we didn’t hear anything else about the cancellation personally. And so, so I guess I was okay, handling that. The cool thing was that I’ve not ever actually really finished first, I think in anything, sort of on my own, that maybe a maybe a small local comp or something, you know, back in the day, once or twice, but but not very often. And you know, even in high school, when I wanted to play sports, I was just, gosh, I just wanted to be on the varsity team. And getting to start was even just, that was my goal for the season was to get to start, you know, and so when I finished first, it was just like, Okay, wow, do I celebrate this? Am I supposed to celebrate it? This is super cool. Like, this feels really great that I, I’ve worked my butt off for this. And then I thought, I don’t know, I don’t know if I should post that, you know, what will people think? And so, there was this excitement. And then I wanted to shout to the world that you can do this, you know, and anybody can. And so that was a big part of me wanting to post that, that I wanted to take the time to celebrate something really cool that I felt I had been working for, I guess since I was a teenager and I’m 40 now. So that was really cool. You know, and, um, and I overcame some, a lot of things, and everybody did, but, uh, you know, the fact that I didn’t finish first in any of the workouts, but my lowest placement was a 12. And no one else in that top 10 can say that, you know, and I finished ahead of people, some women in that top 10 have to first places And I still finished ahead of them. And to me, there’s, there’s just something freakin cool about that. Just say like, Hey, you don’t have to be the best at something you like you don’t have to be. Cuz I used to get so upset when I wouldn’t want to work out. And I would think I never gonna be where I want to be if I can’t win everything. And that showed me that like, everything I’ve worked for, which is building on my weaknesses and just maintaining my strengths, you, you can still finish where you need to be, you know, like, you don’t have to be number one at every single thing. And that just, to me was probably more important than even finishing first it was just that I finally realize that if I just do what I’m capable of, I’m gonna be where I need to be, you know, and I’ve never, gosh, in so many years leading up to this year. I didn’t see that. And it led to like a lot of disappointment, frustration, you know. So. So anyhow, that was like the really cool part for me, that I felt like I really wanted to share. And then the disappointment, of course not going to go on. But I have a really great mentor and coach and CJ Martin. And, you know, when Dave announced on Instagram weeks before that they were going to try to get the games to happen in aromas. I think a lot of the masters and teens were like, yes, that means us too. In my head, I was like, No, it doesn’t. But I remained optimistic. And CJ, reached out to me that night and sent me a text and just said, Hey, I want you to know that no matter what I’m really proud of the way you handled the season, the way you approached it. I had an emergency appendectomy, two and a half weeks before the open this past year. I had traveled to Brazil the week before the Masters qualifier, and got jetlag and really sick this three days before the qualifiers perfect. perfectly. Yeah, right. Yeah. And but you know, he’s just said, He’s like, I’m just really proud of the way you handle the year. And no matter what, you know, whether it happens to be an online games, or if nothing comes of it, like you’re my champ, like, you’re number one to me, and, you know, I’m just really proud of you. And that was really cool to me. And I said to him, you know, CJ, I’m okay with it. Like, I’m actually okay with not having anything else happen from here on out for our season. And that wouldn’t have been the case a few years ago. But I now identify as something more than just a CrossFit athlete. And honestly, I put more value in what I can do for people as a coach than anything else. And I was just like it, this has just been a really eye opening year for me, and I’m okay with it. And it was cool. I think that he reached out and inside that, because then leading into the announcement from CrossFit. I didn’t feel blindsided, I didn’t feel upset. I already moved on kind of and I already knew I had more value to give to people than just going and competing, you know?
Mat Lock
Yeah, absolutely. I wonder if the epiphany that you had around the realization of not having to win everything to actually win as if enemies? And perhaps Yeah, maybe that the realization that or being the well rounded athlete, actually is what’s required. I wonder if that epiphany would have been quite so striking or strong. Had it not been this odd year where the games isn’t happening for the majority of people and so on. And maybe there wouldn’t have been so much self reflection around it. Yeah, I wonder, but I mean, it’s certainly to to your credit, and sand, frankly, for the benefit of those that you work with and coach and, and mentor as well. So no, absolutely fantastic. And so just to be clear, it was the CrossFit open, online qualifier that we were talking about, and you came first in your age group.
Jenn Ryan
Yeah. First in the 40 to 44 year old division. And the qualifier.
Mat Lock
Yeah, sure. And certainly the stalking I did earlier would suggest as well, you were actually also second overall in the US. Is that wrong?
Jenn Ryan
Ah, oh, well, I don’t know. I didn’t look at that.
Mat Lock
I’m not sure I’m third overall worldwide for women. 44. That’s what the CrossFit Games leaderboard says. Then it must be true, but yeah, second overall in the US, and third overall worldwide, so I’m thinking yeah, you’re welcome.
Jenn Ryan
Take it cool.
Mat Lock
Absolutely. That’s great. Cool. So you when you gave the hint that it made you grow across it made you grow up, which gave the hint that maybe there was some, some more wild years under the belt at that point. We don’t need to dive into but I’m interested what the catalyst was. That what sparked that interest to try CrossFit and then to fall in love with it, and to sort of make a lifestyle around it. Or to use it to create a lifestyle, maybe I’m really interested to know how that looked.
Jenn Ryan
Yeah. So interestingly enough, I tried CrossFit the same year 2009 that summer, I had actually just graduated from nursing school. So I was convinced by a couple of my friends to start CrossFit as well, just to give it a try. This is when I lived in South Carolina, and I had four and they had been asked me for a while and I thought, Oh, no, no, I don’t like that. And I had just been doing my, my regular like, spin classes, step class. You know, all the all the fun stuff, maybe a little dilly dallying in some, like weightlifting here in there. And so I tried it. And I loved it. It was a super hot, humid day in June in South Carolina. And of course, the gym doesn’t have air conditioning. It’s an open gym, right? Like most CrossFit gyms, just a couple of big fans. And I mean, you’re just drenched in sweat, your you know, you can’t breathe, and I loved it. So um, yeah. So I kept going back. Interestingly enough, there was about a two month span, where I stopped going in my first year. And I’m so glad I keep thinking back to like, oh, where would I be right now? Had I not gone back? I don’t even want to know where I would be right now, to be honest. But yeah, so I loved it. And I think it’s because I’ve always been a competitor at heart. I’ve loved sports I played. I mean, I was an athlete growing up, you know, I started playing soccer really young. And then in high school, I would literally just play a sport every season, just so I didn’t have to get a job after school. I’d be like, wow, like, I gotta go to practice. She’s like, even even like swimming, who cares, right. So I just did all these different things. And that’s the cool part is, I think CrossFit kind of kept kept me entertained, almost of you, there were so many different aspects to it. And it was like in high school where I could play all of these different sports. And maybe I wasn’t the best at any single thing. But I could, I had some strengths. And they showed up in some of the workouts that got program. And then of course, had some things that challenged me and frustrated me and made me keep going on the other one. So then I did a couple of CrossFit competitions, I did the open in 2011, when it started and competed on a regionals team. And that was it, I loved being out on that competition floor. It gave me It gave me a new reason, just to to identify as something like, some kind of path in life. And I think it was the path I was looking for, for so long. And I just didn’t have something like I needed a reason for something. And you know, before that, I feel like in my 20s my reason was always to, like, look good, and like, make people like me or be able to just, I don’t know, I don’t even know, right. So, um, there was a new meaning to why I was working out a new meaning to why I was being healthy. Why I was looking to eat the way I did. Yeah, it was kind of cool. And then as a nurse, you know, working, you know, people were really interested in it. They’re like, how can your kunstraum or, you know, there was just more to it. And I, I loved that. So yeah, identifying as, as an athlete and having a meaning behind why I was going to work out and a reason to, like get better, was just very addicting to me. Yeah. So, you know, and I think a lot of people do these, like these sports, whether it’s like a Spartan Race or anything to, to feel that, you know, yep. Yeah,
Mat Lock
that’s absolutely right. The and you mentioned I guess that that that’s, that’s where the drive comes from came from. And what does that actually look like in real terms for you, as you say, Your nurse, you have your own business, Lifeline performance, your coaching, so you’re working full time, right? I mean, you’re, you don’t get paid to do CrossFit.
Jenn Ryan
No, no, I don’t. I’m not one of those. No, I’m not one of those. So, um, Yeah, when I moved down here, so I was a full time nurse before moving out to San Diego, when I moved out here, December of 2012. I I coached cross the Pacific Beach. I did like 24 classes a week. And then I also would work shift or two on the weekends at the hospital. And then I transitioned more to a year later, I went year and a half later, I think it was I went to full time at the hospital. So and cut back on my my coaching classes. And basically, I shifted, so I literally shifted everything around my training. So I would work my three shifts. So I was able to schedule myself every Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. And I would do an 11am to an 11:30pm shift. So Sundays and Thursdays, of course, were my rest days, Wednesday, I would get up at 630 in the morning, go to the gym and get my training in, I’d come home at about 10 o’clock jump in the shower really fast. My food was all packed. I literally prep my food, I would eat this I had the same set meals for literally probably two years. I knew exactly what I was doing. Because I knew my schedule, and it was so tight and regimented. So yeah, so then I would go to work on Wednesday. And then, of course, work again Thursday. And so that’s that’s what I did. And it, it was a lot, it was a lot of commitment, right. And then even on Saturday nights when I would go out, you know, go meet friends, things like that, if I wasn’t coming home till like 930. And I didn’t have what I needed for my planned meals for Sunday, you better believe my boat wasn’t going into work without a plan, right? Because I needed to train again Monday and I needed to feel good. So I stopped at the store, got what I needed and made sure I could have what I needed for that Sunday. And I think I don’t know if it’s like that for everyone. But for me, that’s what it’s like it was 100% commitment. Like, that’s what I needed to do. And, and then I move forward to begin, I began nutrition coaching. So I opened I have my own business. So I started to shift again to more coaching more nutrition clients, and then cut back to part time as a nurse, but then I would do every Sunday and Thursday, kind of shifted more to a day shift schedule. And then even at that it was still very very regimented. Thursdays, I would get off work at 730 or eight o’clock, come home, take my dogs out and I’d go to a pool at a 24 Hour Fitness and I’d swim for 3035 minutes. Because if you’re going to go to the CrossFit Games on Team Invictus, you better be able to swim. So, you know, again, like, there is no maybe I’m in maybe I’m not in I’m 100% in right and so, again, I don’t know if that’s what everyone has to do. But I know for me to get to where I am. That’s what I had to do. And that’s what it looked like for me.
Mat Lock
But you don’t sound like you feel like you’ve sacrificed anything in doing so On the contrary,
Jenn Ryan
I don’t feel like I did. It’s the path that I’ve learned so much. I’ve grown as a person. I I honestly I need like structure for me is so important. It’s been very freeing, right? Like mentally, and to have that goal. I don’t feel like I’ve sacrificed a lot of things. Some people might think so I’m in my 20s let’s be honest, from the age of like, 19 to like 30 Believe me, if people think I’m missing out on partying. I bartended for like 10 years, I didn’t miss out on anything. I I will be fine for the rest of my life. If I if I don’t, I won’t worry about missing a party. So no, I don’t feel like from that age on I don’t feel like I miss things right. And I know a lot of people they they feel like maybe that happened but um, I I lived I lived it up and like my body is very happy. Of course I still put a lot of stress on it with CrossFit. But you know, I’m
Mat Lock
filming and sanding. Amazing. So hey, yeah, I’m enjoying it. So yeah, I guess when people if anyone wants to consider any sort of sacrifice on your behalf, let’s say that you have sacrifice I guess that would be lacking an understanding of the awesomeness that is brought to your life and the amazing experiences and how it fulfills you. And also I guess it depends on everyone’s got their own barometer. And societal norms come to play, don’t they? Well, and it’s just kind of, yeah, everyone’s got their own barometer. And we were talking before we sort of went on air, let’s say. And he said, You wish everyone on the planet could have that one time to experience hitting, hitting the main arena with the big lights and the spectators and the crowd and everything that goes around, whether it’s the games or an event like that. And just to get that experience, even just once, and I think then, the naysayers if there are any, would perhaps have a better appreciation, then. It’s not about sacrifice. On the contrary, you’ve enriched your life by Yeah, by doing what you’ve been doing, and continue to do. And, you know, kudos to you, I have to say, I can assure you, I mean, yes. 40 is the new 30. Yeah, that’s what we’re gonna go with.
Jenn Ryan
That’s what they keep telling me. I feel great. I, I, I didn’t even know when I turned, I turned 40 on New Year’s Eve this past year. And I was kind of like, I don’t I don’t even know what to think like, everyone I train with is literally, I don’t, there might be one person over the age of 30 that I train with. So I don’t even know I’m not even sure you know, I’m around really young people all the time. So I just kind of go with it.
Mat Lock
I don’t know. I’m a handful years away from 50. And honestly, I love particularly with running or swimming, that some of the guys and girls I train with, okay, most of them lift heavier weights than I do when we go for a run or swim. I score them every time. Yeah, I’ve refused to use age as any sort of excuse.
Jenn Ryan
Oh, well, even if I try to they don’t let me Believe me. I try. They don’t let me So then my ego jumps in. I’m like, all right. I’m gonna show you I’ll show you guys,
Mat Lock
the has to come out to play for the very good dungeon. I’m conscious of time. And we probably need to wrap it up. I know, we’re gonna talk again, I can’t wait to talk to you about the whole subject of nutrition. But for today, if anyone wants to reach out and connect with you on social media, or with your business Lifeline performance, how would they do that?
Jenn Ryan
Yeah, I am on Instagram, Jen, underscore underscore Ryan, please reach out I do I check my messages. If I don’t see it right away, I’ll I’ll keep coming back to it. You can see I’m on Facebook, Jen Ryan. And then Lifeline performance comm is my website. You can always get in touch with me there too, but completely fine. Reach out via Instagram is is really easy for most people these days. And I can always, you know, talk with you more.
Mat Lock
Absolutely love it. Thank you very much for that we’re gonna put the all of those links will be in the show notes so people can get to them. And with that said, thank you so much for your time and for sharing your journey so far. And I look forward to seeing you as the 2021 season what that looks like for you. But in the meantime, stay safe and well and thank you so much.
Jenn Ryan
Thank you. Thanks so much.
