Episode 67: Visiting with Jacquelyn Monroe of Champaign, IL and her story, “I Dream of Jacquelyn.”

                                    SSPP ep 67 JACQUELYN MONROE “I DREAMED OF JACQUELYN” 

Kerry and Jenette check in with Jacquelyn Monroe, who shared her story on our virtual Story Sharing Showcase series in 2020. Jacquelyn shared how her journey to motherhood helped her face her life choices and set her on a path to healing.  


ANNOUNCER 00:00 Raising women's voices. One story at a time.
Welcome to The She Said Project Podcast.

[Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]

JENETTE & KERRY (ed. to Steven Morck) Right. Alright. Are we rolling? 

KERRY ROSSOW  00:29 Right, we are rolling
 
JENETTE JURCZYK 00:30 Are we rolling?
 
KERRY  00:31 We're rolling.
 
JENETTE  00:31 Alright, we are rolling on another episode of The She Said Project Podcast. This is Jenette Jurczyk. I'm in the Illinois Public Media studios with my dear friend, Kerry Rossow, [pause] yucking it up…
 
KERRY  00:42  Thank you!
 
JENETTE  00:43  …on The She Said Project Podcast
 
KERRY  00:45  Kerry Rossow here and Jenette often says "yakking it up" instead of "yucking it up" which goes from laughing to vomiting, so look at you!
 
JENETTE  00:53  But we've defined it now, so…

KERRY  00:54  Yeah
 
JENETTE  00:54  So I'm trying to find a
 
KERRY  00:56  Yeah we have boundaries.
 
JENETTE  00:56   Stay consistent. I learn, I learn from you every day.
 
KERRY  01:05  You’re welcome, you're welcome
 
JENETTE  01:10  I learn from you so much. I don't know that's a good thing. But we're trying, we're trying.
 
KERRY  01:11  We're always moving forward.
 
JENETTE  01:11  We're a work in progress. The women we get to meet with, you know, they're, they're in it. They're in the middle of stuff. Everyone's in something. Everyone's dealing with something.
 
KERRY  01:16  I'm telling you our guest today. I think that she is always evolving. We were talking about her building her brand and she I'm pretty sure she never says stuff like yakking it up or talk about vomit versus laugh but I am like so blown away by her.
 
JENETTE  01:29  She's one of the classiest ladies I know. This is for real. I've known Jacquelyn for a number of years. When we were when we were in the middle of that thing. Remember that thing a couple years ago where we couldn't…? 

KERRY The P word (ed. pandemic)

JENETTE   The P word. We couldn't, we couldn't be in the same room as other people. You know, The She Said Project was still a thing. And when we couldn't do a live That's What She Said show, we had to make a decision. And we decided to go virtual, which a lot of people were doing at the time, and took our show on Zoom, and did the series of Storytelling Showcases, which I loved because we were no longer constricted by geography. We didn't have to just have women in one community, we got to try out what we do in a virtual format and bring women from across the country together and have these kind of mixed casts, which was really fun.
 
KERRY  02:16  It was really great. Because my job is always to be the naysayer and say can't work. Don't… 

JENETTE  you're very good at this job. 

KERRY  But I thought ‘it's gonna lose its magic.’ We need to be together we need to be with other women. And what I quickly realized was all of that’s true, but there were so many women out there who were feeling isolated and lonely. And they didn't have their gal pals, to yukk it up with at the time. And so I felt like we added a little bit in the corner of that void of connection and shouting into the void to all of us who were stuck at home like ‘hey, we still have a way to connect.’
 
JENETTE  02:51  I love that. I remember vividly picking up the phone calling Jacquelyn to say hey, Jacquelyn, what are you doing for the next two weeks? Like do you want to spend some time you know, telling a story about your life experience? And I'm so grateful she said yes. And I'm even more grateful she's sitting right here… 

KERRY  In person! 

JENETTE  In person,,in the podcast studio. We didn't get to be in person for your performance. Now we get to be in person in the podcast studio. So welcome. 

JACQUELYN MONROE  Thank you 

JENETTE  Thank you for showing up and being here. How are you? How have you been?
 
JACQUELYN  03:22  I'm doing well. [delayed laugh]
 
KERRY  03:24  Okay, so wait, I want to back up. I want to I want to She's perfect. [laughter] She's like doing great. So I want to hear the whole thing like how this whole I wasn't kidding, like this brand like you're beautiful, motivated doing all the things person? Have you always been that person? Have you always been a go getter? How did you land here?
 
JACQUELYN  03:47  No, I don't think I've always been a go-getter. I think that kind of evolved over time, just different experiences. Let me take it back to childhood, like just reflecting on me as a person, body image, body size, things like that is what I struggled greatly with. And then from there, just kind of self-training going through different disorders mentally, externally, internally, kind of abusing myself, and then that just carrying over into adulthood. And then as I became a parent, then I had to shift and change my mindset someway, somehow. So I went back to school, got some more education and continued to just  grow in education and then grow within my family. I very quickly became a large family when a large I mean, what I think is pretty large. I think three kids is pretty large. 

JENETTE  You’ve got your hands full!

JACQUELYN  And so I went from one kid to to three kids and three and a half years. And so I had to actually care about myself and through learning how to care about myself and learning how to care about my kids because I was suffering from some conditions before getting pregnant. I had to fight through that and through parenting and myself and my education, then that kind of evolved into what I am today. And things kind of just got thrown in my lap and I just ran with it as like universal signs. Yeah, you know?
 
JENETTE  05:00  Yeah, you couldn't, you couldn't ignore it anymore. Yes, your statement caught my attention when you said, I had to take care of myself or had to learn how to take care of myself, when you meet a first time mom, or a mom with several little kids, rarely is the discovery, If ever, oh, by becoming a mom, I learned how to take care of me. I mean, I don't remember thinking anything like that you're so hyper focused on these humans that you have to keep alive and fed, dressed all that that's a unique perspective for you to discover,
 
KERRY  05:31  Oh, I had four in five years I was in a lactating coma. I was like, I don't even know my name right now, [laughing] I don't even know if you all are mine. But get in the van because we're rolling. But But I look back. And I remember like being very purposeful, of don't let this all slip by, like you need to be purposeful about who you are. Because they're watching. 

JACQUELYN  Yeah. 

KERRY  And get… Pull yourself together, get out of your pajamas. And then like, what do I want to do? What do I want to show them? What do I want to be? And it was really important to me, to show them I am, being your mom is a huge part of who I am. But part of that for me was showing you I do things outside of these four walls and contribute to the world. And it's all connected back to you. But it was hard. You're tired!
 
JACQUELYN  06:17  Absolutely.
 
JENETTE  06:18  And your discovery ties perfectly into the story that you shared in the story sharing showcase was a very distinct moment in time where you literally woke up and had to face what was coming. 

JACQUELYN  Absolutely. 

JENETTE  So let's take this opportunity to share the actual story so our listeners can join in and get to know Jacquelyn a little better. Jacquelyn appeared in our virtual story sharing showcase back in 2020. And we're so grateful because that was a hard time, but we kept the mission moving forward. So please enjoy this performance. Jacquelyn Monroe with her story, “I Dreamed of Jacquelyn.”
 ###
(originally shared on The She Said Storytelling Showcase # 2, September 25, 2020)
JACQUELYN MONROE  06:55  I was driving down the street and received a call that my babysitter had not arrived to pick up my child. I panicked. As we all know the late fee, which sometimes is as pricey as $1 per minute, is a bit steep on top of the childcare expense. At this time, I was living in Atlanta, Georgia. 
I parked my vehicle in the middle of rush hour traffic, got out and started running down the freeway. Passing cars, I ran with all my might to get to my baby. As I ran, the scenery started to change. First, I felt like I was running through the woods. Then the mountains appeared on either side of me. I ran down the beach, through rivers, sands, quicksand, and even on top of lava, rocks and ice. It was the most epic run of my life. 
Even the seasons changed as I ran. I felt the cool breeze of fall, the snow hitting my face in the winter. I ran through spring rain and the heat of the summer. Once I arrived at the daycare, I scooped up my child, hugged him and cried a million tears, rocking and holding him close. 
Then I woke up. 
This was the most vivid nightmarish dream I've ever recalled. I woke up in panic. At the time of this dream. I was five months pregnant with my first son. And I had a lot of stuff to figure out. I called my mom the next morning and told her about this horrible dream. I said, if this is what parenting is like, the feeling of panic with time rushing by you, I didn't want to do this. It was as if my life was flashing in front of my eyes. And it was scary. This was not the future I planned for myself. See, I never really wanted to be a parent. I never craved being a mother. I never worried about having someone care for me at an old age, bury me. And I never cared about leaving any sort of legacy on Earth. 
However, that morning, I woke up to the start of my new world, my new space, and my new beginnings. It was time to wake up and literally and figuratively figure out who I was going to be. 
That dream was preparing me for the adult version of myself. 
Jacquelyn Ranee Monroe, mother-to-be but why? 
During my adolescent life I had a lot of issues with food and how I felt about my outer appearance – from being bullied about the complexion of my skin to idolizing Jane Fonda, I never felt beautiful. During my teens, it only got worse. I was so painfully careful to keep myself looking a certain way. At my homecoming in 1998 I received a formal photo from the event and I didn't recognize the girl in the picture. I actually handed the envelope back, because I thought they gave me the wrong person's picture. I had actually weighed more than I realized. And that girl looking back at me, was everything I didn't want to be. When he handed it back to me and said, No, that is you. I walked away embarrassed and ashamed. I went on a weight loss journey the unhealthy way. I began to hate myself. Though I was never formally diagnosed, I believe I had body dysmorphic disorder, which led to me becoming an over compulsive exerciser. I would run at midnight, and even 1am in the morning. As I was running around the town, I started eating less food, which made me become physically weak. After healing from that failed attempt, I became a binge eater. Binge Eating led to bulimia and bulimia resulted in it and an even more severe condition called PICA. I had a very unhealthy relationship with food and with my body. I even joined the military with these conditions because I hid it well. Well, I thought I did. I never admitted it. But my family started catching on. Fast forward to 2008 Exactly 10 years of struggling with multiple eating disorders. I found out I was pregnant. Suddenly, I had no choice but to face my own illness, or risk the life of my unborn son. By choosing him. I saved myself. 
When I said no to becoming a mom. God said yes, times three. And today, I'm a successful single mother of three. Thankfully, after all the physical damage I had done to my body, I had three easy and successful pregnancies. Through these pregnancies, I discovered myself and healed through my education. I studied my own struggles and earned a Masters of Science and Nutrition and Dietetics with specific focus on nutrition, education, and wellness. If I had not had that dream and realized that I had to face my new reality, I don't know where I would be right now. 
I maintain a healthy weight. I teach group fitness, consult personal trainer and part-time faculty and the natural science department at Parkland College. My weaknesses, and my deepest struggle has became my livelihood and the foundation for our household. I revel in teaching my sons about healthy living and positive choices. Now I know who I was really running to in that dream. So many years ago, I was dreaming up Jacquelyn Ranee Monroe.
 

###

JENETTE  13:31  As a mom, can we all relate to that? That fear or panic, the panic of who's got my kid they didn't show up, like the visual of you parking your car in the middle of traffic and running. It took me a while to remember that was a dream.
 
KERRY  13:46  The late fee fear is real. I am at Montessori School of Champaign Urbana. So now I'm on the other end of it. I have felt that fear where it feels like you're running through downtown Atlanta I have and now I see it and other people and I'm like, woah, woah, woah, woah, it's all good. It's all good. You still gonna get late fee? Your child it's okay. We all have grace for each other. Every time I hear that I'm even though I know I'm like, Yep, it's a dream. It's a dream. It's a dream. I'm still Oh, that late fee business. Yes.
 
JENETTE  14:14  The dream was your wake up call. Right? Like, haha, I did that on purpose. Right? See what I did there. But you say that you called it out. You said you woke up and had to decide who you wanted to be? Like, here comes motherhood. And what were these issues that you had dealt with?
 
JACQUELYN  14:34  Leading up to that moment I had eating disorders and conditions to where I had suffered probably from about junior year in high school, up to the age of 27, because that's when I had my first kid and so many many, many years from about 17 to 27. I believe that's about 10 years of suffering from eating conditions like bulimia and anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder. I even experienced episodes with PICA,
 
JENETTE  14:59  Which you shared In the story, and we didn't get into detail, but I remember talking through it with you, and you educated me like I like I'd love to share it listeners, it's such a unique condition. And a lot of people don't know what it is. So please, share.
 
JACQUELYN  15:11  it's when the body so depleted and nutrients and so depleted in everything that it needs to survive and to thrive, you start to crave foods that are not foods, you start to be hungry, and you I'm not sure, if it's like a mental manipulation, but I believe that it is that things that are nonfood sources become appetizing to you. So in my condition, in my case, I would most crave toilet paper, like fresh toilet paper not used toilet paper [Kerry laughs].

KERRY  Let’s be clear

JACQUELYN  Not to use but fresh toilet paper, because I've always had an eating issue. I've never liked flavor. I've never liked seasonings; I've never liked a blend of foods. I'm very plain and very bland. And that's what toilet paper did for me. It was plain and bland and dry. And just there was no consistency of it. It wasn't squishy.
 
JENETTE  16:00  Consume it was sit down and nibble on a square.
 
JACQUELYN  16:04  Yeah. And then we get me full, and I would be totally fine. And I was happy because I was no longer hungry. And I actually felt like I ate something. And I knew that it didn't have any calories because I couldn't even digest it. Right. So it was a scary moment. You know, it was it was scary. And I was fine for 10 years of not even thinking that it was a problem until I became pregnant with my first child.
 
JENETTE  16:29  Did not think it was a problem until… until now there was someone else in the picture. Absolutely. Did friends no did your family know?
 
JACQUELYN  16:38   Um, my family knew. But, you know, I think back then, like, we really didn't think about counseling and things like that. And when you're when you're younger, and you're, you're supposed to eat a particular food. So like, for instance, I talked to my parents about this today, you know, and I said, I've always had a food issue, they've know it, they talk about it, too, we very freely openly talk about my food issues as a child, and we laugh about it, but they didn't really understand because, you know, we just eat the food that served on the plate. But I remember being a really young girl and you know gagging at the at the table or gagging at the plate or having this reflux at the plate and my dad will be like, you know, when she was younger, Jacquelyn would be at the table just like [gagging, gurgling sounds ] you know just making these regurgitate it
 
JENETTE  17:18  You made yourself. So sick that you couldn’t…
 
JACQUELYN  17:19  When we talk about it now, we talk about the fact that it was an issue long time ago, we don't talk about the issue that I faced between that 10 year bracket. I think it's a really touchy subject for everyone. My older sister used to get super mad about it. But everybody else is kind of blindsided and kind of like, out of sight out of mind, until something was like found in the restroom or found in my room. And then I had to figure out some way to cover up what that is and is what it is. And it isn't when it isn't one of those type of things. But I think that everyone basically kind of knew about it. There were other things that I craved too besides toilet paper, but toilet paper was the main thing that I craved. But there were other different types of things like that were very dry, I'll give you an example like chalk, dust. Like if you, you know how you don't dust for a while, you'll see like a little bit of dust on the toilet, on the television or something, I would pick it up and just let it roll on my, on my tongue. And it was it wasn't like I was just like, like a little mouse, eating toilet paper. It was like just a little roll. And it had to be like a thin sheet. Everything had to be thin. And it had to be flat, and it had to be able to roll on my tongue. So it's a really different experience. And then toilet paper is expensive, like it was back then. So just imagine like, where's all the toilet paper going? Like, I don’t know [Jacquelyn laughs].
 
JENETTE  18:43  But the way you're describing it, I know in the clinical world, people with severe eating disorders, there is that there's a very ritualistic, very routine, very specific habit that they have to do to satisfy. And you're right. It's absolutely mental. It's not just hunger, and this view of who you are and what you look like. I'm sitting here in awe, listening to you talk so comfortably and casually, about something very, very severe. And what that says to me is you're in a different place now. In your story, you talked about going back to school and finding a professional career that is now based in what you called your weakness. 

JACQUELYN  Yes 

JENETTE  So tell us where you are today in your career.
 
JACQUELYN  19:27  You know, I'm open about it now, because of your show, because of the She Said show. That's why I'm so open and I'm so free and so expressive. During my undergrad I was the social marketing chair in the Student Dietetic Association because that's what I studied nutrition and dietetics for both my bachelor's and my master's degree. So I used to be the person that filtered our social media pages, submitted articles for our newsletters and things like that. I submitted a fairly brief synopsis during that time. One of my professors was in awe, she loved it. Absolutely. But it was this show it was this show that was like okay, take this deep dive, take this big breath, you're gonna ready to tell the world everything. So thank you for breaking those barriers in those doors for me. And then with me having this experience with fitness because I've always been in personal training. Now I'm currently doing group fitness and doing small group trainings and things like that and building this brand. But it allows for me to connect with multiple audiences, not just people that are facing food conditions, because they're underweight, but also because they're overweight, or also because they're just maintaining their weight. And they don't want to maintain it. Because some people do want to gain, some people want to lose. So, it definitely allows me to, for me to say I've been there, I know what it feels like to have some type of disconnect with what you see in the mirror, or what you feel in your heart, or what you think in your mind. And so that's what allows for me to be able to be who I am today and to be able to build this brand throughout the world. 
 
KERRY  20:49  And I think it’s especially important because we have all these stereotypes of, you know, comparing our insides to other people's outsides. And like I said, at the top of the show, on the outside, it's like, Oh, my goodness, you know, this person is perfect. She can't possibly struggle with anything, you know, everything is rolling for her. It's really important to remember that we all… everybody is struggling and not to be down on yourself because somebody else seems so fabulous and perfect. And not to be afraid. And I think when you appear outwardly to be so amazing, saying it's both: I am all these amazing things and I struggle. I think that is a huge thing for people, especially women to not feel like I'm one or the other. I'm either a complete shit show, or I'm awesome and have no problems. Like that's not the reality that we want to portray to girls or anyone. 

JACQUELYN  Absolutely. 

KERRY I think we need to like say thank you to you. I think that was so huge [Jacquelyn chuckles softly].
 
JENETTE  21:44 We need to step it up. Yeah. But but that's what The She Said Project is meant to be. It's to open doors for conversations. It's to learn from each other's experiences. And Kerry u said that we're not alone. We're not in it alone. Other people have been through this are still going through this. You don't have to have it all together. It's, it's not before or after it's during, oh, I'm gonna use that. We're in it. We're always in. It's always right. We're always evolving and growing. But thank you for what you said about this experience. I don't think I realized how significant was I knew that you hadn't spoken a ton openly. I knew we weren't going super deep into the health issues. But I've just been such an admirer of yours in who you are today that there is power in that reflection of where it came from. And you've got three healthy boys. How old are they now?
 
JACQUELYN  22:32  They are 11, will be 12 in December, and 13 and 14, turning 14 and 15, on August 4
 
JENETTE  22:39  Their birthdays are the same day?
 
JACQUELYN  22:4  Same day. Yes. 
 
JENETTE  22:41  How does that happen? That's amazing. I mean, you've got your hands full. Yes. And they live a healthy lifestyle. I know you bring your nutrition and fitness into the home. Like that's part of your everyday now.
 
JACQUELYN  22:52  Absolutely. So I had to sneak things in my kids food. So I would put the chia seeds in first and then I would put the cereal on top. And then I would pour milk in and all they would do is see like cereal and milk. And really they're eating like chia seeds and sesame seeds and things like that. Not that I was always trying to control their weight, but I definitely wanted to teach my children about food and nutrition and dietetics. I used to also pour cereal in containers and have the measuring cups, so if it said three fourths cup, I got a three fourths cup measuring cup to be able to teach them at a very early age of serving sizes on top of sneaking things into their foods.
 
JENETTE  23:24  Okay, how smart is that? When is the cookbook coming out? The ‘Jacquelyn Hides the Chia Seeds and the Broccoli in Your Brownies’ cookbook, right?  So this morning, my husband and my daughter made pancakes and I was coming down the stairs and I started making scrambled eggs and my daughter got mad at me. She said ‘Mommy, I made you breakfast.’ I said sweetie, that's wonderful. They look delicious. Mommy wants some protein. And she went and pulled the protein powder container and walked it over to me and said, ‘Mommy, we used one scoop of this.’ 

JACQUELYN  Oh my Goodness. 

JENETTE  And when we do we have we have chocolate and strawberry and vanilla. And so she made chocolate pancakes, cocoa pancakes, and she pulled the bottle over and we were reading the label and I had her calculate how much protein was in a serving, How coincidental this conversation is. I mean, we do try to sneak some good things into our kids food. Sure. But I loved that she knew, you know, when I said I wanted some protein in my breakfast, she was ready to defend her pancakes. And so I was really, really proud of her. Excellent.
 
KERRY  24:23  I love it. We had a pediatrician one time and I said, you know, I just want to be really chill about it. I don't want my talk about all this stuff to be like, Hey, how to give your kid an eating disorder. I didn't want to be that person. But I also wanted to be really aware of what they're having. And she said, Well, anybody who thinks what you consume doesn't really impact you – throw back a couple of shots of tequila and see how that works is the same with food. You put it in your body and it impacts you your behavior, how you feel, how you look like all of those things. And so I always I always think about tequila. [laughter] But it's true. Yeah, like whenever you're like, Oh, this is no big deal it it might not be a big deal. but it does have an impact. Yes, absolutely.
 
JENETTE  25:02  That's an excellent way to think about it. Right? 

KERRY  Tequila. 

JENETTE  That's it. We're gonna think about tequila [laughing] every day. But you're right, put something like that in your mouth and it doesn't take much – you feel it. But do you ever equate the same response to, you know, whatever cheeseburger you're eating? Probably not…
 
KERRY  25:19  Why did you look at me when you said that? Why did you look at me when you said that, Jenette? It does have an impact, not just on how we feel. But our long term health, like, oh, you know what, I'm just gonna have just this one now. But like, after having Oh, just this one now. It's just like the tequila thing. You might be like, Oh, I'm just gonna have one tequila, and then like two tequila, three tequila… floor. You know, and then you're like it does impact… you have to be purposeful about everything that you put in your body. 
 
JACQUELYN  25:44  And one thing for sure about nutrition and how it impacts your life is that things happen to us later in life, you know, like adult onset medical conditions, things that we've done to our bodies 10,15, 20 years prior. We don't remember that time, or we don't even think to put those two together. We think about it in that moment. And think that it just happened to us yesterday. But really, it's not that as you know, seven years ago, 14 years ago that you have to think about what you're doing today for a better tomorrow
 
JENETTE  26:09 Or the intake every single day of just a little just a little just a little what kind of damage is that? Doing over over time? 

JACQUELYN  Yeah. Over years...

JENETTE  And why? Why do we have to wait until we’re this glorious age to figure it all out?
 
KERRY  26:22  This is just my own opinion. But I think because when I'm 25 I looked good. So I'm like that burger. Like I ate it. But I didn't see an immediate Oh, no, I had that burger and my ass grew by 10 sizes but now, like, I
 
JENETTE  26:37  mean, it looks good. I
 
KERRY  26:38  mean, yeah, we did. We don't see the immediate gratification. Yeah. That's just our human brains justifying and helping us along. But you know, better you do better.  I'm 51 and I probably eat healthier now. And weigh probably 30 pounds more than I did when I was eating burgers and all the things. But I'm like, Well, I feel good. 
 
JENETTE  27:01  Now you have to take care of yourself and eat to feel good. Eat to live, yes?
 
JACQUELYN  27:04  Not everything can be consumed in moderation. You know,
 
JENETTE  27:08  Especially toilet paper. In moderation.
 
JACQUELYN  27:12  Yeah, it's absolutely. 
 
JENETTE  27:13  Oh my goodness. So Jacqueline, where can people find you today? What is the work you're doing right now
 
JACQUELYN  27:18  I work as a part time faculty at Parkland College, I teach biology on the fundamentals of nutrition, I spent a lot of my time there, being able to speak with the upcoming professionals is a really big deal to me to be able to educate them and to be able to speak to that audience. Because in general, when you think about fitness, or personal training, those aren't things that that audience can even afford or even entertain. So I get that avenue there. I also do some work through DREAM, the nonprofit and then I am currently branding myself called Jacquelyn Speaks and SPEAKS it's the actual brand that I use to showcase wellness, nutrition, personal training, group fitness, 

JENETTE  All of that in 60 minutes, 

JACQUELYN  All of that in 60 minutes and everyone's prescription is different.
 
JENNETTE  27:56  And that's your formula. And that's your brand and that's what you bring to the people. Yeah, and I mean just looking at you, you just glow you glow. So obviously you practice what you preach. And you are the model of health and wellness and fitness and motherhood. 

JACQUELYN  Thank you. 

JENETTE  I'm just I'm gonna give you all of that credit. And Kerry you may or may not know this, but we've had Jacquelyn come and meet with our teen participants. And That's What Teens Say and teach some some physical fitness and nutrition and it was awesome.
 
KERRY  28:22  It just makes me so happy to know like you're out there doing these things. Thank you.
 
JENETTE  28:26  She should come to the Montessori Yes. Oh, workshop. Yes. You bring in guest speakers?
 
KERRY  28:31  Yes, we do. But I was also thinking about my girls. All my kids were athletes, but it's a great thing for all girls to build something that is going to last your lifetime. I think that that would be amazing.
 
JENETTE  28:41 Jacquelyn Ranee Monroe. Fitness for a lifetime. I love it. Well,
 
KERRY  28:46  Nobody has ever said that about me.
 
JENETTE  28:49  Kerry Rossow: 4 shots of tequila.
 
KERRY  28:53  That's gonna be my takeaway. I never had four shots of tequila, by the way. 

JACQUELYN  Oh my goodness. 

KERRY  I’m just a big talker.
 
JENETTE  28:59 You are and that's why we love you. Well, Jacquelyn, thank you so much for coming to play with us on the podcast today. It is so lovely to see you in person and catch up you know the stories that we share in the show they live on because we have technology but we have the podcast and we have our awesome partner in Illinois Public Media and we have awesome sponsors who make this possible Sterling Wealth Management,  Carle Health and Health Alliance but we can't do what we do without women like you who say yes so thank you for showing up and for speaking out.
 
JACQUELYN  29:30  You're very welcome. 
 
JENETTE  29:33  It’s nice, it speaks to you.
 
KERRY  29:35  So somebody's got to cut us off this is just gonna go on…
 
JACQUELYN  29:39  Over and out


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[Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]

ANNOUNCER 29:44 Thank you for listening to The She Said Project Podcast in partnership with Illinois Public Media. All materials contained in the podcast for the exclusive property of The She Said Project and That’s What She Said, LLC. For more information on our live shows go to [url=https://shesaidproject.com]https://shesaidproject.com[/url]
 
This podcast was made possible with support from Carle and Health Alliance and presented by Sterling Wealth Management, empowering women to live their best lives.