My Story
Have you ever thought about your story? I had never really given much thought about my story until a few years ago. I was asked to share it and had to really think back about all the little chapters I went through. For everyone, it starts at the same place…
My Birth Day
I was born with asthma. No one knew on the day I came into the world, but it was discovered a few years later. And was only discovered after my parents all but threatened the hospital staff. You see, I was sick and in the hospital just about every six months until I was almost four. My parents didn’t know what was wrong but knew something was wrong. Just before they found out I had asthma, my mom said to the doctor “You can keep her until you figure out what’s wrong with her!” Nice, mom. But guess what… It worked!
Because I was sick all the time, I never really wanted to eat. To this day, I still eat like a bird. Back then, I had no appetite and was super skinny. You could almost say I looked skinny. I even remember a picture of me taken around age seven. We were on vacation on Cape Cod, playing in the pool and I was wearing a two-piece bathing suit. You could see my ribs. I was thin, pale, and scrawny. To say it was not good would be an understatement.
Then I found food…
Years later things started to change. My asthma improved and I learned about something people had been telling me about. Food! My appetite suddenly appeared and my parents let me try all sorts of foods. I would eat anything and everything. Except for canned beets. I started to love food! After church on Sunday, we would stop by a local restaurant and partake in their breakfast buffet. Today we joke that my sister and I put it the restaurant out of business because of how much we ate.
Thankfully, despite having this appetite, I was active. My parents registered me in soccer and I played all year long. If I wasn’t as active as I was, I probably would have gained weight a lot faster than I did. And even though my parents were happy that my appetite was here, because my sister and I were so active, dinners were quick. Pasta, fast food, microwaveable meals… If it was fast, easy, and cheap, we probably ate it. Oddly enough, I recall drinking lots of orange soda.
My story continued on into adulthood…
Looking back, my journey into adulthood felt quick. I was involved in sports through my sophomore year of high school. The next year is when things changed. I stopped playing soccer because I wanted things – a car, gas to drive that car, money to shop with friends, etc. So I quit and started working. I was a janitor, then a softball umpire, a cashier at a grocery store, and I worked in retail. These jobs kept me active, but it wasn’t the same.
My experience with food changed. Trust me when I say, I won’t forget those steak and cheese subs at 11:30pm at Umass Dartmouth! College was also my first taste of alcohol. It was every where and not good for my waistline. Being under five feet didn’t help either. At that time, though, I didn’t realize my body was changing.
After college, my level of activity continued to decline. I was working, but not “working out”. At age 28, I was almost diagnosed with cancer. My doctor found a mole, did a biopsy and when the initial test came back inconclusive, my mother freaked! I was young, about to get married and nervous. I just said “Let me have hair for my wedding”. Looking back, I laugh because that’s all I cared about – appearances. Thankfully, the c-word didn’t come to fruition, but other things did. My weight was high, my blood pressure was high and I was about to be put on medication for high cholesterol. Yet I still didn’t think something was wrong.
That’s when reality hit.
I had finally started to notice something was wrong when we were on a trip in Las Vegas. We went with friends, who are no longer friends, but one of them had just recently had a baby. She was already back to her pre-baby weight and that’s when I realized… I was going to be the “fat girl” at the pool. At least this is what I told myself. This negative self-talk is what kicked my own butt. In 90 days, I dropped two dress sizes and lost 15 pounds. I changed my eating habits, got myself moving and stopped the medications. In addition to looking better, I felt better. Fitness became my drug of choice. I ended up loosing another 10 pounds, learned what it felt like to be healthy. But more importantly, my mindset changed.
My Story Today
Over the years, my weight has fluctuated. But my mindset has never changed. I’ve put some weight back on but my confidence has grown. Today, I’m a much different person and understand that life is about going through peaks and valleys. It’s about what we do in the face of adversity. My work schedule is now my own as a business owner so I have the fluidity in my days to fit in healthy activities. And with each struggle, I’ve learned.
Each one of us has something to gift the world and I’ve learned my gift is helping others. Not only with seeing both sides of the coin, but also with helping others see the path it will take to get to the destination. Over the years, I’ve created a business that helps small businesses and even recorded a podcast. You can hear me talk about this story on Episode 1. But my story isn’t over yet.
I’ve been a fitness coach, a life coach and now I’m a virtual assistant that helps others streamline and organize their businesses, among other things. If you’re a business owner, I’d love to find out if I can help you. Schedule your Discovery Call with me and let’s see if we can move you, and your business, forward.
My mission is to empower individuals to launch their side hustle and transform it into a thriving, successful business.
I provide tailored packages for business owners in New England and across the U.S., offering administrative, marketing, and operations support designed to meet your unique needs.
Jenn Mullen holds degrees in Psychology and Business Management, as well as a certification in healthy and wellness coaching. She combines over a decade of corporate experience with more than five years of small business expertise, bringing a unique blend of skills and insight to her work. Beyond her expertise, she’s a high-energy, passionate individual with ADHD who thrives on staying organized, bringing laughter to every project, and finding joy in the work she loves.
