Today’s episode is an interview with Jeni DelPozo, a Glo teacher who started her journey into fitness at a young age with a passion for dance. Jeni’s Glo classes focus on strength training, cardio, mat Pilates, and HIIT. She discusses how she navigates burnout and her techniques for connecting with her online students.
Jeni DelPozo realized that she had a passion for dance at an early age, and has transformed that passion into a love of all things fitness. Jeni’s Glo classes focus on strength training, cardio, mat Pilates, and HIIT.
Jeni describes herself as “slightly obsessed with fitness,” and says that she loves strength training, boxing, cycling, and yoga. She finds connections amid all of these forms of training and fitness because of her deep roots in Pilates. “Pilates is the base to all of my training. No matter what workout I’m doing, Pilates is the foundation for my body to take it on,” Jeni says.
In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing the cognitive benefits of dance. Jeni will also be sharing some candid insights into her experiences with burnout and how she manages it. We’ll touch on how reading books unrelated to fitness provides an escape and a sense of balance.
(0:00:00) - Jeni DelPozo chronicles her career path from dancing to fashion, then to fitness and wellness, touching on her strategies to avoid burnout and engage her online students.
(0:12:02) - She stresses the significance of comprehending the business aspect of fitness, using her fashion industry knowledge, and advocates for integrating physical and mental exercises.
(0:16:55) - Derik and Jeni discuss how Jeni's collaboration with Glo has simplified her workout concepts, along with the benefits of her Pilates background in offering effective workout strategies to clients.
(0:28:54) - She addresses burnout and self-criticism in fitness careers, offering her methods for self-reconnection and understanding the motives behind workouts.
(0:35:28) - Jeni reveals her recent interest in reading fiction for leisure and her passion for running, alongside her plans to get a lifting certification.
COLD OPEN
00:00 - Jeni DelPozo
I think the great thing about fitness is, as a career for me, the endless education that there is. There's always something new to learn. It's not like great, you're done, you've learned everything, there's no more to teach you right? There's always new science coming out. There's always new methods coming out. There's always something to go back and be like oh my gosh, like should I rethink the way I used to teach?
MUSIC IN
INTRODUCTION
00:28 - Derik Mills
Hi, I'm Derik Mills. Welcome to the GLO podcast. My guest today is Jeni DelPozo, a GLO teacher who started her journey into fitness at a young age, fueled by her love for dance. Her classes focus on strength training, cardio, mat pilates, bar stability, stretching and high-intensity interval training. I took her recent hip mobility class on GLO as I prepared for a discussion. Jeni shares how she navigates burnout and her techniques for connecting with her online students. We'll also touch on the ways that dance stimulates the mind. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or just looking for a dose of inspiration, you're in for a treat when you listen to Jeni. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jeni DelPozo.
BEGIN INTERVIEW
Derik Mills
Hi, Jeni, I'm so excited to be here with you today. Thank you.
01:24 - Jeni DelPozo
Same. Thanks, Derik.
01:26 - Derik Mills
You know I was a bit short on time this morning and I wanted to take one of your longer classes, but I was really happy to see that one of your recent classes was a 15-minute hip mobility class and I wanted to note that I really appreciate how you shared your experience along the way, like how at one point your hip cramped at the same moment that mine did. I love that and that you felt comfortable to do so. That means a lot to me.
02:01 - Jeni DelPozo
Oh my gosh. Well, that one like yeah, that's one that I'm going to definitely keep going back to as well, because I mean hip mobility, I think, is something that I focus a lot on for myself because I know I need it. But then I think, with filming for so long and, you know, doing so many workouts on camera, I think one of the best things I've ever learned is like, if you're going through it, they probably are so like they are too. So it's okay to say like, oh my gosh, this is really tough. Or like, oh, that's a cramp, that's really happening, and not have to like just smile through it and act like there's no pain happening whatsoever. Not bad pain, but you know what I mean. Like it's something that I've learned along the way of like you don't have to look perfect when you're doing a workout with somebody. So I'm glad we cramped at the same time.
02:50 - Derik Mills
And it's so important because you can sometimes tell when the instructor is having an issue and they're not. They're kind of just like gritting their teeth and pushing through it and and yeah, I always feel a little badly about that not on glow, obviously, but you know elsewhere out there in the world. Yes, and so, yeah, I just wanted to note that and that really helps create, as we've heard over the years, this connection between student and teacher and a greater sense of accessibility, and so I wanted to thank you for that.
03:24 - Jeni DelPozo
Oh, thank you for telling me about that, I appreciate it.
03:28 - Derik Mills
And one note on the class that I wanted to ask you about the one exercise lying down where the knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. I really enjoyed it, and I plan on adding it to my routine going forward. I noticed that my left leg wasn't rotating out as far as the other, and so that really motivated me to explore why that is and to work on that, and so I wanted to move or exercise have a name.
03:59 - Jeni DelPozo
I'm trying to think of exactly which one you're thinking of. So you're lying on your back legs are at like a tabletop position.
04:05 - Derik Mills
Exactly.
04:06 - Jeni DelPozo
And there was a just internal and external rotation right.
04:09 - Derik Mills
And yeah, you pivot at the knee.
04:11 - Jeni DelPozo
Yes, I don't know if there's. There probably is like a name that somebody's given it along the way. Sure, but it's such good work to and just to like a real easy way for you to tell if one hip doesn't want to move as much as the other.
04:26 - Derik Mills
Mm-hmm.
04:27 - Jeni DelPozo
Yes, and if there's, I'm sure there's a name. Someone's given it a name out there. I'm always just like such a teacher of like, okay, we're supine legs, are at tabletop position and then we're doing internal, external rotation, so like, sometimes. That's as far as I'll go with the name for it, but I'm sure there's a name out there for it for sure.
04:46 - Derik Mills
Yeah, most likely. All right, let's switch to your background, if that's okay with you. Yeah, I'm really curious about the whole full circle arc for you in dancing competitively and professionally for 18 plus years and majoring in fashion and your experience in the apparel industry, and then full circle back to your roots, to health and wellness and fitness, and it just sounds like an inspiring journey, so I'd love to hear about it.
05:12 - Jeni DelPozo
Yeah, yeah it was. It was a long journey but I really appreciate every aspect of it because I feel like I use so many pieces from all different parts of that journey for sure. I grew up dancing, so I've been dancing since fifth grade. I saw who was like turned out to be my best friend but didn't know her at all, and it was a play at school or something or like some type of showcase, and I was like, oh, I want to do what she does. So I asked her for her parents number and then I made my mom call her mom and then I started dancing. So then started doing that and dance competitively until I was 18 years old and from there went to.
05:59
I went to community college first because I wasn't sure where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do, and I started dancing in community college. But I knew that that's not what I wanted to get necessarily like by college degree in or anything. And I was always interested in apparel and fashion and it's so funny because I like reached out to fit them. So I went to fashion school, the fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA, and I reached out to fit them and like booked an appointment with their counselor, didn't even tell my parents, and just like drove myself to a meeting with them and then came home and I was like, where were you? I was like, oh, I was at like a college tour. And she's like, what? Like you didn't tell us and I was like, no, but I have this whole project, I want to sign up for the program that I signed up for. And they're like okay, we should probably go with you to this next piece of this, and it was just so funny. But I ended up going to fit them for two majors there. I did like merchandise and manufacturing and then I did international manufacturing and product development, which was like this very intensive program with nine students, which was really cool. And then I ended up working for PACSun, pacific Sunwear, for four years doing product development for them.
07:21
I loved it. I loved because it was like my first time struggling in a career, like any job that I did before. I was like, all right, I got it, let's go. And I was really great. Right, it was fun to be that person too.
07:36
But then, with this, like being a full blown career that I was in, starting at the very bottom, learning so much, and like having parts where I was like I am struggling, I don't get this, how do I get through this? It's really actually great for me to have those moments. I met incredible people along that journey that are still my friends to this day. Most of the people that are my friends today are from that job, and it was great. I loved it. But then I felt like something was still really missing in my life and I kind of had those moments of like, oh my gosh, I drive. It was a very far drive because I was still living in Redondo Beach. It was in Anaheim, so I did this far drive every single day. I would drive all the way to work and then I would just drive home, have dinner, go to bed and do that every single day. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm not doing anything else aside from this.
08:33 - Derik Mills
That's a lot of time on the 405.
08:36 - Jeni DelPozo
It's so much time on the 405. It was a lot, oh my gosh, you know it. We didn't have podcasts back then. We listened to whatever CD I put in the car for the time being. And so I then made the change of like, all right, I'm going to go from work, drive all the way to Hollywood and take dance class and then I'll drive all the way home to Redondo Beach, and I'd get home at like 10.30 at night. But my cup was finally full again. I was like, oh my gosh, I need to be doing this. It was so helpful to do that.
09:15
And then at some point with that, with my career at Paxson and then loving dance again, I was like, how do I make this dance part of it, though more of my life again, because it was just making me so much happier, even though I loved everyone I worked with and I did love the challenge. I was like, okay, I love this challenge, but I feel like, do I see myself going here for the rest of my life, or is this what I want to do? So I made like a big decision. Oh my gosh, it was so funny. I made my parents come and watch me dance. I was like come watch me take dance class again. And they're like, okay, I'm like because I love it so much, and then make them go. And after class my mom was like you should probably stick with the job that you have now. And I was like no way.
10:01
And she was like I mean, and listen, my parents were so crazy supported, but they're like you worked so hard to get this job and like you're in the career that you're supposed to be in and like now you want to go back to dance from. You know high school days. So I totally understand. But like they came around, I was like nope, this is definitely what I'm supposed to be doing. And so I gave like my job like four weeks notice because I wasn't. I was like I'm not going anywhere else, I just know this isn't what I is, my end, all goal. And they're like okay, and then started dancing.
10:34
I knew the other path lit you up and yes, like I knew, I was like, oh my gosh, this is what I'm supposed to be doing. And then I left like sobbed my last day, like talk to my SVP and he's like you can go back anytime you want, okay, and just like wiping white tears I was like the sweetest day, but I, oh my gosh, but it's so, like it's funny because again, I still talk and I'm still so close with so many of those people, so like it's amazing that I have those friends and made those connections. And that's where I'm always, like I knew that happened for me. For a reason I know that was part of my path. For a reason Cause I'm like I also have this business mindset that I don't think I'd have this day like today if I didn't have that career and, you know, have the politics of an office and things like that, you know, which is great to know.
11:29 - Derik Mills
It's so helpful to know and I was going to ask you what, having come from, that helped. How did it inform, like how you navigate your current world?
11:39 - Jeni DelPozo
I think it's made me like always want to understand like the business side of things still, and not just be a teacher or just be a dancer or just be a designer.
11:51
Right, Like even when I went to fashion school they're like what kind of where do you see yourself? I'm like I love design, but I want to understand the business aspect of it. I want to stand costs, logistics, all of that. So like that's where I think it helps me with where I'm at with my career now, because I don't want to just teach and not think of anything else that's going on with the behind the scenes, the back end things. Like I love to understand that world too. So I think it just makes me a well rounded instructor in that sense of like I understand that there's timelines for things and everything like that, and sometimes I don't respond to an email as fast as I could and I'm still working on that to this day, but I do understand that there's a lot of people and a lot of moving pieces and parts and it's not just me and my schedule. So I do think it's helpful for where I've come now.
12:43 - Derik Mills
Derik Mills(11:38):
Yeah. Well, we all have the occasional experience of not responding in time, but I always appreciate that so much in teachers when they bring with them that past experience or parallel experience of appreciating what it takes for a team to operate together in a way that's functional and then to merge into that a little bit more seamlessly.
13:11 - Jeni DelPozo
Yes, yeah, I think it's helpful, I think it's. I'm sure you can tell you know, like, and it's okay to have teachers who don't want to know anything of that back end.
13:21 - Derik Mills
Absolutely but.
13:22 - Jeni DelPozo
I'm like tell me everything.
13:24 - Derik Mills
Right. It just may require a little bit more patience and curiosity and and. I'll leave it at that.
13:30 - Jeni DelPozo
Yeah, I do love that. Yeah, exactly, but it's yeah. So then I started dancing more outs when I left PacSun, and then I was like, okay, I don't think this is going to be my career path. Like I don't think this is going to be what makes me money. This is what I do love to do, though, and what's something that's similar to it. And I was talking to a friend and she's like you should look into Pilates. And I was like okay.
13:54
And then I thought that Pilates would be just something that I would have in my back pocket as a certification and be like okay, cool, if I ever need to use this, then I'll use it. And when I was going through my certification, I like fell in love with it. I was like everything made sense, every single exercise. I was like yep, got it, tell me the next one, I'm ready. Like I just loved every single aspect of it. So that's when I knew that that was going to be where I went with my career and I was like let's go. I'm like, I'm ready.
14:24
And when I finished my certification like I did it for Equinox and they're like where do you want to work? I was like I want to work at this location because it's brand new and it was, like you know, new Year's Day, like a normal gym, but like in the middle of April, and everyone was so excited to try out the new club and it made my life a little easier. But I knew that, going into it probably a little bit with my business background of, like what, how does that ever happen? Like you don't get to just join a brand new club where everyone's so excited about every aspect of the entire company and building and everything, so I got to teach Pilates to so many people right off the bat, which really helped me as well.
15:05 - Derik Mills
Yeah, what a cool experience. And then one more point I wanted to make on the dancing side of things that we're finding now that dance, as this combination of physical and engaging cognitive faculties, is really good for longevity, like healthy aging, and so I'm a little envious that you have that in your back pocket.
15:32 - Jeni DelPozo
Listen, you can take a dance class too, but it's.
15:35 - Derik Mills
that's what that is never too late to start, no, it's not.
15:39 - Jeni DelPozo
It's so funny that you say that, cause I have like recognized when I've taken dance classes, when I've been really consistent with my dancing, I can pick up a routine just like that. I'm like all right, go next. Eight count, let's go. But if it's time off it is so much tougher for me to pick up the choreography and it's just because my brain hasn't been working like that. Oh yeah, so I think that's a big thing, that's you're right. Like it's just that cognitive piece and like you're using your brain so much in that sense where dance can be super helpful, I think, at any level, like starting out too, like you're just gonna, you're making your brain really work.
16:20 - Derik Mills
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Well, do you mind if we switch gears and go into some of the questions that our team put together?
16:27 - Jeni DelPozo
Absolutely yeah.
16:28 - Derik Mills
Okay. So in our team you've probably experienced this they have so much value the time that they get to spend with you behind the scenes from end to end, onboarding with you, creating the relationship, prepping for classes and so on, and so I asked them all what questions they thought our GLO members might want me to ask you, and so Hope we won't get to all of them, but we'll get to a few of them here.
16:55 - Jeni DelPozo
Yeah.
16:55 - Derik Mills
So the first one is what is it like behind the scenes working with Team Glow?
17:00 - Jeni DelPozo
Working with Team Glow is a very supportive, hand-holding team in the best way possible, where, like I remember, like my first meeting with everybody, like I got to come into the office when we had the office in Santa Monica and sit down with the whole deck, and it was just like, so well prepared and well like, in the same sense, like, but what else do you want to be like? What can we give you to make the best classes for Glow? So there's a lot of great hand-holding and then also like, just a lot of space to be like. What do you want to do, though? And I think my favorite piece like it's my favorite piece because it makes me actually really super creative and a lot of companies don't do this and it's I don't know. Maybe you don't want me to give this away, so, but like no, it's actually what I love about our process yes, and so yeah, please go for it.
18:00
It's the working with the team and the team that I work with, like they'll send me a like 30 minute back to basics bar, so it's just the title of the workout and then I get to do whatever else I want with that space and it's the perfect amount of not like oh yeah, go do whatever you want, because I wouldn't be able, I'd be like I don't know what to do, like I have no idea right now, but like having just that tiny.
18:28
yes, having that tiny roadmap is the most helpful and it's really like my favorite way to create and, honestly, glow's the only company that does that. Yeah, and I know it's really helpful to get the analytics and the numbers and things like that too. And a lot of the times I think sometimes companies will see the analytics and be like great, so we need something just like this. But you know, the next version of it and that's really hard to do. Sometimes to you were like I don't know what that. I don't know why we can't just keep doing the same workout again and again. Then you know what I'm in and I understand that there needs to be something there. So Glow's done a really great job of here's my analytics, here's this and there's a great title that we would love for you to be able to create off of, and it's made my life so much easier, but then so much more just space to do what I can do best with it. Hmm, Beautiful.
19:29 - Derik Mills
I love that.
19:31 - Jeni DelPozo
I'm so happy that that's your experience. I love it. I'm always like let's see these, yes, I love these. And then you know, of course, they're like if there's something there's, if there's a title that you're like already ready and willing to go for them totally. But I do appreciate having that a little bit taken off my plate and your teams, like we got you, like I'm like, yes, it's perfect for me.
19:52 - Derik Mills
Hmm, sweet.
19:53 - Jeni DelPozo
Yeah, it works so well.
19:56 - Derik Mills
Running a type ship with room for a co-creative Exactly. Have you ever been approached by one of your Glow fans out there in the real world?
20:09 - Jeni DelPozo
I did and it was recent and it was so sweet. I was at an event for one of my other clients who was launching in a parallel line and this woman came up to me. She's like what's your name? And I was like I'm Jeni. She's like, oh nice to meet you. And then she's like Jeni, what? And I was like Del Poso and I'm like I'm you know the person's trainer that was there and she was like I know your voice. And she was like I took all of your classes, like throughout the pandemic. You got me through that. And I was like, well, really.
20:41
And she was like, yep, I was on Glow all the time and I was just like oh my gosh, this is so special and I was like you know, like I was, I got this event thing like seeing all these like very well-known people, and she came up to me. I was like, oh my God, I love this world. So it was a really special moment. It was really really sweet. That's cool and the Glow members are so great about. I get a lot of DMs and I always like look back at the feedback and everything too, after the workouts too. So Glow members are really great about reaching out and I appreciate it so, so much. I love hearing from members.
21:17 - Derik Mills
Oh, that's so sweet. Yeah, we have. We started this back in 2008 and I, for the most part, like I don't want to. If I were to put a percentage to it, you know it'd be like 99% of the time. It's just been incredibly lovely.
21:36 - Jeni DelPozo
Oh yeah.
21:38 - Derik Mills
So, yeah, I'm thoroughly grateful for how our Glow members have shown up and treated our teachers with respect and kindness 100% they have. If you consider that lovely woman who approached you and Think about how it is that you approach your teaching online like what is it that you think it is that you do that helps create that effect for someone to have that experience with you through a screen.
22:07 - Jeni DelPozo
Yeah, I think I think a big part of what I do and it comes from my Pilates background is To really so.
22:15
In our Pilates certification which I think may be different from even even other Pali certifications we had to go through each exercise right and Talk about the muscular bypass and so what the body is gonna want to do, to not do the exercise Like, to make it the easiest it possibly can't right, so that all the things that your body wants to bypass, to work around the hard stuff and Learn all of that and then learn how to cue that to make sure that you are doing it to the best and getting the most out of each exercise. So I think that being able to have all of those types of cues in my back pocket at any moment and know what people are going to want to do to bypass some of the hard Makes my workouts just a little like I've had people be like I thought you're talking. It was literally a cue just for me and I'm like, yes, because I know that that's what our bodies want to do.
23:12
So I think right being able to pick out a lot of those cues and know a what, know what your body is gonna do, but then also be know what your body Needs more of. Because I know a lot of the times we show up for Workouts on the app. Because I Won't do cardio on my own. I don't like to do plotties on my. You know what I mean. So, like that's also what I think about you when I am programming.
23:37
It's like, okay, where do I need to put in you know, these cardio burst or this part of it? Or like I know that I don't want to do this on my own. Like let's do this together than instead. So it's a little bit of accountability that I want to give to the member and be like alright, I'm gonna hold you accountable too, we're gonna get through this part together. I'm gonna give you the cues to help get the most out of your exercise and workout every single time you show up. And then you're also holding me accountable because I don't sometimes love to do those cardio burst either. So we're gonna do them together and both get them out of the way. So I think it's that mixture of those type, those three things, that Make my classes what they are.
24:16 - Derik Mills
I would agree with that and it is helpful to think in terms of the bypass that you refer to as what we don't want to do, because, yeah, we naturally try to avoid, yeah, over Exerting or or simply just exerting in ways that we just don't want to, even though it may be very healthy for us. Yeah, do you ever think in terms of type, like type one and type two muscles and working them in any particular proportion?
24:42 - Jeni DelPozo
not not necessarily, if I am like, if it's, unless it's like a themed class for it, then not really. I Mean, especially when it comes to plies classes. I don't think about it too much, but I Think just like talking about the why of like, why we're doing an exercise too, was really helpful. I know Like when I stopped dancing I didn't realize dance was like a workout, like I had no clue how much I was working out. I just loved dancing and I was just there for, oh my gosh, I was working. I would, I would take three dance classes a day, right, like all throughout high school, granted most people you know.
25:26
Right, like, and I just did that and I, you know, I always think about you know. Granted, we were standing around a lot of time learning choreography, seeing other parts, proof like going back, and so it wasn't like a full 90 minutes of me moving. But when I stopped dancing, I didn't realize, like what I got I needed to do. So I wanted to do something to keep my body healthy, especially like that was like right when I was going into college too. So it's such a really interesting path of like, okay, stop all the work, fitness that you've been doing, that you didn't realize was fitness. And now you're into college, trying out drinking for the first time, like all those things. So I had I got a trainer Because I didn't.
26:06
I wanted to learn that and I hated every single minute of those workouts and it was like we're gonna do lunges up and down with weights, we're gonna do this and like I think I just didn't connect to it because I do all that now and I love it, but I just didn't know why I was doing it. So I think, when you can talk about why you're doing something and how helpful it can be, and like what you can, what other things you can probably do better now, because we've been doing this Just maybe sparks a little bit more interest into like, oh, or like just a little bit more of like okay, I get why I'm doing this. I'm down to do it now, versus Walk up and down this catwalk and do all these lunges. I was like mortified and I hated it. I'm like and it's so funny because look at what I do today right, like, yeah. So I think that that's something that I focus on more versus Type one, type two, yeah.
27:06 - Derik Mills
Yeah, knowing the Y is incredibly powerful for me. I'm I can be really stubborn, so if I haven't convinced myself that I I that doing something over and over again Would be helpful for me, then, yeah, I just want to do it. I.
27:22 - Jeni DelPozo
Am the same exact way, Derik I. It's so funny I can be so stubborn about my workout still and even though like I'm like I see this, but I'm like, but this is really hard, and like I'm like I don't know if I want to go there yet and it's like just it's some stubbornness that I do have still to Do, that's when I get into the science of it and I'll be like okay, teach me the science behind it and then I can get on the board. That's right.
27:47 - Derik Mills
Yeah, if you, if you demonstrate to me the empirical reasons as to why I should be doing something or why it would be helpful for me at this stage in my life, and I yeah, I'm all in 100% same.
27:58
We know that Burnout, among other emotional slash, psychological experiences are of importance to our community and we often get a lot of questions from our members. You know, how would our teachers approach certain life experiences, and so, with the limited time that we have left, why don't we go with burnout? So I'm curious, you know, have you experienced burnout? Or, if so, how do you tend to navigate through it and what do you recommend people do if they find themselves in this kind of Downward spiral of burnout that I've experienced can be incredibly hard to pull oneself out of?
28:45 - Jeni DelPozo
Yes, yeah, I think Burnout's a really tough one. I definitely have experienced it myself many a times. I Think that, like a lot of the times too, when I've experienced burnout, my old path or like pattern would be almost to like Hate the situation and run away from it, almost like whether it was a job or something like that, like I'd be like that you know it's just done, I'm done with it right, like I'm over it and that's, and it's because I'm not like, it's just because I'm burnt out. I think the great thing about fitness is Is, as a career for me, the endless education that there is. There's always something new to learn.
29:31
It's not like great, you're done, you've learned everything. There's no more to teach you right? There's always new science coming out, there's always new methods coming out. There's always something to go back and be like oh my gosh, like should I rethink the way I used to teach? And and that's, I think, why I've stuck with Fitness for so long and like been so happy with it and not run away. But with that too, yes, I've had so much burnout. And the hard part is, is that like when people are like oh, like you know, I'll read like amazing and listen to amazing podcasts about burnout, and they're what the number one thing to do is to exercise right. And then I'm like well, I do that for a living.
30:11 - Derik Mills
Yeah, it can be so hard to exercise when you're burnt out.
30:14 - Jeni DelPozo
Yes, yeah, and they're like fitness. Like you know, 15 minutes I'm like, but if my burnout comes from my fitness career, because it is my job, then what am I supposed to do? Right, and I was like man that's, that's so hard for me. So like I had a hard time when I would experience burnout within this career that I've been, and I think the best thing that I've done for myself is truly take time off and Not have it on my schedule and then, but then also fill my schedule with other things that I truly love to do, which was like see my friends. Like that was my way of doing fitness, because, or that was, like you know, number one go do fit, like go work out for 15 minutes, it'll help with your burnout. Mine would be to like go see friends, put a smile back on my face and then come home and just be a little bit more, recharge and then also knowing which friends it is that recharge your battery, which friends you know keep you at that even level you haven't been charged or which friends can take away from it. Right, and I felt it's more of my friends that Are within the fitness industry that I can just go and like they have no clue what kind of my life, like day to day, kind of looks like not no clue, but like they're not wrapped in it so that we don't start to just talk about it too much or vent about it even, or we can just have like a blast together and do that. So that's kind of what has helped me with burnout. I think also to like I like a lot.
31:49
For a while I was reading, you know, and I still do this, of course, because I love to learn like, but I'll read books about running, I'll read books about like self help books and things like that, but then I'm also just being very critical of myself still to in those settings. So then I just will read a book like that's just complete, like science fiction or something like that. That truly lets me just detach from being self critical and then also thinking about, oh, how does that work with my career, right? Like just something that just has nothing to do with my career has been really helpful just to go down that path and that took me a long time because, again, for a long time, like, I've been working for myself for so long that I'm like, well, if I'm not working, that I'm not being successful, right.
32:32
And then it's just, you know, defining what success really means for me and things like that. And I'm just so successful means for me and things like that. And that's like where I had to kind of sit with myself and be like, okay, working more doesn't always mean that that means you're more successful. That's just that. Just setting myself up for burnout, I get in again. I know this is in a career that I want to get out of. I know this is I'm doing the right things, I'm in the right places. This is exactly where I should be. So, finding you know, those friends, those books, just something where it's like truly not Letting me be self critical, was really helpful for me with burnout.
33:09 - Derik Mills
Wow, you touched on so many powerful tips, slash principles, slash ways of navigating that that really resonate with me, like I mean, it took me well over 15 years to come to that conclusion that you refer to, as in.
33:29
I spent so long that if I'm not working, if I'm not sitting at a desk, if I'm not somehow moving the ball down the field on what it was that I was working on, then that would equate to I'm not doing well enough, I won't, I won't, I won't achieve the goals that I have set out for myself, and a never ending downward spiral of perfectionism that was never satisfied.
33:56
And Also to truly knowing what serves you and what fills your cup, and separating yourself from the very industry or forces that were at play that tended to give you that experience of increased cortisol and adrenaline and competitive sort of comparison. All of that resonates with me, and I, too, recently saw that was another. One of my tricks was to have a book or to be engaged in a series of books that were completely separate from the work that I was doing, and so I wanted to ask you like which science fiction books are you are you do you love, or what are you currently reading? I asked in part because I just started reading the foundation series, mainly because it's on Apple TV plus and that's how I sort of gained interest in it.
34:58 - Jeni DelPozo
I am so with you where it's like it's that competitiveness to, and then also like comparing yourself to everyone else, because then I had that hard time of like that person's doing it, like then I should be doing it right, and then you kind of go down that route or like you know, if you do step back and you see somebody else doing what you are like that you're like, oh, I could have done that. And then you're like we'll shoot. Now I'm back, you know not doing that thing. So I'm with you on that. I fell into. I have a friend who's a producer and he produced his dark materials, the show. It was a show for HBO did.
35:36 - Derik Mills
I love that show.
35:38 - Jeni DelPozo
It's so good. So before it was launching, I had never read any of those books, and so I read all those, so, which was a little while ago, but like I remember, like that's what kind of started me on, like, oh, you're allowed to read things that aren't necessarily beneficial to your career or yourself, like growth, like it was what exactly what I needed. Like I was like I was like just balled up in the Golden Compass and then the next one was I forget the name of it, but there's like the settle knife or something like they were just so good for me to just completely be in a different world and I love the like their little, like demons that they would have, and I like, like you know, envisioned all, and then I got to see the show, which was amazing too, so it was just a perfect, like such a getaway for me where I was like this is exactly what I needed. So I find myself reading more just fiction and that type of thing too. I could. Just so much fun, it's fun.
36:36 - Derik Mills
It's so fun. And yeah, just on that show in particular, I love considering the concept of a demon and having that Like the subconscious or you know, aspects of ourselves that we don't want to either own or yeah, it's fun. Maybe I'll pick those books up next.
36:53 - Jeni DelPozo
They're so good You'll love them.
36:57 - Derik Mills
Then you mentioned endless education. I you know we're definitely drawn to people who are continuous learners, and so is there anything that currently has your attention or that you're spending more time learning than than you have previously?
37:17 - Jeni DelPozo
Yes, definitely. I think. When it comes to some getting much more into running, I talk about it all the time in my workouts to last year, I think it was last year. Well, it was 20 20. Was it only last year? Maybe it was only last year that I did. I ran my first marathon and then I decided to run to, of course, because the competitive nature and me was like let's see what I can do with this.
37:44 - Derik Mills
I would just stop at one.
37:46 - Jeni DelPozo
Exactly. So I've gotten much more into like reading up on running and that science behind it, to and kind of that 80 20 rule. I guess there's a really great book called the 80 20 rule of running and I think it's kind of a great way to look at life to with when it comes to it, where it's like 80 percent of your running If you want to get faster His it's Matt Fitzgerald, I believe his name is is 80 percent of your run should be at like a low, like a low threshold, like you should be. It's low intensity, like a zone to yes and like in, but we all think that our zone to it's much more like our zone three, zone four, but we try to, you know, play that oh, like no, this is zone two and like obviously, heart rate monitoring like this is going to help with that too. But like 80 percent of running should be low intensity. Only 20 percent should be that high intensity and I think that's like.
38:43
I've like loved that concept a for running because like again, I was never a runner growing up. Like I danced my whole life. I danced for like dance, competitive dance, like choreography was like a dance routine was three and half minutes long max and you weren't even dancing that whole time. So to run, you know, for four over four hours, like just never thought that would happen in my life. But again, understanding the science behind it a little bit more made it a lot more exciting for me.
39:11
I think I used to get really caught up on my form, but then in that same book it's kind of great because he talks about like everyone's going to have their own form. There's, of course, things that you don't want to do, but you're going to figure out your own form and flow with it, and I kind of like that idea for a lot of things too in life. But so I've gotten much more into my running and what that feels like and looks like. And then also I found like my perfect combination with my Pilates running yoga is like just like just heavier lifting. So I've been doing a lot more strength training as well, which has been really, really fun to kind of just wrap my head around that. So that's been really fun and I'm actually going to do like a full, like lifting certification soon as well, like just to really get into that world a little bit more. So there's so much to learn. I love it.
40:08 - Derik Mills
This has been so fun. Thank you so much. Where can people find you online, and do you have anything upcoming that you'd like to announce?
40:15 - Jeni DelPozo
Oh my gosh, this has been so great, Derik, thank you so much. Nothing in the works right now like coming up. Just I will keep getting so many workouts to you guys on the low. I have my website as well. It's JeniDelposocom, so you can find me there. You all know my social too. It's at JeniDelposo, underscore fitness, so I'm always here. I'm always happy to hear from all of you. If there's ever anything that you have questions on, you know I'm always just a DM away to help out with that too.
40:47 - Derik Mills
That's so kind of you. I know that can take a lot of time. We'll post your website and your IG in the show notes and thank you. This has been wonderful. Thank you for your time.
40:59 - Jeni DelPozo
Thank you so much, Derik, this is awesome.
41:01 - Derik Mills
Thank you.
41:02 - Jeni DelPozo
Thanks.
MUSIC IN
41:07 - Derik Mills
Thank you to our entire team behind the scenes at Glow. I'm so grateful for your care and commitment to serving our members around the world. Thank you to our teachers for so beautifully sharing your gifts and talents. I'm also grateful to our lovely community of Glow members. You've supported us since 2008 and because of you we get to continue to do the work we love. It's the combined support of our team, our teachers and our community that grants me the privilege to continue to bring you the Glow podcast. Thank you to Lee Schneider, red Cub Agency for production support, and the beautiful music you're hearing now is by Kerry Rodriguez and her husband, luke Jacobs. And remember take care of yourself, because our world needs you. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. You can find the Glow podcast on Spotify, apple Podcasts or glowcom slash podcast or wherever you listen to your podcasts. I'm Derik Mills.