Today we’d like to introduce you to Janae Werts.
Janae, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I consider myself to be in the business of health and wellness consulting. In the past, I have worked as a personal trainer for over 10 years. Majority of my clients were just general weight loss/gain clients looking to reach a look goal or a number on the scale type of goal, so that’s where I’ve been but as of recently changing my path.
In 2011, at the age of 31, I was diagnosed with aggressive stage 1 Her 2 positive breast cancer. I was personal training then and also in a new season of training for a figure competition (bodybuilding). It was a shock to me and everyone else that someone that was so “healthy” could get breast cancer. I cooked 95% of my own food, I was working out 5-6 times a week, not drinking (due to training), and just living a healthy lifestyle from what I thought.
I ended up doing 6 rounds of chemo, 33 rounds of radiation, I had a lumpectomy, and 5 years of hormone therapy. Sounds like a lot but to me, time went by so fast. I will say the way I looked at life as a whole changed as well as the way I viewed a “healthy lifestyle.” During my competition days, I saw my body look at its peak, the leanest I’ve ever been. The regime I had to follow to achieve that look was so extreme but for that purpose of looking good on stage and winning.
As I navigate my breast cancer journey, things change with each phase. I’m 7 years cancer free but how I view health and wellness is different from my stage days, it’s even different from my earlier years in remission. Prior to cancer, it was more because I loved it and because I needed to look a certain way for the stage. Now, I’m in a space of I’m doing this so I can be ALIVE, so I can enjoy the rest of my life, so my friends and family can enjoy having me. The physical results that I get are a perk of the discipline but it’s not the reason for me living this way.
I’m now transitioning to be able to help survivors navigate living a healthier lifestyle through each phase of their journey. Every woman’s diagnoses are different, every journey is different, and I want to help women navigate what’s best for them. It’s hard enough to be told that you have breast cancer but to also be told you need to live a healthier lifestyle is a double duty on what is already a tough situation.
For me, I was already a fitness professional so knowing what to do in conjunction with the medications and surgery, and everything else wasn’t as hard because I previously had the knowledge and the discipline. Most women are stepping into their journey that way and there aren’t many consultants or coaches doing that. It’s just a sloo of doctors appointments and the health/wellness side is left up to the survivor to figure out. I want to change that so women are able to come out on the other side, stronger, healthier, more mindful of their bodies, and knowledgeable about what works for them.
As survivors, we’re given a second chance at life and I want to help women live their best lives during their diagnoses, through treatments, and even after the hard stuff is done. Doing it for LIFE and not just for the look of it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There were always complications, from finances to not being able to get treatments because my white blood cell count was too low all the way to see other people around me passing away from having breast cancer. Even to this day, the struggle of setting this program up to work on a larger scale so I can help as many women as possible. Life will hand you struggles every day so my advice to other women would be to truly keep the faith because God has a plan for you. You are without a shadow of a doubt in the exact place he intended you to be whether it’s perfect or whether you are passing through a storm (like I am right now) there is a lesson to be learned in it all. Just don’t give up when it gets tough. To the young women starting their journey, know that your plans will never go EXACTLY to what you have in your head but know that if you keep pressing and have faith that you’ll be guided to your perfect path. Know that the path that you may be lead to may not look anything like what you thought it would be.
Please tell us about your business.
Man, this is a tough question because what I’ve been known for (Personal trainer) is something that I’m currently transitioning out of. I truly don’t feel that I am impacting peoples lives as much as I could be with just personal training. When asked now, I am a health and wellness consultant/coach. I facilitate nutrition and lifestyle coaching classes at Good Samaritan Health Center as myself but also with my business partner Kim. Our company is called Lunchbox Lifestyle. People know our business to facilitate basic nutrition classes, meal prep classes, as well as other programs at the center but our goal is to develop an app that hopefully will be put in place next year.
Because I am a breast cancer survivor and I truly believe that my journey was not my own, my passion has really redirected itself to work with survivors and I have outlets to do so. I am 1 of 3 charter members for a nonprofit called Pretty Dress Foundation as well as an official speaker for Komen Atlanta. I am truly using my voice in regards to proper breast care and choosing a healthy lifestyle. So, in all, people know me as a Health and Wellness consultant and Breast Cancer Thriver.
What I’m most proud of with my brand is that I have remained true to this lifestyle and the things that I believe in. I am proud that I can truly inspire others by the way that I live my life, in honesty, in truth, and in being authentic. I love meeting or working with a client and they tell me that I am just like what I post on my social pages. In a world of filters, I love that I am true and my brand is organic.
I think what sets me apart is that I am moving in a directs that no one is moving towards and I can do it based on what I’ve been through topped with education. 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and I want to be the one to help change how our women see health and wellness. Looking great is cool, but are you healthy on the inside, are you doing proper breast care, and how is your mindset? This is important to any woman but especially one that has been diagnosed. Very few people are doing it. It’s a game changer!
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
In general, I think that one of the biggest barriers are ourselves. Self-doubt is real especially knowing that it is expected a lot of times for a man to be in a leadership role. We have to know that we are capable of doing anything! Once we knock that one out of the park, we can do anything!
Contact Info:
- Email: janaeveal@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j_veal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janae.veal
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JVeal
Image Credit:
Jay Lenard, Anderson Smith
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