Anxiety and depression crept into her life early on, but the strength she builds through training helps her conquer it, with confidence
Written by Stephanie Kewin
Photography by Paul Buceta
Makeup by Monica Kalra
Hair by Laura Christine Clark
Team STRONG Girls Head Coach, Master Trainer, Body Transformation Expert, PTS, RYT 300, and Pn1 Nutrition Coach Jaclyn Phillips is a competitor through and through. All-Canadian varsity athlete and winner of three Atlantic University Sport medals during her time at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada, Jaclyn has been heavily involved in sport since a young age. With two police officer parents and an early childhood diagnosis of anxiety and depression, being active was a major priority for Jaclyn and her family. Her parents instinctively knew staying busy and productive would play a massive role in supporting Jac’s mental health. Says Jaclyn, “It wasn’t necessarily exercising or being ‘fit,’ but staying busy and being active was something my parents instilled in me young—for mental, emotional, and social health more than anything. As police officers, they saw firsthand the benefit of having a schedule with practices/workouts and working toward a goal. This mindset made me who I am.” There was a time period, however, when Jaclyn’s mental health struggles nearly got the better of her. She wavered between accepting the help of medication alongside all of her natural remedies—including balanced nutrition and training—and attempting to do it all herself in a silo. But there’s strength in accepting help, and Jac recognizes this. So, accept help she did.
“Career, love life, whatever they want to work on, I want them to take
that strength and apply it across the board to all aspects of their lives. That’s why I say I want to help women be strong AF.”
Today, she encourages other women to not be afraid to do the same, when needed. These days, with her support team—her new husband hockey star Keith Kinkaid, family, friends, Team STRONG Girls community, and doctor—to say Jaclyn is thriving doesn’t even do it justice. She’s on top of the world. One of her proudest accomplishments to date? This issue’s cover: “Six of these women are my clients!” Jaclyn’s a massively accomplished trainer and a large part of that can be credited to not only her vast library of knowledge and experience, but also her empathetic yet straightforward approach with the thousands of clients she’s helped succeed.
Leading by example, Coach Jac encourges women to take up space, in every way.
Her philosophy is very much rooted in teaching women how to take up more space in this world. Jaclyn says, “It’s things that you wouldn’t even think of that have infected the way women think. Something like keeping your legs crossed. That’s in the back of our minds.” Jac’s breaking down barriers for herself and other women with this mentality; her ultimate goal is to help her clients realize their inherent strength. And nurture that. “I want to take women from where they are, help them reach their goals, whatever those goals are, and then show them how much strength they have to go beyond that,” she says. “Career, love life, whatever they want to work on, I want them to take that strength and apply it across the board to all aspects of their lives. That’s why I say I want to help women be strong AF.”
Get STRONG(er) with Jaclyn Phillips
