Meet the Founder

Hi, I'm Jay! 💕

Mom. Wife. Fitness Instructor. Business Owner. Creative at Heart.

I'm the woman behind Beastin Beauties Fit Studio, a women's fitness community in El Monte, California.

And if you would've told me years ago that one ordinary day would eventually lead to opening my own studio, I probably wouldn't have believed you.

But here we are!

It All Started With One Ordinary Day

Before Beastin Beauties, my husband and I loved going out to eat, having drinks, and enjoying ourselves. That was pretty much our regular thing.

But I remember one particular day at BJ's.

We went out like we normally did, ate, had some drinks, and afterward, I just felt terrible.

I remember trying to walk around the mall and barely being able to do it comfortably. I just didn't feel good in my own body anymore.

That day, I decided to count how many calories I'd consumed.

3,600 calories. In ONE day! 😳

I couldn't believe it. I hadn't really been paying attention to how much I was consuming. Seeing that number was a wake-up call.

I remember thinking, I don't want to keep feeling like this.

So the very next day, I started making changes.

My husband was supportive, but this was something I decided to do for myself.

I started changing the way I ate and becoming more aware of my habits. Little by little, those changes added up.

Eventually, I lost 93 pounds naturally.

But the biggest transformation wasn't just the weight I lost.

It was how I felt.

I felt confident. I felt proud of myself. And I wanted other women to experience that same feeling.

I Never Planned on Becoming an Instructor

Somewhere along the way, I became obsessed with fitness.

Like, OBSESSED. 😂

I loved working out so much that I was constantly inviting everyone to come with me.

Friends, family, whoever was willing to join!

Around that time, Instagram was still growing, and I started sharing my fitness journey online.

More people started following along, and I was connecting with women who were inspired by my transformation.

Then in June 2013, I made it my goal to get my fitness certification.

But here's the funny part.

I had absolutely no intention of teaching!

I just loved fitness and wanted to learn more.

But as soon as I got certified, opportunities started coming my way.

I began teaching at small studios and big gyms, gaining experience and meeting so many different people.

And somewhere along the way, I realized how much I loved bringing women together through movement.

I loved the energy, the encouragement, the friendships, and watching women discover what they were capable of.

But there was still something missing.

I couldn't find the kind of space I envisioned for women.

Somewhere they could show up exactly as they were, feel comfortable, have fun, and work on themselves without feeling judged or intimidated.

So I thought, why not create it?

And That's How Beastin Beauties Was Born

In 2015, I opened Beastin Beauties Fit Studio.

I didn't want to create just another gym.

I wanted to build a community where women could feel like they belonged.

A place where you could walk in not knowing anyone and leave feeling like you had a whole group of girls cheering you on.

And little by little, that's what we started building.

Of course, running a business came with challenges I never expected.

We eventually had to leave our first location because the rent became too expensive.

At one point, I was keeping two studios open while renovating one of them.

Oh, and did I mention I was pregnant during all of that?

Yeah. Fun times! 😂

Looking back, I honestly don't know how I managed everything.

But somehow, I figured it out.

2013 My fitness certification journey began

2015 Beastin Beauties opened

2020 Our studio was lost to a fire

2021 We reopened and began rebuilding

The Fire That Almost Ended Beastin Beauties

In May 2020, in the middle of an already difficult year, our studio caught fire.

I remember getting a call about it.

At first, I didn't think it would affect us because the fire seemed far enough away.

But then it started spreading.

And everything changed so quickly.

Watching something I had spent years building disappear was devastating.

It wasn't just a business.

It was years of hard work, sacrifices, memories, friendships, and a community that meant so much to me.

And honestly?

I wanted to quit.

Actually, I did quit.

For about a month, I stepped away.

I was overwhelmed by everything that had happened, and I didn't know if I wanted to start all over again.

Sometimes being resilient doesn't mean you immediately get back up. Sometimes you need time before you're ready to try again.

Eventually, I decided I wasn't ready for the Beastin Beauties story to end.

Even without our own studio, I still cared about the women who had been part of our community.

I encouraged them to keep working out and helped them find other places where they could continue their routines.

I didn't want them to lose the progress they had worked so hard for just because we had lost our space.

But something I learned is that once people establish a new routine, sometimes that becomes their new normal.

By the time we finally reopened in November 2021, many of our former clients had moved on.

And I understood. Everyone had adjusted to life in their own way.

But reopening was harder than I ever imagined.

I thought I was reopening a studio. What I didn't realize was that I was starting all over again.

There were a few women who stayed with us through everything, and I will forever be grateful for them.

They reminded me why I believed in this community.

Slowly, new women started finding us. New friendships formed. New memories were made.

And little by little, Beastin Beauties began growing again.

I wish I could say everything became easy after we reopened.

But that's not how running a small business works.

Even today, there are seasons when keeping our doors open comes with challenges.

But I've learned that starting over doesn't mean you've failed.

Sometimes it means you're willing to give something you love another chance.

And I'm really glad I did.

Becoming a Mom Changed Everything

Before I had kids, fitness was pretty much my entire personality.

My workouts, my classes, my business… everything revolved around fitness.

And I loved it.

But becoming a mom changed my perspective in ways I never expected.

Today, I'm a wife, a mom of two boys, a fitness instructor, and a business owner.

And being a present mom is incredibly important to me.

I want to be there for my boys.

The school activities, the practices, the little everyday moments. All of it.

I don't know exactly what they'll take away from watching me run a business.

But I love knowing that, to them, Mom is always around.

Of course, balancing motherhood, marriage, teaching, and running a business can be A LOT.

I used to say, "We all have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé."

Now that I'm a mom? Yeah, I don't really say that anymore. 😂

Because the truth is, we don't all have the same responsibilities, support systems, circumstances, or energy.

And that's changed the way I teach.

Fitness should fit into your life, not take over your life.

I still believe in taking care of ourselves, moving our bodies, and building healthy habits.

But I also understand that fitness doesn't have to be your entire life.

Some weeks you might work out five times. Other weeks, getting yourself to one class is already a win.

And I want the women at Beastin Beauties to know that it all counts.

There's More to Me Than Fitness

If you know me, you probably know I'm always working on something.

I love photography, designing merchandise, planning events, and getting into all kinds of creative projects.

Sometimes I have so many ideas that I don't even know where to start!

But I genuinely love creating things.

And honestly, it's become another way for me to find balance.

When so much of my life revolves around motherhood, teaching, and running a business, being creative gives me something I genuinely enjoy doing.

I've also loved bringing fitness to kids through JamFit Kids and our school and community programs.

Introducing movement to the next generation has been another meaningful part of this journey.

I've realized I don't have to be just one thing.

I can love fitness and photography. I can be a mom and still have my own passions. I can run a business and still want to try something completely new.

We're allowed to grow, change, and discover new things about ourselves.

One Thing I've Learned? I'm Resilient.

If there's one thing this journey has taught me, it's that I'm a lot more resilient than I ever gave myself credit for.

I've had to figure out a lot over the years.

Moving studios. Renovating while pregnant. Losing our space to a fire. Reopening and rebuilding our community. Navigating motherhood while running a business.

There have been plenty of moments when I honestly didn't know what I was going to do next.

But somehow, I always figure something out.

And that's something I've really learned to appreciate about myself.

It doesn't mean I have all the answers. Trust me, I don't!

But I've learned to trust myself.

I can adapt, get creative, ask for help, learn something new, and find another way forward.

And I'm genuinely thankful for that ability.

I may not always know what comes next, but I've learned that I can trust myself to figure it out.

I hope that's something other women take away from my story too.

More Than a Decade of Beastin Beauties

Since opening Beastin Beauties in 2015, I've had the opportunity to connect with so many incredible women throughout El Monte and the San Gabriel Valley.

We've celebrated transformations, milestones, friendships, and moments that go far beyond a workout.

In 2024, Beastin Beauties was recognized as an Outstanding Business in the San Gabriel Valley.

And in 2026, I was honored to receive El Monte's District 5 Woman of the Year recognition.

Those moments mean a lot to me, especially knowing everything it took to get here.

But some of my favorite moments are still the everyday ones.

Seeing someone walk into their first class nervous and eventually become a regular.

Watching women make friends.

Hearing someone say they actually look forward to working out.

That's what keeps me going.

Still Growing. Still Learning. Still Showing Up.

People sometimes ask what I want to do next.

And the truth is, I don't really know exactly what the next chapter looks like.

I'm okay with that.

I just want to keep doing what I love.

I want to keep teaching, creating, learning, spending time with my family, and finding ways to make a difference.

I know that whatever season of life I'm in, fitness will always be a big part of it.

Maybe it won't always look exactly the same.

Maybe I'll discover new passions or take things in different directions.

But that's part of growing.

I never imagined that one ordinary day, when I simply decided I didn't want to feel the way I was feeling anymore, would lead me here.

And I'm grateful for all of it.

The lessons. The challenges. The people. The opportunities. Even the moments when I had to start over.

You don't have to have everything figured out to create a life you love.

You can start over. You can change direction. You can have more than one passion.

You can be a mom, a wife, a business owner, and still make room for yourself.

And you can keep growing at every stage of your life.

That's the kind of encouragement I hope every woman feels when she walks into Beastin Beauties.

Whether you're starting your fitness journey, coming back after a break, or just looking for a place where you belong, I hope you know there's room for you here.

Come as you are. We'll figure out the rest together.

With love,
Jay 💕

Founder, Beastin Beauties Fit Studio
El Monte, California | Est. 2015

Your Workout. Your Girls. Your Space.