June 2, 2026 //
Kanna Fitness //
Blog //
6 min read
When Jen Schiffelbein first walked into Kanna in July 2024, she was terrified. But she had a good reason for being there: her kids. Watching her oldest in the youth classes and her middle child light up in the preschool program, Jen realized she wasn’t being the fitness role model she wanted to be. So she stepped up. Almost two years later, she couldn’t be more glad she did.
Since then, Jen has become an integral part of the Kanna community as a book club regular, Open participant, plant-sharer, and a welcoming face for new members. A former rower who coached crew for ten years, she’s not training for a beach body. She’s training for her “old lady body,” as she puts it, aiming to be stronger at 50 than she was at 30.
We sat down with Jen to talk about her rowing roots, her many hobbies, the time she out-read an entire seventh grade, and why patience with yourself is the best advice for anyone new to Kanna.
Congratulations, Jen! You’re our June Member of the Month!
3, 10, 25 and 13 – the first three represent my kids birthdays, and 13 has been my favorite since I was a kid. I heard it was an unlucky number and decided to adopt it as my own – and it’s always been lucky for me (met my husband at a 2013 NYE party!).
What movements do you like?
I love deadlifts, bench press, sandbag carry, farmers carry, slam balls, and kettlebell work.
What movements do you dislike?
I do not care for thrusters, wall balls, or burpees.
What sports or fitness things did you do before Kanna?
As a kid, I tried all the sports – baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, tennis, swimming, etc. I was fine but never a stand out athlete. In high school I picked up rowing, and loved that – rowed in high school, college, and then coached for ten years. In my twenties I took up running and have a few marathons under my belt.
How did you find Kanna? How did you feel when you first walked in?
I found Kanna through my kids. My oldest has done the youth classes, and my middle child LOVES the preschool classes (shoutout to Brie and Steph for making it so fun and engaging!). Just watching them do cool stuff made me realize that I wasn’t being the role model I wanted them to have, fitness-wise, so I needed to step it up. Almost two years later, I am incredibly glad I took that step.
What’s your “why” for working out?
My why for working out is truly to train my old lady body. I am training for life – for the functional fitness you need, especially with young kids – not for tomorrow or this summer or a specific event. I hate the saying ‘training for your beach body’ – that’s a little reductive and offensive (every body is a beach body if you’re at the beach!), but training for my old lady body? That’s a mantra I can get behind. I want to be stronger at fifty than I was at thirty, and carry that health and fitness as I age.
What’s your favorite thing about Kanna?
I will probably have the same answer as everyone else – the coaches and community truly make a difference here. From my first (terrified) workout, all of the coaches made me feel welcome and comfortable, helped me find my level methods, and pushed me to grow and challenge myself. The community mirrors that attitude, with encouraging classmates who absolutely become friends over time. When you look at the amount of hours spent in class – I’m in awe of the athletes hitting 500, 700, 1,000 classes – because that is a TON of time, it really is an investment. But when the classes keep you motivated and engaged, the friends along the way lift you up and help you get better, and the work pays off so you get to feel stronger and more capable – it is so worth it. The 200 class hours I’ve put in so far have flown by and I can’t wait for the next 200.
What are your hobbies?
I have a lot of hobbies, I’m realizing. I’m a big reader (shoutout to the amazing Kanna Book Club!), I love to garden, I bake, I craft, I crochet. I’m engaged at my kids school as a room parent, yearbook mom, and PTA board member (we can blame Jen Fountain for that one). I love to hike, although that’s mostly rucking toddlers or chasing them away from cliff edges these days.
What’s something most people don’t know about you or a fun fact?
In seventh grade I read 327 books which gave me more tickets than anyone else at the end of year library prize fair and everyone was mad at me.
What PRs or accomplishments (fitness-related) are you most proud of?
Moving from the low box to a real box jump was very exciting. Deadlift PRs are always exciting – chasing 250! But really it’s the smaller things that aren’t PRs or something you necessarily record – feeling better about squats and lunges as you do more, or being able to hold a dead hang longer than I could in the past. It all adds up and highlights how functional fitness comes together holistically to help you feel and move better.
What’s on your fitness bucket list?
I just want to keep getting better at every movement. I enjoy lifting heavy right now but I also like just feeling more confident in movements. I would like to get better at gymnastics movements, but I’m confident I’ll get there someday.
What’s on your general bucket list?
There are too many books and not enough time to read them all.
What advice do you have for people new to Kanna?
Stay patient with yourself. You will get better! If you feel like you’re starting at a low level, just remember that’s more opportunities to PR! It really pays off in so many functional ways to train this way, and your whole body will feel better for staying engaged in the long run.
Kanna members: The MOTM custom workout date will be Friday, June 12
How does one become Member of the Month? By embodying the Kanna ideals of Learning, Working Hard, and Having Fun. By contributing to the community and supporting others in and out of the workout. By being open to coaching and improving oneself for the sake of being better, not to “win” the workout. By just generally being a good person and having a positive attitude. And a lot more, but you get the idea!
