Beneath the Surface of Jenny Miller

Marley A. Burke

Arizona State University

English 101

Professor Sara Sams

02-11-2022

Beneath The Surface of Jenny Miller

I'm not flexible at all. Seriously, I can’t even touch my toes. I’ve tried yoga a couple of times, but the only time that I have ever participated in an in-person class, I did it at a local studio called The Body Electric. The owner, and co-founder of the studio, Jenny Miller is a complete delight. I had a conversation with Miller recently, to grasp an understanding of who she is on a deeper level, underneath the tough surface of a fitness trainer, and business owner. What followed suit was an eye opening experience that gave me the chance to peek into her world. After just a few questions, I came to see what a gracious, dependable, and ambitious person Miller is, and how welcoming of people from all backgrounds and communities she is, and after reading the following profile, you will too.

It’s important to be active every day, however, when working out is your job, you must be careful not to overdo it on your time off. Miller expressed that quality time with family is essential to her when asked about how she likes to wind down. “After a long day of work, I’m probably with Hank, and Katelyn. My sister and her girlfriend are also frequently over. We have a lot of Auntie nights filled with meditation circles, board games, and laughs” (Jenny Miller, 02/01/2022). I inquired with Miller about how she is able to carve out any time for herself with such a busy schedule due to running multiple businesses, and her reply was, “Not without help, that’s for sure. I spend my time mostly with my family. Hank and I like to run, and watch movies. We go mini golfing. Pretty much standard bestie things. I also like to go surfing, and biking with my friends,” (Jenny Miller, 01/30). Miller expresses her gratitude for her wife, Katleyn Grady frequently. She often notes that The Body Electric wouldn’t exist without Grady, and her helping hand. Having opened the business together, they rely on each other for many things. Miller also spends much of her free time on adventures with her son Hank. When they’re not out exploring, Hank can often be seen around The Body Electric. Miller ensures extra effort when it comes to Hank being surrounded by family. “I take him and my niece out all of the time. We stay in a lot too. My sister will come over, and we’ll just hang out with the kids. That time is so important to me, and I can only hope that they all appreciate it as much as I do. I want Hank to know that no matter what, he’ll have his family to come back to at the end of the day.” (Jenny Miller, 02/01/2022). Miller wants to instill family as a high moral in her son, and reassure that family will always be there for him.

Being active, and getting outside is a way that Miller expresses herself! Some of her favorite activities include surfing, and spending time at the beach. “I go to the beach a lot. There’s something for everyone there, so I take everyone there!” (Jenny Miller, 02/01/2022). Going to the beach is especially enjoyable for Miller, as it is something she values doing alone, as well as with other people. Along with surfing, and beach adventures, Miller is known to love yoga, running, biking, and poetry! Her love of poetry can be attributed to her English degree. “My degree allowed me to explore my love of poetry even further. I still spend a good majority of my days entranced by some poetry book, or novel. The days where I longed to be an author are gone, but I am still a bookworm, and self-proclaimed English nerd.” (Jenny Miller, 02/01/2022). Her love of English can still be seen in her career, as she is the one who writes the business campaigns, and slogans!

They opened their other facility, The Body Electric Athletics right as the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning. They struggled to open because of that. Miller had to fight tooth and nail to open it, and expresses that she feels grateful to be open. “It was a struggle even getting our doors open. We couldn’t find the right spot for a while, and raising money was a long, extraneous process,” (Jenny Miller, 02/01/2022). Miller names money as the main contributor of their fight to get their second business up and running, “Money. It’s always money. And time. We couldn’t have seen it coming, but in hindsight, yeah it wasn’t great timing.” Miller is no stranger to money battles with her business. Being low on money was also the main struggle for opening up the yoga studio. Having handled this a couple of times, I was curious to any advice she may have to offer regarding opening a business, without necessarily having all of the means to do it. She stresses that patience is the key to any aspiring business owners, and that good things come to those who wait, “Be patient, everything takes time. The more prepared you are, the better off you’ll be for it.”

Pictured: A yoga class being held at The Body Electric.

Miller is a very skilled member of every community she involves herself in. She is an ambitious person, that takes on seemingly impossible tasks, and completes them gracefully. Miller pours her heart and soul into The Body electric. Her business is something that she is proud of, but she still keeps humble, expressing gratitude instead of excitement for her business. “We opened doors on March 4^th, 2013. Its hard to express my excitement sometimes, so really I just want to express my appreciation. We couldn’t have gotten this far on our own. I'm lucky to have incredible people that have supported me along the way.” Miller is a very lighthearted person, who is very nonchalant. When asked about her goals for the future, she mentions that goals aren’t her style, stating “I don’t really keep goals anymore. Goals make me anxious. I like to just keep moving forward, everything will fall into place. I can’t just create deadlines for myself though.” Having to hold herself to a set time or standard can be tasking, and daunting. She tries to manage her stress by keeping a calm and cool mindset, and demeanor, “Be calm. Realize that people are inherently good, and are on your side. Be on other people’s sides too.” This kind of attitude may be the reason Miller was so willing to answer a few of my questions!