Thank you for checking out The Community Conversation, brought to you by Prototype Training Systems, home of CrossFit Prototype!  The Community Conversation highlights a different member of the Prototype Community each week and allows them to tell their story, share their life experience, and communicate their perspective on all things fitness.

We’ve all listened to podcasts and watched YouTube videos that highlight some of the world’s greatest leaders and visionaries. We believe we have some AMAZING people at Prototype and we want you to get to know them! (Check out our last episode here!)

This is our 27th episode of The Community Conversation and today’s guest brings me a ton of joy to have on because she is one of our ORIGINAL MEMBERS! As a matter of fact, she has been training with our Head Coach Brian and me even before we opened up Prototype in 2012. If you’re a member of Prototype, Jess is no stranger! She has 4 kids, 3 of which she trained through her pregnancies with us at Prototype. She’s a ton of fun and you will find out, she has a few nicknames around the gym!

So, click the link below to watch this Community Conversation on our YouTube page! You can also check out The Community Conversation on all major streaming platforms including Spotify! Don’t forget to subscribe!

Michael Collette 0:03
All right, yes, we are live on the community conversation. This is Episode 26.6 straight week that we’ve been doing these, I appreciate you being on and for those that are tuning in that don’t know, just is like, I would say probably our longest-tenured member, like, ever. So there’s certainly a special episode. There’s some other folks that are in that in that boat too, or in that in that category. But

Jess Clancy 0:33
I do call myself founding member. That’s my title at CFP. Well, one of my titles I have many titles, but one of them is definitely founding member,

Michael Collette 0:42
we’re gonna definitely need to hear about some more of those titles that you that you have, I’m sure summer are mildly inappropriate. But, um, but yes, why don’t we kick things off? And why don’t you just kind of talk about your journey at CFP? How to or prototype for that matter? And How’d you find the gym? How did you get started and all that stuff? Cuz I’m sure there’s a lot of folks that are that are wondering, and some folks that probably don’t know, everything about you. So why don’t we start there.

Jess Clancy 1:09
And thanks for having me. So, I, you know, grew up playing sports, pretty athletic. Enjoy working out, I actually worked for waysides swimming Racquet Club, they are a fitness center in Marlboro. I worked there for close to 10 years, you know, all throughout high school and summers home for college. And so, you know, I’ve always been pretty active and you know, going to gyms and stuff. And so, in 2008, I was just about to have my first child. And I knew that following, you know, the birth of Taylor, I wanted to get back into shape pretty quickly. And I just wanted to make sure that that I was remaining to be active, and I didn’t belong to a gym. At that point, I sort of was walking and running outside on my own. And so Boston Sports Club was about to open. I actually went down there before they opened and joined. Because I knew they were opening right around my due date. So I just wanted to get that out of the way. So I joined the gym, it I think I must have like, put it on hold for a month or a couple months or whatever. And so come Sheila was born the end of August, I want to say it was the beginning beginning of November. I was like alright, this is it. I’m doing it. And so I went to Boston sports club on my first day. And they said, oh, we’re gonna assign you a trainer. I said, Great. And I walk in and I was assigned Mr. Brian’s answer, which, so I totally felt like I like won the lottery. I was like, This is amazing. He’s gonna get me in the best shape ever. And Brian, and I hit it off right away. I continued working out with him at Boston sports club. And that is where I met you as well. I’m taking, you know, different classes that you guys offered. It wasn’t called CrossFit at the time, but you know, boot camp style classes, and I did some boxing classes with Brian. I did personal training with Brian. And I’ll never forget the day he called me on my cell phone. And he’s like, so I have some news. I was like, oh, okay, this is great. And, you know, his wife was, I think she was just about to give birth, or she had just given birth to Macy and he’s like, I’m leaving Boston sports club. And I was like, What? He’s like, um, he’s like, Mike and I are opening our own gym. I was like, Oh my gosh, what do you guys are nuts. What is happening? And I was like, Well, of course, I’m gonna follow you like this is you know, my, you guys know what you’re doing? I trust you. And that’s how I ended up at at CFP. So, you know, even before CFP opened I was doing the the down at the Westboro High School track, we were doing workouts. You know, for those that don’t know CFP used to be a clothing store. So even during the construction to what it is today, we were doing little workouts down there and up and it was great. It was great. So I like to call myself founding member because I was with Brian and Mike even before CFP was CFP, and you know, came over right away with them.

Michael Collette 4:26
It’s so great to hear that and just that reminisce or just kind of think back to that because that was in 2012 when we when we opened up and yeah, new along with a bunch of other folks that were working out with us at Boston sports club came over but then we also had some new folks that kind of joined us in those track workouts and that was kind of part of the the like the community. What for you or what have you seen in terms of like changes what’s changed or what have you seen over the last, you know, Nine years, right? Because it’s been like a lot of different stuff that’s gone on, what are some things that kind of stick out to you maybe from like, the early days? In the morning, I know you guys had a really fun morning crew and still do. Some of those folks have moved on and moved away. But like, what are some of those things that stick out to you? What are your like those memories you can, you know, touch on or things that come to your mind?

Jess Clancy 5:25
Well, that’s so when, you know, the the initial conversation with Brian. And you know, at this point, I had just had my second child. So I had Finn again, he was about a year old, I want to say when when this all happened. And so I knew at that point that I needed to, in order to make it work, because I work as well, I needed to work out in the morning. And so I, you know, remember saying to him, I knew that there wasn’t going to be childcare. So I said, Well, if there’s not going to be childcare, then I’m going to have to, you know, change my routine up and work out early in the morning. First thing, so that, because this is, you know, it is important to me, and I want to fit it into my life. And I actually think in the beginning 6am there was a 5am class in a 7am class and 6am was the What did we call it on ramp? Or like the the on ramp class? It was the elements element? I think it was even on ramp before elements. But yes, like, when you first started, so it right when you first open there were a bunch of people that that had to go through that class because they were brand new to CrossFit. And then eventually, it slowed down a little bit. And I was like, Okay, can we add a 6am class because 5am is a little early and 70, I was a little late. And there were a couple of us that I remember, we were like, no one signed up for elements at six throw, can we just come and do the workout then. And that’s I think how the 6am like official class started, because at some point, there was like, simultaneous classes at 6am and elements and a regular CrossFit class. And it just grew and grew and grew. And yes, I love those morning classes. I love the people. We’ve always had a great crew, you know, and it’s in, it’s not the same as what it was, then new people have come in, they’re great, too. And it’s, I don’t know that the community feeling and it’s Yeah, it’s been great. And I think now, well, of course, back then it was literally you and Brian were the only coaches for, you know, from 5am to 6pm at night. And there have been so many different coaches over the years. But I really think that the coaches that we have right now are like some of the best, I don’t really have a bad thing to say about any of them. They’re all like unique in their own way. But they’re all really, really great. So, you know, I think that’s been I do like that change. I do love the the set of coaches.

Michael Collette 7:53
I know they’d appreciate that. What’s your what’s your fondest memory? Or what’s something that sticks out to you that that, like, you remember that like happened or something where you’re like, either, you know, he still makes you laugh to this day? Or just something like in general, because we’ve done I mean, again, you’ve been here for so long, there’s stuff that, you know, maybe events that we’ve done, that we maybe we don’t do as quite as much anymore, obviously weren’t able to do with COVID that sort of stuff, but what what are some of those, those fondest memories?

Jess Clancy 8:29
One of my favorite memories, um, it I think it was the first open so it probably would have been in 2013. And I had never cleaned 95 pounds. And the workout it was maybe 13.2 or 13.3. And it was a ladder of clean and jerks and tota bars, and I didn’t have a Coronavirus there. But my, you know, going into it, I was like I’m gonna just try it. And I was like, I just want to get one I just want to get one and it was like something like a seven minute workout. And I remember like being there with a, you know, a group of people and Brian was there and I got my first 95 pounds clean and jerk overhead. I only got one but I got it and everybody was cheering and everybody was just so excited, you know, for me, and they’re all doing the workout as well. And that’s I’ve just like that’s the best part is like it’s it’s competitive, but it’s not competitive against everybody else. You’re, you know, you’re sort of competing against yourself all the time. And just, you know, being at Boston Sports Club, no one would ever be cheering for you when you reach like a milestone lift or anything like that. So that’s, you know, that’s a good one. I I’m always a big fan of the scavenger hunt. I had to miss it this year, which I was not happy about. That’s one of my favorite. That’s one of my favorite things. The thing I love everything.

Michael Collette 10:07
What, um, so, since you’ve been doing this for so long, what would be your advice, cuz you’re probably like the best person to ask, right? So like, there’s still folks out there that have never heard of CrossFit or never done it before, never done this style of working out or have been coached or focused on goals outside of, you know, you know, maybe something like losing 10 pounds or 15 pounds, like the idea of like, we just said, like, never clean 95 pounds, and like that feeling about like, accomplishment, and how all these things kind of, like, you know, like an amalgamation of all these things that that kind of make up your fitness that you can have these like, short term long term goals to try to accomplish. So for like, from your perspective, what’s the advice you might give? Or how would you talk about this to someone that’s never done CrossFit before, but are done this sort of stuff.

Jess Clancy 11:11
You know, I think people hear CrossFit, they get nervous, it’s, I can see as an outsider, it can be intimidating, but I do think, you know, and I and I would say, and I do say to people all the time that it’s so scalable, and, you know, and I do, I do believe in the true, you know, functional fitness, like you guys say it all the time, like, I do this, because when I’m 80 years old, I want to be able to jump around and move around and get down on the floor, you know, maybe play with grandkids and be able to pop back up and, you know, still be able to pick things up and carry things distances. And that’s really right, what we’re training for, is to, like, live a long life, and at the end of the life, still be able to do the things that you love to do now, yeah, maybe not as fast, maybe not as great, but still be able to do that and not, you know, be so stuck in a chair or whatever. And so that is what I kind of tell people is, you know, you can do it, you know, it’s anybody can do it, you start small and you work your way up. And yeah, I’ve been doing it for a long time. So there are definitely things that I’m going to be able to do that someone that doesn’t do, CrossFit isn’t going to be able to do, but it doesn’t mean that they’re never going to be doing

Michael Collette 12:34
it. That’s it, that’s the perfect perspective on it in the long term, right. So being able to do things for a long period of time, you know, that you want to do do grandkids and all that stuff. Speaking to kids, you you gotta You almost got a full starting lineup. You know, so how has that been? You mentioned earlier, you know, and I wrote it down, you know, this is important to me, I want to fit this into my life. So you kind of rearranged your schedule to accommodate for yourself. And, you know, from my perspective, have been doing this for a little while, it tends to work the other way, right is like put everything else on the backburner. How have you been able to be so successful with with that, like, what’s been your mentality to be able to, you know, prioritize your, your health and do it for such a long period of time. And then now you’ve made it part of like your, your life and your family’s life, too. I mean, kids are working out and doing that sort of stuff. And they’re active, like, like, talk a little bit about that.

Jess Clancy 13:39
So, like I said, When CFP opened I just had my second baby. And, um, you know, especially as I was starting to come to CFP more and more, it really, and I say this all the time, it’s my happy place. But it really is a place where I can walk through the door. And for that hour, it doesn’t matter what’s going on at home or at work or in, you know, outside life. Like everything seems to just leave my head, I can focus on what I’m doing. I’m surrounded by people that I you know, genuinely genuinely enjoy being around in life is just great for that hour. And so I love that feeling every day or you know, as many days as I can try to get it in sometimes I do sleep in a little but so, yeah, so that is really, really important to me. So if that means I have to wake up at five, five or 530 in the morning to do it. That’s what that’s what I have to do because otherwise it doesn’t. You know, I find if I sleep in and I don’t do it in the early morning, then I have too many kids to try to squeeze a bit later in the day. But yeah, I mean, I’ve gone through two pregnancies that prototype worked out both pregnancies the entire time. felt great. You know I do think it was truly benefited you know the delivery and afterwards recovery and so that was great. So my kids especially, you know, Finnegan and Kira there used to they were used to coming to the gym all the time, they would sit there while I worked out they would watch sometimes they would participate. You know, it was funny because Amelia was who’s my newest she’s just over a year. So I had her in December of 2019. As soon as I got the clearance to be able to exercise again, she was coming with me to classes. And then unfortunately COVID hit right so she’s I feel like she’s the only one that has it like better than on the sidelines there. But yeah, and the members are so great. I remember with Kira she’d be in this like in her little seat or in the stroller and Mark misspell he was my my babysitter he would stay after his class while I was doing my class and kind of entertained her for a little bit. It’s just, you know, there was awesome. So yeah, you just meet I it’s important to me, so I make it work. Because that’s, that’s I’m a better person when I come to CFP those days. It keeps me sane.

Michael Collette 16:20
It is true, right? I mean, working out for your body, but also your mind. Yeah, that’s such an important part. You make you have nicknames. I want to hear the nicknames, what you know, founding members, your

Jess Clancy 16:35
founding members, my title, your title. So we were actually we were talking about this this morning. So my My nickname is hbic Oh, gosh, that then, yeah, that’s okay. My camera, let’s say, Oh, no. This is this is what happens when you work from home now. Now people are like flying and flying by in the background.

Michael Collette 17:03
I intentionally walked back and forth during Aaron’s zoom calls. Because I think it’s funny. Yeah. And I sometimes you know, dance and stuff like that. But

Jess Clancy 17:14
um, so hbic which stands for head bitch in charge. Makes shirts and stuff are there. So yeah, I’ve got I’ve got shirts with hbic. And so I don’t know if you’ve noticed recently, I haven’t had a gym bag for the past. Probably six months. I’ve been using grocery bags or like plastic bags. And Lisa made me a home made out of fitness lab bag colored colored a shopping bag that said each busy. So they actually just got me a new gym bag that has hbic on the gym bag. Well, that’s great. Yeah, so that will be making an appearance. My next my next time I’m at the gym, dazzled. It’s not be dazzled. I may have to figure that out. But yes, so so a group of us had gone down to Charleston, South Carolina, and we were doing this pedal pedal Tavern tour thing in like you’re on like this cart and you’re supposed to be like pedaling and you go bar hopping, basically. Yeah, no. Everybody knows you don’t have to pedal The thing is like motorized, but they try to tell you that it’s not that you have to pedal. And so I with our driver. I was giving him a hard time. And I was like, I’m not pedaling. Sorry. I’m not doing it. Like, you know, and he’s like, Oh, hbic and then so that’s kind of how the and so now they all go to the AGC. But it was funny because this morning at the gym, we were sharing assault bikes. And so an Irish anna and i were gonna share and so we were trying to line up squares and I was like, Tony, get out of my square, you’re in my square go move to another square. And he of course, he just he listens and does it. And they’re all like hbic telling everybody what to do. And so it’s Yes, now it’s become a thing. And it’s very funny.

Michael Collette 19:16
That I did not know the origin of the of that nickname. I didn’t know that that was one of your nicknames. And you guys are making shirts and doing all that stuff. I love to hear that you gotta be dazzled or, or or you might be dazzled. But you got a bag and it’s just as classic Lisa to a decorated, you know, a garbage bag for you. To give you an actual hard time about about that. bag. Yes, yeah. Oh, that’s, that’s awesome. Um, since you’ve been doing this for so long. You have to have maybe a top three or top five list of favorite workouts. What are your favorite workouts that you’ve ever done it after product Paper could be open could be benchmarks could just be, you know, programmed workouts during the week. What’s something that sticks out to you?

Jess Clancy 20:10
Um Alright, so hold on. I’m gonna I’m not going to answer that directly but I’m going to talk about favorite movements instead. Got it? So there are a few things so I so I love pull ups. I’m pretty good at keeping doing kipping pull ups mint, so I love doing those. I love box jumps for whatever reason. Those those are fun. I love hang power cleans. Um, and I LOVE LOVE, LOVE LOVE long partner workouts. So most people don’t know but I actually he’s he’s gonna say no, I don’t but I do help john program the Saturday workout. He has to run it by me again this goes with the whole hbic right he I tell him he has to run it by me before it’s released on Saturday and I have to give him the okay whether it’s a good Saturday workout or not.

Michael Collette 21:17
I feel like there’s a there’s a there’s a board that you’re that you might be head of but I know a few other people that that are in that same boat. Shout out to Collin Lake as well. He so you might approve it. And then Collin might say that’s not hard enough for long enough. Add 15 more minutes to it or something along

Jess Clancy 21:41
that so I do the same thing. Sometimes I’m like no, it’s not long enough. Like it has to be long. It has to be hard like Saturdays have to be long hard partner but like to partner where someone we do get the rest none of that like partner where you both working at the same time.

Michael Collette 21:58
Do you remember there was one time we did this where we taught we didn’t tell you guys what to do? Do what did you do that workout on Saturday? It was like you came in? And we were like we’ll tell you when to stop. Oh, I do remember that? I do. I don’t know why that popped into my head. But I should remember. Wall ball shots.

Jess Clancy 22:19
Yeah, we knew the movements.

Michael Collette 22:21
And we’re like we’ll tell you when to stop. Yes. Just keep going.

Jess Clancy 22:24
Yeah, I do remember that.

Michael Collette 22:27
That was a good mental workout. Maybe we’ll do that again. This is like now please don’t do that. Funny. Alright, so pull up box, hang power clean that are those are three movements that there has to be some sort of like benchmark just trying to h h b IC called the hbic. Ben,

Jess Clancy 22:49
Jon, I think john did he I he may have named a Saturday workout hbic. I’ll have to go back. And look, I think he did though. I think there was one asked me this point. Now. I know.

Michael Collette 23:02
Jess, we talked a lot about CrossFit. We talked a lot about you talked a lot about your journey. Next thing is we have to get into these Spitfire questions. And I don’t know if you listen to the community conversation, but I will say that i want to i meaning to change these. I just haven’t yet. So

Jess Clancy 23:24
I’m not going to be good at this. Because I don’t watch TV and I don’t watch movies, then. But you got to have something you you’re not prepared for this. Alright, go ahead. I’m ready.

Michael Collette 23:39
Okay, so favorite movie, and TV show of all time? slash Are you or what is the last thing that you binge watched? Okay, or maybe, or to binge watching we can go past present or future on that. And this question.

Jess Clancy 24:01
This is so Sam kind of asked a similar question the other day, but my movie like I think of a movie that I could rewatch and rewatch and rewatch and this is so cheesy, but it’s Sweet Home Alabama 10 total, you know, romantic chick flick, but only because I probably haven’t seen a new movie since then. was probably the last movie I saw. So I don’t watch TV there. So this is the problem when you take an early morning class you have to go to bed early. And I’ve got a lot of kids so it takes me a long time to get them dinner and get them to bed so I they pretty much go to bed and then I go to bed and I work during the day so I can’t watch TV during the day. But I I’m not done with all of the episodes but i’d love shits Creek. And I do try to squeeze that in. In terms of binge watch. I did watch seven episodes of bridgerton bridgerton heard that show. Yeah. Which I really, really enjoyed. And it’s only an eight episode season and I refuse to watch the last episode because I don’t want it to end until another season comes out or something. Maybe maybe Yeah, they are filming a second a second season, but I do have to watch that last episode. But yes, so I did sort of squeezing seven episodes, like within a month which is which I would consider binge watching. So basically, when you retired, you’re going to watch movies and TV shows just to catch up. I’ve never been a TV watcher. I like to read so with my downtime, I’m reading books. I’m not watching TV.

Michael Collette 25:40
That’s why there’s a library of books under the table at the in the little, you know, front desk area. That is 100% why there’s your library hbic book club. Yeah. So next question is favorite musician or band of all time. And then also I’ll add an added in like your favorite song too.

Jess Clancy 26:08
So I’ve probably been to about 75 Phish concerts, my life. Um, so I obviously love the band fish, you and your dad’s Yes, yes. I always run into shadow there. And I love the like you I love the Grateful Dead. Then a longtime Grateful Dead fan. But let’s see. I mean, they’re probably my favorite but I do love a lot of music. Like, you know, I Love New pop stuff as well. Favorite song? You got one was the one song the rest of your life. You have to have gotta say, yeah, have to have something. So if you ask Maria Maynard, she will tell you it’s Gloria by Laura Branigan. Which is like a cheesy 80s song. I love it. I love it. I do like I love Michael Jackson. I love Madonna. Like, I love Billie Jean song. Hmm. So, either Gloria or Billie Jean, expansive. I know music genre from Michael Jackson to fish. I like it. I also do love. Youngblood is the name of the song by five Seconds of Summer.

Michael Collette 27:44
Oh, yeah, I know that song. That’s like, the newer song years ago. Yeah, yes. I love that song, too. That’s a good song. Alright, last question is your favorite hobby. It’s a favorite thing. What’s your favorite thing you like to do? Could be that’s not working out. But it’d be fit with family to be with whatever, whatever their thing to do if they’re happy.

Jess Clancy 28:09
So alone, I love reading. If I have like, a lot of time, I definitely love reading with my family, I love going on walks. Like whether it’s even if it’s just around the block, or, you know, I live right on the border of Upton State Park. So we, you know, I love going on family law walks, whether it’s through the woods, you know, around the neighborhood, whatever we you know, we’re going down to the cape for vacation. We’re right on the bike trail, we’ll do like a ton of walks on the bike trail. So that’s, you know, that’s, that’s fun. It’s not anything that like I can get them not to argue or whine or complain is like, generally a good activity. And usually I can, usually they’re pretty good about going on walks with me.

Michael Collette 28:53
So that’s basically your your parenting advice for the episode is if you can find something that they’re not going to want to complain about. Do it. Do it. Awesome. Well, Jess, I appreciate you being on the community conversations. They means a lot to me. Thank you, everyone. I know that is listening. This was awesome. We got to dive into your brain and also your journey here with us at prototype. So for all those folks out there listening, appreciate you tuning in. Remember, every week we have a new episode, the community conversation. If you ever want to be on a community conversation, just let us know. And we’d love to have you so again, Jess, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Yeah. Awesome.

Jess Clancy 29:32
Thank you.