Sisters. 50 Years In.

My sister turned 50 this summer.

She’s been a client of JRAPPFIT for five years now — I train her privately and in small group classes. I’ve worked with her on her nutrition, her fitness, and her overall health. And honestly, her journey looks nothing like mine. And yet, somehow, it’s exactly like mine.

We’ve had a rocky relationship over the years. We don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things — politics, opinions, just about every issue that has a “side.” There have been days, months, even years where we argued so much that I swore we’d never talk again.

But what has always brought us back — what keeps us tethered no matter how far apart we drift — is family.

We both love our family fiercely — our parents, our kids, our shared memories of growing up as Air Force brats. We moved umpteen times in 22 years. That’s a lot of packing and unpacking, a lot of goodbyes, a lot of starting over. It shaped us in ways I don’t think we even realized at the time. We were middle-class 80’s girls with some sass, raised in a little square family of four — church on Sundays, United Methodist roots, Christian values, and parents who taught us to love, serve, and keep showing up.

Now, we live very different lives. She’s in Tennessee, I’m in Massachusetts. Our worlds couldn’t be more different — literally and figuratively. And yet, we share the same heartbeat when it comes to what matters: loving our family, honoring our parents, and showing up for each other when it counts.

This past month, I spent two weeks in Tennessee caring for our parents. I could not have done it without my sister. She was my anchor. She knew when I needed rest — booked me a sauna and cold plunge (because, yes, I’m that crazy person who loves freezing cold water and how good it makes my hips feel). She invited me to her farm for 24 hours just to take care of me — a warm bath, a cold glass of sancerre, a workout, a good meal, rest. She saw me. She showed up for me. 

That’s what our sisterhood looks like now.  

I can think back to the years when we couldn’t be in the same room without tension. When we fought and cried and hurt each other deeply. I remember seeing how much it broke our parents’ hearts. They didn’t know how to fix it — they just prayed we’d find our way back to each other.

And eventually, we did.

We started to talk it out, walk it out, and work it out.

That phrase became a personal mantra for me — and it’s now part of my coaching philosophy. Healing — whether it’s physical, emotional, or relational — doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. It takes time, humility, and effort from both sides.

It’s taken us so many years to get here. To this place of understanding, respect, and grace.
We don’t always agree — and that’s okay. We’ve learned how to meet each other where we are, how to give what the other needs, when we can.

She’s my sister.
She’s my client.
She’s my opposite and my reflection all at once.

And I’m just so proud of her. Proud of the woman she is, the strength she’s built, and the love she continues to give.

Because sisterhood isn’t perfect.
It’s practice.
And it’s worth it. 

Yours in Health,

Jenny