Having recently achieved the pinnacle in the sport and physical activity sector by attaining Senior Manager Chartered Fellow status, Jessica Christensen FCIMSPA (Chartered) is now recognised with a mark of distinction that is reserved exclusively for those who have demonstrated true excellence, innovation, and impact within their field.
Jessica is CEO and Academy Director at Mavericks Life Co., of which Body Before Skill Training Academy is the professional sports coaching education programme.
Having had a family upbringing that revolved around being active, Jessica developed a keen interest in sport from a young age, but often considered it as a hobby or leisure activity, rather than a career.
She was 15 when she led her first coaching session, and from then she has been hooked on getting people into new sports and activities.
At 20 Jessica realised she had a calling for sports and recreational coaching and thrived off making people happier and healthier through sharing experiences they love, that also make them stronger in body & mind.
Jessica has dedicated much of her life to helping people and coaches find joy in physical activity, helping them navigate their way to involve others in making an active lifestyle an essential pathway to health and wellbeing.
Jessica started by telling us all about the appeal of sports and fitness coaching and how having studied media and communications at university gave her the skills to drive her true passion in sport and community development.
“I just felt really alive when I had people around me. A sort of feeling of inspiring them to do something they may not have done otherwise. I felt really energised helping people to achieve their goals in sport.
“The community factor in sport had me hooked. I had, and still have a passion for mentoring people and ensuring they can overcome any barriers that stand in their way to becoming active.”
Jessica then touched on the chartered process and how she found it working with the CIMSPA assessors.
“Nick (chartered assessor) was wonderful, he was like Uncle Nick to me!
“He made the process really enjoyable and supported me like more of a mentor throughout. Trying to collect 15 years of your life and mapping it can feel quite daunting and somewhat overwhelming, but Nick was so reassuring and helped me take it step by step.
“I’d add to this that George (George Sheldon, Chartered Lead at CIMSPA) has always been great at communicating with me and making sure I’m fully aware of anything and everything to do with the process.”
We then moved on to talk about the impact of attaining chartered status, and how this has given Jessica confidence both personally and professionally.
“Previously I’ve found myself trying to convince other people that my role goes beyond teaching people how to train, but now my chartered status ensures I’m recognised for the impact of my work on a broader scale.
“As a woman in sport, getting this level of recognition means I don’t feel as though I must constantly justify myself. I have a newfound self-confidence and feel I’m able to take part in those higher-level conversations.
“For example, I’ve recently been working with some external parties on projects to address public health and environmental policy, and how nature-based solutions can address that. Having chartered status means I can just say what I have to say and then sign off without having to spend time convincing people that I have the seniority.”
Throughout speaking with Jessica, it was clear she had a firm passion for driving health and sustainability within the sector, with the goal to ensure fitness is attainable and achievable, and allows everyone to find their own way to be active, without judgement.
She went on to tell us of the leverage that chartered status brings, allowing her to increase the reach of her company and the mission it sets out to achieve.
“The main area we are trying to drive change is in the sustainability and physical activity gap. The sports and fitness industry has historically not been very sustainable in its practices, both material, and in terms of people’s wellbeing.
Jessica and the team have recently released a white paper entitled ‘Health, Sustainability & Economic Impact of Nature-Based Exercise’ that is based on the latest available research in green exercise and sustainable solutions to improve health-related fitness.
“My experiences drive my passion, and these experiences have told me there is a big divergent between trying to get more people more active and getting people into trends that are not always very sustainable materialistically, and also mentally.
“Having to keep up with the ongoing demands to always ‘do more’ or ‘do better’ can make people feel like they can’t identify with sports and fitness anymore.
“We’re promoting sustainable, nature-based approaches through our education programs at Mavericks Life Co., whereas Body Before Skill teaches the more technical aspect of training with a focus on body awareness and skill development, using minimal equipment.”
Body Before Skill is an innovative multi-sport syllabus which has been given the ultimate stamp of approval as a 3 star ‘Enhancing’ quality assured training provider.
Take a look at the courses they have available.
Learn the foundations of a Body and Skill focused training method to improve body awareness, resilience, and performance – and how to integrate these concepts as you create enjoyable, safe, and effective training sessions in your chosen sport or discipline.
FUNctional training - learn more
Develop an effective and safe approach to stretching and functional flexibility for improved health, wellbeing, and athletic performance.
Flexibility training - learn more
Learn about the benefits and connections between the natural environment, the body’s natural capabilities, and the value of outdoor leisure in building thriving active communities.
Discussion then focussed on how Jessica had utilised the insights provided by her CIMSPA membership to help her achieve her goals.
“I’m a big fan of the reports and news CIMSPA produce around sector activity, along with member webinars that feature sector experts, these resources offer fantastic insights and really help me to gain a true understanding of what is happening in our sector.
“CIMSPA industry insights have really influenced our strategic approach, we’ve taken a step back and thought ‘Oh, that’s what the nation is interested in’ and then better utilised our resources to meet that demand.”
In conclusion, Jessica went on to give a message for those who are considering applying for chartered but are doubtful as to whether it’s for them.
“Just reach out to the team, they’re very helpful and will assist you to figure out where you are at, before you apply.
“I was scared off by thinking I’d need to have everything ready before I even contact the team. That’s not the case, the team will let you know where you stand.
“I went from being concerned I didn’t have enough evidence, to being advised to apply for a higher grade of chartered status in ‘Chartered Fellow’, I would never have imagined I could achieve that level, but I did.”
Chartered status is a mark of distinction awarded to those who have demonstrated true excellence, innovation and impact within their field.
A chartered member or fellow meets the sector standards with qualifications, experience and expertise that underpin their multiple areas of discipline, outstanding competencies and wide-ranging capabilities.
Becoming Chartered – find out more