Jeanmarie was working as a football strength and conditioning coach in the early 1990s. During that time, she attended several conferences where she kept hearing people talk about Dr. Gary Gray. Jeanmarie was bored with the other educational options, and she had questions about how effective the exercises she was assigning really were.
If the bench press was the best exercise, why did you need to lay on your back to do it when that’s not a movement football players make in real life? She decided to take a chance and attend one of Gary Gray’s seminars. That’s when everything clicked.
“Gray Institute is based on pure science,” she says. “Everything is authentic.”
Applied Functional Science® Changes Jeanmarie’s Perspective for Good
The education Jeanmarie received at Gray Institute enriched everything she knew. She’d had questions for years about function and results but lacked the language and perspective to articulate them or adopt changes in her approach. Using Applied Functional Science (AFS) gave her the tools she’d been looking for.
Jeanmarie has completed 3DMAPS, Female Chain Reaction, Certification in Applied Functional Science, Functional Golf System, and went through GIFT in 2009. She now helps facilitate the GIFT fellowship program and is excited to enroll in Foot / Ankle Specialization and the upcoming Functional Yoga System.
Today, Jeanmarie uses her functional knowledge to work with a variety of complex clients, including Olympic-caliber athletes, cancer patients, people who’ve suffered a stroke, quadriplegics, physical therapy referrals, and more. She takes a very holistic approach to treating her clients. Her goal is to empower clients to "be a better them." And because Gray Institute takes such care to build professionals’ understanding of biomechanics and global assessments, she can identify her clients’ biggest issues, focus in deeper, and help them see real results.
“Life throws us a lot of roadblocks and bumps,” Jeanmarie explains. “And that might actually be a good thing because it will take you into a better direction—that other path could be where you needed to go. Gray Institute has helped me be better at being able to take the bumps that come at you and having the skills to know where to go next.”
AFS Empowers Clients and Delivers Functional Results
A husband-and-wife pair were some of the most compelling clients Jeanmarie’s worked with. They both lived with serious health issues, including arthritis, fused discs, knee replacements, scoliosis, and fibromyalgia. Other movement professionals had unsuccessfully treated their conditions, and they were becoming frustrated.
The pair learned about the Gray Institute approach and searched for a practitioner in their area with AFS experience.
Using Applied Functional Science to guide their sessions, the husband and wife both reported feeling better than they had in years. The entire time, Jeanmarie made sure to explain everything that she was doing and why it worked. Even though they’d worked with countless other trainers, no one had ever explained the directions, rationale, or biomechanics of their activities to them before.
What’s more, Jeanmarie saw them both as individuals and based their care plans on their holistic health needs, rather than by addressing their problems in isolation. This approach created tremendous buy-in from the pair.
They began to understand the biomechanics of functional movement, which gave them the tools they needed to be successful. Years later, their success still sticks with Jeanmarie as an example of the power of AFS and Gray Institute.
RELATED: Mike’s Story: Using AFS to Help People Become Their Best Selves
The Global Gray Institute Community Makes Growth Possible
As a GIFT Fellow, administrator, and member of the Gray Institute community, Jeanmarie “loves” the Gray Institute community. As a result of her work, she’s gained peers locally and around the country and world through Gray Institute. She speaks with GIFT Fellows at least once a month.
When she needs to bounce ideas off someone with the same perspective and priorities, she knows she has people to turn to.
“There’s power in community,” Jeanmarie says. “I don’t know it all, [but when I have questions] I know who to ask.”
Grow Your Circle and Impact With Gray Institute
If you’re ready to take your education to the next level, we’d love to talk. We know how frustrating it can be to feel like there’s no other option than to keep assigning exercises that you aren’t sure make sense.
With Applied Functional Science, practitioners have the tools they need to understand biomechanics, function, and the body’s natural Chain Reactions, making workouts more effective and results undeniable.
To get started, please check out our course catalog or reach out to us. We’ll get to know you and your goals and help you find the right course for you.
We look forward to speaking with you!
FYI ... once a GIFT Fellow, always a GIFT Fellow.