No Agenda My Friend and "No Ego Amigo"

It was no coincidence that on Feb 3, National Women and Girls in Sports Day, Reebok named their newest brand ambassador. Perhaps my favorite to date, she is not a Super Bowl champion, not a multi-millionaire NBA star, not a gold medal winner on the US Women’s National Soccer Team but instead, Reebok partnered with an everyday member of our community. This person just happens to be one of the greatest forces of positivity and good health through the COVID-19 pandemic. Her name is Peloton instructor Jess Sims.  

Without a doubt, Jess exemplifies athleticism, perseverance and leadership. But her path to a Reebok endorsement is unique and inspiring.  She grew up in a bi-racial household in a middle-class neighborhood outside Boston. She worked hard to become Captain of three high school teams (lacrosse, soccer, basketball) and then led the women’s basketball team at Trinity College.  Jess started her career as an educator, completed her Master’s degree, and then worked her way up from classroom teacher to the Principal of Harlem Village Academies in NYC.   In 2016, Jess made a dramatic career change to pursue her first passion: fitness.  She spent two years in New York City teaching boxing and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) classes.  Then, lucky for America, Jess joined the Peloton team in 2018 to teach all types of fitness classes for people of all ages and abilities.

So why has America (and Reebok) fallen for Jess Sims?  To borrow her words: she has no agenda my friend and “no ego amigo”.  

Here are the top 10 reasons why America can’t get enough of Jess Sims:

She has made it possible, even enjoyable, to stay fit while we’re all cooped up at home during the COVID 19 pandemic.

No agenda my friend:  She leaves any agenda, politics, opinions at the door…..and that has been nearly impossible in this pandemic year.

“No ego amigo”:  She crushes her rides, her runs and her workouts right alongside us but she sweats just like us, eats just like us and shows her weaknesses just like us.

Her positivity is a force of nature.  Once she reminds you that the hardest part of working out is “showing up”, her workouts lift the spirit, soul and mind.

She is a strong and healthy on the inside and outside.

She brings her dog to work from time to time.

Her playlists rock from 80s rap to 90s pop to the best hip hop of the 2000s.

Her workouts in the studio prepare us for life outside the studio.  Balance drills, body-weight workouts and asymmetrical training prepare us for real world situations.

She has as much appeal to teenagers and twenty-somethings as she does to the 40-60 year old set, and that is very rare.  

We love what Jess stands for, her positive attitude, work ethic and passion. All things that we love at iSport360, why we love youth sports and what we want our kids to see and do every day. 

Ian Goldberg is a #girldad, volunteer coach, Jess Sims fitness fan and the Founder of iSport360.  His SportsTech company is helping thousands of youth sports teams stay connected, active and strong through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.  Try iSport360 for free here.