How This Fitness Influencer Makes a Point to Motivate and Inspire Other Women — and Has Fun Doing It

Instagram influencer Jera Foster-Fell is the first to admit that she's not perfect. In fact, she makes it a point to say that, since she stopped teaching at SoulCycle to become a full-time content creator, she's gained weight and lost some definition. "It's OK for our bodies to evolve!" she said. "To me, body positivity means understanding that our bodies will shift and go through changes. It means that some days we may feel great about our bodies, and some days we might not, and that's OK. It means accepting ourselves where we are right here, right now, and honoring both the internal and external journey we've been through."

Learning to embrace perceived imperfections is what Jera lives for, and what she tries to convey to all the women who follow her. "I want to create a space where women can come together to talk about topics that are important to them, a space where others feel seen, heard, and supported," she said. And she's not afraid to get into the tough stuff! Follow along as we talk to Jera about how she gets it done, from not being afraid to eat pizza to moving past self-doubt.

The journey to loving her body wasn't the easiest — Jera explained that just a few years ago, she was working as a graphic designer and experiencing so much stress her hair began to fall out. She was plagued by social anxiety and realized all her friendships had fallen by the wayside. It wasn't until she found fitness influencer Kayla Itsines's workout program that she started to feel passionate about something. She started an Instagram account to track her progress, and, to her surprise, began gaining followers. "I had no intention of getting followers," she said. "The word 'influencer' didn’t even exist back then. But within three months, I had grown to around 10K." She found that her no-BS style and real-talk approach to body positivity resonated with other women. "Through my content, I aim to empower women to get out of their comfort zones, feel comfortable in the their own skin, and speak their minds," she said.

Jera tries to get women to remember that how we feel is so much more important than how we look, even if it can be a struggle. So if that slice of pizza or that glass of rosé is going to make you happy — go for it! It all comes down to balance. "I'm absolutely committed to health and wellness, and part of that means not being afraid to eat the things that I love," Jera said. "Food brings so much joy to my life, so eating my favorite things is crucial to my overall balance. Finding healthy options to help fuel me throughout my day, like a protein-packed salad, is important to me, but allowing myself to enjoy a cookie or two is also just as important!"