Jillian Kaufman is a multi-talented woman whose careers and passions are intertwined with one another. Her passions for the business side of the healthcare industry and for fitness and nutrition led her to become the empowering person she is today.
Q: Please introduce yourself.
Health and fitness is a huge passion of mine. In 2018, I graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a Bachelor’s of Science in Healthcare Administration. During my undergraduate years, my passion for health and fitness flourished. I now work for Hoag Medical Group as a community wellness advocate in the quality improvement department.
Alongside my career in healthcare, I recently pursued my passion in fitness and became a certified personal trainer. By pursuing my passion and beginning my online coaching business, I have found ultimate fulfillment in helping and encouraging others to take control of their health.
Q: Can you share a little about your story of how you became interested and passionate about both careers?
In high school, I volunteered at a hospital and found the work environment very fascinating, so I decided to select pre-nursing as my major in college. After my first semester, I quickly realized nursing was not the path for me and decided to change my major to healthcare administration.
I have always been interested in health and nutrition, and I was also interested in the business aspect of healthcare and thought that healthcare administration would be a good fit for me. During my undergraduate years, I started going to the gym with my guy friends and learned how to train. I fell in love with training because it gave me the ability to improve my body composition by putting in the hard work and effort. After I graduated college, I began taking my nutrition more seriously and started tracking my calories and macros. I ended up hiring an online coach who really educated me and inspired me.
Q: Did you face any challenges along the way? Can you share how you overcame those?
Right before the pandemic, I had just become a certified body pump instructor, and before I was able to instruct my first class, the world went on lockdown. During the pandemic, I was furloughed at my previous job at a doctor’s office working as a front office representative. However, during that time, I had been wanting to advance in my career in healthcare and was interested in working in quality improvement. At the end of 2020, I transitioned to a position at Hoag Medical Group as a member service advocate. While the position was not within the department I was seeking, I accepted the job in hopes of eventually transferring into the quality improvement department.
After a year of working in the member services department, I applied to transfer to that department but I did not get accepted. Feeling down and rejected, I decided to pursue my passion in the fitness industry and became a certified personal trainer in August 2021. A few months later, I was offered my current job in the quality improvement department as a community wellness advocate. Everything will always work out for the better as long as you are patient with yourself and keep trying.
I believe that dedication and determination are essential to success in the fitness industry. One should constantly be working on themselves, whether that be mentally, physically, etc. The best advice I would give to someone who is considering a career in the healthcare or fitness industry is to be patient and don’t give up on yourself.
Jillian Kaufman
Q: Who are your biggest role models and why?
Lauren Simpson, an Australian bodybuilder, because she strives to educate and encourage women on how to achieve their dream body.
Q: What are your long-term career goals?
I strive to further develop my online coaching business and develop my career in healthcare. I’m aiming to move up to project manager in healthcare.
Q: What skills, abilities and personal attributes are essential to success in your field?
I believe that dedication and determination are essential to success in the fitness industry. One should constantly be working on themselves, whether that be mentally, physically, etc. The best advice I would give to someone who is considering a career in the healthcare or fitness industry is to be patient and don’t give up on yourself.
You can follow Jillian’s personal Instagram account @jilliankaufman and her professional account @jill.k_fit.
