WESTMINSTER —When Stacey Jolly found a personal trainer she loved to work with three years ago, she wanted her daughter with Down syndrome to be able to experience the same thing.
Though Jolly’s 23-year-old daughter, Jessie Nickolaus, is high-functioning, she was still unable to work out independently in the gym.
Recognizing this, Jolly asked her trainer, , if she would be willing to train with her daughter.
Fast-forward to the present, and Rael has opened Profound is a home for all fitness needs, including but not limited to programs for people with developmental disabilities.
Now Jolly, her husband and her four children all go to the gym together.
“The rest of our family goes there, and now Jessie gets to be just like the rest of us,” Jolly said. “The special-needs part of the program is life-changing. I was never able to find anything (Jessie) could participate in regularly.”
Though there are organizations and gyms in the area with special-needs classes, none cater to long-term training and attention like Profound Fitness does.
The “has therapeutic classes, but as far as something that Jessie was actually interested in that had health benefits and helped her build her confidence and self-esteem, we had never found anything like that,” Jolly said.
It is common for people with Down syndrome to be overweight, due to a lower metabolic rate and thyroid issues. Nickolaus was one of these cases — and though it’s great that she has lost 20 pounds since starting with Rael, Jolly is more excited about what her daughter has gained from the training sessions.
“She would walk through the hallways with her head down in high school. She was so shy and insecure and wouldn’t talk to other people,” Jolly said. “And now the confidence she’s gained is amazing. She can walk into any environment and owns it. She’ll sit down and have a conversation with anyone and a lot of that comes from empowerment.”
Rael’s ability to improve clients’ self-confidence is precisely why Sarah Godwin, supportive living services case managers at Imagine, thinks that Profound will be of benefit to the special-needs community.
— provides support services to people with both cognitive and developmental disabilities. One of Godwin’s clients has been working with Rael and has seen significant improvement.
“My client has had amazing advances with coordinating, self-confidence and cognitive functioning,” Godwin said.
Godwin appreciates the Profound gym, having searched in the past for athletic programs for her clients.
“I’m super excited. because it’s pretty hard for individuals with cognitive disabilities to access something like kickboxing or personal training,” she said. “It’s also hard to meet their needs and provide the support they need.”
The programs offered at Profound Fitness — restorative training, personal training, functional training and mixed martial arts — are designed to increase flexibility and mobility, and to make life a little bit easier.
“I just kind of saw there was nothing out there for them, and I truly love working with special-needs clients,” Rael said.
“One of my clients is in a wheelchair, and when she came to me she couldn’t lift her hand over her head,” Rael said. “Three weeks into the program, she had her hand over her head.”
Rael’s passion is athleticism and treating the body properly. But her newfound passion is making sure that special-needs people have access to the same fitness opportunities as those without special needs.
“I want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and everyone has the right to a healthy lifestyle,” Rael said. “I’m just here to share the wealth of health.”
Catherine Elsby: celsby@denverpost.com
