About Us
Studio Phoenix was founded in 2013. We began in a small one-room studio in Des Plaines, which we outgrew within a year of opening our doors! We moved into our current 3-classroom studio in Arlington Heights in 2015. Our mission is to make dance and fitness fun for all! Our warm, friendly environment welcomes people of all ages, body types, abilities, and gender identities.
Jenni O'Connor - Founder and CEO
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Jenni founded, owns, and instructs at Studio Phoenix. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Board Certified Counselor that specializes in combining mental health with movement. She is in the process of earning her PhD.
Jenni began pole dancing in January 2010, when a friend convinced her to try an intro class. After one class, she was hooked! At the time, Jenni was in the process of applying for Disability for Fibromyalgia and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, debilitating conditions that leave her in constant state of pain and fatigue. Pole dancing helped her shift from seeing her body as the enemy to appreciating its strength and beauty. Jenni is currently on hiatus, but usually teaches Pole Fundamentals, Aerial Yoga, and specialty workshops with topics such as performance preparation, lap and chair dance, and mental health. Jenni has performed in many showcases, and loves to bring smiles to people's faces through her dancing. She has also competed and medaled in several competitions throughout the Midwest. Among her many tasks as CEO, Jenni interviews and hires all Studio Phoenix team members, creates a majority of the studio's curriculum, and works with the management team and coordinators to continually improve the staff and student experiences. Jenni is known for her slow, fluid movement, and her strong pole poses. She loves instructing, and seeing a student light up when she gets a new trick. She is patient, creative, and encouraging, but also loves to make her students sweat! Not a natural athlete herself, she has compassion for those who have to work harder for their accomplishments. Her warm love for her students has earned her the nickname, "Mama Bear." Jenni's firsthand experience with the healing power of dance and movement led her to pursue a career in counseling and counselor education. Her doctoral thesis focuses on the power of movement to help people more quickly process trauma. In her personal life, Jenni is a best-selling author and award-winning speaker, who has given keynote talks in such prestigious locations as the United States Air Force Academy, and to crowds as large as 12,000 people. Jenni created and hosted the podcast Ashes to Wings, and has been a guest expert on several podcasts, panels, and conferences. She has been featured in Costco magazine and Voyage Chicago. You can find Jenni's books, Rituals for Feminine Power, Rituals for Feminine Power - Teen Edition, and Overcoming Mediocrity: Empowered Women, at Studio Phoenix or on Amazon.com. A retired professional photographer, Jenni enjoys driving around the country and photographing its gorgeous National Parks. Jenni has worked with thousands of women to help them find their inner confidence. Jenni's one-to-one coaching sessions help clients release trauma through somatic movement, reiki healing, and immersive sound baths with crystal singing bowls. Jenni has two daughters, and two dogs with severe tennis ball addictions. She enjoys reading (she recently read 250 books a year), traveling, creating cosplay for Renaissance Faires or Comic Cons, and hiking through National Parks at a glacial pace. When she's not spending time with family, running the studio, counseling clients, or writing her next book, she can be found slowly chipping away at her PhD thesis. Her speciality as a counselor is working with people-pleasing women who dream of running away from their overwhelming lives. Competitions: - 2019 PSO Central Pole Championships, Level 3 Entertainment, Masters Division - 2nd Place - 2018 PSO Gateway, Level 3 Floorwork/Low Flow, Masters Division - 1st Place - 2015 North American Pole Dance Championship's Floorwork Contest - 2013 Motor City Pole Competition, Theatrics & Artistry Division Pole Dance/Exercise Certifications: - Advanced pole instructor - Master Trainer - Spin pole instructor - Liquid Motion® instructor - Aerial yoga instructor Mental Health Certifications/Licenses/Trainings: - Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) - National Board Certified Therapist - Somatic Therapist - EMDR Practitioner – Level 1 - BrainSpotting Practitioner – Phases 1 & 2 - Religious Trauma Therapist - Integrative Sex and Couples Counselor - Hypnotherapy - NLP Master Practitioner - Reiki Master - Meditation Practitioner - Sound, Light, and Color Therapy - Play Therapy - Certified Life Coach |
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