36 September 5 • 2019
jn
Q: How did you decide to make your
adult life in Metro Detroit?
AJ: I grew up in Metro Detroit and
decided to stay here for two reasons.
First, which is the most important to
me, is that my family lives here. I am so
grateful for my amazing family and could
not imagine being away from them.
Second, I decided to attend graduate
school, and the program I was extremely
interested in happened to be located in
Metro Detroit. I almost moved away to
Texas after undergrad, but I am so happy
I decided to stay.
Q: You’
re the founder of The 360
MindBody, a business that combines
physical and mental health efforts to
increase quality of life. What was the
process of starting your own company
like?
AJ: My two main passions in life are
fitness and mental health. I knew that I
wanted to combine the two of them and
believe that the connection between the
two is often overlooked. I have recently
created a website and have been running
events through the business to try and
get the word out. The process of trying
to start something new is always difficult,
and this has not proven otherwise. It
is very difficult to start a new business.
It has started off very slow, but I have
learned the importance of taking each
day one at a time and focusing on the lit-
tle steps rather than just the end goal.
Q: You’
re also a personal trainer and
group fitness instructor at Nafas
Fitness in Royal Oak. What’
s your
favorite part about working directly
with clients, either one-on-one or in a
group setting?
AJ: I absolutely love working as a
trainer and group fitness instructor. Not
only does it allow me to share my pas-
sion for fitness, but it also allows me to
create connections with lots of different
people. My favorite thing about being a
trainer is the ability to be a cheerleader
for someone that needs it. I have the
ability to motivate and inspire so many
people to become a better version of
themselves. I also make sure that every-
one feels welcomed, accomplished and
comfortable when working out with me.
Q: And if you weren’
t busy enough,
you’
re also in graduate school for clini-
cal mental health counseling! Looking
five years into the future, how would
you like to see your schooling and pro-
fessional endeavors all come together?
AJ: My dream is to grow my own
business: The 360 MindBody. This will
be my own private practice. It will be
a therapy center that not only provides
mental health counseling, but also per-
sonal trainers, dietitians and meditation
guides. I want to create a total health
and wellness center where a person can
come in and have a program tailored
specifically to them and their goals. All
the teams will work together to help the
client achieve optimum wellness.
Q: Outside of work and school, how do
you spend your free time? What’
s your
ideal day off?
AJ: I am an extremely active person.
I love to do anything outside or any-
thing that gets my heart pumping. I love
exploring new places, hiking and biking.
I am also very into boxing. I started box-
ing about seven years ago and fell in love
with it. I try to box at least a couple times
a week. On the less active side, I love
going to anything live, whether that be a
concert, comedy show or a sports game.
I also love being able to just relax and
watch a movie.
Q: What’
s your “happy place,
” and why
is it so special?
AJ: My happy place is Sanibel Island
(Fla). Every year my family and I go
down to Sanibel Island for winter break.
I have been going there for over 20 years
and cannot imagine my life without it.
Everything down there makes me happy.
It is a super small island and we have the
ability to walk everywhere. We stay right
on the beach and get to see the sunrise
and sunset every day. It feels like my
home away from home.
Q: What fictional place would you
most like to travel to and why?
AJ: Wow, that is hard. I would have to
say Hogwarts from Harry Potter. I went
to Harry Potter World at Universal and
had so much fun. There is something
about Hogwarts that makes you smile,
and it’
s so full of magic and adventure.
Q: How do you like to give back to the
community/others?
AJ: I have always been one to think of
others. It is important to me that people
around me are happy, and I try to help in
any way I can. I try to volunteer as often
as I can and attend local fundraisers. I
have run a lot of fundraiser events at my
gyms to help raise money and awareness.
We recently organized a Box Out Breast
Cancer class.
Q: What’
s your favorite Jewish holiday
and why?
AJ: My favorite Jewish Holiday is
Rosh Hashanah. When I think about
my childhood, I remember that always
being my favorite holiday. It was always
such a happy occasion and it was a whole
day I got to spend with my family. We
would also always have a huge dinner all
together, which I remember always had
the best food. I am also pretty partial to
the shofar.
Q: What accomplishment are you
most proud of and why?
AJ: In undergrad, I studied abroad three
times all on my own. I was very proud
of myself for being able to do some-
thing so outside of my comfort zone. I
knew no one on my trips and I was in a
different country for each (Italy, Israel,
Australia). Each one helped me grow,
become more independent and gain
self-confidence.
Q: Would you rather win an Olympic
Medal (for what sport?), an Academy
Award (in what category?) or Nobel
Prize (in what)?
AJ: Olympic medal for sure. Probably
in some type of individual sport like
swimming or ice skating … not that I do
any of those sports, hahaha.
Q: Best movie ever made, hands down?
AJ: For sure a Disney movie. It’
s a
strong tie between Mulan and Lion King.
Q: How about a fun fact?
AJ: I have older siblings who are trip-
lets! ■
Read more at meetyouatthewell.org. Want to
meet Abbie? Email Rabbi Dan Horwitz at dan@
meetyouatthewell.org for an introduction.
MARISA MEYERSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Matchmaker,
Matchmaker,
Matchmaker
Matchmaker
NJP (Nice Jewish Person)
Abbie Jankelovitz
Each month, The Well highlights an amazing (and eligible!) individual. The
Well has agreed to share its Q & As with these amazing singles with the JN.
This month, The Well has a conversation with NJP Abbie Jankelovitz.
moments
COURTESY OF THE WELL