Nestled away in the cedar forested heart of Georgian Bluffs is The Cedar Wellness Studio, a small space built on family values, the balance of physical and mental well-being, and the drive of an unstoppable woman: Jessica Hastings-Lesperance.
With certifications to instruct Yoga 500-CYT, spin, and POUND Rockout Workout in addition to being a Reiki practitioner and certified Head and Body Masseuse, it only seemed natural for Jessica to venture an avenue where her many hats could be worn in one place.
She is a certified Fitness Instructor Specialist with CanFitPro and has completed the Warrior Training with YogaFit, a healing practice of Yoga which targets challenges with the parasympathetic nervous system, emotional and physical trauma, as well as addiction and recovery. Fun fact: Jessica was just awarded a Fitness Professional of the Year Award for 2024 by canfitpro. Pretty cool stuff.
Jessica initially shared her passion as a co-owner with her parents and husband, Adam Lesperance, in the Wiarton Fitness Centre with over 200 members, while simultaneously running three other businesses: owning a 200-sheep farm, founding an organic food store-LAMBlicious, and assisting with her husband’s arborist business. When COVID-19 came knocking, her plans quickly diverted when the fitness centre closed and the need to be present with family was pressing; and so, the idea for The Cedar Wellness Studio was born. Offering yoga, spin and POUND classes with a bit of Reiki and elements of trauma-informed yoga classes, the centre covers many of Jessica’s passions for wellness.
When the studio became a reality, Jessica and Adam found themselves juggling the many aspects of their lives: from running multiple small business, raising three small children, and maintaining their fitness driven goals, then to podcasts, public speaking, television appearances and even writing and publishing two best-selling books, life was busy for these two!
“The Cedar Wellness Studio is a platform I made to help others. I like to be a mental health advocate and, in some way, try to inspire others to overcome their challenges.”
During this time, Jessica’s family suffered a tragic loss with the passing of her father and they experienced the waves of grief together. Jessica’s first book, Managing Back-to-School Anxiety, was released after several of her peers applauded her tactics with helping her family navigate the emotions of grief and anxiety and encouraged her to share them with the public.
Despite the struggles brought by COVID, Jessica and Adam’s determination made their small entrepreneurial lifestyle quickly evolve into several very successful businesses; one of which being in real estate. Jessica’s real estate experience didn’t fall far from the tree as she was Raised with Real Estate ™ by her mother, Terri Hastings. Although Jessica initially took her own path down the road of fitness and wellness, her journey in the realty world took an “unconventional path to the top” as Jessica puts it, thanks to her mother. As the years have passed, Jessica has truly earned her valuable titles of Co-Owner, Director of Operations and now REALTOR® at the Terri Hastings Real Estate Group/Keller Williams Realty Centres; the Keller Williams Group being currently rated eighth in all of Canada.
Feeling beyond privileged to have been surrounded by incredibly talented and experienced professionals throughout her life, she wished to share some secrets, tricks and triumphs of the industry in addition to the inspiration that was passed on to her. Her 2nd book, Real Estate Success Secrets was later released, compsed of stories that provide practical insight into the world of realty for both newbies and seasoned professionals.
Jessica has been invited as a guest speaker on major platforms including the NYC Journal, Brainz Magazine, Medium, and Thrive Global to discuss her book and experiences – which eventually led to a craving for her own platform. She developed the Vault Podcast, where she invites peers to tell their stories for themselves, creating a non-competitive space for her industry. You can tune in on either Spotify or Google Podcasts, or head to her website jessicahastingslesperance.ca.
As a mother of three, it’s been a point of pride for Jessica to blaze a trail for her children’s future by showing them how to explore each one to its fullest. The environment Jessica has built around her children truly holds well-being at its centre.
“The Cedar Wellness Studio is a platform I made to help others,” she says. “I like to be a mental health advocate and, in some way, try to inspire others to overcome their challenges.”
Jessica has collaborated with several other like-minded businesses to fundraise and support various aspects of her community, reaching from Wiarton to Owen Sound. Her focusses have included performing and teaching POUND classes for children’s mental well-being, and fundraising and donating to Safe ’N Sound, the Women’s Centre and any other local services most in need.
The Cedar Wellness Studio has generally attracted the retirement community given its remote location, however, more recently, Jessica has begun virtual classes to broaden her demographic and offer the studio’s services to folks nationally. She currently coaches other fitness instructors to carry on her values and teach to their own audience of choice. Unlike a 200-member gym, the network she has made within the studio is a much smaller reach, but a more potent one.
“My proudest moment in the Studio was during a one-on-one Yoga therapy session with a lady who could hardly walk and couldn’t really do a downward dog or move much in general,” says Jessica. “By our fifth session she was doing downward dogs and so excited afterwards to have done it on her own without my assistance!”
Jessica says she feels that she has accomplished the goals she aspired to for the studio and finds pride in the community she has built. However, if you’ve ever met Jessica, you would know that despite her serious accomplishments and successes in many avenues, she has only just begun. This Jane of all trades seems to continue to seek out the next milestone of her journey, whether it be through her realty world, or honing in her methods of healing others in the cedar-laden home she made in her backyard, the Cedar Wellness Studio.
You can find out more about the Cedar Wellness Studio, including class schedules and testimonials, at cedarwellnessstudio.ca and on socials @cedar.wellness.studio
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Words and photos by Ashley Winters
