Hi there, I’m Coach JuJu.

I’m Jennifer Harkins, but I’ve been called “JuJu” by my family and close friends for most of my life. 

I spent my early years growing up on a dairy farm in small town North Carolina, USA. I spent most of my waking hours outside on the farm or exploring the woods. I’ve always loved nature and consider myself a bonafide “tree hugger.” If you slow down and listen with your full presence, nature has its own language.

I began taking dance at age five and loved the release of feelings such movement provided. Nowadays, my dance is about free-flowing expression and being tuned into my body for how she wants to move. There are no dance steps, just intuitive self-expression.

From my love of dance grew an equal passion for music. I love discovering new music and will often be found listening to certain songs or albums that resonate with me on repeat. 

I’ve traveled a bit throughout my life, living in Texas, Utah, and Hawaii for a while. The ocean is my happy place. I love being by the sea; it is where I feel most at home and connected.

I took my first yoga class in 2004 at my neighborhood YMCA in Charlotte, NC. I didn’t know it then, but yoga would become a lifelong practice, both on and off the mat.

In 2012, I met a teacher (and now close friend) in a studio in Denver, NC, and discovered a slower, more alignment-focused approach to yoga. That experience led me to deepen my practice, and in 2015, I completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training at Bella Vita Yoga, a Yoga Alliance-certified program. I am passionate about connecting movement with breath, trauma-sensitive yoga, and yoga nidra.

I also have experience in energy work, having completed multiple Reiki training programs and engaging in this work in everyday life. I have training in and am a passionate Human Design student.

I was called to coaching in 2021 and completed a year-long ICF-Accredited life-coaching program with Lumia Coaching (formerly JRNI). As a professional, I continue to study and learn, and I most recently completed additional training hours to be recognized as an Advanced Certified Life Coach. I have also received the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) designation through the International Coaching Federation. I’m currently training in Positive Intelligence principles and methods.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is my alma mater. I earned an undergraduate degree in business and a Master of Accounting degree. Although I love numbers, accountancy is in the distant past. I am happy to have studied and played at Chapel Hill. The life experiences from that time continue to serve me well.

My family and I live in Nashville, TN, where my husband teaches at a local university. Our son, Jackson, is pure inspiration and a constant reminder of the incredible blessing he is in our lives and the world! We truly are better human beings because of him.

I fill my days with the things that light me up, like intuitive dance movement, listening to music and making playlists, being outside as much as possible, hiking, walking, or picnicking. I love to explore the imaginative world of play with my son, naps initiated by sound healing or Yoga Nidra, design, storytelling (including ongoing stories, at bedtime and on the way to school, about a kid named “Magic Boy”), creating and appreciating art, photography, and travel. I also enjoy the occasional adventures of making new food creations, especially aligned with our seasonal needs and the Earth’s offerings. 

My cup is filled by holding sacred, safe, and non-judgmental space for those with a heart and mind for doing the inner work of self-awareness and self-realization to, discover, embrace, and expand their fullest expressions of life.

I look forward to helping you on your journey when you’re ready to begin.

Peace,