From Mountain Athlete to Advocate: Jeannie Wall's Inspiring Journey with Nutriex
Jeannie Wall is more or less addicted to pushing herself in the mountains. She’s been told on more than one occasion that she is a “whirling dervish!” Throughout her life, she’s competed in many events. These include ultra running, triathlons, cycling races, nordic skiing and ski mountaineering. She just missed the Olympic Nordic skiing team in 1994.
Jeannie’s love for the mountains bled into her professional life. She said, “I have spent my life and work in the outdoor realm. I worked in the outdoor industry helping design and develop technical products for Patagonia, OR, and Rab for 27 years.”
Currently, Jeannie feels fortunate her body is still holding up. She credits Nutriex products with helping her maintain strength and activity levels. At the age 40, Jeannie’s ability to play in the mountains was starting to decline. Her knee just couldn’t keep up with the beatings she was taking. One snowy morning, she and her partner went skiing. Her skis dipped, and she couldn’t pull them up. Instead of waiting for help, she stubbornly yanked her leg up, and heard the dreaded sound of a pop. Not good. She had torn her ACL, MCL, and her meniscus! Jeannie had a daunting task in front of her: invasive surgery, and then six months of grueling physical therapy and recovery. Critical to this process was Dr. Rosenberg’s suggestion to start on Nutriex Sport after surgery. By taking this daily, she began to build confidence. She was committed both to the supplement, and to the full rehabilitation process. Before long, she was as strong as ever, and began pushing herself in the mountains again.
Unfortunately, so many years of pushing had now caught up to her shoulders. She had to start the surgery process over. Once again pairing Nutriex Sport with aggressive physical therapy she was able to successfully heal herself. In the process, she was learning to allow her body the time it needed to recover between tough mountain days.
Jeannie encountered a very low moment a year later when her rotator cuff in the other shoulder needed surgery. So, one more time, she went back under the knife, and restarted the difficult cycle. Nutriex and physical therapy once again went hand in hand. Jeannie learned new kinds of bravery, humility, and patience. All of this work paid off. Her mind and body are now in excellent condition due to her diligence. She currently finds a lot of joy in her work, her relationships, and in her time in wild spaces. She gets to enjoy these spaces with good friends.
Jeannie predominantly [rock] climbs now, and also backcountry skis. More than anything, she just loves getting out in wild places, and moving through the mountains with friends. To her, it’s super important to be able to carry a big pack into the mountains. She depends on knees and a body that can withstand a beating. Nutriex Sport (in addition to Nutriex Omegas) is the secret sauce that keeps her going.
Of the benefits of Nutriex, Jeannie said, “At first, I thought I'd just try it out to help any inflammation from my surgery and to help my knee for long runs. I started out using Nutriex Omegas and Nutriex Sport. The fact that I'm still getting stronger in my climbing has convinced me that taking these two every day has been vital to my health and fitness. The fact that I had three shoulder surgeries a year after my knee surgery (four surgeries between the age of 40 and 44) certainly influenced me to keep on the plan of taking anything that would potentially help me get strong and healthy again!”
Jeannie’s life in the mountains, powered by Nutriex, was the perfect marriage with her work designing gear. However, she felt like something was missing in this traditionally male-dominated space. On a climbing expedition in Yosemite, Jeannie and her partner began perfecting a unique idea that they had been brewing for years: a new website, broadbeta.com, which would ultimately seek to tell women’s stories in the mountains. They do gear reviews, podcast episodes, and more. Jeannie said, “it is my quest to inspire, educate and embolden women and queer mountain folks through the sharing of our stories and our journeys. These stories are what inform and form us. They lead us to discover and live our true nature and reach beyond our cultural boundaries to create more equitable, empathic, communal and healthy communities and work environments.”
Jeannie still pushes herself in the mountains. Follow her story on broadbeta.com to see where her journey will take her next.
Story written by: Tyler Marshall