Meet the Mom – Jill Romano

Name: 

Jill Romano

Where did you grow up: 

My family moved to Orlando from St. Louis when I was a young child. Every year growing up we went back to Missouri to visit the rest of my family who all still lives there to this day. So, I consider myself a Florida girl with strong Midwest roots.

Town you live in now: 

I live in Juno Beach.

Why you love living there: 

We love the close proximity to the beach and the small town feel it has with locally owned businesses within biking distance.

Tell me about your kids: 

I have twins who are 6 years old, a boy and a girl who remind me that discovery never ends and adventure can be found anywhere. I also have a 15 year old stepson, who loves to fish and is known to sleep on the boat to ensure he wakes up at sunrise to get out on the water!

Favorite things to do with the kids locally: 

We love to take the boat to any sandy place and stop for a bite to eat on the water on our way home- U-tiki, Frigates and Harbourside are in our regular rotation. We’re also suckers for a sweet treat, so we find ourselves at Elements Frozen Yogurt often- My husband and I like the Zen acai bowl and our kids love the froyo. As big fans of our local library, we like to stop there often for new books and an occasional DVD. I’m an avid reader myself, so fostering a love of reading in my children is important to me.

What’s your ‘day job’?  How did you get started with it?

I’m a Yoga Teacher and I own Thrive Power Yoga Palm Beach, a Palm Beach Gardens yoga studio. I started consistently practicing yoga in Stuart, FL in 2011 and immediately recognized not only how much better I felt physically, but how much calmer and more self-aware I was becoming. I wanted to share that with our local community, so I left my corporate career and opened the studio in 2012. My intention is to empower people to get healthier in their bodies, minds and spirits so they can live fulfilling, authentic lives.

What is your best parenting advise.  Lay it on us.  

Be present. We are so often consumed with tasks as parents; work, laundry, groceries, after school activities, that we forget to simply be with our kids. This becomes even more challenging as our calendars fill up during the busy holiday season. If you need to “schedule” some unscheduled time to just hang out with them, do it. It’s the best way I’ve found to connect and learn about who my kids are and what’s going on inside their little heads.

What do you do for self care? 

Self-care is top-of-mind for me because I see its benefits in my own life and in the lives of my students who commit to it. I practice yoga daily, meditate and read. I also carve out time for a monthly massage and facial at Tranquil Radiance Spa. I get my nails done every three weeks at a Glow Salon, a small quiet spa near my house. I get asked a lot how I fit it all in. The simple answer is I prioritize it over things that I don’t care as much about…like laundry!

I understand it can be hard to figure out where to work self-care into your schedule-but if you don’t prioritize it, it won’t happen. I wake up an hour earlier than everyone in my family to read and enjoy a cup of coffee before the day begins. If I don’t have a lot of time to meditate, I’ll get somewhere a few minutes early, park and meditate in my car. Insight Timer is a wonderful App that has thousands of guided meditations, some as short as one minute. All of these practices help me to remain present, objective and clear.