Meet Jacy Kirby | Fitness Trainer and Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacy Kirby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacy, why did you pursue a creative career?
I believe that pursuing your passion is an artform in and of itself. Anything done from an intrinsic place of passion, I believe that to be some of the most beautiful art of all because it comes from somewhere deep within the spirit that can’t be made up. Within that, I have always found that writing allows me to actualize my most true self. Writing my published book of poetry, “To My Eating Disorder” allowed me to truly appreciate this as I was able to put a decade of thought, and feeling, and self into a tangible, coherent organism. When spoken word and verbalizing what I’m going through fails, writing has always been there to help me bring to life what I’m thinking internally, whether that be in poem form short story, or world building. I pursued a writing career because I believe it to be a place where others can go to as well to escape and heal from whatever they might be going through. I pursued writing because I want to be able to help others by connecting with them through word. I want my stories and poems, fictitious or not, to be able to be there for people in need like all of my grandma’s Twilight Zone-esque stories were there for me as a kid. I chose the career I did because I want to be able to actualize my best self as well as help actualize the truest self in others. We succeed when we pursue our passions.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think- I hope- that my writing stands out because I only ever write about humanistic truths. No matter the form, whether it be touching on self-help, self-growth, life, death, and every poem and zany short story in between, my stories only ever come from a place of intrinsic truth. I think we as humans tend to lose ourselves in the everyday life with the thousand responsibilities we carry atop our shoulders. It’s super easy to stray from what we most align with. One of my biggest goals with my writing is to help bring people back closer to their own truth. I want my words, and my worlds, and my writing to be a place that allows others to realign themselves in the safe space of my stanzas and sentences. To reach this point, there were certainly challenges. I’ve battled the majority of my life with some form of mental health issue, whether it be depression, anxiety, or an eating disorder (or two). These obstacles initially took me away from my writing and forced me onto a plain that was not very productive, but rather quite destructive. But over time, and through so, so much practice- and therapy- I’ve learned to better channel the hurdles that come with life so that I can use them for my own growth and the betterment of others as well. In a world of chaos and go, go, go, writing lets me be patient with myself. Within that, I’ve realized after years, that fighting for yourself is completely different than fighting against yourself, and I aim to teach others that with the writing I publish. I want everyone out there struggling to know that you are more than capable of overcoming whatever you’re going through. Be easy with yourself, be patient with yourself, and try to find passions and outlets that allow you stay as closely aligned with yourself as you can. Always fight for yourself, but be sure you’re not fighting against yourself.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A fun fact about me: I have over 50 food allergies, so the only hot spot I would be able to take a visiting friend to (which I have, and will continue to do over and over without a single slice of shame) is Chipotle. That is the first stop, bar none. No doubt about it. Probably the second stop, too. Quite possibly even the third until my friend tells me they never want a burrito again and want to go home. On a real note, after Chipotle, I’d definitely take them over to axe throwing. Call it the Finn in me, but I absolutely love axe throwing. Next stop is definitely an escape room. I love the challenge and the whole aesthetic of escape rooms in general. After that? Well, not to sound like the most boring bush in the garden, but I’m a bit of a homebody. Lets hope there’s some good fights on that Saturday that we can go back and watch. After that? I’m always down to talk about life, its meaning, meaning in general, what comes after this whole scape of existence, and anything related to writing for hours upon hours on end. My perfect destination is a good conversation with a friend.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout is to my former creative writing professor at Macomb Community College, Amy T. She helped me find my passion for writing again. She reminded me that just like a bike, writing, your passions, and self-growth in general will always be there for you to pick back up when you’re ready to. There might be some rust, but with a little practice, you’ll find making strides forward gets easier every time. She was a main factor in inspiring me to publish my first book, “To My Eating Disorder.”

Instagram: jacykirby33

Linkedin: Jacy Kirby

Facebook: Jacy Kirby

Tiktok: jldkpoetry

Other: Link to my Amazon page where you can purchase my book of poetry, “To My Eating Disorder”: https://www.amazon.com/My-Eating-Disorder-Jacy-Kirby-ebook/dp/B0BSNXXFHH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3I5PZLS3GCD06&keywords=to+my+eating+disorder&qid=1700500286&s=digital-text&sprefix=to+my+eating+disorde%2Cdigital-text%2C116&sr=1-1