About Jill

Personal fitness and nutrition is my lifelong passion, along with how the mind affects athletic performance and how physical activity affects brain health.

It is my personal belief that every human has the capability to live to 100 or more while remaining physically and mentally fit, having a high quality of life until our energy leaves the physical body and passes on to whatever next phase of energetic existence is beyond that.

My personal goal is to be my own experiment of how healthy, energetic and mindful living can produce those results. I believe self-education and self improvement is an ongoing lifetime activity, which I continue to pursue.

In my quest for a “retirement career” I completed my B.A. at Bishop’s University in Sports Studies, with concentrations in Athletic Development and Health and Exercise, and a minor in Psychology. Both my personal journey and my University studies have led to my immersion in Internal Family Systems, a self-therapeutic practice. I am currently “IFS Informed” through courses offered by the IFS Institute.

I spent the Fall 2023 semester as the Emotional Intelligence facilitator for the Bishop’s University Men’s and Women’s Varsity Rugby Teams, and will continue as the teams’ Emotional Intelligence coach for the 2024 season.  

IFS Informed Emotional Intelligence Facilitator for the Bishop’s University Men’s and Women’s Varsity Rugby Teams. As the EI  facilitator I create and deliver interactive, in-person, Emotional Intelligence sessions based on the Mayer & Salovey model of Ability Emotional Intelligence, using Internal Family System (IFS) principles. These sessions are delivered both pre-season and in-season (as post-game reviews).

2022

  • IFS Online Circle: Foundations of the IFS Model
  • Overview of IFS & The Flow of the Model
  • The Protective System & Fears of the Protectors
  • Working with Exiles & The Trauma Behind the Rage
  • Conflicting but Complimentary & Direct Access and In-Sight: A Decision
  • Parts of the Therapist and the Therapeutic Relationship + Integration
  • The Body & the Autonomic Nervous System & Pulling it All Together
  • January–April: PSY 420 class: Contemplative Practicum- used IFS as my self-reflective practice, weekly practice, journal entries, term paper, and a 1 1/2 hour session leading classmates in the practice of Internal Family Systems.

2023

  • Attendance at the 2023 Internal Family Systems Conference
    (funded by Bishop’s University B.E.S.T. project fund award)

2024

  • B.A. Sports Studies, Athletic Development and Health and Exercise Concentrations, Minor in Psychology. With distinction and University Prize in Sports Studies. Want to know the classes I took? (Link to official transcript)
  • Recognition of achievement from the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) from the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC). Part A and Part B of the Competition-Introduction context and modules C1 to C6 of the Competition-Development context.
  • Mental Health in Sport Training- Coaching Association of Canada

2024 IFS Institute Certifications

  • Intimacy From the Inside Out
  • IFS Continuity Programs: Values & Beliefs in the Therapy Room – Through an IFS Lens and Legacy and Cultural Burdens with Ann Sinko and Dick Schwartz
  • An IFS Approach to Foster Secure Internal Attachment by Dick Schwartz (offered through NICABM)

1989:

Lyndon State College. Earned BS: Business Administration and Minor: Recreation Management (1989), also and A.S. in Business Administration (1987)

1994:

Admission to the Vermont Bar – through the Vermont Law Office Study Program (Instead of going to Law School, this program allowed me to clerk with an admitted Vermont attorney, my supervisor was Joseph C. Benning, Esq., for 4 years, study on my own, then be eligible to take the Bar Exam)

Opened my own Law Office upon admittance to Vermont Bar.
This included from May, 1994-2000 being contract counsel for the Juvenile Defender (representing parents in CHINS cases, and juveniles in juvenile delinquent cases with more than one juvenile.)

I also did residential real estate and probate work during this time.

2000:

I became pregnant, and terminated the conflict counsel contract, and concentrated on my residential real estate practice, with limited probate work, to date. Concurrently, my child was enrolled in the VT Dept. of Education Home Study Program from 2007–July 1, 2014. Which is to say, during this time of my career, I also was a full time mother and homeschooled my daughter from birth (2001) until September 2014, at which time she attended East Burke School as an eighth grader.

2016-2017:

STOP GRANT position SV/DV (sexual violence/domestic violence) prosecutor for Caledonia County. Upon request of Lisa A. Warren, then Caledonia County State’s attorney (Now Superior Court Judge) I was requested to apply for the sv/dv prosecutor position, which was a 25 hr. a week commitment. I spent a year at the job before going back to my real estate practice full time.

Notable Studies During College

Independent Study with Business Law Professor, Mark Bertolini, in his Law Office (Bertolini and Benning.) Worked on contracts, real estate, probate issues. This independent study lead to Vermont’s Law Office Study program where I was able to clerk under the supervision of Joseph C. Benning, Esq. to be eligible to take the bar exam as opposed to going to law school.

Personal Interests & Notable Skills

Outdoor activities (hiking, mountain biking, open water swimming, sprint triathlons, nordic and telemark skiing.)

Participating in team sports: both women’s and coed ice hockey, women’s soccer, USTA league tennis.

Thru hiked the Long Trail in 2024

Hiked all 48 4,000 footers in NH

Hiked 11 4,000 footers in Maine

In my 20’s I coached Youth Soccer and LI JV Girls Soccer (ages 13 to 14 yrs)

Ski Instructor at Burke Mountain

Lifeguard (in my teens)

AFAA certified Aerobics Instructor (late 80’s early 90’s)

Swam the length of Lake Willoughby 2015

Participated in sprint/hike triathlons

VT City Marathon (29 yrs old)