The Mental Well Community Connections: Kira Jahoda

In 3-5 sentences, tell us a little about you and your background. What is your name, where did you grow up, where are you now, any hobbies or other things about you that you’d like to share?

I’m Kira and I grew up in Elizabethtown, PA. I’ve always loved gymnastics, dance and teaching/coaching kids. I currently coach a lot of gymnastics but don’t participate in it myself anymore. I love dancing in both tap and pop video classes as well as teaching acro dance. I’m a coffee lover and Disney fanatic!

Do you prefer the mountains or beach? Why? 

I prefer the mountains. I loved hiking in the Adirondacks when I was a kid. It’s so peaceful to walk in the woods. I prefer the cool, tree cover instead of a hot, sunny day on the beach. There’s just something about listening to the leaves, trees, water, and the crunch of the ground as you hike to the top of a mountain and receive a beautiful view as your reward for making it there.

What is a really good book you’ve read or movie you’ve seen recently?

I’m really not a movie person and it’s been a while since I’ve read a book. ‘The 5 Love Languages’ and ‘The 5 Love Languages of Children’, both by Gary Chapman, were probably the last 2 books that I really enjoyed reading. I loved the insight into what my two kids prefer because they are both very different. It was also a great tool to help understand the relationship with my husband.

Who do you look up to in your life and, if they were to read this, is there anything you would like to tell them? 

I look up to my coworker, Jessie. I love to tell her how much I admire her strength, patience and enthusiasm for coaching gymnasts of all ages both recreationally and competitively. I am so thankful to be able to coach with her daily and that she’s also teaching my daughter life lessons during gymnastics classes too.

What is it about “mental health” that you are passionate about? Why? Any experience you’d like to share that brought this passion out?  

I am passionate about helping other moms, especially new moms, navigate their self-care journey after becoming a mom. I volunteered as a leader for a local No Excuse Mom workout group and enjoyed leading workouts, walks, and coffee meetups to gain a sense of community. I feel that it is so important for a mom to have the knowledge and tools to be the best mom she can be. It is so important to take care of yourself so that you can have enough energy available to care for those that you love.

What's a difficult situation you survived/came through/found resilience in? What did the experience teach you about yourself? 

This past November, I lost my coworker, Missy. The sudden loss of a friend and gymnastics coach was tragic. I had known her since I was a kid and had the opportunity to coach alongside her since 2020. We were friends, coworkers, coffee-lovers, and travel buddies that spent countless hours together inside the gym and traveling to monthly gymnastics competitions. Losing her not only left a huge hole in my heart as I navigated my own grief, but it left many gymnasts without their coach. I decided to take on the head-coach of a group of 13 teenagers as well as assist with 12 additional preteens- all of this on top of my 15 gymnasts I was already head coaching. Needless to say, my 2 days per week became 5 days and my coaching job description changed drastically. Not only was I coaching gymnastics, and a lot of it, I was now grieving my own loss and helping these vulnerable gymnasts through their grief journey too. This gymnastics season has taught me so much about how resilient I am and how resilient kids are. It has reminded me how fragile life is and how important friends, family and community are to me. Without a village to raise my own children, I would not have been able to step into this role and help fill the huge hole that was left when Missy was taken from us.

If you could tell your younger self something, what would it be and why? 

I would tell myself that being perfect isn’t always the goal. Growing up as a gymnast and expecting perfection from myself, has instilled the all-or-nothing mentality that has been hard to break. My younger self needs to know that sometimes it’s ok to do less and just doing a small amount of something can be so beneficial. Its ok to not do it all and to not stress about doing it perfectly. Just do it the best you can and give yourself grace. This has been so important in my adult life and has truly been something I wish I learned as a kid. Perfect isn’t necessary for success.

What is one of your favorite quotes and why? 

Always remember, you are braver than you know; stronger than you seem; smarter than you think; and loved more than you know.

Do you have any aspirations for yourself over the next year or two and how do you plan to reach those goals? 

Over the next two years my goal is to get back into my teaching profession. I truly miss teaching Adapted Physical Education to children with disabilities. I plan to apply for teaching jobs and to find a daytime job that will bring me joy.

How do you manage your mental health? 

I feel like the amount of tools in my toolbox continues to evolve as I learn and grow. Some seasons of life need more tools than others. Currently I manage my mental health with a lot of self-care, grace, and chats with my therapist.

In terms of “self-care” what do you do that a reader may be able to easily adopt into their life? 

I take walks, meet friends for coffee, listen to podcasts and attend therapy. I drink lots of water and take herb supplements when I need them. Massage, acupuncture and dance classes are also a huge part of my physical self-care.

It’s important to be supported, but how do you offer support to the people in your life? 

This season of life has been more trying than others so the amount of help I am able to offer to others currently is not a lot. I am able to offer a listening ear during the day time but not able to offer much financial or large time commitments of support to friends or family. I have most of my focus on supporting my gymnastics and their parents as we end our current competitive season.

What is something you wish more people knew about Mental Health?

I wish people knew that it is ok to ask for help. I wish they knew that it is so important to take care of yourself so you can be your best self to help others. I also wish people knew that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to healing and baby-steps are so important on your healing journey.