Move Your Assets!

The friends Bethanne Weiss has made at The Roth Family JCC over the past 20 years have helped her through a bad breakup, enabled her to start a personal-training business, and even inspired her to write a book. But Bethanne has given just as much – if not more – back to            the JCC. 

She began there in the late ‘90s as a fitness instructor. Her talents for motivating others were noticed almost immediately by two Orlando Jewish community icons working at the JCC at that time: Harriet Weiss, director of adult programming, and Eli Bercovici, beloved sports and wellness director. Bethanne quickly became not only the JCC’s first group fitness director in 1999 but also the singles director. Her fitness classes were so popular that the JCC had to expand and make the necessary room in order to accommodate the 30-plus participants who had signed up for the Kick and Sculpt classes she created herself.  

Bethanne’s singles events were just as successful.

“There were at least five marriages that came from couples meeting at our programs,” she says. “It’s such a cool thing to know I’ve not only gotten people fit, but I’ve also gotten people married.”

Moving into a different phase of her career, Bethanne, also known as The Asset Queen, left the JCC in 2004 to start her personal-training business and write her book, Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank. She also focused on teaching group sessions, doing motivational speaking, and talking at events and conferences. 

Simultaneously, she spent several difficult years caring for her ailing parents, an experience that taught her an important lesson – that to take care of others, she had to first take care of herself. Bethanne maintained her signature positive attitude as she dealt with a major health issue that plagued her through most of her adult life – a chronic vestibular disorder. It was a condition that made her extremely dizzy, affected her balance, and sometimes prevented her from working. Doctor’s visits and vestibular therapy helped a little, but getting fit in her 40s is really what made the difference for Bethanne.

“What finally helped was physical activity and changing the way I eat,” she says. 

Bethanne is now certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) in group and personal fitness and fitness nutrition, giving her the credentials to share her expertise with others. Now she is on a mission to inject a second dose of her knowledge and positivity back into The Roth Family JCC as its new wellness and lifestyle coordinator. 

In her new position, Bethanne hopes to target the demographic between parents of young children and seniors.

“It’s about physical, spiritual, and social wellness,” she explains.

Bethanne’s group fitness classes focus on getting people moving in different ways – to work on their muscles, promote balance, and help keep cognitive decline at bay – all of which Bethanne learned about while caring for her parents.

While these are serious objectives, Bethanne knows how to  make it fun at the same time.

“Basically, my goal at the JCC is to bring back more fun events for people in this age group and make the JCC a second home where you feel comfortable, can be yourself, and can hang out with friends,” she says. 

Some ideas in the works include a happy hour with an activity Bethanne calls a Sip, Schmooze, and Play. She also envisions monthly couples’ game nights, lunch and learns, and event partnerships with other local Jewish organizations, such as pickleball with the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. 

“I don’t think people know how good the JCC is for a community,” says Bethanne, who is often told her real talent is connecting people. “All my friends and all my connections are from that amazing place.”