Fitness has always been a part of Janine Trembicki’s life, but she never imagined her journey to creating an inspirational workout culture would enable hundreds of Westport-area women to find a community of strength and self-love.
Her successful women-only gym, J. Ashley Fitness—which is now located at 623 Post Rd E., after former iterations behind Shake Shack and in her garage—is the result of taking risks inspired by her two sons and a general love of exercise. Janine played Division I soccer in college, has run several marathons, and loves a good deadlift.
She started her career working in events, but eventually Janine opted to teach group fitness classes—first at The Bar Method and then at Burn Boot Camp—to stay closer to home. When studios closed following the pandemic, and a divorce limited her ability to work early hours, she got creative and began teaching small classes out of her garage, which her neighbor kindly offered to outfit as a makeshift gym. She’d never thought of herself as a personal trainer, but Janine’s friends and family did, and she needed a way to support her sons while also having the flexibility to care for them. Word spread, and she soon found herself looking for a more permanent home.
“I was there for a year, and then it became a big problem because I was having like 12 cars parked outside,” she says. “It was a good problem to have.” A few years later, she again felt the need to expand out of her 500-square-foot space and took over the old Club Sweat location on Post Road, which opened in June of 2025.
“It was definitely a stretch,” Janine says. “But I was like, you’ve got to take risks sometimes. And so, I went for it.”
J. Ashley Fitness offers a roster of daily 45-minute classes all designed by Janine, though some are taught by her team, as well as personal training. What sets her workouts apart from others is the comfort of being surrounded by only women, as well as the focus on building strength, even on days dedicated to cardiovascular training. For people without experience, especially, “lifting weights is intimidating,” she says. “For women to come into a gym, it’s a big deal. And I think just with an all-women vibe, people are more comfortable, they’re more helpful, and it’s just a different energy.”
She also inspires her clients with one of her favorite mottos: I get to. “There have been so many times in life when I haven’t been able to move the way I want to because of injury, illness, or obligations. When I feel unmotivated, I stay disciplined by telling myself I get to. That alone gets me to start.”
While not exclusively, many of her clients are mothers, and Janine prides herself on being able to offer them workouts tailored to the specific needs of prenatal and postpartum bodies. “We get so lost in being a mom and doing so much for everybody else, and seeing the 45 minutes that my clients take for themselves makes me so happy,” she says. “They feel like they can go be a good mom now and know that they took care of themselves, too.”
For Janine, getting stronger means loving yourself. “When you are strong, and you lift, and you gain strength, and you’re physically active and physically able to do things, you just are more confident,” she says. “That’s what lifting does. That’s what weights do. No one really understands it until they do it. And then I’m like, just give it time. Ultimately, it clicks, and it just keeps you wanting to come back for more.”
To learn more, visit jashleyfitness.com or call 203-212-1988.