Past Lives: Kristin Jeffery, from lawyer to founder of rowing studio, SCULLHOUSE

'Past Lives' is an ongoing column about the past careers of entrepreneurs and business leaders. The column recounts each person's experience in various industries, from finance to sales, or simply, the nine-to-five grind. More than anything, 'Past Lives' is a story about how one person has reached their potential, and cut themselves loose from what was expected. 

Written by Amanda Scriver

 SCULLHOUSE Rowing is one of the first group rowing studios in Canada dedicated to high-intensity training. After years of rowing competitively alongside her education in law, founder Kristin Jeffery finally made the jump to full-time in 2016. Here, Jeffery talks to us about dedication, sacrifices and the injuries along the way. 

I started rowing with the novice team in my last year of undergrad at Western, and I absolutely loved it. At the same time, I’d applied to various law schools and was accepted into York’s Osgoode Hall for my first year. Then my rowing coach told me that he thought I had a shot at competing in the I-Lan International Collegiate Invitational Regatta in Taiwan.

It was an all-expense paid trip, if I could get a spot on the boat by proving that I was faster than the other rowers. Making the regatta would be an amazing opportunity, so I decided to try out. The only catch was that the trials were happening during second week of September, which meant I’d miss my first two weeks of law school. 

I made the team, but it didn’t seem real: I didn’t even realize that I was good enough to be competing at that level. Once I returned to Toronto, I was totally hooked onrowing—it became my life. I ended up transferring from Osgoode to Western Law School, so could keep training with the rowing team there. Then, during my 3rd and final year of law school, I was invited out to Victoria to train with the Canadian women’s national team.

I was training in Victoria for almost a year, when one day, my forearms began to seize and cramp up. To heal, I tried everything from acupuncture to hot-and-cold therapy to massage, but nothing worked. The seizing got so bad that I couldn’t even hold on to the oar. I eventually saw a surgeon, who said it sounded like exercise-induced compartment syndrome. He suggested that I get forearm surgery, but that meant that I might never be able to row competitively again. In less than 24 hours after speaking with the surgeon, I was on the hospital bed.  

“The best bit is that it never feels like ‘work.’”

After recovering, I tried to pick up rowing again, but I kept getting injured. So I went back to London, Ont., in the fall of 2008 to begin my Masters of Law (LL.M). Just as I moved back, the lightweight women’s national rowing training centre moved to London, Ontario, and I took that as a sign. When the coach asked me to row with them, I just couldn’t say no—I trained with the team while I completed my LL.M.

My dream was to make it to the Olympics in 2012, but I would have to train for upwards of 1,600 hours in one year, and unfortunately, my injuries never ceased. It was time to competitive rowing to pursue law. This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made in my life—I walked away from a dream that was unfulfilled.

Going from such an active lifestyle to the daily grind of office work was completely shocking mentally and physically. The first month of sitting at an office desk for over 12 hours a day caused my sciatic nerve to kick in, which caused a lot of pain. The doctors have told me this would be very hard to treat, and while I could try different stretches, it would never fully go away.

I started doing Pilates, yoga, and then I hopped back onto the indoor rowing machine. Carving out time to work out every day gave me an endorphin rush, which kept me feeling good, healthy, and happy while I worked long days at the law firm.

Starting my own business happened in a roundabout way. I was brainstorming ways to keep rowing in my life. In January 2015, a friend told me about all the rowing gyms popping up in the U.S., and how cool they were, so I started doing some research. That was when the light went off and I was like, I could actually do this. I wanted to help people get stronger and more fit.

I went to New York to check out some of the rowing studios there over the course of one weekend. I wanted to see what other people were offering and if a rowing gym was something people really enjoyed. With my rowing background, I began to notice specific tweaks I could make to the programs that would make a rowing gym a great workout and fun experience for attendees.

I had left my law firm to start my very own rowing gym. In 2017, SCULLHOUSE opened its doors. 

Following your dream can be harder than you expect, but rowing always felt right—that’s how I knew all of the pieces were going to fall into place. There are always hurdles when you’re building a business, and I encountered my fair share of challenges. But then I remember that this is my passion, so even when there are setbacks, I keep pushing forward.

I’ve also learned that when you're doing something that you love, the work feels different. I’m working longer hours than I ever have—whether it’s preparing for classes, emailing instructors or speaking with clients—and SCULLHOUSE occupies every minute of my day. The best bit is that it never feels like “work.”