From Pain to Power: How Jess Woolverton Built a Mobile Recovery and Transformation Hub for Leaders, Athletes, and Corporate Wellness
Too many people live with trauma buried in their nervous systems, stress that never fully settles, and dreams deferred by burnout. The problem isn’t just that we’re hurting. It’s that most of us don’t know how to heal.
The deeper truth? It's not that we lack strength. It's that we haven't been given the tools to heal.
Jess Woolverton understands this on a cellular level. At just 14, she lost her father to suicide. What followed was a cascade of adversity: coming out as queer, navigating her mother’s breast cancer, and shouldering early leadership roles in both sports and life. These experiences didn’t break her. They awakened her.
Through pain, Jess found her path and built J WolfPaX, a mobile-first recovery experience rooted in one radical principle: resilience is not only possible, it’s trainable.
Her method is equal parts science and soul. Combining cold plunges, trauma-informed coaching, and leadership development, Jess helps people shift their nervous systems and reshape their lives. It’s not just about enduring stress; it’s about alchemizing it into strength.
“So for me, it's all about the passion that I have. And that's what motivates me. It's being able to wake up and know that I can support somebody else, and everybody gets to experience wellness, and everybody gets to experience overcoming in a way that they never thought they would in a cold plunge,” said Jess.
Today, Jessica is thriving and helping teams, leaders, and communities do the same. Her Wolf Den trailer doesn’t just travel with tools. It brings transformation.
Her mobile trailer, “The Wolf Den”, is a sanctuary on wheels, delivering resilience training through cold therapy and community connection. This is the story of how she got here and the legacy she's building.
The Trauma That Started the Purpose
Jess didn’t start J WolfPaX because it was trendy. She started it because she had to.
Her self-discovery journey began with heartbreak, the loss of her father when she was just 14. Then came the coming-out process as a proud queer member of the LGBTQ+ community, and soon after, her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis.
Watching her mother work long hours in corporate HR while battling illness was a wake-up call. Jess saw firsthand what happens when we don’t prioritize our wellness. It planted the seed that would eventually grow into J WolfPaX.
After her father's death, Jess was forced to grow up fast. Sports became her therapy. Leadership became her anchor. She went on to work in social work, supporting youth, veterans, and marginalized communities. But it was the combination of physical recovery modalities, saunas, cold plunges, and nervous system education that brought everything together.
"I want to be able to show people that wellness is accessible, is doable, and more than that, it's important, and it will elevate us,"she said.
And that belief would soon become the foundation for something much bigger than she imagined.
Grounded in Credibility
Before Jess ever stepped into the Wolf Den, she was already shaping lives.
With a Master’s in Social Work and leadership roles at institutions like Davidson, Pomona, and Syracuse University, she earned a reputation as a connector—someone who could translate lived experience into systemic change.
She’s led immersive retreats for everyone from high school students to C-suite execs, built inclusive programs for veterans and youth, and designed leadership experiences trusted by teams like Royal Caribbean, Texas A&M University, and The Smart Ride.
Her real magic? A balance of brain and heart. She doesn’t just teach resilience, she lives it. Jess’s empathy isn’t a soft skill. It’s the foundation of her leadership.
Today, her mobile trailer ”The Wolf Den” is a sanctuary on wheels, delivering resilience training through the powerful integration of contrast therapy. Inside, clients experience cold plunges, sauna heat, and pneumatic compression working together to reset the nervous system, release stored stress, and rewire resilience. This is the story of how she got here and the legacy she's building.
The Vision and What They Built
Jess founded J WolfPaX to make resilience accessible.
The centerpiece? Her custom-designed mobile wellness trailer: The Wolf Den.
Building The Wolf Den wasn’t easy.
“The biggest challenge with getting the Wolf Den completed was finding a contractor willing to do it,” Jess recalled.
But she didn’t give up.
“My brother’s the architect. I went to him with the vision. He designed it.”
It became a family-built dream turned national wellness solution.
The Wolf Den delivers cold plunge therapy, sauna, pneumatic compression, and guided leadership workshops straight to the heart of corporate campuses, youth programs, nonprofit initiatives, and athletic events.
“I hold the truth that everybody is a leader,” Jess explained.“Everybody can experience leadership in many different forms, and I target leadership specifically because there's a level of influence that comes with leadership and knowing oneself. Right? And being able to know yourself and your communication, your response to discomfort, conflict—all of that. How does that play a part in these teams, and how can they get through them by experiencing challenges? ”
The science backs it up: cold exposure activates the nervous system, and when people face it together, it chemically builds team trust.
“People that go through challenging things together actually have a chemical bond... that’s when loyalty and performance take over.”
J WolfPaX isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. It’s for HR leaders looking to reduce burnout. Coaches building unity. Parents helping their kids grow mentally tough.
The Obstacles and Turning Points
Jess's biggest challenge? Making wellness accessible to people who need it most and believing she deserved wellness herself.
She didn’t always. For years, Jess neglected her own well-being. Like many who grow up in survival mode, she poured herself into helping others but rarely paused to care for her own nervous system. That changed when everything hit a breaking point. She began healing, and what emerged wasn’t just personal recovery but a blueprint to help others rise, too.
“The trailer is not an easy thing to drive or park. There’s physical labor, pumping up chillers, and heavy lifting. But it's worth it,” Jess shared.
So many doubted it could be done, from custom-designing the trailer to convincing skeptical clients to trust the process. "Some people don’t believe they can do it. Others are afraid," she shared. Jess sees the fear and meets it with presence.
"Just this weekend, I had someone who was in real pain from poor circulation. It felt like his legs were being crushed. I guided him through the pain—because the pain was part of his healing."
Resilience, to Jess, is not about gritting through pain alone. It’s about showing up for it with support, repetition, and nervous system regulation. Her method teaches that resilience can be trained—like a muscle. That cold plunges are a mirror. That healing is messy and beautiful and best done together.
She’s not just a coach. She’s a trauma-informed guide.
"When people start shaking in the cold plunge, I know that’s trauma releasing. I tell them, 'Let the water take it. Shake it out.'"
She rose from the ashes, and now she helps others do the same.
Jess’s success lies in moments like these.
Results and Transformations through Resilience
Resilience is more than just bouncing back; it’s the process of becoming stronger through adversity. It means meeting discomfort with courage, adapting under pressure, and still choosing to show up fully. Jess’s entire method is designed around this core principle.
"Resilience is the biggest part," Jess said. "You build new neural pathways of resilience in your brain when you do cold plunges."
One woman came in crying, legs twitching, begging to leave the plunge. Three sessions later, she entered the water with ease. Her sleep improved. Her pain subsided. Her nervous system found balance.
“Her legs weren’t twitching at night anymore. She was sleeping better, had better circulation,” said Jess.
Another participant took over seven minutes to regulate his breath.
“He was holding on to control. But cold water thaws trauma. It shakes it to its core and moves it out,” she recalled
In just a short time, clients testified:
Better sleep
Improved circulation
Deeper team connection
Increased mental resilience
Long-term stress regulation
And they leave with more than just physical benefits. Most importantly, they begin to trust themselves again. Jess’s work doesn’t just offer relief. It rebuilds inner strength, reminding people that healing is possible and leadership begins with self-awareness.
“They feel amazing. They overcame something hard. They’re more connected to their bodies. And they realize they can do hard things.”
Jess’s Message to the Health and Wellness Industry
Jess isn’t interested in surface-level wellness.
She believes in deep, nervous-system-centered change.
Here’s what she wants every wellness leader to know:
Start with you. Self-care is the spark.
“One of the biggest challenges for me was taking care of myself. I never did. Then everything hit the fan. I didn’t feel great until I started prioritizing my wellness. That’s when everything changed. That’s why I started this.” – Jessica Woolverton
Resilience isn’t a buzzword. It’s biology.
“You build new neural pathways of resilience when you hit that 3-minute cold plunge mark.” – Jessica Woolverton.
Leadership isn’t positional. It’s relational.
“Everyone can experience leadership. It's about knowing yourself in the face of challenges.” – Jessica Woolverton
Cold therapy is trauma therapy.
“Trauma freezes in the nervous system. Cold water can thaw it. That’s why it works.” – Jessica Woolverton
You don’t need a clinic to make an impact.
“The trailer is how I make wellness accessible. I bring it to them.” – Jessica Woolverton
If you feel called to build something, don’t wait.
“If you want to start something, do it now. There is no one stopping you but yourself.” – Jessica Woolverton
Wellness is how we heal systems, not just bodies.
“Keep being in wellness. Keep prioritizing your wellness and the community's wellness. That's how we're going to heal. Heal relationships, heal the broken systems that we're a part of, heal conflict and violence.” – Jessica Woolverton
The awakening is here.
“Wellness is becoming a bigger thing. This awakening of sorts is definitely happening. Prioritize it. Share it. Be part of the shift. There are resources. There are people who want to support you. And I know I’m one of them.” – Jessica Woolverton
What’s Next for J WolfPaX
Jess is just getting started. She dreams of scaling The Wolf Den model to more cities.
Her mission? Global wellness accessibility.
From corporate retreats in Miami to youth leagues in Broward County to nonprofit healing events, Jess wants every community to feel empowered, connected, and resilient.
“We get to fight for each other and our rights. My way is by creating spaces where people can heal and rise together,” said Jessica Woolverton
Final Thoughts from Jess’s Story
Jess Woolverton is more than a founder. She is a healer, builder, and visionary leader whose life has taught her that trauma may freeze us, but resilience can set us free.
“This is really about elevating our community, elevating the vibration—the frequency of not just our community, but our world. There's a lot going on, and we get to fight for each other and our rights,” Jess emphasized.
Her story proves that wellness isn't a destination. It’s a daily act of courage.
Her clients don't just recover.
They lead. They connect. They transform.
And with J WolfPaX, The Wolf Den is coming to a city near you.
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