Dr. Teri Jory

About Teri

I created my revolutionary POISE technique after giving birth to my twins. I gained 80 pounds during a tough pregnancy and struggled to find the time and the technique to get my body back into shape. Sheer determination was my guide. I relied on my past training and began experimenting, combining moves from martial arts, ballet, pilates, and body sculpting. Quickly, my body started to tone and sculpt from my new regimen, losing the 80 pounds. My friends started asking me what I was doing and I began showing them. Then their friends started asking them what they were doing. And, voila, POISE was born. POISE sculpts and tones on the outside and makes you healthy on the inside. It is a specific technique that is a result from my life training experience in fitness – ice-skating, ballet, pilates, and marital arts – as well as mental determination. It benefits everyone – from the beginner to the professional athlete.

My total mind/body philosophy in fitness began while training as a junior champion figure skater. I learned that deep mental understanding of body movement and continued persistence is just as important as hard physical training. Ballet and pilates were a huge piece of the figure skating champion puzzle and continued to be prominent in my life as a professional ice skater, dancer and choreographer. My involvement and expertise as a martial artist, however, was a consequence to a terrifying and unfortunate drama.

I was in Arizona working as an award winning television news anchor and health reporter when one of my sources started stalking me. I reported all the sightings and death threats to the police several times. Eventually, the stalker took action. He broke into my apartment, held a gun to my head and told me that he was going to kill me. He tied me up, beat me and then tried to strangle me to death. I was determined not to die. My body went into “warrior” mode and I gathered up every last drop of power I had inside my soul and got away. I ran to a neighbor’s house and called the police. The stalker stole my car and a police chase ensued into a very populated area where he started threatening to kill other people. The police ended up killing him.

The woman who came to my assistance from a woman’s shelter stayed by my side and kept telling me over and over again to stay “poised” and that whatever happened was not my fault. At that point, I knew that I could either rollover and let my heart and soul die or I could persevere. I was aware that I would never be the same person that I was before this horrific incident, but that I could grow from it, somehow. This is when martial arts came into my life.

Martial arts has helped me to truly realize and focus my power source inside and become the person that I am today. I am now a 4th degree black belt, an experienced warrior (as opposed to a survivor) with an empowered and lively heart and soul. This is because in the moment of being captured and almost killed by a 6-foot-3 man, I experienced and then realized the true ultimate power inside that drivesone’s determination into action. Therefore, helping my clients find their mental strength is an intimate part of my teaching technique.

Although this was the worst nightmare one can only imagine that I would not wish upon anyone, it has enabled me to give the gift of motivation and inspiration to my clients. I am able to help them tap into their own power source so they can achieve their personal goals. I believe if they truly want something, whatever it is, they can have it. They must first start with the three C’s of my revolutionary POISE technique -concentrate, control, and commit to being POISE fit.

I am currently living bicoastally in southern California and New York City with my husband and two children. I personal train clients by appointment only and teach weekly POISE fit and POISE dance classes. I also certify others to teach POISE technique classes.

Poise Philosophy:

 I believe that your mind controls a huge part of your fitness training. You must discover from INSIDE yourself what drives your power and determination in order to commit to achieve your OUTSIDE goals of being fit, beautiful, and healthy.

Teri’s Qualifications: 

American Council on Exercise (ACE), 4th Degree Black Belt Tang-Soo-Do Martial Arts; Tang-Soo-Do Martial Arts Testing Judge; Professional Ice Skater; United States Figure Skating Association Judge; Professional Dancer and Choreographer; Marathoner; Aerobics and Fitness Association of America: Mat Science.

Poise Awards:

 Dr Teri Jory’s POISEÒ Fitness DVDs (POISE Fit and Fierce: Take Back Your Core; POISE Core Training; POISE Strong and Sexy) Voted #1 Core Fitness DVDs by Fitness Magazine and Blackbelt Magazine; Voted Top Ten Fitness Videos by Lifetime.com; Top Fitness DVDs by Miami Herald.

Television Experience:

 Award winning television news anchor Arizona; NBC series -Illegal Aliens: Crossing the Border; Award Winning Health Reporter; Commercial photography model; Ms National Photogenic.

Education: 

PHD University of California, Santa Barbara.

Industry Activity:

Guest motivational speaker for women’s and men’s groups, breast cancer organizations/survivors (warriors), and schools.

Part of the earnings from the sales of my DVDs is donated to breast cancer research organizations. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and so are some of my clients.

Other countries introduced to POISE: Ireland, Spain, and France.