For Columbus entrepreneur Jessica Gesue ’01, some of life’s most meaningful opportunities have come from learning to adapt.
From a career in corporate finance to raising three children, competing in bodybuilding, and launching her own wellness business, Gesue’s journey has been full of adaptation. Through each new chapter, she emerged with one overarching idea: We aren’t meant to navigate life alone.
It’s a philosophy at the heart of Alluvita Health + Wellness, the Columbus-area business Gesue founded to bring women together through fitness, health, and social connection. It’s also a perspective she’ll bring back to Denison as a featured speaker at ReMix: Adapt, Nov. 5-6, a retreat designed to help alums navigate change and thrive through every stage of life.
Long before launching Alluvita, Gesue was exploring her wide-ranging interests on The Hill. An economics major who also studied studio art, she found that Denison’s liberal arts environment gave her the freedom to develop both her analytical and creative sides. Her passion for fitness also has roots at Denison, where she remembers regularly working out at Mitchell Recreation and Athletic Center early in the morning before classes.
Denison’s foundation proved valuable as she entered the corporate retail world, beginning her career at Express before earning her MBA and spending roughly a decade working in business and finance.
But as her life evolved, so did her priorities.
After welcoming her first child, Gesue stepped away from her corporate career to focus on family. What began as a planned year at home turned into 11 years raising her three sons, during which she continued exploring her longtime passion for health and fitness.
And when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her budding plans to begin fitness training clients, an unexpected opportunity emerged.
Women in her community began asking to join small-group workouts in her garage.
Between exercises in the makeshift space, the women talked about everything from sleep and hormones to the challenges of balancing everyday life. Gesue realized they weren’t simply looking for a workout class. They were looking for a safe place to connect and support one another.
That realization planted the seed for Alluvita, a different approach to health and wellness that puts community first rather than treating social connection as an added benefit.
For Gesue, the most important part of the business isn’t any single service. It’s the network of people behind it.
“I can’t do it alone,” she said, reflecting on the importance of collaboration and her belief that “a rising tide raises all boats.”
Rather than trying to provide every service herself, Gesue has focused on building partnerships with practitioners, entrepreneurs, and other wellness professionals who can share their expertise with the community she’s building.
Now, as she prepares to return to Denison as a speaker for ReMix: Adapt, Gesue hopes to encourage fellow alums to think about well-being in a much broader way.
Gesue will lead the Adapt for Well-Being pillar at ReMix, encouraging alums to look beyond traditional ideas of health and consider how physical, mental, financial, and social well-being intersect. Her perspective is one of several that will shape the retreat, bringing Denisonians together to explore how we adapt through different stages of life.
Allison Aubrey ’90 will lead the Adapt in Life pillar, drawing on decades of reporting as an award-winning NPR science and health correspondent and CBS Sunday Morning contributor. Her latest project took her on a more personal journey, exploring how women reinvent their lives and discover new possibilities in midlife. Those experiences inspired her book, Your Turn: How to Create a Midlife You Love, which she’ll draw from to explore embracing change and finding purpose in life’s next chapter. Every ReMix registrant will receive a copy of her book.
Erik S. Farley ’03 knows the Denison community from more than one perspective. A former Denison administrator and longtime volunteer, he now serves as chief people and culture officer at the YMCA of Central Ohio. Leading the Adapt Together pillar, Farley will explore how leadership, community, and a sense of belonging can help people navigate change and build stronger connections.
Jackie Hutson ’05 knows that bringing an idea to life rarely follows a straight path. As founder of Piper & Mint and co-founder of The Sourcing Gals, she has navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship and building businesses in a changing marketplace. Through the Adapt at Work pillar, Hutson will share what it takes to recognize new opportunities, embrace uncertainty, and keep moving forward when the path isn’t always clear.
The retreat will also feature Kristin Volk ’04, an attorney at BakerHostetler and former broadcast journalist who has navigated multiple career changes. During an interactive workshop, she’ll share the experiences, challenges, and relationships that helped her transition from journalism into law.
Brad Blum ’76, former CEO of Burger King and Romano’s Macaroni Grill and former president of Olive Garden, will also bring decades of experience in business transformation and innovation, including his work creating Good Food for the Planet.
Together, these alumni voices reflect the many ways adaptation can take shape, whether through a career change, a new business, a shift in priorities, or a renewed commitment to personal well-being.
For alums attending ReMix, the experience offers more than an opportunity to hear inspiring stories. It’s a chance to reflect on their own journeys, exchange ideas with fellow Denisonians, and leave with new perspectives on whatever comes next.
ReMix: Adapt takes place Nov. 5-6 on The Hill, leading into Big Red Weekend, Nov. 6-8. Whether you’re navigating a new chapter or simply looking for fresh inspiration, there’s still time to join the conversation.