Ep 364: The Dana Download with Dana Arschin and guest Jen Aks on hmTv

Episode 364: The Dana Download with Jen Aks

In this uplifting episode of The Dana Download, host Dana Arschin welcomes coach, author, and TEDx speaker Jen Aks, founder of The Power of Gesture, for a conversation that blends intuition, healing, Jewish identity, and the courage to rewrite your life.

With Dana’s six-year-old daughter Maya co-hosting from her lap, the episode takes on a refreshingly human tone—equal parts heart, humor, and hard truth. Jen breaks down her pioneering “bodyset” practice, where emotional awareness moves from the head into the hands, and shares how her new book, Your Body Is Speaking, helps people listen to the intelligence their bodies have been trying to share all along.

The two dive into:

• How movement, gesture, and embodiment can unlock clarity
 • Turning fear into excitement and anxiety into action
 • What dance taught Jen about confidence, storytelling, and purpose
 • Jewish identity, family legacy, and generational responsibility
 • The life-shaping choice of ending a 20-year marriage—and what growth looks like on the other side

This episode reminds us that intuition is not mystical—it’s biological—and that true leadership starts from the inside out. Whether you’re a parent, a seeker, a creator, or someone standing at your own crossroads, you’ll find wisdom here and a relatable nudge toward self-trust.

Tune in for a warm, thoughtful, empowering talk that leaves you thinking long after the mics are off.

Transcript

The Dana Download – Episode 364
With Dana Arschin and Guest Jen Aks

Hi everyone, thanks so much for joining us for this episode of The Dana Download — or maybe today we’re calling it The Dana and Maya Download, because my six-year-old daughter Maya is here on my lap. She’s off from school for parent-teacher conferences, but as we all know, work goes on. Maya, thank you for joining today.
…No words? We’re being extra shy, so she’s just going to sit here quietly and be my sidekick.

For those tuning in for the first time, The Dana Download is all about introducing you to fascinating people — friends from different corners of my life as well as folks I’m meeting for the first time who spark my curiosity. And today, I am thrilled to welcome our guest, Jen Aks.

Jen is a coach, author, thought leader, and founder of The Power of Gesture, a bodyset practice that has helped thousands of women since 2020. And honestly, she does so much more — we’re going to unpack it all.

Jen, welcome!

Jen: Thank you so much — I’m so happy to be here.

You told me you came in from Westchester — easy drive?
 And this is your first time at the Holocaust Museum in Glen Cove?

Jen: Yes—never been here before, and it is extraordinary.

Thank you — that means so much. I hope you get to see more of it afterward.

Let’s jump right in. Your new book launched in September — congratulations. Tell us about it. How did this idea start?

Jen: It’s called Your Body Is Speaking. The whole premise is that our bodies are communicating with us constantly — emotionally, physically, spiritually — and we’re just not taught to listen. There is intelligence inside us meant to guide every part of our lives, personally and professionally. The book is meant to wake that awareness back up.

So is it about listening to your body for mental wellness, physical wellness — or both?

Jen: All of the above. We’re conditioned out of intuition — we look to social media, parents, peers — instead of inward. This book helps people remember their answers are within. It’s an embodiment practice but also deeply empowering.

Give me an example — something someone might feel but ignore.

Jen: Sure — let’s say you’re in a relationship that’s no longer serving you. Your body knows before your mind does — tightness, anxiety, restlessness, dread. Instead of trusting that signal, people chase why they feel it. Our bodies speak truth, but we override it.

Amazing. And this is your first book — were you always a writer?

Jen: Not at all. I never saw myself as an author. I started writing while leaving a deeply personal relationship. I journaled because my body knew something no one else understood. Eventually I realized — this is a book. It took about three years.

Tell us again where we can find it.

Jen: Your Body Is Speaking — on Amazon, or through my website where there are bonuses.

Maya, we’re speaking with an author — I’m a writer too! I write Holocaust documentaries, and I want to write my grandfather’s story. I’ve got about five pages… but writing a good book is real work. So kudos to you.

Jen: I brought you a copy. And your storytelling — your intuition in crafting narrative — that’s embodiment too.

Thank you — Maya knows I’m always working on our family story.

So — The Power of Gesture. You founded it in 2020. What exactly is it?

Jen: It’s a bodyset practice. We all know mindset — mental attitude. Bodyset is emotional and physical intelligence — the body knows before the mind does. The practice begins with a hand on the heart and stomach — grounding, noticing sensations, acknowledging truth.

Right — because we hype ourselves up mentally but ignore posture, breath — I literally just fixed my posture talking to you.

Jen: Exactly. Or anxiety — instead of “I wish this away,” bodyset asks: What is this really? Sometimes it’s excitement. We get familiar with emotion through the body.

So this looks like gestures?

Jen: Yes — making emotions tangible. Your hands embody the feeling. Tight fists might represent angst — then you release them. Hands send more signals to the brain than almost anything else — this is neuro-scientific. Our hands can regulate the nervous system, but no one teaches that.

Fascinating. So how do people work with you?

Jen: Remote and in-person. First, we bodyset. Then we talk about where you are — blocks, goals. Then we identify what emotions live where in your body. Then you embody them with your hands — releasing, uplifting, amplifying. It’s like a physical version of therapy — getting out of the head and into the body.

I love that. Now — brag time. TEDx speaker, author, mother — give us your backstory.

Jen: Two children — 21 and 18 — incredible humans who deeply inspired my book. TEDx in California this past August — right before my book’s release. A life-changing experience. I was nervous backstage but used my bodyset tools — turned anxiety into excitement.

Amazing. And you were a dancer — for decades.

Jen: Yes — every style. Dance gave me emotional intelligence and confidence. It saved me academically — school didn’t teach to my learning style. Dance was my communication and intelligence. Research later confirmed that kinesthetic learning is real — I just didn’t know its name back then.

I love that — and yes, Maya dances too.

I also want to touch on identity — you’re a Jewish woman, and this show is recorded at a Holocaust museum. How has your heritage shaped you?

Jen: Immensely. My family is deeply connected to Judaism culturally and spiritually. There are Holocaust survivors in our family. Tradition, table conversations, ritual — all of it shaped me as a mother, leader, and human being. I feel responsibility, pride — and my kids do too.

What was it like walking through the museum today?

Jen: Emotional — and I’m grateful this space exists. It matters. I hope it is supported for generations.

So — what’s next? You had a huge year — TEDx, a book, your growing practice. What do you hope for?

Jen: More. More speaking, deeper reach. I want to awaken embodied leadership — people designing lives aligned with purpose, parenting, and relationships. And yes — more books are coming.

I love that. And as we wrap — I ask all my guests: is there a moment that changed how you see the world?

Jen: Yes — when I left my 20-year marriage. It was beautiful, but it was over. No one understood from the outside, so I had to listen to my body. That decision empowered me — it birthed the book. No regrets — but I still grieve. It was a family shift. My kids are resilient, but they are navigating their own journey now.

Thank you for opening up — people need to hear that. You never know who’s listening.

Jen: Exactly — when we share, we give others permission to do the same.

I could talk to you forever. Anything else before we wrap?

Jen: I just want to flip the mic one day — I’m so curious about you!

We will! Huge thank-you to our mutual friend Justine Ray — and happy early birthday to Justine. She brings me incredible guests like you. I’m proud of you, I don’t even know you yet — but I see what you’re doing and I admire it. Thank you for being a strong Jewish leader, woman, and pioneer.

Jen: Thank you — I appreciate you both.

To everyone listening — thank you for joining today’s Dana (and Maya) Download. Check out Jen Aks — last name A-K-S, Jen with one N. She’s remarkable.

And thank you to Priscilla Dolan, our tech director, who makes all this magic happen.

Stay tuned for the next episode — and have a great day!