Meet This Week’s Woman of the Week (WOW) – Julie Thompson

There are so many women who help make Ocean County a better place, and we're recognizing them as our Woman of the Week (WOW)!

This week, Sue and I loved getting to know Julie Thompson, who was nominated by her friend Ali to be this week's Woman of the Week (WOW)! Julie is a fitness instructor who brought her community together through workouts, and also teaches workout classes to seniors. Read Ali's nomination below:

Daughter, mother, wife, sister, friend, mentor, leader, superhero. Julie Thompson wears many hats (and adorable workout outfits) daily, and she does it with so much love in her heart. Some of her outstanding roles in the community include being one of the most dedicated mothers and wives I’ve ever met. The love she has for her family is overwhelming and bubbles over in every aspect of her life. The residents at The Pines in Whiting are so lucky to have Julie to inspire them to laugh, move and live life to the fullest. Still, Julie has the capacity to do more. You may have taken one of her classes at Toms River Fitness, and you may not have been able to walk for a week (in the best way possible, of course). So many people in the community look up to Julie, and when Covid turned our worlds upside down, she didn’t slow down- she did MORE. On multiple occasions she used her platform to enlist the help of her circle to donate hundreds of meals to front line workers, held socially distanced Zumba classes to raise money for a friend going through medical challenges, all while navigating the “new norm” with a brave face for her family. With an already full plate, Julie made room for about 200 more of us. Recognizing the need for community more than ever, she created an online workout group thoughtfully called “Better Together.” What may have started as a way to stay active and out of the pantry until NJ gyms opened, quickly turned into something much bigger than that. Nearly 200 people tune in with Julie every morning (7:30 am SHARP!) to sweat, laugh, and take a break from all the uncertainty in our lives right now. She is such a light in the darkness. Members of the group have seen incredible transformations over the last 20+ weeks (!!!) Physical changes are amazing, but Julie has inspired changes in our hearts and how we see the world. The workouts are incredible, but we all really show up for her inspiring words each day. Without fail, she cries after every workout simply because her heart is too big for her tear ducts. She believes in every single person who’s watching and she’ll never let them forget it. To know her is to love her, and gosh, we are so lucky to get to do both.

When we called Ali, she was so excited for her friend Julie to be recognized. Listen to Sue and I chat with Ali below:

Then, we got to surprise Julie with the good news! She was so adorable and was so excited to be honored. Listen to her reaction below:

Julie - thank you for all you do to keep people motivated and inspired in Ocean County, especially during these crazy times. You are truly deserving to be 92.7 WOBM's Woman of the Week (WOW)!