Finding community can be so important and yet so challenging, especially in our growing virtual world. Fortunately, support and resources to stay connected, feel empowered and learn about healthy practices and mindsets can be found at Shine Living Community.

Jill and Jessica Emich are the sisters behind Shine Living Community, a Boulder, Colorado-based movement inspiring authentic life and holistic wellness. “It’s really about people, about community,” explains Jessica Emich. “We offer more of a holistic experience, so that it
amplifies the whole,” adds her twin sister, Jill Emich. Shine hopes to provide all the pieces that make up a well-rounded life, including food, movement, nutrition and healing for emotional health, as well as mental and physical well-being. “It’s a lifestyle,” shares Jessica Emich. “And, we also bring in family,” she adds, “because that’s who we are,” finishes Jill Emich.

Jill, Jessica and Jennifer Emich started their journeys into life with company being born as triplet sisters. “We really like to say we started off with community in the womb,” Jessica Emich laughs. Further, coming from a large Italian family, the sisters felt that food, family and connection had become an innate part of their identities from very early on. Thus, at 24, the triplets opened their first restaurant, called Trilogy Wine Bar and Lounge, with community at the forefront of their business. Through the years, the sisters have transitioned beyond Trilogy to new spaces, including Shine Brewing Company and Shine Restaurant & Potion Bar.

“After about 23 and a half years, the pandemic hit,” says Jill Emich. As many know, this was an extremely challenging time for many restaurant owners, with the Emich sisters being no exception. Yet, amid this rather dark time as they closed Shine Restaurant & Potion Bar, the sisters continued to strive for connection. “We all felt like we were being disempowered at that time,” shares Jill Emich. “There was a lot of fear being instilled, and we didn’t agree with it.”

And thus, the first Shine Living Community portal, an online space dedicated to movement, meditation and connection, was born. “It was amazing, because what we started to realize was when we were practicing together, even though it was online, it was really building the
energy around [us],” Jill Emich explains. “You could feel the results from the practices amplified.” During the birth of this global movement beyond the four walls, Jennifer decided to follow another path while Jill and Jessica formed the Shine Living Community. The Shine sisters continued to build this community around their online dance films, virtual yoga classes and supportive energy. “People wanted to take their health and well-being and future into their hands,” shares Jessica Emich. “Out of that was birthed Shine Living Community.”

Jessica + Jill Emich. Photos courtesy of Shine Living Community.

“It grew like wildfire,” Jill Emich adds. Since then, Shine Living Community has continued to grow with the mission of energizing, nourishing and awakening from the inside out. The community hosts weekly yoga and dance classes — both virtually and in-person — breath and meditation workshops, spiritual retreats and much more. Through the movement’s online platform, around 20 channels are available, with material ranging from dance, strengthening and breathwork to family channels, cooking with kids and nutritional recipes. The community focuses on building an inclusive, creative, welcoming space for all to enjoy, regardless of ability or experience. “In a dance class, it has nothing to do with getting the steps right or, in a yoga class, how deep you can get into a pose,” explains Jill Emich. “It’s really
about going within your body and raising your energy from the inside out and letting it be messy and seeing what wants to happen. Just get curious.”

“And playful,” finishes Jessica Emich. “We are all here supporting each other, doing it together,” she explains.

Shine Living Community’s empowering model helps bridge the divide between such community connection and personal growth. “It’s a different language than what we are [often] hearing; I can heal myself and can lean into community?” Jill Emich asks, explaining that, “Yes, you can. We are here. It’s really about the whole person and building the energy and amplifying the whole through the community.”

Currently, the Shine sisters are continuing to expand their community and hope to reach a global audience with their messaging and practices. “We are practicing together; we are learning together; we are letting it be messy together,” shares Jessica Emich. “It’s truly
from the heart.” And, better yet, it’s for the heart.

Originally published in Winter + Spring 2023-24 issue of Well.