Jessica Tranchina's father didn't have it easy. Born and raised in Balestrate, Sicily, as one of nine children, he was a soccer player who didn't have enough money for shoes. When he came to the U.S. as a teenager, he couldn't speak English. Instead of college, he fought in the Vietnam War. Afterward, he worked as a house painter.
"He faced a bunch of hardship that he doesn't talk about, and that just made him who he is," Jessica says. "And so we were raised with this example of someone with an amazing work ethic."
Her father eventually realized a passion for flipping houses, leading to owning rentals and having the money to send his whole family to Italy every two years. His grit and ingenuity inspired Jessica.
"My dad's an Aquarius, and my daughter, Giovanna, said to me, 'You're also an Aquarius, so you're a trailblazer, and you think differently than other people,'" Jessica says.
As co-founder of Austin, Texas-based Generator Athlete Lab and owner of Experts in Wellness, this doctor of physical therapy has definitely blazed her own trail. She's also earned her stripes by competing in fitness events ranging from 5Ks to 50Ks, sprint triathlons to Ironman races, and strength challenges to figure competitions.
Jessica took time out to chat about her practice and its inspiration. She also shared her goals and hopes for clients.
You have competed in a wide range of athletic events. How have these experiences shaped your approach?
I'm an eat-your-frog kind of person. When you do the really hard thing in the morning that you don't want to do, it makes the rest of the day easier and makes you more resilient. So, I do that in business, life, and sports.
For anything that I tackle, I do the really hard thing or the hard training, whether in athletics or trail runs and triathlons and any competition that was happening. I call opening Generator Athlete Lab in 2018 my marathon or ultra run.
It's taught me so much about people in general, their psychology, and what makes them tick because it's way different than what makes me tick. I'm super competitive, highly driven, and motivated. I feel like it's served me well in life, but my biggest challenge has been learning other people aren't always like that.
Jessica placed first in the 2009 Honolulu Triathlon.
What inspired you to create the Generator Athlete Lab?
As a practitioner, I knew early on—when I was 12—I wanted to be a physical therapist and follow the best mentors. I defended my dissertation at Boston University; I wanted the top degree. I knew I wanted to be the best.
Eventually, I opened my own practice in Hawaii in about 2006. Then, I brought it in 2010 to Austin.
I was practicing and seeing clients and would research recovery modalities and smart training. I did a lot of manual therapy and thought, "There is not a single space that exists for not just athletes to recover but also for my clients to recover and get the best manual care, training, and recovery."
So that's when I said, "I should build it."
Afterward, I thought, "Wait! What if people don't like this? This is absolutely crazy!" But when I opened it, people said, "Wow, this is crazy, but it's working."
Jessica's clients range from athletes to individuals looking to boost their mental health.
Why did you choose to focus on recovery?
It was the one thing I didn't focus on personally. My only thoughts were, "Go! Train, train, train!"
Things started hurting for me, and I thought, "Why am I not even doing this?"
I started researching modalities that are science-backed and proven to work. They're great for longevity and mortality, heart health, and brain health.
It's not just athletes recovering for sport. We see a lot of injuries and people doing it for their mental health. And that has been the most rewarding part of it. I didn't even think of how amazing that part would be.
Originally, it was for inflammation and injuries, and now, people come to get off their antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs to sleep better and to be nicer to their kids. And that carries so much weight to me. It's very rewarding.
Describe the protocols you and your husband, Delfin Ward, have designed.
We're known for our science-backed recovery protocol: 30 minutes in our infrared sauna and then in our contrast—hot and cold— tubs, along with medical-grade compression garments and vibration. There's science behind each step. We put them in that order, so when you come in for your pass or appointment, you get the full protocol we've designed.
You also own Experts in Wellness. Tell us about that business.
Generator Athlete Lab is zoned as medical, but we don't do physical therapy there because we don't want people to get confused. You can't bring your insurance card in and use that. It has a membership model or a pack.
Since I still practice physical therapy, I've launched Experts in Wellness, where I hang my Physical Therapy license. I wanted to partner with a nutritionist, too, and we're starting to offer nutrition services and blood work panels to my clients. It's awesome.
What are your future goals?
We are going to expand Generator Athlete Lab nationwide. We're going to partner with like-minded people with the same mission as ours, truly compassionate people who want to help. And if we franchise, we franchise. Right now, that doesn't sound attractive to me because that sounds like fast expansion without me keeping my hand on the pulse. Our initial plan is to establish partnerships across the nation.
What do you hope clients take away?
True healing. Not just physical healing but emotional and mental healing.
Jessica presents the concept of Generator Athlete Lab to her community.
What do you find most rewarding about your work, and how do you stay motivated?
I took off seeing clients for two years, probably the least motivated two years of my life. I've wanted to be a PT since I was 12, and I stopped seeing clients because I just wore the full-time business hat.
The business is doing really well, but it was not fully fulfilling me. Seeing clients really grounds me. Now that I started seeing clients again after a two-year hiatus, it has reignited every single fire in my life.
A quote by Pablo Picasso resonates strongly with me: "The meaning of life is to find your gift, but the purpose of life is to give it away."
That quote hit me so hard when I saw it because I was not giving away my gift. I'm a healer; that is my gift. My gift is to help. And I help in a lot of different ways. I help my team, I grow and lead my team, and my team helps our members. But specifically, I need to help people: individuals.
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