Eye of the Tiger: Jennifer Sharp’s Healing Transformation & Road to Enlighten
Eye of the Tiger: Jennifer Sharp’s Healing Transformation & Road to Enlighten
*Cue the first 30 seconds of the Rocky theme “Gonna Fly Now” *
You hear that music, and instantly you visualize a scrappy guy in gray sweats jogging through the streets of Philly, gasping for breath, until suddenly—there he is—arms raised atop the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You already know his name, you already know his story.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is not just a movie moment. It’s a biological truth wrapped in a cinematic masterpiece.
Hello Sacramento! My name is Jennifer Sharp, Founder and CEO of Enlighten Red Light Therapy Center.
Something about me that you don't already know, I have always rooted for the underdog—because let’s be honest, there's nothing more thrilling than watching someone who should by all accounts fail, thru persistance, resilliance and self-belief, somehow pull thru with the win.
Rocky Balboa isn’t just a boxer. He’s a blueprint.
Not for winning championships.
But for transformation.
And today, I’m going to show you how Rocky’s journey isn’t just a Hollywood story—it’s the same hero’s journey your body is wired to take. It’s the story that turned my life around, took me from pain and disability to purpose and possibility, and—spoiler alert—it could be your story too.
Round 1 — THE CALL TO ACTION — *ding ding*
In the first Rocky movie, our hero starts out as a nobody. A “bum" drifting through life, completely resigned to mediocrity.
And then—out of nowhere—an insane opportunity: Fight the World Heavy Weight Champion, Apollo Creed. The human equivalent of Mount Everest. Rocky doesn’t want to win. He just wants to prove he’s not a waste of potential.
Now let me tell you about my Apollo Creed.
I spent six and a half years in relentless, inescapable pain. 1 full year on crutches, 4 years combined on a cane, 1 and a half years combined with a walker and wheelchair. Three major spinal surgeries. Doctors told me to prepare for a lifetime of pain, disability, heavy medication, and—wait for it—a fourth and fifth surgery with a terrifying 68% chance of paralysis from the waist down.
If Rocky was facing Apollo Creed, I was facing a medical reality that looked like Mike Tyson with a grudge.
And like Rocky, I was tired. I wanted to throw in the towel.
Until my opportunity walked into the ring:
Red Light Therapy. One last Hail Mary. One last glimmer of hope.
But let's be real, my initial reaction was disbelief. I was told that someone would shine a light on me and then I would feel better and my pain would be gone. It felt insulting after everything I had been thru. I didn't believe it. Bullshit, I thought. I sat on those prepaid sessions for 6 months.
2 weeks out from the upcoming back-to-back crazy surgeries, I decided to take a chance on "that light thing". Might as well. What's the worst that happens? I don't feel different? I was willing to give it a shot.
My call to action wasn't glamorous.
It was desperate.
But it was a choice.
And that’s important, because the moment you decide to take the first step—that is the moment your story changes.
Round 2 — THE MONTAGE — *ding ding*
Now, let’s talk about the part everyone loves: the training montage.
Rocky’s montage is legendary. Raw eggs. Running in the snow. Punching frozen beef like it insulted his mother.
It’s gritty. It’s sweaty. It’s… not social media worthy.
My montage?
Oh, trust me—it wasn’t glamorous either.
I couldn’t run, I couldn't even walk. I couldn’t punch meat. I could barely move.
My husband—my Adrian—drove me three hours round-trip for my first session.
Then it happened, I felt different in that very first session.
This turned into 3 hour round-trips, three days a week, because at that point, I was in a lot of pain and I needed a lot of help.
My Mickey? I was my own Mickey in those days. Pushing myself forward, never giving up, believing there was a better future with a different outcome.
Trusting that the change I was feeling from the start could be the catalyst I was searching for.
And let me tell you something nobody puts in the inspirational posters:
Transformation looks boring up close.
It looks like:
The same exercises
The same routine
The same tears
The same tiny improvements nobody else notices
Endless trips around my driveway with my walker trying to take one more step than yesterday
The same "come on, you can do this, one more step" muttered under my breath
Your hero’s journey doesn’t start with fireworks.
It starts with consistency when no one is watching.
And somewhere in that grind, amidst the sweat and frustration, something beautiful happens:
Your body remembers what it’s capable of.
Because healing isn't a miracle.
It's biology.
Your body is Rocky Balboa.
All it needs is the right stimulus—and it will fight like hell to win.
Round 3 — THE BREAKTHROUGH — *ding ding*
Then comes the stairs.
Rocky’s first attempt? He wheezes, he limps, he questions his life choices.
But later after the training montage—after the grind—he sprints. He leaps. He throws his arms in the air in victory.
That moment isn’t about training—
It’s about persistance, resilliance and self-belief.
My “Philadelphia steps moment” didn’t happen in one day either.
It happened slowly and it came in stages:
Wheelchair → walker → cane → walking freely → living fully.
Red Light Therapy didn’t just reduce my pain—it restored me.
After 6 months:
I lost 73 pounds.
I got out of chronic pain.
I got off all the heavy meds.
My nerve pain and neuropathy was gone.
I was stronger.
I had stamina.
I was sleeping.
I regained my joy.
My brain came back online.
And nine months into treatment—after being told it was impossible, I became pregnant
18 months after starting treatment, I became a mother.
Like at the end of Rocky II when he finally beat Apollo Creed, I had my shining moment of true transformation.
My son was my world heavy weight championship belt.
Not because a movie told me to believe in myself…But because my body proved I should.
The end of this month will be my next "Philly steps" moment, I will have been doing this professionally for just as long as I was disabled. That feels monumental.
Round 4: THE CLIENT JOURNEY — *ding ding*
Now let’s flip the script.
Imagine you walk into my wellness center.
You are Rocky.
And I?
I am Mickey—minus the advanced age, eyebrows and yelling.
Your body already knows how to heal.
It’s not broken. It’s waiting.
The montage?
That’s your sessions, your treatments, your commitment.
It is a biological fact that when you leave an appointment with me, your body has made real cellular change.
Any warmth you feel while in session?
That's your body using the extra cellular energy to prioritize what you specifically need in that moment.
And your body keeps working for an aditional 2 hours after your session is over.
Each session builds upon the last and that real cellular change creates a positive domino effect of healing
And sooner or later, you hit your "philly steps moment"—the day you wake up and realize:
“Wait. I’m different. I feel different. I am different.”
Then comes your championship fight—not against Apollo Creed, but against a life you refuse to settle for.
And when you have your "philly stairs moment" you don’t just return to your life…
You return transformed.
Round 5: THE CLOSING ROUND — *ding ding*
Rocky didn’t become iconic because he won.
He became legendary because he went the distance, he was persistant, he worked hard, he was resilliant, he never stopped believing in himself.
Your body is capable of that same transformation.
All it needs is the bell to ring, the crowd to hush, and that tiny voice from inside whispering:
"I can do this."
My favorite part about what I do?
That's easy, it's the transformations.
If you are ready to start your own hero’s journey to transformation,
I can light your path forward.
Click the link below to get started today!