The Heartbeat of Our Lives
Rooted in Community
How the Shine Sisters’ family and restaurants influenced Shine Living Community.
We were born into community.
Not in the metaphorical sense, but in the most real and wild way—arriving in this world as triplet sisters into a big, loving Italian family. Our mom was one of twelve siblings, and we grew up surrounded by a sea of cousins—over seventy in total—plus aunties, uncles, and endless shared moments.
We cooked together, ate countless meals together, and every summer we would travel to the Jersey Shore—piling into one house, sleeping on couches, rugs, or anywhere we could find a spot to lay our heads. It gave us a deep sense and the beautiful message that life is meant to be shared.
From the very beginning, community wasn’t just something we found… it was who we were.
A Family Held by Love
Our family story is forever shaped by our brother Dennis, who was born with a degenerative disease called Metachromatic Leukodystrophy. Doctors gave him a life expectancy of 25 years. Today, he is 55, which his doctors can describe as miraculous.
Dennis has been one of our greatest teachers. Because of his condition, he can only be fully himself—raw, real, and completely authentic. His presence inspired our family to live more authentically, too. It was messy and unexpected at times, but it was also profoundly loving. His way of being created a kind of honesty and depth in our family that continues to ripple through everything we do.
We know in our hearts that this miracle of his life has everything to do with the love, connection, and community that have held him every step of the way. His life is a living testament to the power of collective energy, joy, and the human spirit.
Every Wednesday, Dennis joins us for our Freedom Movement livestream from his wheelchair, moving with us through his eyes, his head, and the radiant energy of his heart. The room lights up with his smile, it feels like he is guiding us to remember the importance of community and to keep our bodies moving for transformation, health, and healing.
His energy inspires us to remember what’s truly possible when we come together.
Creating Gathering Spaces
Our roots in community inspired us early on. At 24 years old, we opened our first gathering place—restaurants designed not just for eating, but for connecting. They were spaces where people could share nourishing food and drink, and also share their unique gifts, passions, and voices on our stages.
We’ve always believed that community isn’t passive—it’s created. It’s cultivated through care, intention, and shared energy. It’s where we remember who we are, together. For 23 years, we ran our restaurants and gathering places with such reverence and joy. And then in 2021, we took the mission of community beyond the four walls.
Shine Living Community: A Movement of Belonging
Shine Living Community was born from that same heartbeat. A vision to create spaces—both in-person and digitally from everywhere—where people can come home to themselves, their bodies, their breath, and each other.
Through movement medicine, dance, yoga, breathwork, and tools and techniques to build connection, we guide people curious to get beyond limited beliefs, to raise their energy, to get stronger physically and emotionally, and reconnect with the joy of simply being alive, even in challenges.
We believe that when we come together in authentic, inspired community, we not only change our own experience of life—we ripple that energy out into our families, our neighborhoods, and the world.
We are not meant to walk this path alone.
We are wired for connection.
We heal through love, laughter, movement, and belonging.
Our brother’s smile is proof. Our lives are proof. The communities we’ve built—around tables, in our restaurants and gathering place, and under open skies—are living reminders of what’s possible when we rise together.
Rooted in Community
Join us in-person or livestreaming for Freedom Movement this month to continue to explore rooting in community.
Or, join us anytime in the Shine Living Community digital studio. With your membership (or 7-day free trial!) you’ll find:
Unlimited access to a library of somatic movement, breathwork, dance, and meditation sessions
Monthly themes and guided practices to align your inner and outer worlds
A growing global community walking this path with you
Simple, potent tools to restore your radiance from the inside out
In love and light,
We are Jill & Jessica – the Shine Sisters – your guides to living your shine every day.
With our 40+ years combined experience in certified dance, yoga, reiki and nutrition ~ we are here to build community, empower from within and help you live your best life!
