Kamer Jackson returns to Jamaica to champion holistic wellness

While serving as a club fitness manager last year, Kamer Jackson knew it was only a matter of time before he returned to Jamaica to give back. In March, he made that move and is now focused on building his career as an independent wellness consultant. Having previously worked as a gym instructor at Iberostar Hotel and later as the club wellness manager at Barbuda Ocean Club, Jackson felt it was time to bring his skills back home and make a difference.

“For me, Jamaica will always be home,” Jackson told Lifestyle during a recent interview.

After leaving Jamaica without a degree, he now holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Florida International University (awarded in 2023), a Master of Science in Business Administration from the University of Salford, Manchester (awarded in 2024), and a Master of Public Health from Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi (awarded in 2024).

“I’ve always wanted to invest in Jamaica; invest my skills, because I know I have a lot of skills and that taking on this aspect of wellness consultancy, I will put what I have learnt over the years of investing in my own self back home where I think it should go.”

Jackson is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Management from the Catholic University of San Antonio Murcia (UCAM), which he intends to complete in 2025, along with a Doctor of Business Administration from UCAM, which he expects to finish in 2027.

He believes wellness goes beyond physical fitness and aims to help Jamaicans see it as a balance of mental, emotional, and social well-being.

“When you talk about wellness, some people might think it’s going to the gym, but wellness in itself is a state of overall balance – mentally, emotionally and socially,” he said.

With over 13 years in the fitness industry, Jackson has realised that looking good physically is not enough. “You can look good physically, but other aspects of your life are out of whack. It really doesn’t make sense. You have a banging body, but that’s just it.”

He argues that there are different dimensions to fitness that many Jamaicans have not yet explored, including emotional well-being, intellectual growth, and healthy habits.

Jackson also wants to advocate for improvements in Jamaica’s healthcare system.

“I had an experience in 2021, where I remember my grandmother got sick and she went to Cornwall Regional Hospital and the level of care that she got to this day, it harms me … She was there sitting on a chair for two weeks, and when she got a bed one week later, she died,” Jackson said.

“I think overall, the way we treat our people in hospitals is atrocious, but that was a big motivation for me –how she was treated. It inspired me to do public health to drive policy,” he added.

His time in Barbuda also shaped his approach to wellness. Living in an “isolated environment” helped him focus on his own mental health and academic growth. “I used this isolation to push me to do a lot, in terms of schooling,” he highlighted.

Now that he has taken control of his mental health, Jackson has a proposal to introduce wellness talks in Jamaican schools, hotels, and other sectors. His goal is to promote stress management and create fitness and wellness programmes for individuals and businesses.

“I want to get men more involved in the whole holistic way of dealing with wellness, because I saw the other day, that 67 per cent of persons who committed suicide were men. I want to invest a lot of my time speaking to men and young boys in schools,” Jackson, who grew up in Beth Salem, St Elizabeth said.

Jackson, who attended Lacovia High School before moving to Montego Bay and living there for 11 years, said he first became interested in fitness as a teenager, watching WWE Raw and SmackDown and later joining a gym in St James. That passion led him to a career in fitness and eventually to consulting on the development of fitness centres in Barbuda.

Now, back in Jamaica, he is ready to expand his impact, guiding others toward a more holistic approach to wellness.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com