meet jase
Community Leader. Advocate. Equity Voice.
I’m Jase Nagaia, a community leader, advocate, and ACE Certified fitness instructor based in Palm Springs, California. My family is from the Fiji Islands. As a Fijian-American, LGBTQ man of color, I’ve experienced firsthand what it feels like to walk into a room and wonder whether you belong there. At some point I stopped waiting for those spaces to be created and started building them myself.
Where ‘endeavor’ Comes From
The name has been in my family for decades. In the early 1960s, my mother, Eunice Nagaia, founded one of Fiji’s first women’s basketball teams, built on the belief that women deserved a space to compete, to belong, and to thrive. They called it Endeavour. When I started this class in Palm Springs, I knew exactly what to name it. I just spelled it the American way. One letter different. Same mission – Inclusivity.
The original Endeavour. Fiji, early 1960s.
I know what it feels like to walk into a space that says everyone is welcome and discover that doesn’t include you. That experience didn’t discourage me. It clarified exactly what I needed to build.
Endeavor with Jase began as a free, low-impact fitness class at Demuth Park, designed from the start to welcome the people that traditional fitness spaces too often overlook. Older adults, people with limited mobility, communities of color, LGBTQ individuals, and anyone who has ever felt like the gym wasn’t made for them. It still is all of that. It has also grown into something broader: a platform for inclusion, community wellness, and the belief that belonging isn’t a benefit you earn. It’s something every person deserves to walk into.
Beyond the fitness studio, I serve as Vice Chair on the City of Palm Springs Parks & Recreation Commission, where I advocate for inclusive public spaces and community wellness across the Coachella Valley. I lead employee resource groups focused on workplace inclusion and show up at community races, backpack drives, Pride activations, and wherever the Palm Springs community needs someone to stand up and show out.
Recognition
In 2023 I was honored with two awards that mean a great deal to me.
The Community Service Award from the City of Palm Springs Human Rights Commission, recognized for removing income barriers to fitness and creating inclusive wellness spaces for communities of color and the LGBTQ community.
The Stonewall Spirit of Pride Award from Greater Palm Springs Pride, recognized for changing the landscape of wellness in Palm Springs through inclusive community fitness.
The recognition I carry most though is simpler. When someone tells me they came to class nervous and left feeling like they belonged, that’s the whole point. That’s always been the point.
Want to connect? Whether you’re interested in the class, a race warmup, a speaking opportunity, or just want to say hello, I’d love to hear from you.