People Builder, Storyteller, Barrier Remover, Cat Mama, Tea Drinker, Believer, Peppermint Patty Connoisseur
Jen's story
Encouraging people is one of my passions.
I believe that each of us have something special to offer, but sometimes it takes a leap of faith to be willing to share that gift, yet when you’re following your passion, your light shines because you radiate the joy you feel.
Writing has always been part of my life, so much so that I don’t remember when I started journaling, but I do remember the first time my writing was recognized.
My fourth-grade teacher submitted a book of poems I wrote for the opportunity to go to a Young Authors Convention, and I remember walking in that convention hall being in awe of the writers and the whole experience.
During undergraduate school, I loved that no matter how many papers I wrote for my schoolwork, I still wanted to write for myself. When I decided to major in Journalism with a Public Relations emphasis, it felt like a chance to broaden my skills and continue to write.
During my final semester I took a Book Publishing course and fell in love with it. It was then that I knew I would one day work with authors, but I wasn’t sure how.
To get into the publishing world, I jumped at the chance to work for an alumni directory publishing company. Although some of the interview questions were about working with relational databases rather than writing or editing words, I am so glad I said “yes” and took the leap.
That experience showed me how much I enjoyed helping people bring their vision to life. It was important to me to build strong and authentic relationships with my clients rather than “just get the job done.”
During my last three years there, I developed and mastered my conference booth babe (ahem, booth attendant) skills. For my first few conferences, I wasn’t completely sure what to do, except be present, be open, and be engaged. Yet those three things were exactly what was required, and what I did for the hundreds of shows I attended for the company as a booth attendant.
When I left that company, I thought I left my booth babe days behind me too. Ha! That was so not the case. Yet instead of being the booth attendant for my new company, I held several positions that required me to create and execute large recognition events as well as open houses and trade shows within the company. In a nutshell, my job was about building bridges between employee engagement efforts and the company’s bigger vision. All the while, I informally coached and mentored hundreds of individuals in their careers to enjoy more meaningful work and gain increased leadership responsibilities.
Given that I was working in the corporate world, I pursued an MBA, but I still felt a pull to writing and publishing. Several years later, my children’s book series started to take shape.
Originally, the Einstein & Moo series started as a creative outlet where I made up stories from my indoor kitties’ perspectives.
What do they think when they see a hummingbird go to the feeder by the window?
What might they say to the squirrel or skink venturing on the porch during their backyard watch?
My husband would play along, and we would create some funny dialogues. During the summer of 2013, I took some of those ideas and put them to paper.
As I was finalizing what ended up being the first two books in the series (Einstein and the Leaf and Moo and the Case of the Mistaken Identity), I started to shift my thinking about how I could turn them into published books and proceeded to figure how to make it happen.
I left the corporate world one month before my first book released and knew I was headed toward my north star. When Einstein and the Leaf released in September of 2014, I went back to being a booth babe and used my event management skills by hosting my first book signing, and since then, I’ve hosted or participated in over 150 book signings, including booths at multi-day expos.
One book turned into seven, then book signings and school visits, and I knew there was more. My passion for helping people see their “something special to offer” and courageously take the leap of faith to share their gifts continued through private coaching and speaking engagements. Two leadership podcasts evolved as well as my co-authored book, You Know it’s a Verb, Right?
Early on in my business, I was a beta reader for an author friend. She said I was tough and encouraging as I helped her strengthen her storytelling abilities and her writing. Shortly thereafter, she and others became developmental editing clients.
From there, my business grew to help authors bring out their inner greatness, whether it was through being their developmental editor or coaching them on how to best present themselves, their work and message. When I work with someone, my intention is to help them create the best story possible so that they shine.
Even on my latest podcast, The TufFish Show, my intention is the same. The joy this continues to bring me feels exhilarating because I can see where I am tapping into that inkling that started so long ago.
I believe:
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...that the people who need to hear your message the most are waiting for you.
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...in providing kind and constructive feedback because I know the courage it takes to share your work and message with either one person, a small group, or the public at large.
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...that there’s only one YOU in this whole world, and you were given your message and story because you are the right person to share it.
BOOK YOUR DISCOVERY CALL
Working with Jen is great; she delivers her points gently and with logic and examples to help you see what may be unclear or lacking.
BUSY PROFESSIONAL
You're an empathetic listener who enthusiastically synthesizes issues, helps clients find solutions.
PROFESSIONAL AUTHOR
Jennifer is wonderful person to talk to about for advice on leadership, management, writing, and things such as marketing and branding. She is an empathetic listener in that she has experiences that reinforce advice and recommendations, and she has a wonderful disposition that is captivating; makes you want to listen to her. I find her to be a passionate individual when it comes to writing and speaking and always has a positive and constructive message to tell.
LEW STEINHOFF, PHD
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