Consider the Wildflowers
Consider the Wildflowers
092. Jenn Jett Barrett: Go Ugly Early - Secrets to Launching Your Business
Jenn Jett Barrett is a speaker, event host, and the founder of the Well Summit, a unique experience that creates space to unpack the things holding people back from peace, flourishing, and union with Jesus.
In this episode, Jenn shares how she went from designing textiles in corporate America to being a full-time entrepreneur and how taking a month-long break from the internet changed the course of her business…
WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : https://shannaskidmore.com/jenn-jett-barrett/
📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamers and Doers
Fall 2024 Camp Well Retreat - use code WILDFLOWERS for $150 off registration
Jenn (00:00):
On that first day of camp, well, in Denver, Colorado. What those 30 women didn't know was that five weeks earlier, my husband at the time had left me for the third time in 15 years and I was facing divorce. I think it was providential that there was no way five weeks out I could cancel this thing. I really wanted to. I think in a way there's no way that I can show up to these 30 women. I felt really disqualified to lead them. I felt that I didn't really have the capacity to love well or that I was lovable. I think you just start believing a lot of lies about yourself. Here I am trying to lead these 30 women in healthy mindset and I myself was faced with do I believe, and I remember having this moment on day one, standing in front of these women and I had a decision to make, am I going to be honest about where I'm at? And I did. I just shared, and it was only probably a couple of minutes that I just shared really vulnerably that I'm standing here with some fear and lies just like you and I would say that that was the moment that changed the course of the Wealth Summit completely.
Lauren (01:25):
Hey friends, Lauren from Team Skidmore here and you're listening to Consider the Wildflowers the podcast episode 92. Jen Jett Barrett is a speaker, event host and founder of the Well Summit, a unique experience that creates space to unpack the things holding people back from peace, flourishing and union with Jesus. In this episode, Jen shares how she went from designing textiles and corporate America to being a full-time entrepreneur and how taking a month long break from the internet changed the course of her business, taking the leap into full-time, recovering from workaholism and leading with faith and vulnerability. All in today's episode. Let's dive in.
Shanna (02:05):
Hey, it's Shanna and this is Consider the Wildflowers, the podcast. For the past 15 plus years, I've had the honor to hear thousands of stories from entrepreneurs around the world. As a former Fortune 100 financial advisor turned business consultant, I have a unique opportunity to see the reel behind the highlight reel. I'm talking profit and loss statements, unpaid taxes, moments of burnout, and those of utter victory or as my husband says, the content everyone is wondering but not many are talking about. And now I'm bringing these private conversations to you. Hear the untold stories of how industry leaders, founders, and up and coming entrepreneurs got their start, the experiences that shaped them and the journey to building the brands they have today. Stories that will inspire and reignite and encourage to redefine success and build a life and business on your own terms. Welcome Wildflower. I'm so glad you're here. Hi, Jen. Welcome
Lauren (02:54):
To the show.
Jenn (02:55):
Hey, I'm so excited about this. It's been so long since we've been able to up,
Shanna (02:59):
Okay, so I sound froggy today everyone, but it's okay. I feel good. Jen, we have not chatted since what, 2000? It was at Amber House's Workshop in Nashville. That was a good beat ago. How have you been? Give me an update.
Jenn (03:19):
I am so good. A lot has happened since then. I really wish we could nail down the year that that was, yeah, a lot has happened since then.
Shanna (03:29):
I'm going to say it was maybe 2016. Okay. That is a guess. It's going to be plus or minus a year. Okay.
Jenn (03:37):
Yeah, I would say I was coming out of, I was in this in-between season of coming out of corporate America, literally in the middle of building my business design marketing business and serving small to medium sized entrepreneurs. I had a heart for entrepreneurs and so I was right there in the middle of that, probably when you and I met at that retreat. And then if it really truly was 2016, what I didn't know is that my life would drastically change within a few months. And so yeah, that's where I was when we were at that retreat together, just kind of trying to build and nurture my design and marketing business.
Shanna (04:21):
Okay. This is exciting because so much has changed. You're doing something totally different now. Yes. Will you, let's just walk back a little bit then before we go through transition, sharing more of your story and what you're doing now and why I want to talk about the branding, marketing, what you were doing at the time we met. How did you get into that? How did you start your business? Just kind of back me up.
Jenn (04:47):
Yeah. I came out of college with an art degree. I knew I didn't want to teach, but I didn't know what else you could do with an art degree. And I ended up working in corporate America for large retailers like Walmart, JC Penney, and I was designing, it was so fun. I was designing textiles for children's clothes, women's apparel, home decor, and I did that for probably nine years and I loved it, but there was always a part of it where if I'm really being honest, there was a little bit of discontent. I kept longing for more. I think as creatives, if anyone's listening and you have worked in a corporate environment as a creative, it's interesting because you love that you get to do this, but then you start realizing, hey, as a creative, I could work for myself and you start to dream about what it would look like to own your own business.
(05:49):
And so I started doing that. I started thinking about what I think towards the end of my nine or 10 years in corporate America, I started designing wedding invitations on the side. And so I was doing both burning the candle at both ends and looking at the idea of quitting altogether corporate and just building my own business. And at about that time, I got offered a job for a small company that does sourcing and product development. And it was a huge opportunity for me. It was a high increase in pay. And I thought, okay, what if I keep at this for a few more years? And so I stepped into that role. I got to travel internationally. I got to understand the sourcing and development side of product. I loved that. But honestly, after about two and a half years of that, again, burning the candle at both ends, it was funny because I was traveling overseas to China every three months. And so I would work during,
Shanna (06:47):
Which is not an easy flight. I have done that. No,
Jenn (06:49):
It is not an easy flight. And I would work during the day. We would visit factories and do product development, and then I would come back to the hotel at night and I would be answering emails because now the US is awake. And so I would be started answering emails and doing some work when I would get back to the hotel. And after about two and a half years of that, I just got burned out and it was really tough. And so I ended up leaving that business and starting just full-time, my own thing. I had a huge client that was still kind of a safety net there in the product development world that I was getting to contract with. And so it was an easy transition with some safety there. But honestly, I was doing wedding invitations, but also logo design, branding, marketing. And this is when kind of things started to transition for me because I started listening to the stories of these women that I would meet with these clients, these small businesses that I would meet with.
(07:48):
And I would hear their stories. And of course initially we go in to talk about branding, but then you could hear in their voice maybe some insecurities, some fear, some lies. They were believing about themselves. They were oftentimes in a very stuck place in their mindset and their abilities. They were looking around at what other people were doing and kind of wandering through negative comparison. And my heart just started aching for them because I am wired to be a cheerleader. I am a dreamer and I love coming alongside people and cheering them on. And I saw myself starting to almost, I mean, coaching used, that word is used a lot, but I would almost find myself doing coaching at the same time. I was helping them with their branding. And that was really probably the beginning of where I am now. That is what sparked that desire.
Shanna (08:50):
Yeah, I love that. Jen, tell me what year you decided to go out on your own. Yeah, it was
Jenn (08:55):
Probably the end of, I'm going to say 2014 is probably when I went out on my own and I was doing a lot. I was doing just about what anyone would ask me to do. So I was wedding invitations, logos, branding, consulting. I mean, I think when you start out to do your own thing, it's like you'll say yes to anything. And I think there's a season for that, right? Because you're trying to figure out your lane, you're trying to figure out your niche. Finances are a little vulnerable. You're just trying to say yes to everything. And so I would say probably by 2015 I kind of cut the cord from that really large client that was my safety net, and really stepped into just my own business
Shanna (09:46):
And then walk me through the next couple of years. So you're doing branding, really walking women through in this kind of coaching capacity without really naming it that, right? Just walk me through what happened in life and how you transitioned to what you're doing now.
Jenn (10:05):
So I would say towards the end of 2015, it was one Sunday I was sitting in church and they were talking about ministries. I think it was one of those days where once you left the church service, you went out into the lobby and there were booths set up for different ministries that you could connect with and get involved in. And for some reason I sat there and I started thinking of all the women entrepreneurs that I would be meeting with. And I felt like there wasn't community for them. They were a community of women that needed community. They felt really isolated. I think that was a narrative that I would hear a lot is I just feel alone in what I do still today,
Shanna (10:49):
I feel like. Yes. Yeah.
Jenn (10:51):
And so that was probably the moment that birthed this idea to gather Christian women who were entrepreneurs felt called to these endeavors and bring them together in community. And so I believe it was probably in 2015, I started this organization called, at the time it was called the Well Studio. Now it's called the Well Summit. But my mom is a school teacher. She was a school teacher for 37 years. She's retired now. But she would always build acronyms around things. And so at the time well stood for women entrepreneurs Loving the Lord, kind of cheesy, but doesn't mean that today. But at the time, it was just a place where women who were entrepreneurs could come together and find community. And I am a conference junkie. I have always loved conferences. And so I think my initial idea was to eventually host a conference for these women.
(11:48):
And so that's how the Well Summit was born back in early 2015 probably. And at the time I started building it, dreaming about it. And to be really honest, I got really stuck myself. And this is when negative comparison just creeped in to my life. I started looking around at what everyone else was doing, other conferences that were going on, other communities that were kind of similar. And I thought, we don't need another one. They're doing it better. They're farther down the road. Is there really a need for this? And one of my friends challenged me to get off the internet for a month. She was like, I don't want you to get on there. Don't look at what other people are doing. Don't compare other websites. Just get off for a month. And it was probably the healthiest thing I could have done. And out of that, honestly, birth kind of a concept to write a devotional, I thought I wish I had had a guide for those 30 days, a guide that I could walk through every day of prayers that I could pray over my business, my dreams, my desires that would kind of anchor me to something foundational that would keep me from wandering around into negative comparison.
(13:14):
And so out of that struggle was a devotional that I self-published. I felt like the Lord kind of downloaded all 31 chapters in one afternoon. And I love the idea of different voices from different women. And so I just started emailing 31 different women and asking them if they would specifically write one chapter for each day, one prayer for each day. And that's when this devotional was created.
Shanna (13:47):
Wait, Jen, do you still have that? I love that.
Jenn (13:50):
I do. It's still on Amazon, which I'm embarrassed to even say because, and this is part of my story that I'll tell in a second, but it needs to be edited slightly. A lot has changed. And so the first couple of chapters that I wrote of it from my personal story have really changed. So I need to get on that and rewrite that.
Shanna (14:09):
Like I want to download it so I know everybody else does too.
Jenn (14:12):
Yeah. So maybe this will be my goal by the time this podcast comes out.
Shanna (14:16):
That'd be amazing.
Jenn (14:17):
This will be my, yeah, we will do that. I will get on that. So yeah, that was written and I got a lot of feedback from it. People were responding. I think that was kind of the beginning days of Instagram was just getting more popular at that time. And so people were sharing about it. And I think that's when I started getting just some, again, response to this idea. People were responding to this idea of, Hey, I need something to anchor me, to anchor my thoughts, to anchor my mindset, to anchor my fears, my lies. I need something to journey with me as I dream. And so it was called 31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer Doer. And truly what happened after that is I heard some women were gathering in small groups and Bible studies to go through it together. And what started off as a conference felt like the Lord began to reshape as something really small and intimate.
(15:18):
And I don't know about you, but you could probably remember back in this time, like 20 14, 20 15, everything was so big. It was all about big build, these big things, a big business, a big following, a big community. And it felt like the Lord was taking me in the opposite direction. That small and intimate was really what it was shaping up to be. And so in, I think it was probably the beginning of end of 2015, I started dreaming of a small retreat for these women entrepreneurs, dreamers and doers and entrepreneurs. And I called it Camp. Well, and if anyone knows about, if anyone's hosted a retreat before, it takes a long time to plan. And I spent about a year planning, dreaming, marketing, researching how to host retreats. And so the first one was in September of 2016, and that's when we hosted our very first camp. Well,
Shanna (16:19):
And it was in Nashville.
Jenn (16:21):
That one was in Denver, Colorado.
Shanna (16:23):
Okay.
Jenn (16:25):
And that came out of this two things. One, I love the mountains and that's my happy place. And so I knew I wanted to be somewhere in the mountains. And number two, I'd done a lot of research from high level retreat planners. I had listened to anything free. I went out and tried to find anything free. I joined Facebook groups and some things that they said was, one, make sure you're near a major city. Easy access with a hotel. Your first one needs to be somewhere easy access. And in my mind, I wanted to be in some remote cabin in the mountains. And that was probably one of the wisest things I did in the beginning, but it was only because I was doing my research and learning from people who had gone before. And so we did it in downtown Denver in 2016. That was our first one.
Shanna (17:18):
And so how did it go? You're still doing branding and you're filling your heart for this community. Kind of walk me through where it went next and at what point did you drop the branding and move forward with the Well Summit?
Jenn (17:35):
Yeah, so the very first 1, 20 16, and those 30 women that showed up, people ask a lot, how did you get those 30 women through the sale of the, and through online just talking about it and growing a community online, I did start an email list. And when you're only inviting 30 people, you don't need a very big email list. And so we had 30 women from all over the country come. Some I did know, but most of them I didn't know. And it was just women who connected to this idea of community for dreamer doers and entrepreneurs and so on that first day of camp, well in Denver, Colorado, what those 30 women didn't know was that five weeks earlier, my husband at the time had left me for the third time in 15 years and I was facing divorce. And I remember trying to negotiate with the Lord, I think it was providential, that there was no way five weeks out I could cancel this thing.
(18:50):
I really wanted to. I think in a way there's no way that I can show up to these 30 women. I felt really disqualified to lead them. I felt that I didn't really have the capacity to love well or that I was lovable. I think you just start believing a lot of lies about yourself. Here I am trying to lead these 30 women and healthy mindset. And I myself was faced with do I believe that God is who he says he is? His word is what it says it is, and I am who he says I am. And that third one was the one that I struggled with the most, that I am who God says I am. Because everything in me was telling me that I was disqualified, incapable, not a good leader, unlovable. And I remember having this moment on day one, standing in front of these women, and I had a decision to make, am I going to be honest about where I'm at?
(19:58):
And I did. I just shared, and it was only probably a couple of minutes that I just shared really vulnerably that I'm standing here with some fear and lies just like you. I would say that that was the moment that changed the course of the Wealth Summit completely because what began as a community for dreamers, doers and entrepreneurs is now a community for women who sit in the tension of feeling too much and not enough, regardless of whether you're running a business, you're raising three kids, you are serving in your church, you're leading a nonprofit. It doesn't matter what your label or role is anymore because the core of us is we're asking those questions like, who am I? Who does God say I am? What is this assignment on my life? And regardless of where you are in your role or label, most of us sit in that tension of feeling too much and not enough.
(21:03):
And so what does it look to journey through unpacking and repacking? What's true? And I laugh because one of my little mistakes that I made in the beginning was when I was doing the site visit for that venue in Denver, it was at a hotel, and I failed to notice that there were no windows in the basement where we would be meeting. And so I look back at that and I'm like, we could have been in Nebraska. It didn't matter where there were no windows. And I think I look back in that mistake, I'm using air quotes, what felt like a mistake. I think what was beautiful to look back on is it doesn't matter where we are. There was a work that was done in the hearts and minds of those women, regardless of how beautiful the space was or what location we were in. And I go back to that a lot.
Shanna (22:04):
Yeah, I think Jen, it's so interesting that you felt this, you had on your heart working in branding, seeing women and their own insecurities and their own fears and their own messaging, their speaking to themselves. And then you show up in a place where it's like, you're right there too. I feel like all of us want to show up perfectly. We want to show up perfectly in our work, in our lives, on our websites, on social media, but none of us are there. And I just think how fitting almost, I'm sure you didn't feel that way, but in a sense, when we are weak, he is strong and that displayed, but that doesn't feel good as the leader that you want to show up in strength.
Jenn (22:56):
But that honestly, that moment changed the way I lead. It truly did because I started hearing from women even that night and the next day when you started listening to how those women stepped into that space, they all stepped in fearful and insecure and looking around the room assuming everyone else had it all together. And that is such a core lie that not enough and too much lie that we believe are over ourselves that holds us back from flourishing and peace. And I don't doubt one second that the Lord rigged it, the timing of it, the intersection of what felt like my world falling apart and my assignment being unleashed, not a coincidence at all. And it truly shaped everything and it tore walls down in an instant for the women in that room to look at the leader and see just a world falling apart, but just still showing up honestly and vulnerably. And it changed me, I believe as a leader, it changed the mission of the Wealth Summit at that moment. And I wouldn't, I always say it's a story I never would've written for my life, but I would never trade. And the Lord continues, like you said, in my weakness, in my weakness, he does crazy things and a crazy work and crazy healing. And it's just been remarkable to sit back and watch.
Shanna (24:44):
Jen, thank you so much for sharing just such a, I know a vulnerable piece of your story, but how would you say at that moment, with your life majorly being turned upside down a new career in essence, I mean, starting of a new business, how did you move forward in that? Did you keep doing branding? Did you realize at that moment, this is my mission, this is my calling, I'm moving forward in it. Just walk me through the next few years and how life and business and the intersection of both of those grew together.
Jenn (25:26):
Yeah, you mentioned how you and I met at Amber Hous Lee's workshop, and there were some other women that I had met through that retreat. It's really sweet. But through that retreat, I met some other women and we began a three and a half year mastermind together. We would meet on a call every month and we would have a retreat every year in person. And so at the same time all this was happening, I had started that mastermind. I was still running my invitation branding business, launching the Well Summit, doing all the things. And I would say about two years in this camp, well was flourishing. It was growing, there was a need for it. And my mastermind during one of our retreats that kind of looked at me and said, Jen, is your branding and marketing and web design really giving you life and joy?
(26:22):
Is it something you have to do anymore because this over here seems to be what's giving you life. This is what you seem to be passionate about. And I answered honestly, I think the design and branding and all this over here was a safety net for me. It was a risk to walk away from, but what they asked me was true that over here was what I really believed was God's assignment on my life. And so they really challenged me in that moment, what would it look like to start saying no? And I was scared. It was really scary just from a financial standpoint. And at that moment with their support and kind of processing through it, I started saying no to all the design stuff. And once I did that, it helped me truly focus and I really had to trust the Lord. But it gave me the bandwidth to go all in on the Well Summit. And I feel like that was kind of another step, another moment where I had to truly trust and commit and go all in on this assignment with the Wealth Summit.
Shanna (27:33):
Jen, will you share with so much going on in your personal life? I think one of the hardest things as a small business owner is yes, there's separation, but no, there's not any separation. It's like how did you manage? What were some things you did or you're now supporting yourself through your business? I don't know if that was for the first time, I don't know. And how did you keep going in your mission and in your work and growing your small business while also navigating what I can only imagine is just a total life change?
Jenn (28:18):
Yeah, that's a great question. And I would say going back a few years, probably in 2014, I had lived a long time in my marriage really isolated. And that was because I felt a lot of shame around the brokenness in my marriage and how hard it was. And so if I'm being really honest, I lived a good 12 years of that marriage, just really alone and isolated, not in community. And at about year 13 of that marriage, I really remember praying and processing with the Lord that, Hey, if this is the rest of my life, this really hard marriage, if this is what it's going to be, I want to be healthy, but if this marriage is going to end, I want to be healthy. And so I knew I needed to start doing some work. And part of that work was community and kind of what I shared in that first day of that first camp.
(29:24):
Well, part of healing begins when we say out loud what our, we're feeling shame about what our lies are, what our fears are, speaking that out loud takes power away that it has over our lives. And so part of the healing work I had to do was invest in community and invite community in. And I would say that's the very thing that when my world fell apart and this dream was being launched at the same time community that I was running on mission with that was really faithful, that I could confess out loud to them, Hey, this is the lie. I'm believing. This is the fear I'm walking in. For them to be able to then speak truth over me to remind me what's true, to honestly pray with me in real time community was the core thing I would say carried me through a really difficult transition, helped me stay rooted, helped me stay focused on the assignment that was before me in this mission of the Wells Summit. Kept me on a journey of healing. I stepped into a coaching group. My mastermind was key. I stayed tethered to community, and I think that was what it was.
Shanna (30:50):
Jen, tell me then about these last few years with the Well Summit growing new. Just walk me through almost the renewing of your life and how you've seen the business grow. I would love to hear both at a heart level, what has been restored and renewed and in this community as well with the business and personal life, but also maybe some of the things that you've seen happen with your business as well as you've healed. How has that allowed you to be the leader that you maybe needed to be for the business that you're growing?
Jenn (31:36):
Yeah, it has been quite a beautiful sanctifying, shaping, challenging journey for sure. It's interesting. I love that question because I think I look back on the last seven years because it's been seven years since we started the Wells Summit, and it truly has been the thing that has increased my faith shaped me as a leader, challenged me, grown me and those first couple of Camp Wells were really geared toward the dreamer, doer, and entrepreneur. But after that second one, I changed the messaging. I changed the marketing because I realized it was for every woman. And it's funny, I always joke, and I think your listeners will understand this, when you listen to any marketing strategies they tell you to be really niche, don't be for everyone. And it's funny because I feel like camp well really is for every woman because at some point in our lives in different seasons, we do feel too much and not enough.
(32:44):
And so that messaging started to change after that second one. And from a business standpoint, I got a lot of advice. I sought some advice in the very beginning on how to set this up as an entity. And a lot of advice I got was around setting it up as a business entity, not a nonprofit, which is not normal for something that's more ministry focused, but that's how my brain worked. I had a business brain, I was an entrepreneur, I knew how to do business. I did not know how to do nonprofit. And so from the beginning, we set it up as a business entity, and I'm really grateful we did. It kept me focused on the core and not having to fundraise and that being an added thing that I had to do. And so as it went on, I had asked a friend before we hopped on this interview, I said, what was that one year that nobody was registering?
(33:45):
There was a year in the middle, it was 2018, and for some reason registration was really slow. And I was afraid. I was like, well, maybe this is the end. Maybe God's kind of closing the door on this. I remember her saying, she's like, we're going to pray every single one in to this camp. Well, and sure enough, we filled up. And I'll never forget that I think when our businesses, our mission or assignment is running really smoothly, and this was the lesson I learned when it's running really smoothly and filling up or making sales, we can get really dependent on our own gifts and strengths and abilities and comfortable and comfortable. And I had. And so that 2018 was a year that I really had to trust and be dependent on the Lord to provide and be okay that if this is the end, this is the end, and then he'll show me what's next.
(34:48):
I would say 2020 was another year for all of us. We had to cancel the spring. We host camp well twice a year. We had to cancel spring that year, but it also opened the door for us to take the curriculum. We were hosting camp. Well, it was a four day experience, and we were fire hosing everyone with content. And I remember in 2020 we took it apart and put it back together and it came back together as a six month experience. And so now we do pre-work for three months. They come together and we do post-work. And that again, was one of those things that reminded me that God will use all these hard moments that kept being a rhythm. Like, Hey, don't get discouraged in the heart because it's always going to use it to birth something new or create something new. And so 2020 was one of those seasons where I learned that lesson.
(35:52):
From a heart standpoint, I think the most healing thing for me is to bear witness. I mean, the stories I could tell you over seven years of almost 600 women walking through this experience, it has increased my faith on a level that I don't know anything else could have. I have watched women have one foot out of their marriages, one foot out of their churches, one foot out of their communities. Some women have had one foot out of their lives. And I have witnessed what happens when women come together. They create space to just breathe, listen to the Lord, be reminded of who they are and who he says they are. And I've gotten to bear witness to just profound healing. And it has changed me. It has who God is has been so expanded in my heart and my mind, and it really has been a healing agent for me in the last seven years.
Shanna (37:01):
Yeah, I wrote down while you were talking, so often we start a business, we have a gift or we see how we can serve a community, but it's almost like this business was what you needed as well.
Jenn (37:18):
Oh, yeah. One of the very small components that we walk through in camp, well, in the curriculum, we do a lot of unpacking the lies and fears and things holding us back where we're stuck. And we do a lot of repacking. What's true about who God is and who he says we are, our design. And one of the little components is we walk through StrengthsFinder, and I always show that in my top five strengths. If anyone's familiar with StrengthsFinder, there are 34 strengths and you do an assessment and it shows you your top five. And in my top five, there is not one of those top five that is in the category of executing. So all the 34 strengths land in one of four categories, and I don't have any in the column of executing. And I always tell that story because so often we can look at who we are not and what we do not have.
(38:16):
And that is the thing that holds us back from faithfulness or stepping out or taking that next right step. And I think it's the very thing that Laura was like, Hey, you don't have all you need to do what I'm asking you to do because I need you to rely me and let me show you that I will provide, I will be what you are not. And it's that idea of being confident in who we are and content in who we are, not to be clear on who we are and clear on who we are. And there's so much freedom in that because then I call it kingdom comparison. It's this idea that so often we talk about comparison being the thief of joy, but I actually think healthy comparison can bring joy and bring freedom because I'm clear on what are my strengths and my gifting and my wiring and what are not. And all that is is that leaves room for two things. One, my deep dependence on the Lord, and also it has given room for me to do this life in community with other people who have what I don't have.
(39:27):
And I think that that has been so freeing for me to run harder, to not get tripped up with what I don't have, the resources, the gifts, the strengths. And it has built an incredible community of friends around me that we just link arms and do this work.
Shanna (39:50):
Yeah. Okay. Jen, before we go into a quick fire, I know I haven't asked you much about business or money or any of that, but if I remember in the recesses of my brain, you maybe would've called yourself a workaholic in the past.
Jenn (40:06):
Yes.
Shanna (40:06):
Okay. Like I feel like I kind of remember this. So I'm interested, Jen, in the journey that you've gone through from corporate to starting a business to this huge life change alongside mission, a mission driven business, how do you hold balance? I like the word harmony better, especially because I think so many of us and see the impact and we want our businesses to have an impact, but you have a mission driven company. You're doing this work every day that you could probably justify like, I'm supposed to do this every moment. How have you found, or would you say that's still something you're working on, harmony, to let the business and the mission be the business and the mission and also be Jen and this new life you've created and what's going on outside of your work?
Jenn (41:09):
Yeah, so I would say two things about this. Part of this is the work we do at camp. Well, workaholism was a symptom of something deeper and work had become an idol in my life, something that I would strive for and pursue because I was not experiencing value and worth without it. It made me feel needed. It made me feel important. It made me feel valuable, and I wasn't feeling that anywhere else in my life at the time. And so once I started to do that inner work of understanding my worth and value and how God sees me, I started becoming free from needing it in my work. And I think that was the first step in, I mean, truly that was an addiction, right? It was work was that addiction. I think the second thing I started doing was values work. And that's been really important to me.
(42:17):
We do that at Kewell also, is just this idea of values mining, looking at my life and what is important to me, what are my core values? Not what are yours or somebody else's who I'm looking at that's very successful, but truly looking at my own. And when I looked at my own, there were things like flexibility and freedom were a high value for me. And so with that, I need to design a life where those values can be lived out. And so one of the things I say over our life, and I am now remarried to an incredible man, he is such a gift, and we had this conversation while we were dating, was this idea of values. And we've chosen to live small so we can adventure big and be available to people. And so those values are very different financially. It means my time and how I spend it is very different, and how I do business is really different because I'm pursuing and designing a business that aligns with our values. And so I think those two things, the freedom I found from workaholism, the idol of work, the addiction to work and the values mining were probably the two things that I did that gave me freedom.
Shanna (43:44):
Jen, I love what you said, and I have watched your journey from afar and just what a blessing for your new marriage and the restoration that God has done in so many ways. I can only imagine in your life, but what you said I think is so true, something I do with all my students as well. I don't call it value mining. I love that so much, but understand, we call it core motivators, but what do you value that shapes how you grow a company? You have intentionally probably limited some of your income, which I'm sure on some days is very challenging. Like you said, we've chosen to live smaller so we can adventure big and having time for people is an interruption to productivity. You know what I'm saying? It's like that's going to make you not work as much or being open to those, I don't even calling them interrupt interruptions, but being open and holding space for others means that you probably limit how big your business can be. So thank you so much for sharing that because I don't think that's spoken about enough. I was having a conversation with a friend the other day, and I'm not even on social media, and I still hear this messaging of, well, if you just have the right offers or if you structure your business correctly, you can make as much money as you want and have as much time freedom as you want too. I'm just like, oh, that's a hard message
(45:24):
To reconcile, so I just thank you for sharing that, and that's what I teach all of my students as well. We have to start with understanding what is the life values that you hold? Then we have to build a business around that.
Jenn (45:40):
Yes. That's
Shanna (45:41):
So true. So good. Jen, so much more I want to talk to you about. I know we didn't even get to dig into
Jenn (45:48):
Well, and I keep thinking, I was like, oh, there's so many more things we could have talked. I know I felt the same way.
Shanna (45:53):
The time goes by so fast, but just thank you for sharing your heart and your life with all of us, the messy and the good, and the renewal, and just the mission of what you're doing. I am so grateful every day that I get to walk with women in their business journeys and money is something that has so many psychological things happening as well, but you're taking into the heart of so many things with people, and it's just beautiful to watch, and thank you for sharing your journey and what you're doing and just for putting so much good in the world.
Jenn (46:35):
You're so kind. It's been a joy to get to have this conversation. And you too. I mean, you're looking at the foundation of these businesses and looking underneath what is out front, and it's a good
Shanna (46:48):
Work and permission to just build it differently than anybody else. Yes. Okay. Let's quick fire before we end. Okay. What is the one thing you would be embarrassed if people knew
Jenn (47:01):
I slept with my blanket, like the blanket I got when I was born until I was 40 years old?
Shanna (47:09):
How did you even keep it so long?
Jenn (47:12):
It was very treasured. It was very well cared for. It was delicately washed, and I would just put it under my head, but when I married, when married ruts six years ago, it was this peaceful thing to just set. It's now in my nightstand drawer. I don't see with it anymore.
Shanna (47:28):
Wow. Oh, I love that. My niece had a blanket that she loved, loved, loved as well. It had to be replaced many times. I'm like, I hope they keep making that blanket because Yeah, I know. Okay. Any regrets or wish you could do over moments?
Jenn (47:45):
I would say there's been some moments inside my leadership where I was too afraid to be honest and clear, and it hurt the people I was leading, and I would say those are my regrets.
Shanna (47:59):
Yeah. Yeah. Leading people's hard.
Jenn (48:02):
It is.
Shanna (48:03):
Okay. Big win or pinch me moment.
Jenn (48:06):
I had lunch with a friend of mine and her husband, and this was probably over the summer, and her husband, he's worked for Michael Hyatt, Donald Miller, Thomas Nelson Publishing. He owns a consulting business, A Brilliant Mind, and we were having lunch and he said, I show your website to my clients as an example of how to do this well, and I, I don't know what my face looked like, but probably my jaw was dropped, and I was like, oh my gosh. It was so humbling to hear because I didn't even know he knew what I did, and so that was probably a pinch me moment that
Shanna (48:48):
I love that.
Jenn (48:49):
Yeah,
Shanna (48:50):
And isn't it funny, I don't know if you, I would've been like, oh my goodness, there's so many things I want to make better. Oh,
Jenn (48:55):
I know. I know. I know. But I was like, okay,
Shanna (48:58):
Thank you. Which goes back to this whole conversation showing up. I think it's so easy, and I don't know if anybody listening feels this way, but I think so, to see all the places that we think need to be done better and look at this person you respect and look up to is saying, this is really good.
Jenn (49:18):
Yes. Yeah,
Shanna (49:20):
I love it. Okay. Best advice or just really good advice that you have received?
Jenn (49:26):
I would say one thing was go ugly early, Whitney English. I heard her say that one time. I don't remember who she was quoting, and then a friend of mine looked over at me during my negative comparison days and said, remember, there is room enough for all of
Shanna (49:42):
Us.
Jenn (49:43):
I think we look around at what other people are doing, and if it's similar, we think there's no room for us and there's room enough for all of us.
Shanna (49:51):
I love that, Jen. I had a friend one time tell me, you're allowed to be human, and I just, yeah, that one always. That is a good word. Yeah. Sits with me because I'm such a perfectionist and I always want to say the right thing, and that was so freeing for me, but just be like, you're allowed to be human every once in a while.
Jenn (50:14):
Yep.
Shanna (50:15):
Okay. Last quick fire and then we'll send it off. What are you working on now or one resource that you would like to share?
Jenn (50:23):
So I'll answer both of these super quick. I went on a sabbatical last for a couple months, and out of that, the Lord said it was time to transition to a nonprofit, which was a huge, that could be a whole nother conversation, but huge step of faith for me to switch from a business entity to a nonprofit. So we are in that transition. And then I would say the one resource is outsourcing has been a game changer, and three sources is Upwork has been awesome. Zapier for automation has been incredible, and then the shopping cart that I use that I love is Thrive Cart, so those three outsourcing applications are my favorite.
Shanna (51:06):
I love that. We use Zapier as well. Amazing. And I've heard amazing things about thrivecart. I have a lot of friends that are using it. Thank you for sharing those, and goodness, I wish I could hear about this transition to going nonprofit, but we'll leave that for another day.
Jenn (51:23):
Yeah.
Shanna (51:24):
Okay. Jen, looking back, I think I would love to have you look back to the day of the first camp. Well, you're standing on stage. Your life is just not anywhere probably that you ever expected it to be. What would you tell yourself looking back those seven years? Yeah, what would you tell yourself then?
Jenn (51:49):
I would tell myself that you will not be able to imagine what is to come and what you will see and what you will witness. You won't even believe it. I think that's what I tell myself, and as hard as it gets, just keep looking to the Lord every day.
Shanna (52:08):
Yeah. Jen, thanks for being on the show and sharing your story. I want everyone to go visit the Well Summit and all the things that you're up to and 31 days of prayer. Hopefully.
Jenn (52:23):
This
Shanna (52:23):
Is good. I want it. I want it. I'm going to download
Jenn (52:26):
It. This is good. This is going to be my goal, my goal.
Shanna (52:28):
It's just been a joy to spend time with you. Thanks for coming on the show.
Jenn (52:32):
Thank you for having me.
Lauren (52:34):
Hey, wildflower, you just finished another episode of Consider the Podcast. Head over to Consider the Wild Flowers podcast.com for show notes, resource links, and to learn how you can connect with Jen. If you're interested in attending a Well Summit retreat, we are so excited to share that you can use the discount code Wild Flowers at any time for $150 off of registration. Head to the show notes for more details and to visit the Well Summit website. One final thought for today from Marie Fort Leo, one of the most underrated secrets to success is to start before you're ready. As always, thank you for listening, and we'll see you next time.
