Hey, I'm Jen.
the Renegade Public Speaking Coach for women with big shit to say.
I'll help you get clear on what you want to say and get better at saying it.
And, apparently, I've been preparing for this my entire life.
True story: my birth made the evening news.
My dad was a reporter in Cleveland and when fathers were first being allowed in the operating room for C-sections, my parents agreed to let it be filmed for a week-long series.
So my birth aired on the evening news, my mom is a certified badass, an apparently I came into the world already comfortable with an audience.
It was a sign of things to come.
It was a sign of things to come.
It was a sign of things to come.
I was the kid always
putting on a show.
Full productions. Costumes. Captive audiences of stuffed animals. Very patient parents.
I was a die-hard theater kid in high school, moved to the East Coast, got a musical theater and public communications degree and spent years performing on stages across the country and appearing in commercials.
I knew how to walk into a room and take the stage. I knew how to tell a story. I knew how to make people laugh, pay attention, and feel something.
But then, somewhere along the way, I started shrinking. A little bit at a time.
Part of it was how I was raised: good Midwestern girl, be nice, don't take up too much space, don't make people uncomfortable. Part of it was the industry. I wanted to book the role so badly that I would edit out the things that actually made me interesting in an attempt to do it the “right” way. I was rejected over and over and over again which compounded the self-doubt.
And I carried that shit into business. I second-guessed myself. I people-pleased. I tried to fit myself into strategies and formulas that worked for other people and made me feel like I wanted stick a pencil in my eye.
I was making money and appeared happy and successful but I knew something was missing.
I needed to become more myself.
I didn’t need to borrow other people’s words. I needed to share my own.
I didn’t need to keep chasing strategies. I needed to start sharing my story.
That realization changed the way I approached my work and eventually, the work I do with other women. Because I started noticing how many smart, accomplished women were doing some version of the same thing. They had ideas, stories, opinions, tons of experience and something they really fucking wanted to say.
But they were still editing themselves before anyone else ever got the chance to really hear them. They were chasing strategy and more credentials while discounting their own story. Trying to sound more professional.
More impressive. More appropriate. Or simply less likely to make any waves or piss anyone off.
I didn't need to become more polished or put on a show.
What if we stopped?
What if you didn't need to scrub off everything interesting about you before you got onstage?
What if your point of view wasn't something to hide until you had the perfect credentials?
What if getting better at speaking wasn't about becoming some polished, TED-talk version of yourself—but becoming more comfortable being fully yourself in front of other people?
That's the work I'm interested in.
I help women get clear on what they want to say—and get better at saying it.
Sometimes that means figuring out what the thing actually is.
Sometimes it means turning an idea, story, or point of view into a talk that only you can give.
Sometimes it means getting onstage and practicing until speaking in front of people doesn't feel quite so fucking terrifying.
And sometimes it means working one-on-one to become a stronger, more confident, more compelling speaker.
I'm interested in the whole messy process of becoming a woman who can stand up, take the microphone, and say what she came to say.
Not perfectly or palatably or necessarily the way you're “supposed” to. But in your own voice.
Because to me, your authentic voice and presence is your most precious resource and asset. And it's something that no one else has. It's time to use it.
Multiple beverages in hand, jeans, juicy fictional audiobooks, Tori Amos, singing and Grey's Anatomy.
Multiple beverages in hand, jeans, juicy fictional audiobooks, Tori Amos, singing, board games with my family and Grey's Anatomy.
(Watched since day one!)
(Watched since day one!)
(Watched since day one!)
Just not nearly as much as I love what happens when a woman finally stops editing herself and says the thing.
That's my kind of show.
And yes, I still love a microphone.
Whether you need to figure out your message, get more comfortable speaking in front of people, or want personalized coaching to become a stronger speaker, there’s a way to work with me.
Not another mediocre speaker. Hire me to bring a smart, funny, thought-provoking talk about women, work, words, and the world we're trying to navigate to your next event.
For women who want to meet awesome people, have real conversations, and build community without the awkward networking bullshit.