About Jennifer

I’m motivated to give space to the beauty of our imperfections. I believe to own your narrative is to unleash the power of your voice. If we are brave enough to share our stories – the successes along with the failures – we can deliver ourselves to a place of acceptance and love. The inspiration for my work comes from my desire to understand the people and world around me.

My debut memoir is giving birth to my secrets. Both Sides of Then, Finding Love After Abandonment celebrates the power of the female voice even after it’s been silenced. This I know to be true – and universal – our mother’s story is where ours begins. My book is a love letter to my mother and a source of absolution for myself. Raised in a family of survivors, my work honors the art of finding peace in our broken places.

A truth-seeker by nature, it was when I became a mom that I realized my childhood could influence the kind of mother I would be to my son. The stakes had become higher. Within my family there existed many secrets that eventually time revealed. I had to find a way to address painful parts of my adolescence to release my son from the legacy of my burdens. My writing journey became an odyssey of self-discovery while understanding how trauma is passed down in families and how it is released.

My podcast serves as a source of inspiration for people around the world. Guests on my podcast include notable actors, screenwriters, educators, influencers, producers, thought leaders, New York Times bestselling writers, and more. In our conversations, we “go there” and uncover the unforgettable experiences that shape our sense of self. Who doesn’t want to sit down with people like Julie Barton, Angie Kim, Peter Mutabazi, Linda Sivertsen, and Adrienne Brodeur to discuss life and how they got to where they are today? My guests are incredible people doing real work and opening up in a way that will stop your breath. I don’t plan to stop anytime soon, but I wish I had more time to record.

Eighteen years in technology sales taught me a lot about human motivation. During that time, I learned to have thick skin. Technology hasn’t always been easy for women, especially in those early days. I loved selling and being a sales leader. However, my all-time favorite and most rewarding work was helping my team develop their sales careers. I had the opportunity to work for a life-changing company, Salesforce, where I met my husband and some of the best people I know. Although I spent the first half of my career as a technology sales leader, everything I learned then prepared me for a life as a published author. True story: sales and writing are linked in more ways than you can imagine. The skills are oddly transferable.

You make your luck. I’ve met and worked with some of the greats in technology and writing. Early on, I learned to seize the moment when a chance meeting occurred. Whether it was writing with Julie Barton, workshopping with Linda Sivertsen, being coached by Renate Stendhal, fine-tuning my proposal with Tiffany Hawk, or getting a proper scolding from Greg Isles at a writer’s conference, who you meet can change the course of your work.

Dreams don’t have an expiration date. People often say, “You certainly have been working on that book for a long time,” and I have to bite my tongue. The statement makes me cringe because there is no timeframe for accomplishing your dreams. And what few people know is that writing a memoir is about so much more than writing. And getting a book published is about so much more than writing.

I prefer conversations focused on what’s real in life. Life is messy, complex, and wonderful at the same time. I come from a no-BS Philly-born nuclear family. My father taught me grit; my mother taught me that laughter is our salvation. I believe if you find yourself crying while laughing at least once a day, you’re doing okay. And yes, you can laugh on the hard days, too. In fact, you must.

Love is messy. My son is the love of my mother’s life (find out why in the book). I have a supportive and loving husband who makes me laugh, even during the difficult times. Two sisters who are my lifeline. An awesome brother. A funny and wise mother. A father I miss dearly. I also have an eclectic and incredible group of friends I learn from daily.

Anything in nature, please. And, long-sweaty runs, skiing, biking, animals, music, theater, travel, the occasional whiskey, and long talks about life—the real type of life, not the phony stuff. I’m allergic to phony. I love all sports. I want to understand what motivates a high-achieving athlete and the work it takes to be the best.

I care about sharing stories that are rarely told. In today’s culture, celebrities tend to get all the attention. Believe me, I’m not immune to reading the DailyMail. Yet, I’ve found that the elderly neighbor, the person at the airport, or a random connection at a coffee shop is often more inspiring than the people who get all the media attention.

Here’s to giving attention to the stories that matter and owning our narratives – every messy inch of them.