Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Jones is a published author and expert writing coach who has been helping people become happier, more productive writers since 2001. She trained to teach writing during her PhD at the University of California at Davis and has taught at universities in the US and the UK. She now coaches consultants, coaches, and healers to write their credibility-building books and blogs. Her third book, Ready to Publish, came out in 2022. When she is not talking about writing, she can often be found researching and writing about banned books or Victorian medicine and popular culture.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before the venture/ corporate journey?
I’ve always been interested in books and teaching – when we were young, every summer I’d take my younger sister and cousin to the library to get them started on their summer research projects, which I “supervised”. I’ve carried on doing that in one form or another ever since!
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business/initiative? What motivated you within to say “YES, go for it!”
I first started an editing business, but quickly missed working with actual writers (not just their words) at the same time I realised how much business owners have to write, even when that’s not their specialty. I could see my fellow business owners struggling with writing and knew I could make it easier for them – writing can be easy, when we let it be.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
As a writing coach I’m on a mission to help a wide variety of voices to join the larger conversation. For too long gatekeepers of various types have controlled which kinds of people get to claim the authority that goes along with being an author. With the advent of self publishing and print on demand, that’s changing.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
Of course I’m proud of all of my books, but I always get even more excited by my clients’ books and the idea that by helping them write their books, I’m helping them to help more people than they ever could in person. Here I’d like to highlight my most recently published client, Vie Portland, and her book La Vie Est Belle: Learning to live hopefully ever after.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I’d like young women entrepreneurs to be able to easily and fully embrace their own expertise – if people pay you to help you solve a problem, you are an expert in helping others solve that problem. You don’t have to wait for some external authority to grant you the title ‘expert‘.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women’s leadership today?
I think women leaders need to focus on helping other women and other underrepresented people to rise to the top. If we don’t do that we risk replacing the old unequal system with a new unequal one.
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
I would reiterate what I said above, your authority and expertise comes from within, not from some sort of external body. You are enough. You don’t need anyone else’s approval.