Dr. Jen Johnson's was working in K-12 education when she first encountered burnout. She was motivated to address the issue and went on to pursue further education in research and program development. Drawing on this knowledge, she created THRIV, a research-based model for burnout mitigation. Read on to learn more about Jen and her business.
How did you come up with your business concept? What inspired you to start your own business?
In my 20s, I worked with a child who had severe and challenging behaviors that culminated in me being assaulted in the workplace by the child. I started to experience burnout and compassion fatigue as a result of ongoing stress. I looked for resources to help me, and I couldn’t find anything that really addressed the ongoing stress and symptoms I was experiencing. This inspired me to go back to school to study educational psychology to learn about program development, research, and evidence-based practices. I did my first workshop on burnout during the pandemic, and an attendee said it was the best training she had attended in 26 years of her career. I knew at that point that I needed to go “all in” on this particular topic because there was a need. I strive to be the resource that I wish I had had when I was experiencing burnout.
What’s your background? Could you tell us how each of these disciplines emerge in your work?
Raised in an entrepreneurial family, I developed a love for strategy early on. At age 5, my parents launched Lowe’s Pet Motel, a pet grooming and boarding business, and at age 10, I proposed a $5 add-on service called Playtime Pals to increase revenue for my family. In college, I became passionate about evidence-based teaching strategies, because I saw how effective they were with a child I tutored. Drawing on my background and experiences with small business, my personal experience with burnout, and my love for strategy, I naturally transitioned into creating a small business that uses evidence-based strategies to help organizations and individuals mitigate burnout.
What led you to take Jen Johnson Consulting from an idea to pursuing it as a business?
When I finished my PhD, I planned to find a job at a university so that I could conduct research. However, as I started getting invited to interviews, it just didn’t sit well; I felt like I was making a mistake. I was concerned that I wouldn’t have time to be client-facing and see those big transformative impacts of my work if I was focused on running research. I finally opened up to a mentor about my reservations and she wholeheartedly recommended that I go into business because she believed I had value to offer the world outside of academia. I had already started developing my burnout mitigation model, THRIV, and had started consulting and providing workshops. At that point, I made the decision to leave academia behind, and jump head first into entrepreneurship.
How did you find your way into the consulting industry?
When I started working with organizations, I primarily worked with educational institutions because I had about 10 years of experience working inside that industry. However, after about a year in business, I repeatedly had requests to work with other industries. Since the burnout model I developed isn’t specific to any one industry, it made sense to expand my work outside of the educational sector. While the situations and stressors of each industry vary, the science remains the same in terms of how we build coping skills and curate our lives to manage chronic stress. My clients now come from a variety of sectors such as non-profits, cybersecurity, and banking.
What’s your favorite thing about your workspace?
I office at Stoke in the main co-working area. I enjoy working in that space versus having my own desk or office because it feels very cozy. There are couches, big tables, standing desks, and all kinds of different amenities a few steps away from the space. I take calls in a sound proof booth, and I have fresh coffee at my fingertips all day. However, the best part is getting to know and work alongside other entrepreneurs who have also made the audacious and brave decision to pursue small business. The ideas and support I get from other business owners at Stoke are priceless.
Do you have a personal and/or professional motto or mantra that you call upon during tough times? What is it and what does it mean to you?
My professional mantra is “There are no magic beans, but there is hope.” Working in a space where I have hard conversations with folks regularly, I find myself wanting to have the “magic beans” to fix burnout for everyone immediately.
While quick fixes, like massages and vacations, provide temporary relief, ongoing emotional health and job satisfaction require a comprehensive and sustainable strategy. Instead of looking for “magic beans,” we need a set of solutions that research indicates actually help us navigate our lives in the long term. Whether it’s for relationship health or weight loss or something else, we all want quick fixes for a variety of challenging issues in our lives, and there are rarely magic beans, but that doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. Hope is found in the sustainability of the strategies we intentionally choose to implement over time - strategies that help us thrive during the ebbs and flows that life brings.
How do you pick back up on it when perhaps feeling uninspired?
When I’m feeling uninspired, it’s usually because I haven’t been following my burnout management plan. In small business, there’s always something else to do. The to-do list feels neverending, and even when you keep a daily micro-list, you can always think of something else to work on when you’ve completed your work for the day.
If I don’t monitor myself when I’m excited and motivated, I tend to overwork and that leads to feelings of exhaustion, which leads to feeling uninspired. The remedy for me is to make sure that even when I’m highly motivated and excited, I still follow my burnout management plan, which includes tending to myself, harnessing social support, recharging through detachment from work, building work satisfaction, and honoring myself as a human with limitations. When I feel that lack of inspiration, I can almost always point to overworking due to excitement or anxiety. I get back on track with my burnout management plan, and it typically resolves itself.
What have you gained so far from being a part of the AccelerateHER cohort?
I have learned so much about business that has already enriched how I manage Jen Johnson Consulting, but the biggest impact has been being in a community of women who are also braving the entrepreneurial space.
Being a solopreneur has been isolating, especially since I started my business during the pandemic. Having a group of peers to encourage me and bounce ideas off of has been the most beneficial part of the AccelerateHER program. Not only do we meet weekly to learn aspects of doing business and troubleshoot issues in our businesses, but we also connect outside of those times to attend networking events together, support each other’s businesses, and build friendships. I have no doubt that even after the AccelerateHER program concludes, we’ll continue supporting each other.
Name a woman, past or present, whom you admire or look up to. Why?
My mother was the biggest influence on my life and the reason I feel capable and confident to be an entrepreneur. My mom grew up with an abusive mother and didn’t finish high school. She eventually got her GED, but she had less formal education than most who start businesses. She started working in high school and learned a variety of skills on the job such as floristry and dog grooming. When my dad was at a transition point in his career, she was brave enough, and my dad trusted her skills enough, to open their business, Lowe’s Pet Motel and Grooming. She did all of this before there were Google searches or accessible business support programs. She saw a problem, and she figured out how to solve it. I can’t tell you how many times since my mom passed that I’ve coached myself through a problem in my business by asking myself, “What would mom do in this situation?” She had a true entrepreneurial spirit and the drive that we all must have as entrepreneurs to be successful in business.