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All right, mama, it's time. Grab your coffee, water, or wine because we are starting.
Hey there. Welcome back to the Live Free podcast. I'm your host, Micala Quinn, and I am so excited today to introduce you to Jenna Dee.
Jenna Dee is a former teacher turned virtual assistant and social media manager who transitioned from the classroom into freelancing in less than six months.
After she discovered the Lip Free Academy in July, she took action immediately, landed her first client by the August, and grew her business quickly through networking, the LFA job leads board, and referrals.
Now she's running a thriving freelance business while she's present for her two kids. Jenna helps businesses with the back end operations and social media strategy.
She's passionate about helping other moms see what's possible outside of the traditional nine to five and create a work life balance that truly serves their family.
And today, she is going to spill the beans on how she made this all happen inside the program, and I'm so excited for you to meet her. So without further ado, let's go meet Jenna.
Jenna, welcome to the podcast. Yeah. It's an honor to be here. I'm so excited you're here and so excited to dive into how you got started freelancing and, you know, made the switch from teaching to freelancing, what life looks like.
But before we kinda get into all the nitty gritty of your background and, you know, your journey from starting to where you're at now, go ahead and just take a quick second to introduce yourself to everyone, who you are, what you do, where you're from, whatever whatever you wanna share.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm, my name is Jenna Dee, and I, live in San Luis Obispo, California. Not the cheapest area to live. And, I have, my husband, two kids.
I have a 10 year old boy and a four year old little girl who just started TK this year. And so I'm at a different point than a lot of the women, who have started your course where my kids just started school.
And so I'll get to that more. But, but, yeah, it's actually been the perfect timing for for our family. So so that's the rough draft. We, I started as a teacher, got my degree at Cal Poly, and then I sat on it for a couple years.
I was actually admin assistant at a country club, which gave me some admin background, which has served me very well over the years even now.
And then I jumped into the teaching world, and I was at the same school the entire time. I was at a continuation high school, and loved it truly because I think it was such a unique situation.
It was a small campus, a small staff, a high reward in the fact that you just feel like you're giving these kids such a wonderful education opportunity is like I would get them as seniors juniors and seniors in high school.
They were it was their last shot to get a real diploma before they dropped out, and, just so much success. And so I think it filled me up for so many years years that, it was worth it.
And I have my son. So we got married the same year I started teaching, which that was there was a lot of learning curves that year. That was, like, an easier year.
And then we were married, I think, three years before we had my son. And that was a big deal, you know, learning how to because we I commute, so I didn't say that part. I commute, forty five minutes to or I did, to my job.
And, so for a while, it meant packing up my son. I would pump in the car. As we were going to, day care, I dropped him off right down the street from my work. And so I'd have at least that car time with him, and we we just made it work.
And I would cry over it and feel feelings about it, but I'm like, we have to do this because financially, we just have to. And and, the teaching job on the Central Coast actually does pay pretty well, compared to other locations.
And so it was it was hard to say bye to that for a while. And then, we have my daughter during COVID, and that's where things started to shift. I think having a second baby during COVID, we were ten years into our marriage.
It was like everything was starting to get challenging, and it my husband really pointed out. He's like, that was when it started to become life taking versus life giving.
I was on paper the math teacher, but, I at a continuation in high school, you can delve into other areas. And so I became because I I have a music background, I play piano and I sing.
And so I was teaching the beginner guitar class, choir class, and then I launched into doing a leadership class, and then that took over so much of my energy and time.
And I was burnt out by the time I had come home, and then they shifted the hours to where it was like, I was just leaving our house at seven.
I was coming home at five, and I was just done. And I, my son would say I would put my hair up in a bun and become mean mommy.
I was like, I'm sorry. So, it's hard. I don't think people realize how specifically hard teaching is and I I mean, maybe I'm just biased because that's my background too, but you are on twenty four seven and not on.
It is like energy because you're trying to pull in these high school kids to get them interested and motivated and excited, and it's a lot.
Like, I just remember coming home drained too. Like, okay. Hair up, sweats on. Like, no one talked to me. I have no words, conversations, energy left for anything. Yeah. Well and you did high school as well.
Right? I did. I taught English. Yeah. Which it's it's tough. I mean, we would get the clientele that were super apathetic and on the way out. They were waking up a little bit saying maybe that maybe I can do this.
But, yeah, I was trying to get them to perform was a a big task. Yeah. And it it yeah. It's such a rewarding fulfilling job, but then when you have your own family, it it gets harder and harder.
Yeah. Well okay. So my, my principal made a comment. He's like, well, you're you're done with the hard part. Right? You got your kids in school. And it I remember it taking me aback and realizing my I was like, no.
Actually, I feel quite the opposite. I feel like when they're little, it's like, well, you're just kinda keeping them alive and keeping them going. And, I mean, I'll get into the freelancing journey in a bit.
But I in this journey, I was my eyes were open to my 10 year old and how, I'll try not to get emotional about this, but how I was missing a lot of pieces that, I I got to go on his first field trip for the first time in fifth grade, and I had this, like, gut wrenching moment of real realizing, like, wow.
This is kind of a big deal. I need to have these moments because I look at the 10 year old, I look at the four year old and how fast that went.
And, realizing, like, I need to grab on to these moments now because my relationship with my son was suffering more than I even realized.
And so I think that was been that's been the best piece is being able to be present. So Yeah. Oh, that's wonderful.
Yeah. So COVID, you were kind of feeling like this isn't working anymore, but you made it continue to work for a few more years. So what kind of led to you looking for something different and kind of finding freelancing?
Yeah. That's interesting. I, so COVID, it was kind of like I I had determined I'm not going to make a life, like, altering decision during COVID because I feel like this is not the time to be emotional.
I knew I was postpartum. I knew that I get a little crazy during that time.
And, I was like, I'm gonna just stick it out until things kinda, like, calm down. So, so I hung in there, and I think I overcompensated that year. It was, like, the first full year back.
You know, we're kind of on screens, and then we had masks, and then we're finally back. And I overcompensated so much, they gave me the teacher of the year award because I think I was just I was like, I'm gonna kill it.
Like, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it to the max. And, and it was, you know, it was a nice gesture.
And they're like, you did great. I'm like, why am I still not happy? And, yeah, it became so the pivot point for me was I had determined so before I even found your course, my little one was going into TK.
And because we're forty five minutes away from where I work, she was coming with me. Same thing I did with my son. I would take her with it's just down the street, and so I got that that car time.
And and so I was thinking about t k hours are short. And it was like I either put a four year old in a really fat long day at public school, forty five minutes away from my house, which just killed me.
I'm like, I don't wanna do that. Or I just take a minute to take a break and take a pause. And so be again, before I found your stuff, I had already determined.
I'm like, I need to step back because I feel like this is I need to reassess. And I'm like, you know, I'm 41. I'm hitting, like, a little midlife. Like, do I still wanna keep doing this? And I was telling my coworkers.
I'm like, I I need a moment to, like, pause, reflect, and decide because I'm looking at all my coworkers, and they're just working for the pension. They're like, I just got three more years, five more years, ten more years.
I'm like, I don't want to live like that. And so, anyway, so I had saved up enough to survive half a year completely on paid leave because they wouldn't, work with me on that.
So I had to do an unpaid leave. And so I'd already had, you know, half a year off. So from August to December, I was set to go back in January of this school year.
And I stumbled across your course in July. It was, like, during my summer break. I hadn't even started my time off yet, and I stumbled your course. And I feel like Instagram was stalking me. It was, like, listening to me.
And then, yeah, I think from there, it became very clear, and I'm skipping some parts. But by the time it came to, hey. You need to come back in January, I I just couldn't do it. I I said I can't go from this back to that chaos.
I can't go back to that lifestyle. I've I've I've tasted that there's a different path. And I never thought I I think freelancing opened up that there is another way, and I don't think I ever saw that that was possible.
So, so they I actually asked to push out my leave. I'm like, can I just continue to leave so I have, like, a place to go back to in in you know, come back next school year?
I'm like, I've been with the district for fourteen years. Surely, they'll work with me. And they're like, you missed that request window by two weeks. I'm like, really? Why? And they're like, our hands are tied.
We have other people that are making the same request. So it was just, like, so eye opening that well, my school cares. My staff cares. My principal cares, but the district ultimately, they have no it's just it's sad.
It's sad. It's, they're like, sorry. Bye. Yeah. And you're like, oh, okay. So it was either come back in January or you're or you have to resign. Yeah. So I said, okay.
That and it was it was not as gutting as I thought it would be. I had to, like, mourn. I, like, wrote the email. I'm crying, like, while I was the email to my staff and just, like, so much of my life went to this school.
Sorry. But, yeah, it was it was such an it I feel like God just made it exorbitantly clear. This is the path that I've put in front of you and that you need to take.
So so let's go back to, like, the beginning. When you found freelancing, you enrolled, like, July, August time frame? Yeah. So July sometime in July, I stumbled across your stuff.
I think it was coming up a few times, obviously, because I've done it. I engaged with it, and so it was coming. And, I did the little free course while I was making dinner one night, I think.
I can't remember. It was a Taylor. And, and, you know, they give you a window to, like, buy the course, and I'm like, man, that's a lot of money. Like, should I do this?
And, you know, because I had a savings saved up, I'm like, I literally have savings. What do I have to lose? And I talked to my husband about it, and he's an entrepreneur. He's a, electrical contractor, and he has a couple employees.
He's been doing a business for many years, and he's very much more gutsy than I am. I'm very much the safe, person, and he's like, you should do it. Just go. What do you have to lose?
You have this time off anyway. Why not? I'm like, okay. So, and that was really gracious. My parents ended up, because I told them what I was doing, they ended up helping me with the course. I wasn't even expecting that.
I'm like, I'll just pay for it. It'll be fine. And my parents were like, we wanna back you. So that was just such a I just felt really supported by my family. And any entrepreneur that I talk to, they're like, you should do this.
And at first, I ran it by your course by a friend of mine. She's like a social media influencer. I was like, does this look legit, or do you think this is a scam? She's like, it looks great. She's like, you should try it.
And I was like, okay. So, yeah, I I took a few weeks to get through it. I would say almost a month to get through it because kids were off, and I knew they're going back to school, and I'm like, I'll I'll get to this.
You know? Yeah. I'm like, no rush. So I think I wrapped up right around when they went back to school, like, mid August.
And, literally, my first client came. I think I had gotten through step five, like you said, and I put together together my portfolio. Hadn't even getting gotten through, like, the tax stuff, and I was feeling very green.
So but I just sent my portfolio to a few, like, boss mom friends. I'm like, hey. Can you look at this and let me know if this looks dumb or if I'm I don't know.
Give me feedback. One of them was like she's a, and I I'm sure I've told you about her before, but, yeah, she's a wedding makeup blogger, a long time friend. I knew her since she was a teenager.
And, and I was like, hey. What do you think? She was like, actually, I need help. And she's like, I'll buy your ten hour package. I'm like, what? So I scramble to pull the I'm like, how do I write a contract? How do I do this stuff?
How do I get a a scheduling week? I was I was, like, just barely keeping up. There's no better time to get all that stuff done with the when there's, like, someone saying, I wanna hire you. I need to hire you. And you're like, oh, okay.
Let's let's do this. Yes. And I feel like that's the only way I would do it because I'm like that. I'm like, I will rise to the occasion I'm forced into. Otherwise, I drag my feet because I, like, want it to be perfect.
I am much that, like, I have to have it good and right, and it was it was exactly what I needed. Just, like, go. So I landed my first client before I was even done with the course. So I think she signed what was that?
August. So mid August. And then I started your challenges. I think I jumped into the September challenge and the October '1 and the November 1, and, I barely did the November 1 because by then, I think I had gotten my fourth client.
So, yeah, my second client was from your job leads board, and it was just tiny and has social media assistant work. My third was from a networking event that I was invited to go to and totally landed a client.
We met up for coffee after the event, and she was like, I wanna hire you for a few hours. So I had a couple of little tiny starts, and I still have them on.
I I feel loyal to them. I feel like I actually need to, like, this is I you know, I need to consolidate a little bit. But, but yeah. And then my biggest client came in October, was a social media management opportunity.
And that really became the pivotal moment of, okay. Now I'm almost making enough that I can make this work. And I realized in the process that I didn't actually need to make as much money as I thought.
Because I was making significant amount of money at my job, 14 Central Coast pay. And so I was like, I have to match my income, and that is insanely amount of money. Like, how am I gonna do that? But then I'm like, I'm not commuting.
I'm not paying for childcare. My husband is now not having to take care of the kids before and after or my son. And so he was working more to where he can bring in more. So it's almost like it literally all settled out in the end.
Like, we're able to I and I still have the savings sitting there where I'm like, okay. There's all the savings I plan to use to survive this this time, and and I've I've actually not had to dip into it as much as I thought.
So it's been incredible. Yeah. So, October, how many clients do you have now? So now I just I'm about to sign my sixth client today.
My goodness. Where's the next one from? So it's actually the first one. So the first one, she hit her slow season. She's like, I can't I can't pay for you, but I'll bring you back in, like, March.
And she reached out last week. She's like, I need you back. So, so my prices did go up for a little bit for her. I was like, well, now that you're employed, now that you're back, I'm a little bit more. She's like, okay. We'll do it.
So, but yeah. So I have essentially but was it okay. So let me back up. So the the day that she unplugged, I actually the same week was able to replace her income with another client who came through just a friend connection.
And so it just it literally feels like this whole experience has just been laid in front of me, and then it's just like I feel like I've been provided for, as needed at the right time.
So, so, yeah, I have two truly VA virtual assistant positions, doing various, like, emails and contracts.
And what else am I doing? Just correspondence, a little bit of HR work, which is, again, not my favorite, I'm finding out, but it pays the bills for now.
And then social media has been fun. I've done a few, email marketing campaigns for some people, and I'm loving that.
So I like creation and automation, and it it satisfies that that art, math, you know, combo for me. So yeah. And then I I'm about to hit my income goals likely by next month.
I'm getting close this month. And so I think my shift is now just deciding how do I consolidate? How do I move to that next level of not overworking myself, but keeping my prices where I needed to be.
So That's incredible. So when you say reach your income goals, is that will you be fully replacing your teaching salary or kind of you and your husband found, like, a number that maybe was a little bit less?
That's Yeah. So we found that if I bring in $2 a month, we can survive.
If I can bring $4 a month, then we're actually killing it. For us, it's like, okay. Now we can save. Now we can actually start making goals. So that's my goal this next month as I'm getting really close to that $4 number.
I was making close to 8,000 take home pay at my teaching job. So I'm like, I don't think I I would have to work more or differently to hit that number, I believe.
So It's it's totally possible. It would just be more of a reworking of more of the premium, probably either social media or the email cam campaigns. I think so. I think what I'm I'm treating this season as I'm learning.
I'm getting my kind of my authority in these areas and kind of discovering what I love more than others, and then I I have a plan. Yeah. I wanna say in summer to really shift and focus on, okay.
Now let's scale and go to clients that actually wanna pay for this feature. You know? Yeah. Yeah. That's incredible. And, also, like, you need to enjoy this year and enjoy your new freedom.
Enjoy this kinda new life you've been able to build for you and your son and your daughter and your husband. Yeah. Absolutely. I think that's so good. I had one client, but she was really sweet. She was like, just remember your why.
Like, okay. Thank you. Because I can't get super my husband's like, hey. Wake up from the computer because I get really locked in, and I'll just, like, just dig into a project. And so he has to pull me out sometimes. Come back.
Yeah. Come back come back to us. So what are your clients' business? I think that's something everyone's always interested in is, like, who's hiring? Yeah. Yeah. I'm trying to think. It's kind of a smattering of different things.
So my first client, again, makeup coordinator for weddings, so super random. Not something that I, like, relate to at all. I barely put on makeup every day. So, anyway, so that was my first. What else?
My second client was she is actually out of the East Coast, out of Boston, and she, is a social media growth manager. And so all I'm doing is just commenting on her post. So that was just kind of a fluke. Founder on the job leads born.
She liked me. And then the rest, it's kind of been through word-of-mouth. So it's like, so one of them, he's a so I do email campaign for he is a, recruiter coach in the tech world. So he actually came from corporate.
He reinvent reinvented himself, and he's doing his own thing now. And he's like, I'm a mess. I just need help. I need a way to communicate to my clients. And he's like, if you wanna do it, he's like, I need I need a doer.
Because he's like, I I'm finding that most of my clients are these big visionary types, can't get it from point a to point b. And that is my my biggest client is a social media guy. He is a he has four different businesses.
He, is an author, coach. Yeah. It's like these job coach kinds of people, that just need help with that day to day practical. Like, how do I actually promote my stuff? How do I communicate? How do I so and then one is super random.
She's the network, networking event person. I made, contact with she is a, health insurance broker. So so she's, like, in the older generation of, like she's like, I don't know how to use these tools.
She's like, if you see something that I should do, can you just tell me? So I'll give her ideas, and she'll be like, let's run with that one. So yeah. So I think mine has really been a lot of word-of-mouth.
I feel pretty fortunate. I I because my husband is an entrepreneur, we have a lot of business owner friends, and I think that's been my biggest pool is just reaching out to people that I know that I know.
I I think be because I've seen my husband struggle and see his his, back end needs. He's but, yeah, I think that's been my biggest pull is just going word-of-mouth, talking about what I am trying to do, explaining my why.
And I think that's been I've heard other people share on your podcast too that that's been really huge is just talking about it and saying, hey.
This is what I'm doing. This is what I'm thinking of. Is this my strengths? And and it's amazing that people will back you in that, I think.
So Yeah. And send referrals or know someone who knows someone. It's incredible what can happen when you just start telling people, because you never know who they know and who they know who they know.
So the world is so big, but so small when you start actually talking and making those connections. Yeah. Well, especially when people get excited about your work.
And I think I've heard other people other teachers say this where it's like, in teaching, there is a lot of reward from what you see in front of you. You see the kids light up. You see them shift. You see you know?
And they're not in where the school that I was at, I got very little parent interaction. When we would get an interaction at a graduation or whatnot, they it would be very positive, obviously, because you did miracles with my kid.
But to produce work and have very immediate appreciation and feedback has been almost so boring to me. They're like, oh my gosh. Look at what you did.
I'm like, what? I feel like I barely I made one image for you for an email. Yeah. It's it's been, eye opening. I'm like, actually, I should you know, I think this has been an exercise in having confidence in my worth.
I think that's been huge. Because as a teacher and, like, just my personality style, I can be like, oh, I'm just gonna produce this epic thing and not be confident that I actually have a lot to bring.
And I think opening up your own business challenges that to the core.
Like, do you have what it takes? Do you you know, that imposter syndrome can sneak in? Do you you know, putting a price on your services and saying, hey. I'm worth this amount. I'm like, that's scary.
I there's been a couple of proposals I send out. I'm like, before you hit that send button, you have that, like, is this okay to ask for this much money for this thing? And I'm like, you know, I have to I'll always ask my husband.
I'm like, can you look at this? And he's like, yes. Just send it. Well, what what does life look like now that you're you've resigned from teaching, you're fully at home freelancing? What what does your day to day kinda look like?
Yeah. So much different. I wake up with the snow. It's amazing. Yeah. I, yeah, I I have slower mornings, which is nice. For a while there, I'm like, I gotta still accomplish things before the kids wake up.
I don't have to because I I have the kids in school. So I I enjoy the mornings just packing lunches, making food, and enjoying my coffee. I'll occasionally go on a little walk, when my husband can watch the kids. But, but yeah.
So I I drop them off and, You get to drop them off at school. Yes. Which has been so cool. Something that I just didn't even realize that I missed and that I again, I I I was opening my eyes to, wow, these are such precious moments.
Because with kids, especially as they get older and they're talking and they're discovering things, those moments before school and right after school, I think are so crucial, especially for my son because my son is very, introspective, guarded personality.
And so those moments after school, I was realizing I wasn't getting come into his day at, like, you know, 5PM, and I'm you know, he just he's done. Yeah. I'm done.
So, yeah, the pickup and the drop off has been great. Because I'm around, my my son's actually been riding his bike to school back and forth with his buddies, and I get to be present, and we get to have friends over afterwards.
And so that's been cool, which he would done with without us there. I'm like, I wouldn't let him ride his bike with us not around.
So, yeah, we I drop him off, and then I usually start my day around nine 09:00 in the morning. On a couple days of the week, I let my stay a little longer in school until the big kids get out too, so around 02:50.
So I do two days a week where I have a longer stretch, and so I I I bulk out most of my work Tuesdays and Thursdays. And then I try to keep my Fridays light.
That's my goal, is to try to keep Fridays light. I I've had, my retired parents moved up in our area from LA this last year, and I was able to, you know, just ask them for coffee and, like, come out to breakfast with me because I can.
And so that's been another precious season because we almost lost my dad, a year and a half ago, and he came through it and had a heart event.
And, and so I'm just I'm realizing, like, this is such a precious set of moments that I just need to warm onto. And, And be present in and enjoy and soak soak up because life is so freaking short.
Yes. So it's been so wonderful. I feel like it's completely changed my my worldview and my life. My son was like, you're you're no longer me, mommy, with a bun.
You're so much nicer now. The house is in better order. I can't imagine you mean. I mean, I've only known you since July, August, but I can't imagine you mean. Kids are so they are dramatic.
Really, I'm like, you don't even know. But, yeah. So it's been cool. I mean, some days I accomplish a lot. Some days I get interrupted by laundry and stuff, and, you know, it's sorting out how to manage myself is different.
I'm like, okay. I need to I think the only drawbacks of, freelancing are I don't see people all day. So I'm having to make sure I'm like, hey. We're involved in our church a lot, and we have a lot of community there.
So I'm trying to make sure every once in a while, I'll meet up with my stay at home mom friends and or they'll, like we'll work as, like, a little pod at a coffee shop It's a little you have us on our computer just knocking out work.
Yeah. So that's kind of my day day to day, I would say. What's been cool is the sick days with my kids. They'll get work done.
It's like, you know, they're usually laid out on the couch or on the bed and watching TV and recovering, and it's been amazing that I can still because, you know, when you're doing teaching, I'm like, to teach forty five minutes away, for any interruption in the day, I'd have to take that.
Not take a full day off because I'm like, why am I gonna go in half a day forty five minutes away, to do this thing?
And and it was I feel like teaching is one of the jobs that it takes more work to be gone than to show up. So spent many a day, like, really sick, at school when I probably shouldn't have.
And Yeah. Yeah. I'm so happy for you, Jenna. Yeah. Me too. Thank you. Yeah. What what's next for you kinda just in this next season? I think just refining my services and focusing on the things that I enjoy.
Because I feel like in the beginning, I just threw spaghetti at the wall. Like, I'll just do all the things. Anything anything and everything I was saying yes to.
And now I'm finding as people approach me, I'm realizing like, okay. I I there is no shortage of work out there. So I would say for anyone thinking about it, I'm like, there's literally no shortage of work in this the service world.
I feel like there's always somebody who needs help and support in some capacity. Yeah. So I think now I'm just I am, deciding what I wanna say yes to and what I wanna say no to and, sorting that out. So I don't have a website.
I don't have social media because I'm like, I've been doing just fine without it. And, so at some point, I would like to focus in what exactly do I wanna make my services be, what do I wanna pop into the world.
So and I have just wonderful clients. It's almost like I don't wanna part with any of them because they're all just really nice people.
So, and then I I have some stay at home mom friends that have been asking me. They're like, so what do you do? How are you doing this? And then some teacher friends, like, even my my kids' teachers are like, what do you do?
How are you doing this? You have to take the class. So, and I just have to give you a shout out. I I, you know, I I sing praises about you all the time, but where it's like I have looked into other options before.
I'm like, how you know, what could I do instead? And there was never a great answer out there. It's like I don't I hate MLMs with a passion. Like, I just can't I I briefly did what was it? It was like a Mary Kay, and I just hated it.
Like, I don't like selling products. I don't I almost looked at doing Pampered Chef because I was at a party. I was pregnant, and I was like, I can't put this baby in day care. I wanna be at home, but we, like, needed my income.
We otherwise, you know, we would have to sell the house. We just bought and all that. And I was at a party because this was back when parties were still done kind of in someone's house.
I'm very much a homebody. You were like, the worst thing about freelancing is you don't see people. I'm like, that's the best thing about freelancing.
I don't have to talk to anyone. I can sit by myself and quiet at home. No small talk. And, but I was like, there is no way I'm going into a stranger's house at 07:00 at night and gonna get people excited to buy pants. There's no way.
And so I was like, oh, I have to still teach. And so I went back, and it well, you know, everyone knows that story. Yeah. I know. I think for the introverts I think it always surprises people that teachers can be introverts.
I'm like, yeah. I'm an outgoing introvert. There I reach a moment where I'm like, and I'm done. And I'm gonna hide in my little hole until I'm ready to come out again.
They wanted us to always I hated this. Like, teachers had to go and eat in the lunchroom. They wanted us us to. And I was like, I'm I'm not. I'm sitting in my classroom with the lights off in silence.
I'm not coming down into the lunchroom, and I kept blaming it on pregnancy. I was like, I can't do smells at the cafeteria. So I was like, I'm not coming down and talking to anyone.
Do not. You can't make me. I used to turn off my lights and take a nap under my desk. Oh, I feel bad. Oh, it's so good. Yeah. I, I forget where my train of thought was going with that. But Oh, you were looking at other things.
Oh, yeah. I was looking at other things and just there was nothing else that I could I didn't know that freelancing was a thing. And so when even when I started talking about it in the beginning, I'm like, yeah.
I'm thinking of doing freelancing. And it was like people are like, what does that mean? I'm like, I have no idea. I wouldn't say that, but I'm like, I don't know.
I'm just gonna take this class and see what it offers. And I think, the course just offered such a perfect, like, launching point because you, like, literally start with your why. You laid out all the different paths you could take.
And I remember I just like my my friend was laughing at me because I was sitting in the coffee shop taking notes, like, watching her class, and she was like, you're so funny with your little notebook.
I'm like, I'm old school. I need the pen and paper. I'm like, I'm going to school right now. And, yeah, the done for you pieces, I think.
It took it from I would not have done it without your your tools. So it's kind of like you bridge that gap from, like, here's what's possible, here's what you can do, take this, use it, and go.
And then I think what was so invaluable was just the the coaching calls, the ability to engage with the the community on Facebook, and it it just felt like I wasn't alone because I was very terrified to do something new.
I'm like, can I be a business owner? I, you know, I've always seen that for my husband. I've seen that for other people, and I just didn't think that my personality style was like, I'm not this big entrepreneur, dreamer type.
I'm a doer. You know? How do I bridge that gap? And so I think you did such an excellent job bringing it all together in a very tangible way.
I think it might just be the teacher in you. You're like, let me let me Oh, I'm like, this compliment coming from a teacher, that's just making my day.
Well, yeah. I mean, it was it was perfect. And and, yeah, I don't think I think you answered all those big questions that I needed.
And I'm like, oh, this actually isn't as hard as I thought it would be. And so, yeah, I actually I sold or I bought some jeans off of Facebook Marketplace the other day, and this lady was she's been trying to do stuff.
And I was like, let me give you the link to this lady's course. And then she reached back out to me, like, a week later.
She's like, I signed up for it, and do it. But I need to ask her. I'm like, how's that going? I got you a client. Yay. Well, I appreciate your referrals, Jenna. Do you have any encouragement for the mom that's like, I so wanna do this.
I so need this, but it's kind of in that, can I I I can't do this? I don't no. This isn't for me. I can't do that. I don't have whatever. But I really want it, and they're kind of in that that spot of like Yeah.
Yeah. Totally. I I would say it can completely change your life. You can completely do it. If an introvert person like me can do it, but it can, I think, using the tools that you offer, it's very, very doable?
And I think you can work as much as you want, when you want, how you want, And you don't have to have it all figured out. I think that was really challenging for me as my personality style because I like to have all my ducks in a row.
My my husband likes to shoot all my ducks down. But but which is his job. That's why I married him. But, you have to have those people in your life to. But, yeah, you don't have to have it all figured out.
You just kinda put one foot in front of the other. You start talking about your dreams and your goals. And I think, one of my clients, the one that was the email marketing, client, he I just grabbed coffee with him.
He was the in the tech world, and, literally, he wasn't a potential client at all. Then probably a month or two later, he's like, hey.
Let's let's talk some more. Because I kept hearing more and more because we're we're friends with me and his wife. And, anyway, I just I think you just have to trust that the right opportunities will open up as you have faith.
I really I truly trust that. It's like if I I truly feel like God was putting on my heart for years that it was you know, you don't have to oh, yeah. I'll just be vulnerable. I I would pray about it and say, god, what should I do?
Because I I I need to provide for my family, but I don't so I wanna be faithful to my family. I wanna be faithful to the practicals too. And I felt like it kept being turned back to me.
Like, well, what do you want? It's like, what? And as I lived that time off and I took a step back and I took a breath and reassessed and realized that there was this other path, I was like, I want this.
I want I want my babies even though they're older, I wanna be around. I wanna be able to drop everything and go to the dentist when they chip their tooth.
Like, seriously, it happened to me the other day. And, yeah, it's just such a yeah. I feel like as you take those steps of faith and you have this tool of like, hey. There's a there's a path.
Take the path if if you want it. You know? And I feel like you'll just yeah. There's opportunities you don't even know are out there. And the community is there to help you. I think that's the best part. So My goodness.
Well, Jenna, thank you so much for coming on and sharing, and I'm just so excited for you and so happy for you and so grateful that you were willing to take time out of your day to come on and share with us more about what you've been able to do over the last gosh.
How many months has it even been since August? Seven, '8? Yeah. About six ish, seven months. It's wild. It's wild. And I I have two, clients on my doorstep.
I actually sent proposals out to. One is a a podcast editing, which is fun. It's something that I wanna go into more, and then one is like a website design area. It's all like I'm finding that I like the creative more more and more.
So I I'm excited. It's fun to throw some ideas out there and see what else is out there. So we'll see we'll see what happens. I'll I'll keep in in touch and where I'm at in another six months.
So Yes. We're so excited for you.
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