After she had witnessed financial struggles at home, this young woman moved away from her family at the age of seventeen. That was when she began to live an independent life.  She managed to get a sales job at a radio station, and then got married to the love of her life; the man she had met when they were in the grade school together.

The path of her journey transformed, as she began to connect with more people and understand their needs. As her career evolved, she saw a lot of entrepreneurs who set up their businesses, go big and then go out of business in no time. She said, “They just didn’t have everything set in place; It broke my heart. I felt, I could show them how to set up their business plan, and then execute it.” With that, she turned into an entrepreneur, helping many others make an occupational plan and then implement it. Life’s experiences led her to pen them down; in able to be a hand of support to many who go through similar situations in life.  

Meet Jennifer C. Petersen, Author, an Entrepreneur, Social Media strategist, Presenter and a Life Counselor. For this young lady to start out on her own at the age of seventeen, when she did not know much about the scenarios in the world, was certainly not simple! The willingness and the determination to become an example for many others who wished to do the same, made her take the big bold step. The support from her family strengthened her to do much more than what she believed she could. Jennifer remarks, “First and foremost, I am a wife and a mother. My family is the most important part of my life. If not for them, I wouldn’t be here now. The support from my husband and my kids pushes me to work harder and be the best person I can be.”

She recalls, “I remember going through a really tough time in my life. I was lying in bed and my husband was holding me. I asked him, ‘why am I supposed to go through this?’ and he just very gently said, ‘so that you can help other people.’ And that clicked! What a waste it would be for us to go through the tragedies and all the craziness in our lives, if we cannot help other people. I had experiences to put marketing proposals together and had degrees in Drug & Alcohol Counseling and Human Services. I then found that connection, to help setup various businesses for people. The counseling and business experiences helped me be able to communicate with my clients on a different level. I feel that, when we speak to another person with empathy, it can be life changing. It helped me be able to help them with their businesses.” She also decided to help entrepreneurs to set up their social media pages and currently manages many of them.

There was another important life changing experience that helped Jennifer attain the belief she needed to start her own business. She attended the second annual 1Life Fully Lived conference in California. She attended a session: ‘Women in Business’, which completely opened her eyes. She recollects, “Something just clicked! I felt, if these ladies could do it, why can’t I? I heard a speaker, Christopher Lochhead, who spoke on being legendary. He said, ‘What’s going to be our legacy when we leave the world?’ I just got pushed by the positive vibe. I wanted to let people know that they are loved and wanted to help them achieve to be the best they can be. I started my business right after that. I then contacted the founder of 1Life Fully Lived, Tim Rhode, and let him know how much I appreciated the conference. The next year I was their keynote speaker. And I’ve been their social media director ever since.”

Encounters in her life when she met people from various professions including doctors, judges, lawyers, teachers and many others, helped her gain insights in understanding the world better. She adds, “There is such a difference between sympathy and empathy. We can have sympathy for people all day, but if we feel what they have gone through, that’s life changing! There are large areas I can relate to, because of my life’s occurrences. ” Her ability to empathize with others’ experiences, has made her a speaker who can make the crowd feel a connection throughout her sessions. Jennifer also speaks about another aspect of being a presenter, “A lot of us fear to speak in front of large groups of people. We begin to feel that there are others in the group, who are more educated or have more knowledge than us. But I believe it really doesn’t matter education-wise each person is, we are all equal. Some may know a lot more in one area than me, but I know more, in at least in one area, than them. I tell myself that when I go out on stage, that I am not better or worse than anyone else.”

She also adjoins a message to aspiring entrepreneurs, “We are not in competition with anyone, but with ourselves. When you see others who have what you want, ask how did they did it, and then go out and find it for yourself. Connect with a Higher Power every day. You know yourself well; no one can define you!” Her experience as a life counselor, speaker, entrepreneur, wife and mother has now made her to pen down her experiences in a short book titled, Stop it! Don't Compare YOUR Insides with OTHER people’s Outsides (You could grab your copy at Amazon). A lot of us have, due to varied situations in life, end up comparing ourselves to others and then we feeling even worse. Having gone through this herself, she believes this book can help be a problem solver in such situations.

The lessons from Jennifer’s journey can help us realize that, we need to use our experiences through our journey of life, to help others go their own journey. We all are born equal to one another and we have the strength and potential to attain excellence in this life.

Follow her updates at www.facebook.com/Jennifercpetersenauthor/