Jenn Taylor is Mom Of 18 (yes, 18 kids!), a Transformational Coach for Christian Women, and the host of At A Crossroads with The Naked Podcaster - a 4-year podcast to uplift others in their struggles. Her goal is to help others get through life’s struggles faster, easier, and with more support (and joy!).
Jenn is also a motivational speaker, has written the blog "Mom’s Running It" for over 9 years, and is a published author of a self-help memoir "Hello, My Name Is... Warrior Princess" - which she will email to you as a pdf for free. She is also married to an amazing man in Reno, NV, is a runner, minimalist, and healthy lifestyle enthusiast.
If you’ve attended events or heard speakers in the past and gotten excited about making changes only to return home and have felt frustrated at not knowing how to implement the information, you’ll love working with Jenn!
Who is Jenn?
I’m Jenn! I’m Mom of 18 (yes, 18 kids!), which is a story in and of itself. Most people ask me “how” OR “are they all yours?” For the latter question - yes, they are “all mine.” In my experience and hundreds of conversations, when you’ve done foster care, adopted, etc.… you feel the same about ALL the kids, and just to give a heads up - it hurts the child’s feelings to be segregated into which box they fit in in a family. It’s a normal question, and I only point this out because, in my experience, the person’s intentions have never been intentionally hurtful. Large families don’t make sense, and it’s human nature to get it to make sense. Just be aware.
The incredibly short story: I went through infertility and ended up pregnant 7 times in total. I gave birth to four babies and had 3 miscarriages. In my final pregnancy, I lost twins at 19-weeks, which resulted in a D&C, then a hysterectomy, then a life-saving surgery for internal bleeding. Biologically I’ve been through pretty much everything to bring those 4 humans into the world. It was absolutely worth it.
My heart belonged to foster care, as I was a kid that grew up in dysfunction, and my 3rd-grade teacher made a huge difference to me. I was licensed to do foster care after my first daughter was born. We went through 4 adoptions, 1 child that stayed long-term in foster care and 1 foreign exchange student. That’s 10 if you’re following the math - and then, I was divorced. I continued to do foster care and had one more adoption and 3 more long-term in foster care. That brings the total to 14.
I had 9 living at home at this point, and my daughter and a family friend decided to fix me up on dates. Retrospectively it was incredibly fun. However, at the moment, I wasn’t the most enthusiastic person. Dane was one of my dates, and I give him lots of credit as I was really humoring my daughter and friend and not exceptionally interested in a relationship. At the beginning of our first date, I wasn’t very open. Thankfully, he hung out with me until I relaxed and opened up, and our first date was pretty amazing. Now that we have the luxury of retrospection, I can see why from our first texts, we’ve never been apart. He is one of my favorite people in the world and my best friend. Dane had 4 kids, and his wife had died, which makes the total number of kids 18! Not long after we met, one of my kids was moving out, and he and his 4 kids moved in. We launched our blended family with 12 kids at home - which is the most we’ve ever had at home, although 11-12 kids have been in the house off and on for many years.
I love the story of my family - an amalgam of yours, mine, ours, theirs, foster, adopted, step, biological, and yet, they are “all mine”.
Other things about me:
I’ve written the blog - Mom’s Running It - for 10 years, sharing stories of our family. The blog is where my online connections began, and it’s been fantastic to look back over a decade at how life has changed, stayed the same, and how I’ve grown as a writer. It started when a successful female blogger that I followed encouraged me to start my own blog. Sometimes all we need is a little bit of encouragement, and I’m grateful she gave that to me. I’ve also been a Motivational Speaker for 30-years, speaking at foster training, to Head Start, and in my community as well as summits and on stage. Sharing stories is a passion of mine, and speaking has the potential to reach many people, similar to the blog.
I’m a published author of a self-help memoir “Hello, My Name Is... Warrior Princess”. 5 ½ years ago, when funding changed at the non-profit I worked for, and I lost my job, Dane told me to take a couple of months off and write the book I had been talking about writing. Being given time was an exceptional gift, and I feel blessed that I was able to complete the book in 2 months. That was the catalyst for starting the podcast as my book is ONE story, where the podcast shares a different story of the struggle to success every week. My guests can “write a book in an hour” by sharing their journey of encouragement with others.
I’m the host of At A Crossroads with The Naked Podcaster for the past 4 ½ years, and I love hosting a podcast. I have met and connected with the most amazing people, and I feel honored to call many of them my friends. It’s been an incredible journey.
I’ve lived in Reno, NV, for the past 17-years. Prior to that, I lived in Alaska for a decade and have lived in several states and traveled through more. I’m a bit of a gypsy at heart. We have a 4-year-old 70-pound rescue dog named Madi -- that was supposed to get to only 35 pounds -- and sheds more than a dozen dogs put together. She’s sweet but hairy (and Dane is allergic).
I’ve been a healthy lifestyle enthusiast all of my adult life, am a runner, and love warm weather, water, and being outside as much as possible. Biking, hiking, dog walking, running, trips to the beach, etc. I love it all. Cold weather isn’t my jam, so when the temperatures dip and people are excited about all things pumpkin, I’m less than enthusiastic.
I sing on our church Worship Team - something I wasn’t sure I’d ever do again. I was offered a 3-record contract on my 19th birthday (circa 1989), and I turned it down out of fear of the “sex, drugs, and rock n roll” lifestyle. I didn’t know how to balance the music lifestyle with my own family values, so I walked away. I have missed it every day, although my life has been beautiful and full. It’s been rewarding and a much different experience to jump back on stage to sing after taking a 30+ year break.
What is it that you do for your clients?
In my business, I’m a Transformational Coach for Christian Women, an NLP Practitioner, and have 15+ years in the foster care sector as both a parent and a trainer. All of the training I have goes into my coaching.
My clients are experiencing a crisis of faith. It might be faith in themselves, faith in their career, faith in Christianity, faith in living their purpose, faith in what their God-given gifts are, etc... They are living with anxiety, overwhelm, uncertainty, stress, and past traumas, and they believe they are meant for more.
The program lasts 12-weeks with 2X a week group coaching calls and three 1:1 sessions a month apart. The group builds community and friendships, I have experts share their advice alongside my teachings, and the 1:1 sessions address specific traumas, limiting beliefs, etc...
Who should hire/work with you?
The program is for Christain Women who no longer want to feel stuck, who know deep down they could be squeezing so much more out of life.
Women are ready to identify self-sabotaging patterns (we all have them!) and learn ways to create deeper connections.
Those ready to learn to commit to a gratitude practice that actually sticks – and why it really matters to you – and why self-care goes so much deeper than an annual pedicure.
Christian women who feel at a loss about their purpose and are struggling with the balance between work, relationships, purpose, and your God-given gifts. Who feel that - although they chose their life - they didn’t think it would be like this.
Women who are looking to build...
Better relationships
Career fulfillment
Better health
Clarity about your purpose
More intimacy
Better time management
Crossroads is a change of direction or a decision. It means you’re at a stage in your life when it is necessary to choose a course of action that will affect your future in significant, positive, and irrevocable ways.
Crossroads Coaching is designed for Christian women who, at the core belief that they have been made for more, have that small mustard seed of faith and are ready to get to work. It is embracing, empowering the community, meeting you where you’re at, and supporting you confidently stepping into the amazing person God meant you to be!
What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Odd as it may sound, the big goal is to live full-time in an RV traveling and living where we want, which we should be starting by the end of September 2021. We’ve been minimalists for 6 ½ years, and that seems like the culmination of a lot of years of downsizing. There’s something really soothing to be able to take my home with me, have my home regardless of where I am, reduce my footprint, and lower monthly expenses. When I took time off of work 5 ½ years ago to write the book, I decided working from home permanently was my goal. Being a digital nomad meant I could continue to connect, make a difference, AND an income regardless of where I am. This lifestyle offers a lot of freedom - which is my 1 value.
Living this lifestyle, even if we’re stationary, means more time together and more time outside, which we love. It’s a little frightening to whittle things down to 260 sq ft, although we’ve watched so many families embrace this lifestyle - which is reassuring.
In business, as in my personal life, I want to love what I do. Right now, that’s a podcast I’ve hosted for 4 ½ years, and being a Transformational Coach for Christian Women. Life pivots and I’m certain that even if what I’m doing isn’t the same in ten years, loving, it will remain the same. All my kids will be out of the house within ten years, so a new phase of life with my husband - one that I’m excited about - will be happening, and I look forward to that new phase of our lives.
As I write this, the world is an uncertain, divided, crazy place. Knowing how much has changed in the past 18-months makes me realize even more that things are ever-changing—fluid and not static. I hope to be often traveling, and I want what I do to continue to make a significant, long-lasting, positive difference in the lives of others.
