About The Author II

I believe in the improvability of anyone :)

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I fell in love with the Hero's Journey for one simple reason: 

Regardless of what anyone tells me or the pessimists say, I believe anyone can change their lives by changing their stories.  

My journey from broke world-trotting nomad to well-paid climate tech copywriter in the last year proves that. It aligns precisely with the steps of the hero's journey. 

Today, I’ll retrace my steps, tell my story, and show you why The Hero's Journey is the most potent life framework out there. 

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Enjoy :)

One year ago, I'd just returned from traveling for two years, knowing that I wanted to solve complex problems with intelligent people but not knowing how to break into the business world. 

I applied for guide jobs, technical writing jobs, and jobs I had NO way of getting (like entry-level UX design jobs at Google). 

The "gaps" in my resume were hurting me (though I now realize that the time I spent traveling set me up for success in ways I hadn't imagined before). 

I was offered a job running summer camps in rural Alaska and a job guiding tours in Yellowstone National Park. 

I chose Alaska. It looked hard in all the right ways, like I'd wanted my Peace Corps experience to be before I was evacuated and not allowed to complete my service. 

During this period of uncertainty, I also completed a six-week paid trade school program that taught me how to install rooftop solar systems. I passed my test, packed my bags, and headed to rural Alaska. 

In my Alaskan summer, I found a moment of clarity. I would leverage my new solar installer certification and use it as a springboard for a career in climate tech! 

It all made sense. I'm mission-driven. What's a better mission than saving the planet? 

This is where my latest hero's journey began. I was in phase one: My Call to Adventure. 

I updated my resume, completed a Project Manager certification, messaged everyone I could find in my network, and applied to every job I could find in the sustainability sector. 

All I got back was crickets. 

After two months of an embarrassing, demoralizing job search where I only managed to land one interview, I was depressed. 

I was feeling inadequate. The pressure to bring in income was mounting. So, I Refused The Call (or so I thought). I started freelancing to "get me through" until I found a job. 

This proved to be the greatest choice I'd made in years. But not right away. I barely broke even in the short term (for a month or two). 

I started calling myself a copywriter (and dealt with my first big bout of imposter syndrome). To that point, I'd only written on Medium and Substack. What right did I have to call myself a copywriter? 

The most hilarious moment in this beginning period was getting on a call with a potential client who needed me to write an email nurture sequence for her brand. 

I got off the call after having secured the job and immediately Googled "What is a nurture sequence" (don't worry, I ended up writing a great one; they were more than satisfied).  

Only the intense pressure to perform in this early stage got me through. Then, all of a sudden, I had more work than I could handle and forgot all about my job search. I'd Crossed The Threshold. 

But I'd forgotten all about my mission to break into climate tech. That's when I received Supernatural Aid. 

A solar company messaged me on Upwork, thinking I was someone else, and asked me to submit a proposal. Their message started with "Hey Jen." They were a dream client (I'm still working with them six months later). 

I entered the Belly of The Whale shortly after starting with this fantastic client. It became clear that I was way out of my depth. I was on my Road of Trials for the next few months, just trying to survive. 

I'd spent my adult life ignoring the corporate world, with its fancy jargon and silly terms. Although I wasn't in the corporate world, I was adjacent. And I was drowning. 

My skills were entirely inadequate. I'd agree to take on a project and then spend hours learning how to do said project before producing anything even remotely close to quality work. 

Rinse, repeat. For months on end. 

Then, after months of this, I started to get the feeling that I wasn't going to let everyone down and ruin my clients' businesses with my horrible copy. I stopped hitting points where I would freak out and apply for jobs instead of working on freelance projects. 

I started to build social proof (like a plethora of five-star reviews on Upwork). 

I started posting on LinkedIn and building an audience. I began writing my newsletter again because I felt I had things to say. 

All of a sudden, ideal clients started coming to me. I dropped everyone who wasn't in renewable energy (except for one client I adore) and focused my energy on renewable partners. 

I'd reached a kind of Apotheosis. I'd better understood myself and my purpose and done it on my terms. 

Six months after starting a fruitless job search in the climate tech market, I'm now working with a full roster of clients who came to me, making more than I would have in any entry-level jobs I was applying for six months ago. 

There's a lot of truth to the idea that what you seek is seeking you. What you don't often hear is that for it to find you, you have to be out where what you seek is wandering around. 

If I can go from hippie vagabond to advising solar/climate tech companies on how to improve their brand messaging in six months, it’s a good bet that almost anyone can achieve some version of what they’re looking for!