“[Change] can mean no longer fitting in where you fit in before. [Change] can mean judgment from friends and family, and [change] can mean it may get really hard before it gets simple.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: My name is Jenn Fasano Holgerson. I am the owner of JFC, a business consulting firm for female entrepreneurs. I own and operate Babes in Business Long Island, a networking organization that hosts events, workshops, retreats, and more for women in business. My passion is simple; it’s to show women that anything is possible in their lives.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: From my very first job experience all the way through my corporate career, and now in entrepreneurship, I have assisted women in not only looking and feeling confident and beautiful but also encouraging them to chase their desires and follow their own passions. I never went to college, but from the moment I graduated high school, I found myself in a leadership role. I always knew I was meant to lead people, but at a young age, I wasn’t quite sure where my strong desire to lead would take me. After having my second child in 2013, that high-demand career with long hours, travel, and rigid schedules started to just not work for me. Simultaneously, I stumbled across the network marketing industry and quickly saw I could follow my passion for leadership, which is what I recognize now as my entrepreneurial spirit. I actually got fired from my corporate job while building my side hustle in NWM, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me! It allowed me to follow my passions and help more people, all while being home with my kids and ultimately led me to where I am now.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: One thing I have learned is that change is good. Although it can be scary, we can never grow unless we change. And change can mean a lot of things. It can mean no longer fitting in where you fit in before. It can mean judgment from friends and family, and it can mean it may get really hard before it gets simple. But it’s all worth it if, in the end, you show up as the best version of yourself!
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism, to me, means being proud to be a leader and a woman. It means knowing that, as women, we are told to wear many hats, and we do, but it doesn’t mean we have to do it in angst. We can do it with pride and confidence. And do it on our own terms.
A fun fact about me: I ran the New York City Marathon in 2017.
“I learn by and through mistakes and failures, and when I take care of myself, I have the strength I need to get through all of life’s challenges.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m a neurodiverse creator and I love everything art! My hobbies include gardening, permaculture, urban gardening, learning everything about everything, sculpting, budgeting, home decor, painting, printmaking, and sewing. I just love making, creating, and growing. I love doing research!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in different places around Washington State. I’ve been an artist and entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. I spent most of my downtime drawing or creating as a child. I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My faith is a huge part of my life, my choices, my self-worth, and my community. I spent much of my time in my youth doing church service, activities, and learning about my divine worth. My mom is very creative. As a child, she made many beautifully crafted decor for our home. She spent a lot of her time learning new crafts. Painting, crocheting, sewing, woodworking, you name it she did it. I loved watching her create things she wanted. Money was tight, but she didn’t let it hold her back. I found this inspiring. I wanted to be just like her. She was my mentor and my example. She inspired me to create. I loved making things.
When I was in the third grade, I made some little potholders to sell. I wanted to be independent and getting a job was my ticket. As I got older, I started teaching myself to oil paint with my mom’s old kit. I would spend hours in the basement painting flowers, planets, and whatever I found interesting. One year I got it into my head that I needed a job and asked the local flower shop if I could apprentice. I was 14, she said no. I was devastated but I didn’t give up. I got myself a babysitting job and that satisfied me until I was old enough to really get a job. Art being my passion, I spent a lot of time learning about different styles. I fell in love with impressionism and decided I wanted to study art in France. I began studying French and learning the different possible ways I could travel. I tried getting into a foreign exchange program, but I found it was way more expensive than I would be able to earn. I shifted gears and focused on my art. I took every class I could in high school, received the most artistically talented award, and decided I would study art at university. Service is an important part of my life. In high school, I volunteered at the local food bank, served as a school senator, volunteered in a program that helped the students who didn’t focus on sports to gain recognition, and served in a mentorship program.
I met my love in high school and after he served a full-time service mission for our church, we got married. I received a bachelor of arts in art education, studied French, traveled to Europe, married my high school sweetheart, and started a family. My Europe experience was incredible. I lived with a French host family and taught at various locations throughout Brussels, Belgium. I had so many adventures and during the two weeks I had vacation from my teaching job, I backpacked to Western Europe. I made my way through Bruges, Paris, Versailles, London, Rome, Venice, and Geneva. I visited every museum I could find and took some incredible reference photos. Young family life was quite challenging. My spouse and I started with $2,000 in our pockets and worked hard to get scholarships and finish school while having children. After we both graduated, we moved back to Washington to live with my parents while we looked for work. My husband got a job in Washington, and we have been here ever since. My master plan was to start teaching art when I had all my kids in school, but since life doesn’t always do what is expected, I found myself needing to homeschool my four kids. I didn’t know if I would have four neurodiverse children, or how much of my time and attention they would need. I decided I could give them the support that I couldn’t afford to get them. I couldn’t get the support through the schools that they needed, and I dove in with both feet to learn everything I could about how to support them. I helped my son with speech therapy and learned all about ABA therapy to support my daughter until I was able to get an actual therapist. I’m so grateful I had the comprehension and ability to learn so much and offer support that I wouldn’t otherwise have had access to. Now the kids are older, I have two in school and two at home. This gave me a little extra time to start my art business. So, three weeks ago, I launched my art website and got into my first exhibition. I have been making art and networking on social media with all my downtime.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Through it all, I have learned how not to sweat the small stuff. Life is full of things beyond my control. Being prepared is better than worrying; I learn by and through mistakes and failures, and when I take care of myself, I have the strength I need to get through all of life’s challenges. I cannot have more time, and the only thing I truly have is the present.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism, to me, is believing women can be whatever and whomever they need to be. We are only limited by our goals and imagination. Feminism is embracing our ability to nurture, love, and take care of our needs.
“Knowing I’ve given someone the gift of unconditional love makes me feel very fulfilled.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m actually an educational coach who works with special ed teachers with children with emotional needs and learning differences. Since my job is very demanding, the love of a puppy has helped me decompress after a long day at work. I became very passionate about helping other families find their dream dogs. I believe we all have a soulmate puppy, and I love playing matchmaker!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: My grandmother, who was born and raised in Greece, was illiterate, and she really valued education, so she instilled this value in my mom. When we would visit, dogs were only aloud outside, and I loved spending time with them. Growing up, I always wanted a puppy, but my immigrant parents didn’t believe in having pets inside the home.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: The journey to finding my dream dog was super complex. I didn’t know where to start, and I had specific needs. I wanted a hypoallergenic pup and I have back issues, so I needed a toy-size pup. After searching on adoption websites for months, I finally got connected with a breeder and instantly connected with my Shiloh. I wanted to help other people find their dream dogs within a week. To make the process gratifying and to see the joy on their faces when they meet their puppy for the first time. Knowing I’ve given someone the gift of unconditional love makes me feel very fulfilled.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism to means equality. It means owning your feminine beauty while honoring your masculine side. It means tapping into your feminine soul as your guidance system to follow your heart and dreams. It also means allowing the amazing men around you to provide and protect for you, without losing your power and honoring them as well.
MORE ABOUT KALLY: I developed the title of a puppy concierge and created Pawfect Soul Pets to simplify the process of helping families bring home their dream dogs. We specialize in helping first time dog owners navigate the details in bringing home their puppy, offer potty training, crate training, house breaking and preparing their homes for the pup’s successful transition. We are also there during the entire first year of the pup’s life to support them with any questions or resources they may have with their new fury companion.
“I would love for others to learn that our lives can change if we decide to change them. We are not a tree; we can change the direction of our lives!”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about helping women learn to love themselves now while working on a better version of themselves and building a community of women who empower one another. I started being a part of a women empowerment group called “Team Beauty” and because of their community, I was able to grow and learn to love myself and build self confidence. I currently have a nutrition shop where I host multiple events for women.
My husband and I have been married for 28 years.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I was raised by my hardworking parents who taught me to work for my dreams. I joined the United States Marine Corp at the age of 19 in the hopes of going to college. I started college, but I did not graduate because I could never pass the mathematics classes.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I learned that we were created to shine light in someone else’s darkness. This brings me true happiness. To be that hand that pulls a lady up from depression, anxiety, or whatever she is going through. I would love for others to learn that our lives can change if we decide to change them. We are not a tree; we can change the direction of our lives! We don’t have to make changes alone.
This one was of our pink days. We host on Wednesday nights. We include a 30 min workout following an empowerment activity.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism to me means being a strong, independent woman who fights for her dreams, yet loves with all her heart and soul and inspires other women to do the same.
This was our Annual Pink Party, where we celebrate and recognize our accomplishments either in weightloss or muscle gains.
Q and A with Heather from Adams, Massachusetts, United States
“A lot of entrepreneurs and women in general, are always worried about what others will think. We are afraid of being judged. This fear keeps us from starting something or going all in on something.“
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: What am I passionate about? That’s actually a hard one for me. I have so many things that I love doing but am passionate about?…hmm.
Well to start off, I am extremely passionate about my children. I have three kiddos, and I am very passionate about teaching them to be good people with morals and life skills. This has become a bit harder with a 13-year-old boy with ADHD. He has the base; he just needs to remind himself to use it.
My other passions are entrepreneurship and sharing my knowledge. I have been a business owner for more than 20 years. During that time, I have educated myself and have learned tips, tricks, and don’t dos. I feel it is my duty to share that knowledge with others. I will actually be teaching workshops at my local community college; starting a business for adults and a young entrepreneurship class. I am super excited about this. I am most excited about teaching kids. If I can give them the tools they need now, this gives them a way better chance of having a better life. (I will also be teaching Life Skills for Teens and Pre-teens as well as a cooking class for kids. Kids are a big part of my passion for teaching.)
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: Growing up, my parents worked their butts off to provide for my brother, sister, and myself. They worked long hours and sometimes multiple jobs. My father actually worked at the same place for the first 18 years after leaving high school and has worked for the town since he left there. My mother worked at a chain grocery store for almost as long as I have been alive. I definitely saw a strong work ethic from my parents.
My grandparents lived next door, and we spent a lot of time with them. Especially my grandfather. He was a former farm boy from Ohio who fell in love with an educated Second Lieutenant in the Women’s Auxiliary United while he was enlisted during WWII. My grandfather was a truly inspiring man. He believed in constantly educating himself. After he passed I found books, tests, and certifications from distance learning programs. He was also a family man. He loved spending time with his kids, grandkids, and his wife, my grandmother. He was funny, blunt, and a role model. I believe he shaped so much of who I am and who I strive to be.
Growing up, I was not exactly the child that my parents wanted me to be. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, it was drilled into your heads that you needed to go to college and get a real job. That has never been who I am. Although I love learning, I am not a college degree kind of person. In that sense, I was a bit of a wild child. I loved photography and interior design. I loved being creative and crafty. I did not have the best grades in school. I mean I passed all….I think I passed all of my classes. Hey, I graduated high school and that is what matters right?
After high school, I took a few classes at two different local colleges and then went to Boston to the New England School of Photography. I really enjoyed my time there. I learned more in one class than I had learned in all the photography classes that I had taken combined. After studying there, I went back home and studied graphic design at a local trade school. We had a requirement to take a photography class, and I actually helped my teacher to teach that class. That might have been where the spark for teaching started because that was my first glimpse of sharing my knowledge like that. I was so proud of myself at that time. Proud of knowing that I had information to share and proud that I had the ability to share it with others.
My parents had shown me what their version of work ethic was, but my version did not match theirs. Where they worked at the same place for much of their lives, I worked at many different places, learning new skills and never settling. As much as I loved some of the jobs that I had, they were just jobs.
My senior year in high school I had been hired by my aunt to photograph a wedding as the second photographer, as her present to the bride and groom. That was the start of my first business for me. I built that business up over time. It was a long road of working multiple jobs and trying to run a business. It was a journey of trying to understand business. When I figured out how to brand my business, market my business locally, and really dive deep into my business, it became successful. In addition to the photography business I also had a small children’s clothing business. I learned a lot from that business but ultimately decided that sewing was more of a hobby for me. It’s more of my escape and running it as a business was not working for me mentally. In addition to those two businesses, I run a small food trailer. I love cooking for others and sharing healthy and tasty food with them. I have only been doing this for about a year, but absolutely love it.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I have always been a very hard-working person. I am never interested in settling. I spent too long as a kid and a teenager feeling like I was less than or being judged….I am not willing to let that rule me anymore. A lot of entrepreneurs and women in general, are always worried about what others will think. We are afraid of being judged. This fear keeps us from starting something or going all in on something.
Don’t let fear keep you from following your passions or being who you are. You have a purpose. “Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it.” (Disney’s Brave 2012)
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism….At the risk of people, especially women, getting mad at me, I have never associated myself with feminism. It’s not because I don’t believe in equality, actually, it’s exactly the opposite. I feel that the term feminism is an ideal that is very narrowly focused on a specific vision of what gender equality is. To me, it seems mostly political.
What I do believe in is the ability for women to be who they are and be able to act accordingly, without prejudice or fear of retaliation. It is all genders, all classes, and all ethnicities, loving and respecting each other. It is empowering those around us. Allowing them to be the person that they are meant to be. If a woman wants to be a housewife then she can. If a man wants to stay at home and run the household and raise the children, he can. Without being looked down on. If a woman wants to run a massive business and run it with gusto, she can. If a woman wants to be a world leader, no one will say she can’t run for office due to her gender, culture, or economic class.
Being human is about acting humanly to all in spite of our differences because our differences make us human.
MORE ABOUT HEATHER: All of my experiences, my time learning, and running my businesses, have set me up for where I am now, I decided to really follow my passions and start teaching on a larger scale. I started Learn Business U. I have created a couple of workbooks and I am starting to develop my full course on Business Clarity and my coaching program. I love working 1-on-1 or in small groups, helping entrepreneurs, so I am very excited about this new venture.
The Woman Wednesday Blog 