speak | easy the podcast

jen

Hey, I’m Jen.

I am the founder and creative director of Redhead Creative Consultancy—a strategy, marketing, and creative development shop in Downtown, Lansing. I help build brands and advocacy campagins that speak to audiences in meaningful ways.

I am also the mother of three boys, wife to a fantastic, super handy fella, and lover of any booze that comes in a beautifully designed bottle.

While my passion is creative and strategic planning, I spend considerable amounts of time managing business and finance concerns, mentoring and leading staff, and developing new opportunities for the studio. I am sure other small business owners understand this dichotomy. Over the course of my career, I have seen so many parallels in my clients that I feel my career has turned into somewhat of a life-long research project. By now I feel confident calling myself somewhat of an expert... I think.

As anyone in a creative leadership position knows, it's constant gear-shifting and takes both sides of your brain.

I've noticed a lot of people are ok with mediocrity, or maybe dulled by mediocrity. Let’s be honest, always striving to do better and be better takes work. But it’s worth the effort. One of my favorite things is helping a young creative find her spark and her thirst for excellence. Closely followed by the feeling when a client or a potential employee or fangirl tells you how much she loved some of the work you did. That's a nice feeling.

When I'm not working, I am what I'd call a serial hobbyist. I find something I love, throw myself all in until I feel some level of mastery or accomplishment, then promptly move on. My husband and I recently bought a somewhat dilapidated 1952 log cabin and we're working like crazy to restore it. When we're finished, maybe I will turn into a homesteader who makes my own soap and candles and carves wooden bowls out of stumps, that would be fun.

Just kidding. What I really do is drive my kids around to various sports and activities. It's really quite mundane.

Vodka, soda, lime is a mindless pour after a long day of decision making. But when I'm out, I like to order an Old Fashioned. I enjoy experiencing the subtle variations from place to place. Whenever we travel, we make it a point to find a local distillery, winery, or brewery so we can experience something new.

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Meet the other half

Karen