To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
As I approached the milestone of 40, I started to think about this quote more and more. I had spent years building a successful career helping others tell their story, meanwhile I was living my own. I felt a huge pull on my heart to create an experience for my children that would teach them about humanity, compassion, and give them a global perspective. Lessons on life from halfway around the world.
It was this inner-monologue, combined with a few other things, that eventually prompted me to take a leap of faith and make the decision to leave my position as Vice President at one of the top book publishing companies and lean into the fear of the unknown. I sold my home, packed up our life, and moved to Australia.
Once, during a phone call with a producer from the BBC, I was asked, “how do you do it all?” At the time, I was juggling a busy career, two toddlers, and teaching at the University, while also navigating through a really messy season of life. I responded with, “I start the day with coffee and end the day with wine. Everything in between is simply called life.” This is where ‘Coffee Loves Wine’ was birthed. While both were staples of my day, the idea behind my answer was that there is a starting point and an ending point to each day and whatever happens between those two things is where stories are made, where life happens. And having spent a lifetime building a career on storytelling, I believe our stories are the invisible thread that connect us all.
And, I really do like coffee and wine.
I wanted to create something that would explore life, remind us to laugh, encourage growth, and connect us all through stories. My hope is to empower and inspire you while being real about life – the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. A curator of stories. A celebration of life.
We are all traveling through life, living our stories. Some roads traveled are more bumpy than others. Whether bumpy or smooth, there is growth in everything.
Start the Day with Coffee. End the Day with Wine. Life is what happens in between.
I am a mom to two amazing small humans. A lover of books. A purveyor of truth. A business woman with a no nonsense approach to life. An activist for all things equal and fair. A former beauty queen with a mild shoe obsession. Stories are my life and through them, I am simply trying to do my part to help make the world a better place.
As a media and publishing industry professional, most recently serving as a Vice President and Director of Publicity for one of the largest book publishing companies in the world, Jennifer has over 18 years of experience working with major media outlets and has had stories, segments, and pitches placed on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Fox & Friends, CBS This Morning, The Daily Show, LIVE with Kelly, The Tonight Show, The View, Steve Harvey, Dr. Oz, Ellen, Oprah, Anderson Cooper, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, People, Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly, Time, Readers Digest, etc. She has launched over 60+ books to the New York Times Bestseller list and has worked with politicians, musicians, actors & actresses, Olympic athletes, reality-television stars, profound storytellers, and many more.
She is the Founder of SPIN Literary and is a Contributor for numerous national and international media outlets.
