Writing Coach
Jenna is a USA Today bestselling author of nine books, writing coach and certified youth mentor who supports young adults to discover themselves through writing. Most days you can find her writing out the stories that take over her mind, supporting people to write their way to bravery and creating empowering content.
Growing up Jenna didn’t know who she was or who she wanted to be. She remembers doing things she regretted to be cool, following the crowd just to fit in and not feeling strong enough to say no and go her own way. Jenna became someone that she didn’t like or know, that’s when writing became her saviour.
Jenna used writing as her outlet to express herself and discover her true self. That’s why she is so passionate about helping teens to find themselves through writing because she knows how much power the written word has.
How writing supports students
Expressive writing supports overall mental health by having an outlet to write out emotions and feelings. By connecting to ourselves on a deep level, understanding our emotions and healing by expressing through writing.
In a 2006 study, 100 young adults were asked to spend 15 minutes journaling or drawing about a stressful event, or writing about their plans for the day, twice during one week. The people who journaled saw the biggest reduction in symptoms like depression, anxiety, and hostility, particularly if they were very distressed to begin with. Journaling was also found to have a more positive effect for participants who initially had higher levels of psychological distress.
Through my work and research I have found that teens are more likely to discover and express themselves through writing than verbally. It’s a stepping stone in understanding their emotions, discovering who they are then building the confidence to verbalise it in front of people.
Jenna is available for guest speaking events all over Australia on the topic of expressive and story writing.
I’ve been working with Jenna for almost 3 months now and her input and guidance have been invaluable. I wrote a book before but never published it because I felt it’s not good enough. After having worked with Jenna, now I have a clear vision, a solid structure for my book and she also encouraged and helped me to be myself and not be afraid to use my unique voice. She also has given me many creative ideas in terms of how to add a ton of value to my book and make it stand out with interesting and engaging details.
Thank you, Jenna, from the bottom of my heart, it’s an absolute pleasure working with you, your kindness, your experience and wisdom when it comes to writing a book is remarkable and I feel honoured to know you.
Jenna went the extra mile, especially with scheduling times to meet, with the 9 hour time difference. She is very enthusiastic and supportive and gave me that extra (kick in the but) that I sometimes needed. With her dedication I I’m happy to announce that I’m already 28 chapters into my book and I hope to release it by the end of this year.
I loved that no matter what self-doubts I threw out there, Jenna had a new perspective to offer, and tips and strategies to try. I loved how Jenna taught me the importance and effectiveness of self-esteem journaling for checking in with yourself and for grounding and building confidence. I loved how Jenna asked me to feel into my goals at the beginning of each session to ensure alignment and connection. And most of all, I love that Jenna is a fellow youth mentor, so she “gets” my business and the vision and magic I’m wishing to create.
I believe that being coached by Jenna has ultimately helped me to improve my confidence, try new things and put my ideas into practice. Jenna also helped me to uncover and address some underlying fears that I hadn’t realised were holding me back. She also encouraged me to think about and explore other options that I hadn’t thought about prior to starting my coaching with her.