Jennifer Bassman

Title: Chief Wellbeing Officer

Small Business

Education: Southern Methodist University; University of Iowa
Dallas, TX, USA
TikTok
INVITE TO SPEAK

Biography

Jennifer Bassman is a small business owner, author, speaker, and coach.

She has been researching stress and burnout in women since 2010. Jennifer’s passion for building awareness of chronic stress came after her own three-year struggle through burnout recovery and not finding many effective resources. (Especially for women.)

Since then, she has built effective stress management tools for women that help them reframe their negative thoughts, build mental strength, and get rid of that feeling that life is just one damn thing after another.

When her dogs aren't running her life, Jennifer helps other female entrepreneurs, small business owners, and leaders find work life harmony that empowers their wellbeing, leading them to success that actually feels fulfilling.

Jennifer is the author of Unstuck & Unstressed, Unshakeable: A Woman’s Guide to Political Chaos, Stop Being A Doormat, and The Burnout Recovery Method. She is also a certified CliftonStrengths coach and has coached hundreds of professional women through burnout recovery since 2012.

Her favorite moments with her clients are when they discover their strengths and begin to focus on what is right with them, instead of what is wrong them.

Jennifer is originally from Des Moines, Iowa, and is obsessed with dogs, the Iowa Hawkeyes and fresh sweet corn. She started her first business in her 20s without any experience, surviving on Diet Dr Pepper and sheer determination. She is now living in Dallas, Texas with her husband and four rescue dogs.

Passion

Dogs - yours, mine... all of them! I love dogs. I have spent many years not only caring for them professionally, but volunteering with rescues and my local animal shelter. Currently, four rescue dogs run my life. Animals are amazing! Their positive impact (even when naughty) on our mental and emotional health is tremendous and unrivaled.

Best Story

I was once asked what I thought my biggest mistake was a young, female entrepreneur. Without thinking about it, I said, “Not having a strong, reliable support network.”

Even though I was initially surprised by my own answer, I knew it was true.

As I learned to manage my own stress and build my mental strength, my support network has played a critical role in my empowerment, my mental and emotional health, as well as, my drive to make an impact on other women in the workforce and in small business.

Today, I proudly share this story on nearly every stage. A strong support network is often a big missing piece in many of our lives that can contribute to our longevity and happiness.

Origin Story

I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My mother was an entrepreneur as well as my grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Even though I began my career as a journalist and writer, it didn’t take long for me to also step into the world of business ownership. While my career has taken some unexpected turns, leaning on my intense curiosity and nose for news has led me to some fulfilling places.

After struggling through burnout recovery for more than three years and not finding many effective resources, I wanted to do more with educating women about stress management and building mental strength. My own experience of feeling overwhelmed, gaslit, and alone was an obstacle that I would come to find out too many women never find solutions for.

I spent the following years researching burnout recovery and stress management for women. I have created effective tools for women that teach us about stress, how it interacts with our hormones and emotions, and solutions to help us manage our mental load, build mental strength, and find happiness.

I want to see women win. BIG.

Example talks

UNSHAKABLE: Mastering Mental Strength to Thrive Under Pressure

In today's fast-paced world, women are under immense pressure to excel in every aspect of life.

This talk delves into the unique stressors women face and the necessity of building mental strength so they can shape their resilience and emotions into extraordinary personal power.

Many women see their emotions, hormones, and anxiety as liabilities that keep them from getting what they want thanks to societal pressures, gendered expectations, and personal challenges that keep their stress levels high and their ability to think clearly low. Mental strength can be the game-changer in learning how to see and use them to their advantage.

Through powerful stories and actionable insights, Jennifer will guide the audience on how to transform pressure into a privilege and leverage it for growth.

This presentation will explore the critical differences between mental toughness and mental strength, emphasizing the long-term benefits of the latter.

Attendees will learn to harness their inner strength, embrace imperfections, set strong boundaries, and build a resilient mindset that propels them toward success.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Embrace and Reframe Pressure: Understand that pressure can be an opportunity for growth rather than a debilitating force. Learn techniques to use stress as a motivator rather than a setback.

  2. Emotional Regulation Tools: Gain tools for acknowledging and addressing emotions, leading to improved decision-making and reduced stress.

  3. Set Strong Boundaries and Know When to Walk Away: Learn the importance of setting and maintaining healthy boundaries to protect your time, energy, and mental health.

  4. Rewrite Your Inner Narrative: Challenge your inner critic and replace self-doubt with empowering beliefs that support your goals and ambitions.

  5. Incorporate Fun and Play: Discover the power of fun, play, and laughter is key while building mental strength, resilience, and finding happiness.


This session is tailored for professional women, working moms, and women whose "give a damn" has busted.

The Power of Fun, Play and Laughter: Transform Stress & Anxiety Into Strength

How often have you thought, “Life’s no fun.”?

(Probably a lot...)

For many, stress and burnout often end up determining priorities and to do lists, rather than what would lead to a happier, more fulfilling life. You have bills and have to earn a living, right?

Along the way, we've been led to believe and/or forgotten that fun, play, and laughter are critical to our lives. Turns out these things are critical to our daily lives and overall happiness. 

Unfortunately fun, play, and laughter get dismissed as unproductive or a sign of someone who isn’t serious.

In "The Power of Fun, Play and Laughter," you'll explore how fun, play, and laughter are powerful tools in managing stress, building resilience, and boosting your energy. They lead to better decision-making and clarity. Did I mention their powerful impact on leadership, team-building and culture?

Prioritizing fun can lead to the skills and mindset that will help you reach your goals, increase your creativity, grow your emotional intelligence, and deepen your relationships.

Through relatable stories and actionable strategies, you will learn how to integrate fun and play into your daily routine, making them essential components of daily life.

Key Takeaways:

  1. The Science Behind Fun and Play: Understand how fun, play, and laughter stimulate the brain, reduce stress, and release feel-good chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin.

  2. Practical Strategies to Rediscover Play: Learn how to identify your unique play style and incorporate micro-moments of joy into your daily life, transforming mundane activities into sources of happiness.

  3. Mental Strength Through Play: Discover how play and laughter naturally build mental strength by fostering spontaneity, creativity, and a positive outlook, making you more resilient in the face of challenges.

  4. Creating a Playful Mindset: Embrace the power of an alter ego to break free from perfectionism and people-pleasing tendencies, allowing you to enjoy life more fully and authentically.

  5. The Role of Fun in Long-term Well-being: Recognize that fun and play are not frivolous extras but essential practices for maintaining mental, emotional, and physical health.

"Jennifer's engaging and humorous approach makes this presentation both enlightening and entertaining, leaving you with the inspiration and tools to make play a priority in your life and experience the profound benefits it brings. I'm sold!" - K. Sarpong, veterinarian

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More than 100 miles

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Topics

burnout recovery burnout prevention stress management women in small business women entrepreneurship overcoming overwhelm finding your strengths cliftonstrengths leveraging your strengths pet care stress reduction coping with difficult people women and leadership women and workplace perfectionism people pleasing boundaries learning to say no compassion fatigue self care guilt humor content creator content creator burnout author dog womens wellbeing corporate culture interactive workshops fun play laughter mental load mental strength stress relief stress relief mental health anxiety perimenopause blindsided by perimenopause midlife women midlife reinvention sandwich generation women women and elder care women in the workplace working moms working mothers working caregivers moms in the workplace mothers and entrepreneurship personal priorities workplace wellbeing work life balance women and work life balance work life harmony women and mental load

Best Story

I was once asked what I thought my biggest mistake was a young, female entrepreneur. Without thinking about it, I said, “Not having a strong, reliable support network.”

Even though I was initially surprised by my own answer, I knew it was true.

As I learned to manage my own stress and build my mental strength, my support network has played a critical role in my empowerment, my mental and emotional health, as well as, my drive to make an impact on other women in the workforce and in small business.

Today, I proudly share this story on nearly every stage. A strong support network is often a big missing piece in many of our lives that can contribute to our longevity and happiness.

Origin Story

I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My mother was an entrepreneur as well as my grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Even though I began my career as a journalist and writer, it didn’t take long for me to also step into the world of business ownership. While my career has taken some unexpected turns, leaning on my intense curiosity and nose for news has led me to some fulfilling places.

After struggling through burnout recovery for more than three years and not finding many effective resources, I wanted to do more with educating women about stress management and building mental strength. My own experience of feeling overwhelmed, gaslit, and alone was an obstacle that I would come to find out too many women never find solutions for.

I spent the following years researching burnout recovery and stress management for women. I have created effective tools for women that teach us about stress, how it interacts with our hormones and emotions, and solutions to help us manage our mental load, build mental strength, and find happiness.

I want to see women win. BIG.

Example talks

UNSHAKABLE: Mastering Mental Strength to Thrive Under Pressure

In today's fast-paced world, women are under immense pressure to excel in every aspect of life.

This talk delves into the unique stressors women face and the necessity of building mental strength so they can shape their resilience and emotions into extraordinary personal power.

Many women see their emotions, hormones, and anxiety as liabilities that keep them from getting what they want thanks to societal pressures, gendered expectations, and personal challenges that keep their stress levels high and their ability to think clearly low. Mental strength can be the game-changer in learning how to see and use them to their advantage.

Through powerful stories and actionable insights, Jennifer will guide the audience on how to transform pressure into a privilege and leverage it for growth.

This presentation will explore the critical differences between mental toughness and mental strength, emphasizing the long-term benefits of the latter.

Attendees will learn to harness their inner strength, embrace imperfections, set strong boundaries, and build a resilient mindset that propels them toward success.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Embrace and Reframe Pressure: Understand that pressure can be an opportunity for growth rather than a debilitating force. Learn techniques to use stress as a motivator rather than a setback.

  2. Emotional Regulation Tools: Gain tools for acknowledging and addressing emotions, leading to improved decision-making and reduced stress.

  3. Set Strong Boundaries and Know When to Walk Away: Learn the importance of setting and maintaining healthy boundaries to protect your time, energy, and mental health.

  4. Rewrite Your Inner Narrative: Challenge your inner critic and replace self-doubt with empowering beliefs that support your goals and ambitions.

  5. Incorporate Fun and Play: Discover the power of fun, play, and laughter is key while building mental strength, resilience, and finding happiness.


This session is tailored for professional women, working moms, and women whose "give a damn" has busted.

The Power of Fun, Play and Laughter: Transform Stress & Anxiety Into Strength

How often have you thought, “Life’s no fun.”?

(Probably a lot...)

For many, stress and burnout often end up determining priorities and to do lists, rather than what would lead to a happier, more fulfilling life. You have bills and have to earn a living, right?

Along the way, we've been led to believe and/or forgotten that fun, play, and laughter are critical to our lives. Turns out these things are critical to our daily lives and overall happiness. 

Unfortunately fun, play, and laughter get dismissed as unproductive or a sign of someone who isn’t serious.

In "The Power of Fun, Play and Laughter," you'll explore how fun, play, and laughter are powerful tools in managing stress, building resilience, and boosting your energy. They lead to better decision-making and clarity. Did I mention their powerful impact on leadership, team-building and culture?

Prioritizing fun can lead to the skills and mindset that will help you reach your goals, increase your creativity, grow your emotional intelligence, and deepen your relationships.

Through relatable stories and actionable strategies, you will learn how to integrate fun and play into your daily routine, making them essential components of daily life.

Key Takeaways:

  1. The Science Behind Fun and Play: Understand how fun, play, and laughter stimulate the brain, reduce stress, and release feel-good chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin.

  2. Practical Strategies to Rediscover Play: Learn how to identify your unique play style and incorporate micro-moments of joy into your daily life, transforming mundane activities into sources of happiness.

  3. Mental Strength Through Play: Discover how play and laughter naturally build mental strength by fostering spontaneity, creativity, and a positive outlook, making you more resilient in the face of challenges.

  4. Creating a Playful Mindset: Embrace the power of an alter ego to break free from perfectionism and people-pleasing tendencies, allowing you to enjoy life more fully and authentically.

  5. The Role of Fun in Long-term Well-being: Recognize that fun and play are not frivolous extras but essential practices for maintaining mental, emotional, and physical health.

"Jennifer's engaging and humorous approach makes this presentation both enlightening and entertaining, leaving you with the inspiration and tools to make play a priority in your life and experience the profound benefits it brings. I'm sold!" - K. Sarpong, veterinarian