Jen F.

Title: Professional Speaker

Professional Training and Coaching

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, minor in Theatre Arts, and Certificate in Journalism from Loyola Marymount University
Los Alamitos, CA, USA

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Biography

Jen Fitzgerald is a former admissions counselor turned professional speaker who applies the insights gained from advising thousands of students during the college admissions process to networking and career exploration. Her roles with schools like Virginia Commonwealth University, a large public research university; The American University of Paris, a small private international liberal arts university; and Harvey Mudd College, a small private liberal arts college with a STEM focus, showed her the importance of building relationships by applying concepts of friendship to networking. Former clients include San Antonio Regional Hospital, Project Management Institute: California Inland Empire, and University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering. Jen graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, a minor in Theatre Arts, and Certificate in Journalism.

Passion

I am a people person who loves building relationships, and I even have a guilty pleasure for personality tests. According to Myers Briggs, I'm an ENFJ. My Harry Potter House is Hufflepuff, and my "Sparketype" is Performer. My astrological trio is Gemini Rising, Taurus Sun, and Sagittarius Moon. When I took Strengths Quest both in college and over ten years later, my strongest strength is Harmony.

My hobbies include going to Improv class on Monday nights, Trivia on Wednesday nights, and Pure Barre yoga a few times per week. I am a huge fan of the ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series and converted my closet into a recording studio to narrate audiobooks. I also enjoy international travel, sex education, and the simple things in life like reorganizing my home.

From dogsledding in Finland to meditating at sound baths, I am willing to try anything at least once, but my ultimate passion is speaking. I come alive when I'm on stage and find ways to connect with the audience through storytelling. I am fortunate to have a strong support network cheering me on, including my husband, cats, and lizards.

Featured Video

I am willing to travel

More than 100 miles

When it comes to payments

Everything is negotiable

Topics

networking teamwork in personal relationships relationship building networking and relationship building relationship management relationships building strategic relationships strategic relationships curiosity authenticity authenticity and communication authenticity in leadership authenticity leadership flexibility trust building a culture of trust building trust developing trust familiarity familiar demonstrated interest admissions admission college admission admission field admissions processes post secondary admissions post secondary education building career paths for project managers project managers purpose purpose driven leadership adding fun and purpose to our work life leadership with purpose and meaning build relationships communications communication skills communication communications strategy commonality similarity common similar shared value generations adaptability flexibility and adaptability powerful connections connections making connections building connections networking human connections successful networking community networking higher education versatility versatile friendship womens leadership women women entrepreneurship empowering women womens colleges women in the workplace women in business women and leadership leadership collective leadership team leadership speaker youth speaker engaging public speaker keynote speaker conference speaker network workshop professional speaker career change career alignment career career reentry career choice career opportunity career development friend friends

Best Story

Have you ever sat next to someone eating a fragrant snack on an airplane?

A few months ago, I took a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles where the woman sitting next to me opened a blue bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. As a fan of the red bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, I take audience members through my thought process while I'm on this plane, smelling the fumes of her snack. I realized it's better to approach people with curiosity instead of judgment because curiosity leads to asking questions and finding commonalities that bind people together.

Origin Story

As a child, I overcame a stuttering impediment. I value speaking because there was a time I could not speak. I also took modeling and acting classes to gain confidence.

When I was 14, I attended a youth conference where I listened to dozens of professional speakers. I felt so inspired by their storytelling and vulnerability that I instinctively knew I wanted to be a professional speaker someday.

Fast forward to college graduation, I met a high school counselor at a wedding who inspired me to begin a career in college admissions because it combined everything I love to do into one job. I was an admissions counselor for eight years before pivoting to become a professional speaker. Just like I did as a recent college graduate, I am once more combining everything I love to do into one job, but this time, my title is Professional Speaker.

Example talks

SIGNATURE TALK- Beyond Contacts: Network to Make Real Connections

Presentation Summary Description
Instead of thinking about networking as making a business connection, think about it as creating a friendship. Demonstrate interest in others during networking efforts to build relationships in the same way you would make a friend. The FACE Framework (Familiarity, Authenticity, Curiosity, and Elasticity) leads to building relationships in any setting, establishing trust along the way. Networking is most successful when we sell ourselves as people that others want to collaborate with. Prioritize concepts of friendship in networking efforts to ignite organic business initiatives and collaborations. You are the FACE of your organization!

Learning Objectives
- Familiarity: Establish trust with others by attending networking events, coordinating programs, and leading organizations.
- Authenticity: Find your people who support you along your journey by sharing who you are, including your stories and life experiences.
- Curiosity: Ask questions to learn about others, find commonalities to better relate to each other, and connect what you learn back to your organization.
- Elasticity: Personalize networking efforts by analyzing the environment you’re in and the people you’re interacting with.

Key Takeaways
- Networking is most successful when we sell ourselves as people before collaborating as colleagues.
- Get to know people for who they are – not what they can do for you – by applying concepts of friendship to networking.
- Instead of focusing on making contacts, focus on making connections!

Audience
Customizable to various industries, timing, and sizes of audiences

Breakout Activity: Speed Friending

Premise: Audience members will split into pairs and sit in a circle formation. The Speaker will announce a random word, and each pair will have 2 minutes to discuss a story in their life or fact about themselves pertaining to this word. Every two minutes, one of the members of each pair will move in a clockwise fashion until they complete the circle. The Speaker will give a new word for discussion every two minutes.

Point: Boost relatability, memorability, and likeability through finding what they have in common with others as they learn about each other as people.

SIGNATURE TALK- Like to Love: Find Fulfillment in Your Career

Presentation Summary Description
Adults are often drawn to careers with a distinguished title, comfortable salary, and variety of benefits in an established company. On the contrary, when kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, they simply think about what they LIKE to do! Whether starting a new job, pivoting mid-career, or changing roles within a current job, choose a career based on what you LIKE to do – a career that’s a good fit for you! Discover careers that apply everything you LIKE to do into one job, leading to finding fulfillment in a career that you sometimes didn’t expect to pursue.

Learning Objectives
- Learn: Connect with others to discover career opportunities and say yes to jobs that give you transferrable skills.
- Inform: Tell your personal and professional network that you are looking for work or are interested in certain roles or projects at your current job.
- Kindle: Discover the actual work of what the job entails by doing the job and narrowing down the parts of the job that you enjoy the most.
- Evolve: Transition to career paths, roles, and projects that give you a renewed sense of fulfillment, letting new perspectives influence career decisions.

Key Takeaways
- Stop focusing on the job title, and start focusing on the job description.
- a job you like leads to living a life that you love.

Audience
Customizable to various audiences based on where they are in their career and what the goals of the company are (i.e. students transitioning from college to career, mid-career employees experiencing burnout, managers looking to assign projects based on talents and skills, etc.).

Breakout Activity: LIKE Lineation Leaflet

Premise: This worksheet first asks the audience members what they LIKE to do. They then journal about jobs, roles, and projects that combine everything they LIKE to do into one job. Next, they break out into small groups to share their ideas and brainstorm ways to create their career. Lastly, they will list similar jobs, roles, or projects that use their talents and skills.

Point: Encourage audience members to accept jobs, roles, and projects in their careers that effectively use their talents and skills, making them feel fulfilled in their careers.