Jennifer-Sherwood

Do you recognize this person? Relentlessly driven, often exhausted, setting extremely high expectations for herself (himself), never quite meeting them, unhappy, frustrated, short, and at the end of it?!! That’s close to how Jen Sherwood describes her previous existence.


In this episode, Laura and Jen dig into some of the pressures we all seem to face in life, and those particularly experienced by women – media representations of what it requires to be beautiful, healthy, young, attractive, polished, professional, etc… It’s unrealistic, sometimes damaging, and not conducive to living a healthy, satisfying life if we allow ourselves to get caught up in those expectations, measures, practices.

While Jen was that perfectionist, never-quite-meeting-expectations, young mom twenty years ago, she finally woke up one day and decided she wanted to feel better. Her journey started with a therapist, expanded to a coach who “rocked my world,” she says… and eventually brought her to a place of discovering what fills and feeds her at a deep level.

Choosing to invest in herself, her sanity, and her future, Jen earned her coaching certification and left her job as a Pediatric Audiologist and how helps women reconnect with themselves and live better lives.

“I’ve had so much self-doubt,” she explains. “When I’m vulnerable, there are so many more rich experiences…” She goes on to blast the myth about our practice of “armoring up” to go out and face the world as if we are all powerful, have it all together, and cannot be hurt by others. The truth is, we carry this heavy armor, but it doesn’t actually protect us; we still experience the hurts of life.

Jennifer’s Bio

Jennifer Sherwood works with women who are overwhelmed, feel pulled between the demands of work and home, rarely make time for themselves, and worry that this is as good as it gets. She helps them move themselves up on the priority list so can build a life they LOVE, not just tolerate.

Jen is a certified coach, speaker, and blogger. She is passionate about women making time for themselves so they can show up in their lives the way they want to…not stressed and resentful.

Jen holds a master’s degree in Audiology (aka hearing science) and her previous career focus was in pediatrics, which means she knows a thing or two about working with women, moms, and families in times of stress or uncertainty.

Connect with Jennifer:

Jennifer Online

Jennifer on Facebook

Jennifer on Instagram — @jensherwood22

Women Entrepreneurs of Syracuse

Discovering your “superpower” and finding your perfect niche – that sweet spot where you get to do really good work and have a lot of fun doing it – is often an iterative process. We try, learn, shift, learn some more… and along the way we narrow, redefine, explore, and discover what we’re good at and what we enjoy doing. At least if we are in the process of exploring and seeking.

And that’s what happened for Jen Liddy. Born curious, she loved learning. The first in her family to attend college, she thought there was only one recipe for success and she seemed to be missing “the” elusive magical ingredient. By allowing herself the freedom to ‘dip her toes in and see how it goes…’ she eventually realized the truth. There isn’t just one recipe for success; as unique individuals, our paths will be different and our niche’s will be, as well.

And she’s tried a few… from HS English Teacher to partner in a fitness studio, into Life Coaching, and now in her sweet spot – Business Development Coaching. Serving women business owners who are in the middle of their business and feel like the business is running them instead of the other way around.

Her unique gifts allow her to deeply listen and pull out the core language we use to express what we need and then how to create the powerful messaging in response. The ideal outcome is helping a client craft that messaging that allows her to connect with her ideal clients, so they can do powerful work together.

Jen shares some of the challenges and lessons encountered and learned along her journey. She shares insights into what she’s learned that has been helpful for her. Together, Jen and Laura discuss some of the tools they use in their coaching practices to help those who come to them.

Jen’s Bio

After making the terrifying leap into entrepreneurship from education, Jen Liddy learned how grow a business from the inside out via a brick & mortar fitness studio.

She learned all. the. lessons. the hard way… so much so that eventually her business ran her instead of her running it!

Now, as a Business Development Coach, Jen teaches women how to grow businesses that work for them and their life. Learn more and connect with her below.

Connect with Jen:

Jen Online

Instagram — @JenLiddyCoach

Jen on Facebook

Donald Miller’s Storybrand

It’s inevitable; no one of us is immune to this experience. At some point, our lives will be turned completely upside down… sometimes because of a decision we made or an action we took and sometimes due to circumstances beyond our control.

As the saying goes: We don’t get to choose what happens to us; we get to choose how we respond to what happens to us. And that makes all the difference! Maria has experienced a few upheavals in her life and today she shares some of what she’s learned through the process.

For her, it’s actively attending to “how we bounce!” She encourages her clients to take stock of the tools in their possession: Assess your core values – they will guide you to make decisions based on what matters most. Take time in solitude to listen to your own inner wisdom. Learn through experience by adjusting, adapting, and innovating along the way.

Laura and Maria also dig into the idea that sometimes the stuff we pick up and carry through our lives isn’t “our” stuff, isn’t our responsibilities; recognizing and releasing is key here. Their collective wisdom and insight guides you to this:

  • Do the best you can in the moment.
  • Reserve the right to be smarter tomorrow.
  • Make new choices when you know better.
  • Find an experienced guide to help you grow through the upheavals and transitions in your life.

Maria’s Bio

María Tomás-Keegan is a Career & Life Coach for Women, specializing in transitions—what she calls “the Upside Downs of Life.” Her 30-year career in corporate management, coupled with her experience navigating many personal life-changing events along the way, has evolved into compassion for women who feel they need to be super-human. Family, friends, community, and career make for a full plate, and many women feel the need to be perfect at all of it, all the time. You’re not alone!

She is an award-winning author of Upside Down to Right Side Up: Turning Transition into Triumph, speaker, and producer and host of an international TV podcast on VoiceAmerica TV called Tips for the Transition.

Connect with Maria:

Maria Online

Maria’s Podcast

Maria’s FREE ebook

Maria’s other ebooks