Jennifer Jane Young is the very definition of a successful 21st century multi-hyphenate. Founder of Injoy Living, she also works as a Virtual Business Manager and Strategic Consultant, writer, alongside running her own podcast called ‘The Art of Making Things Happen’.

According to Jennifer ‘The actions you are not willing to take or the decisions you are not willing to make are the ones that will change your life’ .This motto is the perfect reflection to her willpower and resilience to truly carve out the life she wants to live. Amidst a world of dull nine to fives, Jennifer helps people to turn their ideas into reality through her own self-started business, INJOY LIVING. Using her own personal experiences to inspire entrepreneurs the world over, to not settle, and to truly ‘injoy living’ their best lives.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. What inspired you to start Injoy Living?

From a young age I had a ton of creativity and inspiration. My imagination was my safe space but simultaneously I was suffering. Up until I was about 25 I felt like I just didn’t fit anywhere in the world. Throughout my teenage years I suffered with severe anxiety, paralysing me in so many moments, making me feel like I was broken and unlike anyone else. It was a scary time for me because it felt like I was never going to be ok in my life.

I was the black sheep of the crowd, surrounded by people working 9-5 jobs or trying to find their dream program in school and none of that felt good to me. I needed freedom, I needed to do something with my creativity, and I needed to live a life of my own. At the time I could not quite understand all of that yet. In school, I was a little rebel, and I could never hold a job for more than a few months, as I found that it was physically and mentally excruciating. I would daydream of running away from it all and into a life that I would INJOY LIVING.

And so I did.My journey as an entrepreneur began by becoming a Yoga Teacher. I took my summer vacation to do intensive training and never looked back. I FINALLY felt at home in my life. I then went from Yoga Teacher, to Yoga-therapist, to Coach, to Virtual Business Manager & Strategic Advisor.What grew from that was Injoy Living. My company was built to help people craft out the life they are so deeply yearning for, because I believe that we should all be ‘injoying’ our life.

Injoy Living is where personal development meets entrepreneurship. It’s where I serve as a mentor to teach ‘The Art Of Making Things Happen’ by merging inspiration with practicality so people cannot only dream, but also make their dreams happen, one step at a time. I build deep, meaningful connections with people who come into my circle. I wear my heart on my sleeve and share my own journey in an honest way, so that I can use my life and lessons as a stepping stone for them.

The actual big picture vision for Injoy Living came to me when I was on vacation in Ireland, driving through the beautiful Wicklow Mountains. It was so strong that I took out a pad and paper and wrote until my hand was hurting and I could barely hold my pen anymore. I believe that the vision I had that day, was a preview of my life’s mission. Not all of it exists yet, but it’s coming to life, one chapter at a time.

What is Injoy Living all about? How does it help aspiring entrepreneurs the world over?

It’s always about creating a bridge between inspiration and making things happen, through mentoring and practicality. No matter how I’m mentoring someone, I always see myself metaphorically holding my peoples’ hands as I help them step forward. It’s about creating human connection and a community of people on a similar path. I felt so alone for so long, and I don’t want anyone to ever feel that way. There is a unique path for all of us and I want to help people find that path and actually walk it. Through clear intentions, intuitive and strategic actions and the capacity to relax and let go, I help people step forward towards their yearnings. When I am not doing that for myself, I suffer, so when I’m suffering I know that I’m not paying attention to where my intuition is trying to guide me.

Currently my company offers one-on-one services for people to start a business or grow their business with me as the Virtual Business Manager. I mentor through my podcast “The Art Of Making Things Happen” and I invite clients to come work with me under the coconut palms in Cancun Mexico for retreats, work-cations and intensives.

What’s next for you and Injoy Living?

I’m working on getting my book published, where you can read about my philosophy on The Art Of Making Things Happenand one of the biggest leaps I ever took in my life — packing my life and my dog to move to Mexico.

There is so much more to come. I used to get stressed because I wasn’t making things happen fast enough, but now I really appreciate each individual chapter and how they build on each other. If I can spill the beans a little, the next thing I’m working on creating is a caribbean co-working house in Cancun for creatives and entrepreneurs to come stay with me for work & relaxation. I love being a host and taking care of people. You can sign up to Jennifer’s VIP list to be in the first to receive an invitation here.

Talk us through how you help businesses with ‘The Art of Making Things Happen’

I help people connect the dots from their idea/desire to creation. My strength is seeing the big picture and all the pieces involved to make things happen. Where people get overwhelmed, is trying to sort out all the pieces and matching them with the big picture. I help people break things down, problem solve, put the pieces in order and prioritise what to tend to first (while knowing what will be coming next). I’m a natural born project manager.

I also serve by coaching people who are just getting started (or wanting to take their own path) and offering strategic consulting to entrepreneurs. My approach with everyone is highly intuitive.

Communication is the key vehicle to any work or mentoring I do. I offer high-touch support to my community and clients. Unlike so many businesses now online, I want people to feel close to me and have access to me.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a GirlBoss so far?

Taming my creativity. I’ve had to learn that not all ideas are good ones. When creativity hits now I write and write and write. Then I let it sit and see how it feels the next day. I’m a little woowoo so sometimes I’ll pull tarot cards or get a reading from my tarot reader. I trust now that if something is meant to be on my path, it will continue to come bite me in the ass. I use my podcast and writing to channel my creativity, instead of trying to create a new service or a new business with every single blitz of inspiration.

I have to be fully transparent also (because it’s part of my core values as a mentor) and say that money used to be a big challenge for me. Starting at a young age, I had very stressful and scary experiences with money, and those patterns repeated into my adult life. In the last few years, I’ve fallen in love with taking care of my money, with making it, with using it and managing it. It was a long journey, but I finally feel empowered with my finances, which has had a huge impact on my business, success, and peace of mind.

What advice do you have for aspiring GirlBosses who would like to become a Girlboss like yourself?

Connect, connect, connect. You need a community. You need other Girlbosses in your circle. People to talk to and share with. Find a coach or a mentor. Invest in getting help. There are options for support for all different budgets. I would NEVER be where I am today, without the support and connections I have had with other amazing girl bosses. They have helped me become the person I am today. They will share resources with you, connect you with the right people, call you on your bull shit, through your value in your face when you can’t see it yourself. Find your crew is my best advice. No one builds success on their own, not even Oprah. We all need our Gayles!

WWW.INJOYLIVING.CA

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