Hi! I'm Jen v.
I help Difference Makers & Cycle Breakers own what they want, give themselves permission to go after it, and MAKE IT HAPPEN
As Seen In
"best damn life" Coach & consultant
2015 was a convergence of fuckery in Jen-land which led to deciding I was DONE looking "happy" on the outside and feeling miserable on the inside
I was a master of disguise. I fooled everyone (sometimes even myself) into thinking I had my shit together
Happy. Confident. Bold. Action taker. Grateful. Vibrant
Spoiler alert: I didn't and I wasn't
Wherever you go, there you fucking are
I'd tried every self-help trick in the book
Therapy? Check. Workshops? Yup. Trips to India? Namaste, baby. Putting family into near financial ruin with all my escapes? Not proud of that one...
But nothing quite clicked until I realized, I needed to stop fixing myself & start creating instead
Who do I want to be?
How do I want to feel?
What lights me on fire?
What brings me joy, even on a boring Tuesday?
Regardless of my past...what kind of future do I want?!
And that literally became my focus and priority for a few years
Now, I'm that charmingly awkward 50-something woman with pink hair, rocking ripped jeans and kimonos, who loves the hell out of herself and her life and give two shits what others think of her
And I gotta tell ya...12/10 recommend. The freedom? 🤌🏼
click here if you want to learn how i did it
The Wake-Up Call
In 2015, my mom sent me an email sweeping alllll the years of abuse under the rug AND I nearly walked away from the one person who'd always had my back – my husband. (Plot twist: he took me back)
That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks...
I have 30+ years of experience helping folks make their epic dreams a reality - from Fortune 50 behemoths to scrappy start-ups to people just like you who are ready to live their best damn lives
All it took? Almost blowing up my entire world and support system before realizing the enormous mistake I was making at literally the 11th hour. I wish I was being dramatic. Ask Mr. V. I am...not
what you see on the outside now is exactly how i feel on the inside
(can you relate?)
my entire views on life changed as i became the woman i decided i wanted to be
I no longer sit around feeling sorry for myself...missing out on life. Instead, I almost annoyingly vibrate with joy & fulfillment & contentment and when life lifes? I'm able to recover that much quicker
ready to live your best damn life? click here...
This work is exactly what I help other folks with now
AND I'M REALLY FUCKING GOOD AT IT
Life is too damn short to feel (un)happyish & unfulfilled and YOU, my fellow Cycle Breaker?
YOU have too much epicness inside you
WHICH ALLOWS ME TO DO MY MEANINGFUL, EPIC SHIT IN THE WORLD
The YOUR Best Damn Life ~ The Fun, The Fuckery, & EVERYTHING In Between Podcast
A no B.S. blend of expert interviews, mini ass-kicking action plans, and raw behind-the-scenes stories from my boldest clients' transformations all wrapped up in our shared mission to make achieving your best damn life as simple, powerful, and fun as possible
From dream-chasing to cycle breaking, we're here to turn your "somedays" into "Fuck yeah, I did!" Subscribe now and get ready to live your best damn life unapologetically
SUBSCRIBE IN YOUR APP OF CHOICE!
My approach
I take an unconventional approach to being human
I work with you to only give the right fucks (we figure out what those are for YOU) because when you do? Magic.
I mold my approach to YOUR brain, YOUR desires & dreams, YOUR unique life and challenges
I learn how you're best challenged
I help you learn how to manage your nervous system so you feel safe going after your dreams
I treat you as the grown-ass human you are
I am an expert helping others get out of their own way, give themselves permission, get meaningful shit done, grow as a person, set boundaries that don't make you feel like the asshole, have your own back, build self-trust and deep, deep self-belief
read More about my approach
MOST IMPORTANTLY? I SHOW YOU HOW TO ENJOY THE HELL OUT OF THE PROCESS WHILE YOU'RE AT IT
Working with me is delightfully rebellious
Hi hi! I'm
I'm a unicorn blend of coach, mentor, consultant, wing woman, & F-bomb droppin' cheerleader with 30+ years experience helping folks make their visions & dreams a reality - from Fortune 50 behemoths to scrappy start-ups to people just like you with a strong desire to live your best damn life
Epic shit happens when we work together whether it's delivering multi-million dollar projects, writing your first or next novel, reinventing yourself after divorce, creating the next must have app, getting the promotion, going back to school, starting the non-profit, or whatever epic shit YOU want to do so YOU can live your best damn life
Bonus? What you learn extends well beyond our time together. You will always know what you need and belief that you can make it happen
OR taking a step back to rest & recover from burnout as you figure out your next steps?
this is ALL possible* and I help you make it happen
What does living YOUR best damn life look & feel like?
*I know because my clients have made this and more happen
Going back to school for the career you've always wanted instead of the one you thought you should have but literally makes you want to poke your eyeballs out and run away screaming instead of having to face another day?
Writing the novel you can't stop creating characters for in your head and have all the plot lines worked out except for the ending...they'll never see the twist coming!
Having adventure(s) of a lifetime as you sell everything and retire to the mountains of Ecuador or travel the US in your bougie RV for a year to visit all the parks on your Someday List™ or volunteer in Guatemala as you figure out your next big pivot?
Starting the new business of your DREAMS, provide opportunities for others, and create your legacy?
Rebuilding yourself from the inside out and becoming the you you've always known is inside...the one who can do anything you set your mind to no matter what others think?
Submitting the paperwork for the non-profit that's been on your heart since forever and be a leader in your local community as you do good, important work alongside others who care deeply too?
Selling your artwork through galleries and juried shows as you create even more because that's what makes you feel fully ALIVE?
Being the person up for anything whether that's learning a new instrument, taking a trapeze class, slinging clay on the pottery wheel taught by that super hot bearded dude, scuba diving in Bali, organizing a retreat, or all of the above because YOU are a grown-ass human who prioritizes new experiences & loving your life?
Asking for the promotion...the one you've literally deserved for a while now as you watch mediocre men get it instead?
official bio
Meet Jen Vertanen ~ part coach, part consultant, part visionary ass kicker, and part F-bomb dropping cheerleader for folks wanting to make a difference in the world starting with their own lives. Jen is the strategic meets tactical meets HAVING FUN WHILE YOU'RE DOING IT unicorn with a heart of gold and mouth like a sailor.
She has 30+ years helping folks - from Fortune 50 behemoths to scrappy start-ups to empty nesters wanting more from life - turn pipe dreams into realities and as the host of Your Best Damn Life she's on a mission to help YOU turn your "someday...maybe?" into "Holy shit, I'm actually doing it!".
Jen is obsessed with stories of old people doing super cool shit (sacred aging FTW!), poorly written smut, and living her best damn life as a homebody in her possibly haunted home in St. Paul with her hubby (they became empty nesters in Fall '23 after 33 years raising babies) and newfs bingeing Amazing Race while also honoring her paradoxical need for people and new experiences.
Website: yourbestdamnlife.com
Your Best Damn Life Podcast: yourbestdamnlife.com/podcast
Facebook: groups/fyeahlifewithjenvertanen/
Threads: @jen.vertanen
Instagram: jen.vertanen
Check out all my podcast interviews here...I'm an engaging guest and not afraid to go there (which happens to be the name of my first podcast)
want to have me on your show?
I live in a possibly haunted home built in 1905 in the heart of St. Paul (Twin Cities, MN) with my husband and 2 drooly newfs. We became empty-nesters in Fall '23 and thankfully, still love and like each other after all these years (we did a lot of work on that!)
I'm mama to three adult kiddos. I love them deeply and mothering them helped heal ME from a shitty childhood though motherhood didn't come easily or naturally. I'm a 1970 Gen X baby but my kids call me a Millennial and I'm not sure how to take that lol
I love vintage Aquaman and extra 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ smut (hello, Bigfoot 👣), and if you hadn't noticed....I have a thing for b👀bs
I don't do clutching your pearls, playing the woe is me victim, all the reasons why something won't work for YOU, anything and everything MAGA, or an unwillingness to "go there"
I identify as queer (pansexual) in a cishet marriage with a dude (Mr. V.). He's my person to do life with 💖
I'm a strategic project manager with 30+ years of experience and certified Life Coach. I blend the art + science of getting shit done & I know how to motivate and inspire people and break big concepts down into teeny tiny actions which is why I not only help folks do the work to love the hell out of themselves but also, bring their Bold AF Visions to life
I have an ADHD brain and Type 2 Diabetes. I've done a loooooot of work to make sure my brain 🧠 and body 💃🏼 stay well-supported though I'm far (far) from perfect
I'm pretty good at making gold from the shit & lessons to learn but I also have an aversion to toxic positivity, love & light, positive/high vibes only. You can miss me with that harmful, gaslight-y bullshit. There's gold in both the light & the darkness and I'm not here to be one-note
I LOVE my charming awkwardness. You may not and that's ok...I get it lol!
Personally?
I'm obsessed with challenging myself to only give the right fucks which means I protect my energies and boundaries so I can show up in all my roles as the person I choose to be which is kind, genuine, and funny with a lil' tough love thrown in because we're all adults
I don't take for granted the privilege I have as a straight-passing, middle-aged, white women from a middle-class background. I have my own shit but don't have to worry about my safety, putting food on the table, being pulled over by the cops, or getting my family's needs met
I rebuilt myself from the inside out (it really was that dramatic) in 2015 and went from hating myself and trying to escape my life in all sorts of unhealthy ways TO living and loving the hell out of myself and my life. I know intimately how hard this work can be which is why I get so much joy helping others build deep self-belief so they can live their best damn lives too
Fuck is my second favorite F word behind freedom. It's just so...🤌🏼
my promise to you
I promise to treat you like the grown ass, amazing human you are and always show you respect, compassion and kindness. I'm here to walk alongside you (sometimes with a titch of tough-love because again...you're a grown ass person and sometimes we need that), inviting you to experiment and find your way to living your own unique version of living your best damn life.
I will always be honest with you which means I will never, ever pretend to have all of my shit figured out or sugar-coat what it's taken me to do the work, and continue to do the work, to live my unique version of my best damn life.
I also will never tell you exactly what to do because your life and experiences are different than mine. What you want is different than me. What brings you joy and happiness and fulfillment is different from me. We each get to have our own journey in life.
But...I am a mentor and guide deep in my blood & bones and will freely share my life lessons, wisdom, failures, and experiences. I invite you to take what resonates and say a ginormous, "Hell no" to what doesn't.
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