RTDM: Jennifer Ballou
Jennifer Ballou
Certified Professional Coach
Harker Heights, TX
We want to get to know you! Briefly tell us about yourself: Where you came from, where you've been and how you're living your dream?
Wow, how brief do you want me to be? Ha! I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio and the oldest of six children. I enlisted in the Army at 18 years old, three weeks after high school graduation. I immediately fell in love with the Army and serving my country and for the bulk of my 21 years of service it was good to me. During my service, and while deployed to Afghanistan, my husband was Killed in Action. That day, and the months and years that followed changed my life. I have been able to take my experiences and apply them to helping others, ultimately becoming a Certified Professional Coach. I have since allowed myself to be open to the possibility of love again and have found myself remarried with another child on the way (I already have two)! Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself in this wonderful place where my life is full. I want to help others find that place for themselves and am dedicated to doing so.
How do you define success?
I define success as a recurring accomplishment of ones goals, big or small, and then redefining or finding new goals and starting the process again. It is not a place one ever really arrives at but is more of a cycle that one is dedicated to living.
What did it take to make your dream happen and when did you know you had arrived?
I am not sure I have arrived nor ever will. There is always more to strive for, more to make happen.
What are you most proud of? Go ahead, boast a little!
I am most proud of my two children. Together, we have all been through a lot and both of them have proven to be resilient and amazing young people through it all. They are the reason I am still standing!
What was your biggest obstacle/fear and what was your turning point?
My biggest fear to date has been leaving the Army. I knew deep down I had/have so much to offer the world but had NO CLUE where to begin. My turning point was when I was terminated from my first job post Army. I always knew it wasn't a job I wanted to do long term but felt like all the pieces needed to be perfect before making a move. After losing that job I decided to go for my dreams!
What’s the best advice you’d give to a younger you?
Ask more questions and always be open to learning more about any and everything!
How do you stay motivated and purposeful when you feel overwhelmed?
I remind myself how far I've come but how far I have to go. Also I remind myself of the positive feedback from others who have shared how much I have helped them.
Tell us a time when a perceived failure was actually a blessing in disguise or served you in a surprising way.
Like I mentioned above - when I was let go from my first job post Army career. It gave me the push I needed to get out of my comfort zone and pursue what I really wanted.
What is your favorite vice/guilty pleasure/strange habit? Come on now, we all have them!
I feel like I'm a boring person when trying to come up with this answer...I'd have to say either having a "junky food night" with my son, Eddie, OR driving my Jeep with inappropriate/bad language music blaring and singing along to all the words.
What's the smartest investment you’ve made for yourself?
Allowing myself to be open to love again. My husband, Omari, is one of a kind and an AMAZING man.
What’s MOST important to you right now?
Time with my family
Share 1-2 books you've given as gifts:
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
What have you learned to say no to?
Anything that will spread me too thin or that I don't believe is worth stressing about due to competing demands. (I used to say yes to EVERYTHING!)
What's something most people would never guess about you?
I'm not as confident as I may appear
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