Name: Jenny Drescher
Position: Co-Founder
Company: Bolder Company, Inc.
How many years have you been in your current field? 13+
Which project, deal or transaction was the “game changer” in the advancement of your career during the last 10 years? When we landed AARP as a client. They play a critical role in communities across the country, in ways that most of us don’t realize, and a lot of it is achieved through an army of carefully vetted, smart, committed volunteers. Many of these folks come from high-profile leadership roles, and they loved what we brought to the table and how they learned from us. This was validating for us because it showed us the power of our work. It showed us that we do our best work with the good-to-great thinkers. We learned that our best clients are folks who recognize that no matter what status or experience you have, there’s always a part of you that can be more courageous and strive to become the best version of yourself you are capable of being.
They get that we all need help to make that happen with ourselves and the groups we work with, so that’s where Bolder gets to play.
What are you doing differently in 2019 that has had a positive impact on your career? Reducing my to-do list and eliminating stuff that’s not imperative to taking great care of our clients or moving us forward in our goals. I’m training myself to get really clear on what’s mission-critical and focus my attention on it first thing in the morning, so it’s done and off my desk. It’s freeing up my energy and creativity while building my confidence and skills.
Who are three women – living or dead – that you would like to have drinks with and why?
1. Michelle Obama – she’s smart, classy, and compassionate. Her perspective on so many topics would be intriguing to me.
2. Lucy Maud Montgomery – her famous Anne character portrays the importance of women and girls creating their own way to shine brightly on their own terms. Perseverance and bravery in the face of disapproval, paired with learning to trust yourself – those skills are timeless and as pertinent to the modern woman as they were to a woman 100 years ago.
3. My Aunt Carol. She followed her own inner wise, fun self and lived a very full life as a result. She was a great role model for me when I was growing up and I miss her often.
What were your biggest fears when you started out in your profession? That my unconventional methods and tendency to ignore rules would not find a home in the marketplace. What I’ve found since then is that I, and my business partner Ellen Feldman Ornato, have become beacons for people who want to set aside a lot of the “shoulds” that hold them back so that they can not just learn information and principles, but that they can actually do things differently, working and leading from an integral, authentic place. Me walking my talk makes it possible for my clients to do so, so the thing I feared became the thing that has made me successful.