Blog: Professional Reinvention with Jennifer Oliver O'Connell

As the youngest of seven, Jennifer Oliver O’Connell has been in the process of reinventing herself since she first realized she was not the little girl that her older siblings pegged her to be. 

Now, she freely shares the secrets of her success. Jennifer hosts the "Tuesdays with Transitioners" meetup on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

"It started with a growing awareness in my church community of the number of people negatively impacted by the downturn in the economy," she says. "I was part of a group that was brainstorming ways to serve, not only our parishioners, but the community at large. As so often happens, the person who speaks up the most gets nominated to lead, and that’s how I came to start the meetup for transitioners." Jennifer modestly omits the most likely fact:  she was the most qualified in the group.

While Jennifer has known she was a writer since she was a teen, she started out working in the legal field when she first moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. She worked with prestigious law firms, while earning a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California. She moved into the entertainment field and found time to pick up a credential in yoga instruction. 

These days, Jennifer says she is in the Transformation business. "I help people transform their bodies with yoga instruction, transform their thinking with my writing, and transform their business or career with the Reinvention Coaching."

I first met Jennifer almost exactly a year ago when she joined the Work@Homers networking group, about which I’ve blogged previously, becoming one of the inaugural members. She has been a regular contributor ever since, quietly and effectively extending her expertise, friendship, and compassion to all in our diverse community of entrepreneurs , consultants, coaches, and independent associates. 

She attended the "What’s My Line?" workshop I facilitated last week, about which I have also blogged.  While the workshop participants found it worthwhile, both creative and provocative, I felt it would have benefitted from a more practical call to action at the end. I know that’s where Jennifer excels, so I called for her advice. We have decided to combine forces and offer a more focused "What’s My Line?" workshop at her next Tuesdays with Transitioners meetup next Tuesday, Oct. 16, at noon in Northridge. 

The "What’s My Line?" workshop presents the opportunity to go beyond our set notions of "this is the job I do," and tap into our unique gifts and abilities to consider "what do I have to offer?" and "how can I best utilize the talents I have?"

As more and more of us are leaving jobs, either because our jobs have disappeared or because we’re seeking more autonomy, more flexibility, or a more purposeful devotion of our time and talents, we are given the opportunity that we might not otherwise take: The thoughtful exploration and redefinition of our career and business endeavors.

If you’re still wondering what you’re going to be when you grow, up, I invite you to join us next Tuesday for an exercise in your own professional redefinition.

For more about Tuesdays with Transitioners, see: Tuesdays-with-Transitioners
To stay abreast of follow all of Jennifer Oliver O’Connell’s activities,
see her website As-The-Girl-Turns, her column at examer.com on Faith and Community, or @asthegirlturns on Twitter.

For more about Work@Homers, see: www.meetup.com/WorkAtHomers