A Daily Practice

I help women find their meaning outside of motherhood and the energy to pursue it. I do that through 1:1 coaching, small group workshops, and with my online community called A Daily Practice where we come together to undergo a yearlong transformation in just 10 minutes a day.

Why did you get into coaching?

In 2012, I lost my mother to Lupus when she was just 63. At the time I had a 4- and 2-year-old. We had co-authored 4 cookbooks and entertainment guides that complimented her work as a caterer and mine as an event designer. As part of my grief recovery, I started a blog to keep her legacy alive with all her recipes and stories. Very quickly I realized that I was not built for food blogging, so over time my work turned to focus on not losing myself within motherhood and the struggles I had of mothering, without a mother myself. In 2016 I created a curriculum called Life By Design, that helped women, mostly mothers, bring awareness to where they are slipping away within their own lives, and give them tangible tools to build structure, accountability, and voice within their lives. Since that time, I’ve delivered that curriculum to hundreds of women and have gone on to create more programs building on the idea that we can live a self-fulfilling life AND be an amazing mom, partner, and friend. My newest curriculum is called ignitHER, which helps women find the confidence, clarity, and direction in their next chapter in their lives. Since that time I have gotten certifications in DISC, VALUES and Bigger Game.

What’s your favorite part about what you do?

I love when my clients come to their own aha moment. That moment when they see with clarity where they are meant to go next and get so excited that they are unstoppable. I also love to see the women that I work with support each other, and build each other up. They are on this journey together and they get that and lean into it!

What’s the best transformation you’ve seen lately in a client?

I have a client that left a very high paying position on a trading room floor more than 17 years ago to stay home with her children. She dove into motherhood with the same tenacity and skill that took her up the ranks in financial services the years prior. And by the time she came to me she was depleted. She had given all she could and now her children were getting to the place where they will be taking off into the world and finally able to see space for herself in her future. But that was terrifying. She wondered what in the world she would do. Who would hire a woman that hadn’t worked in 17 years? How could she go back to what she was doing? Did she even want to do it? How could she adapt to working out in the world while still being available to her family? She had very little confidence that there was a place for her in the world. She joined my online community A Daily Practice when it launched in March 2021 and began working through the weekly and monthly curriculum aimed at creating daily practices, systems, and tools to become whole once again. I also worked with her individually and in small groups. Over the first year, she was able to articulate what she needed. She was able to build structure and accountability to bolster her confidence. And in the end was able to get a full-time job in financial services that she can do while still being available to her family as she launches them out into the world. She is now building on that confidence and in time will find another position that is even more suited to her strengths, interests, and skills. I work with all of my clients to help them realize that their futures are just a series of steppingstones, not a forever decision.

If you could share a word of wisdom with another woman in business, what would it be?

My words of wisdom to women are to reinvent with intent. We have been sold the idea that we have one passion, one role, one path. Once we pick it, we have to stay with it. We do not. At any given moment, we all stand at choice. We can choose to stay and do life just as we always have, or we can take one small step forward to the life that fills us up. One that brings together our skills, our interests, and our superpowers. And once we pull them together and point them to those in the world that need what we have, we can fire on all cylinders! Don’t ever be afraid to change directions!

What’s your favorite way to start the day?

How we start our day makes an incredible impact on our success…today and in the future! My whole business is based on creating simple practices that support us body, mind, and spirit. For me, I wake naturally each morning between 5 and 5:30 and then I meditate and do my morning pages (3 pages of stream of consciousness journaling). Once I get my two teen boys off to school, I do a one-mile trail walk and eat my breakfast in silence. Then at 9 I hit the desk and get started within my work in the world.

Why do you think women have a hard time seeking out coaching?

Women, especially mothers, have been led to believe that they need to do it all. They need to be superwomen. As a result, they stay incredibly busy so that they can keep up that persona and there is a thrill in being able to “do it all” and be recognized for it. However, it’s not sustainable. Over time something will suffer and typically they remain accountable to everyone but themselves. By admitting that they need help or a change, there is the fear that they will appear weak, or they will have to give something up and they want to be able to continue to do it all and then some.

What can women gain with the help of a coach?

Once a woman is ready to look at her life and everything in it with newfound awareness, she will see it for all of its parts. With the help of a coach, she can define her values, outline her priorities, and get guidance on how to finally say yes to herself and her wellbeing, while saying no to what no longer serves her or her family and role in the world. She gains clarity, confidence, and connection with herself. Coaching is a short-term engagement that provides the woman with an amazing boost to allow her to level up in her life. It’s not about coming out the other side a new person. It’s about coming out as her best self.

Connect with Jennessa

jennessadurrani.com
adailypractice.mn.co
jennessa@jennessadurrani.com
instagram.com/justjennessa
facebook.com/justjennessa
linkedin.com/in/jennessadurrani