Smart Humans: Jenni Grover

Photo by Alix Kramer

I'd like to introduce you to Jenni Grover.

Jenni is a wellness coach for creative folks, and a wonderful quilter. I just love her generous spirit and compassionate approach to creativity.

I first connected with Jenni through the social networks. I came across one of her articles about quilting and physical wellness, and I was like, “Holy crap, she wrote this just for me!” You can read more of her articles for SuzyQuilts here, and learn about her coaching services on her website.

I highly recommend following her on Instagram and LinkedIn, and reading her book ChronicBabe 101: How to Craft an Incredible Life Beyond Illness.

Jenni was gracious enough to answer some interview questions for me. Enjoy!

What's your favorite hour of the day, day of the week, or season of the year?

My favorite hour of the day is morning, around 7:30am, when I've been awake for a couple of hours and done my yoga and had breakfast. There's a moment then when I feel strong and ready for the day, and I love that feeling!

My favorite day of the week is probably Friday. I love the anticipation of a weekend spent doing fun things! As a self-employed person who works from home, it's critical that I set boundaries for work and not-work.

My favorite season, hands down, is summer. I'm obsessed with gardening -- I have a big organic veggie and herb garden in our backyard, and I've planted hundreds of native perennial flowering plants all around our house. Summer is when it all explodes and it's beautiful. I adore sharing food and flowers that I've grown because it feels so magical, and helps me connect with my community. And I love making exuberant bouquets to give people all summer!

What do you empower people (including yourself) to do?

Through my work, I empower people to learn about themselves in deep and unusual ways. The result is that they understand better how to take care of themselves, to advocate and work for change. My clients feel empowered to make big life changes and experiment more.

Through the way I live, which is driven by truth, I empower myself to honor my past and step into a healthier present and future. I come from a family that skews truth, and growing up I always knew that was unhealthy. Today, I feel able to recognize my reality, which leads me to accept it and then take positive action.

I've come to this path through a few steps:

1. Becoming a journalist at age 16 and continuing to do that work even today, which is all about truth-seeking. And about connecting with others.

2. Through 25 years of learning to live with multiple chronic illnesses. That process required me to accept some really hard things, and to get creative with how I live.

3. By exploring trauma therapy in recent years, I've been able to shed a lot of physical damage that came from my childhood and early adulthood. That has changed my mental and physical health in huge, wonderful ways!

So as I do this work and take these actions, I'm learning more and more how to be my own best advocate. And by being vulnerable and sharing my experiences, I'm empowering other people to do self-advocacy work as well.

Photo by Alix Kramer

When people come to you for help, what's the number one question you hear?

Almost all of my coaching clients come to me with a desire for a more fulfilling creative life. They want to know: How do I get comfortable with experimentation? How do I get courageous about showing my work? How do I make more time for my creative pursuits? How do I manage health issues so I'm more able to follow creative passions?

What they're usually really asking is: How do I learn to believe in myself?

...Because when you believe in yourself deeply, you get braver about being "weird." You stop caring what others think. It becomes automatic to prioritize your art. You will feel comfortable making changes that empower you to be more creative.

So while I don't usually tell people they can come to me to learn how to believe in themselves again, maybe I should -- because that's the real thing they want and need help with. :)

What's something that people get wrong about you or your work?

A lot of people think a coach is someone who is just your cheerleader, or someone who gives you advice or directions to follow.

But I'm a wellness coach for makers! Wellness needs are as diverse as humans are, so I don't have a program of advice or a list of directions I can give out. And makers come in all shapes and sizes, too.

So my coaching is highly personalized. I guide each client through a learning process so they can uncover their true needs. Then together we come up with strategies that help them make lasting inner and outer change.

And yes, I'll be their cheerleader! But I'll also be so much more.

If you knew you'd be wildly successful, what would you try today?

I would be a painter! I took painting lessons as a kid but wow, I was not good at it. But I love the feel of a paint-filled brush gliding across a canvas. I would love to get messy and splash paint around and make a masterpiece.

Maybe that means it's time for me to try painting again?!

Photo by Alix Kramer

What's something you love to make?

I love to make quilts! I love every step, from choosing a pattern to gathering fabrics to assembling blocks to quilting it and hand-sewing on a binding. I love every step. (Okay, I actually hate basting a quilt. But that's a short step!)

Quilts have become so much more to me than just fancy blankets. They're a source of connection with others. They've inspired periods of service (I was president of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild for a time, and I'm about to rejoin the board.) They are a delight for my senses. They are challenges to be worked through, problems to be solved. They make amazing gifts that the recipients treasure. They give my home life and comfort. And they're packed with memory and history!

I'll be making quilts for the rest of my life.

Where should we go to learn more about you?

Head to coachjennigrover.com to learn more about how my coaching works. Connect with me on Instagram for education and silliness. And check out my series of self-care articles for makers at SuzyQuilts.com.

Jenni, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

Want to be interviewed for my Smart Humans series?

Send some information about you and your work to sarah@sarahatlee.com.

Ongoing Mastery Podcast with Kirsten Rourke

I had the great pleasure of learning from presenting and speaking coach Kirsten Rourke for an episode of her podcast, Ongoing Mastery. (Podcast website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

How Can I Be My Best Guest?

I love being a guest on podcasts, and I wanted to get some tips on how I can get better at it. My goals are to be as easy as possible for podcasters to work with, and to show up ready to have genuine conversations.

Listen to the episode here: How can I be a better podcast guest? Coaching with Sarah Atlee, Improvisational Quilter.

You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

For the full audio-visual experience, check it out on YouTube.

Read the transcript here.

From the show notes:

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten gives Sarah Atlee tips for a smoother experience as a podcast guest. Once your lighting is all set and you’re making eye contact with the camera, think about what might go wrong and be prepared with alternatives, just in case. They also discover that they’re both fans of online role-playing games!

Key take-aways:

• Have a genuine conversation, don’t just deliver your planned talking points

• Know how your material intersects with the podcast’s audience

• Consider having a QR code for your website, etc, rather than sharing a long web address

Thank you, Kirsten!

Kirsten Rourke gave me such wonderful advice that will bring me value for years to come. Her clear, succinct tips on how to be a better speaker and storyteller are helping me to expand my audience and move my business to the next level. Thank you for your fabulous conversation!

Connect with Kirsten Rourke, presenting and speaking coach, at her website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

The Cure Dream

My first concert was The Cure. Fall of 1996. I dyed my hair purple the day before and sweated purple dye all over my new dress but it didn't matter because The Cure.

They've occupied a special place in my heart since 1993. So imagine my delight when I heard that they were bringing their intimate backyard/living room tour to my town!*

* Okay, not really. This happened in a dream. But in the dream, they came to my city and I was going to see them again in concert!

Bare Beds

Well, when they got here, they encountered a snafu. Apparently, their fixer had bungled their accommodation arrangements. When they checked into their AirBnB, all the beds were bare. No sheets, no blankets, nothing.

Luckily, I had just arrived to check on them and make sure they had everything they needed. I'm considerate like that. Robert Smith spotted the quilt I keep in the back of my car (you know, in case of snowdrifts).

He said, "Could we borrow some quilts?"

I flew into ecstasies and yelled, "Sure! This one's extra warm! This one's extra long! This one's extra colorful!" Basically I threw my entire inventory of quilts at The Cure.

A lady can dream, right?

Actually, this dream can come true.

Are you an AirBnB host? Do you own vacation rental properties? Is it time to spruce up your space with placemats, table runners, and new quilts on the beds? Let's talk.

Log Cabin, cotton fabrics with fleece batting, machine pieced, hand tied. 2006-2012 (Yes, it took that long to finish. Quilts have no statute of limitations.)

Technical Note

This quilt really is extra soft. Why? Because as a novice quilter, I knew my limits. Because this quilt is queen size, I knew I wouldn't be able to quilt it on my domestic machine. Hence the yarn ties. It also has fleece for batting. It would absolutely keep Robert Smith warm.

Have Quilt, Will Travel

I typically travel with a quilt.* Hotel blankets tend to be too lightweight for my taste. Snuggling up under the weight & comfort of my handmade quilt makes sleeping away from home easier, even in warm weather.

Usually I take this log cabin quilt I started in 2006 and finished ...later. (Remember, quilts have no statute of limitations.)

It’s rumpled because it normally lives folded up in my car. You know, in case of snowdrifts.

When I made this queen-size quilt, I didn’t yet have access to a longarm quilting machine, so I tied it.

Also, I didn’t know a lot about seam allowances. We live and learn.

What If...

What if I didn't have to bring my own quilt?

What if I booked a stay at a gorgeous getaway, and arrived to find beautiful, one-of-a-kind quilts already there?

On the bed.

Draped over the couch.

Placemats on the table.

Potholders in the kitchen.

I can make this happen for you.

Whether you operate a vacation property or just want to feel that level of luxury in your home sweet home, I'm here to help.

Start your custom quilt project by visiting the Commissions page and booking your Customization Session with me today!

* I know I'm not alone. Luke Haynes does this too. Do you travel with a quilt? Tell us about it! #HaveQuiltWillTravel

Repetition: E

Repetition: E

Reclaimed garments, vintage sheet, and other cotton and wool fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 44" H x 39" W, 2022. $850 Click here to purchase.

Quilt Blocks Are Small Problems.

A small problem, created and solved, over and over. That's how I think about making a quilt. Build the blocks, then build with the blocks.

But wait - Sarah, aren't you an improv quilter? I thought you didn't make quilt blocks.

I actually make a ton of quilt blocks. I just don't make them all the same size or shape or color. That's where the improvisation comes in.

In Repetition: E, the building blocks are easier to see.

This is one of the quilts I started in early 2022 during the Abstract Piecing workshop series with Sherri Lynn Wood. It had snowed that week, and I was noticing the shapes made by different tire treads in the show.

The blocks are composed from very simple elements. All rectangles, one horizontal, the rest perpendicular to that one. Most of them are only two colors, to make the brain read the shapes as letter E's. Kinda like those charts at the opthamologist's office.

As with Don't Stop Me Now, I challenged myself to use mostly striped fabrics, which enforced the rectangular motif.

More Rule-Breaking

I could have made all of the E blocks the same size and shape. But my curious mind says, "Never make a rule unless you intent to break it." And rubs its little brainy hands together a-la-Mr.-Burns.

What if this block had 3 colors instead of 2? What if this one had 4 stripes, or 5, or 6? What if this one didn't make the E shape? What if this one was longer, or shorter, or wider? And so on. I can't help myself. I gotta try everything.

Basic Split is another example of this approach: Start with a very simple block construction, and make multiple variations on that theme.

Repetition: E is now available in my web store!

Click here to bring this bit of coziness into your own home.

Not Quite Right? Commission Your Own!

Like what you see, but want it in a different size? Different colors? Another variation? Let's talk about your custom quilt! Check out my Commissions page and book your Quilt Customization Session today.