Jenny Mitchell, CFRE, DMA, CEC is the Chief Visionary Officer of Chavender where she works closely with leaders to change the world one mission at a time. She is a dynamic speaker, executive coach, fundraising professional, and host of the Underdog Leadership podcast. She is also the author of Embracing Ambition: Empowering Women to Step Out, Be Seen, and Lead, uniting twelve exceptional women leaders from across North America with a simple goal: to share their leadership stories as a mentorship resource for the next generation of women leaders.

You are an author, but is it your day job? If not, what does fill your days? I am an executive coach and professional fundraiser. I run a company called Chavender that helps grow talent in the non-profit sector from emerging leaders to established professionals in the senior leadership suite. I wrote the book Embracing Ambition: Empowering Women to Step Out, Be Seen and Lead to encourage women leaders to own their own stories and learn from the research on women’s leadership.

Did you always want to be an author? Yes, but I didn’t know what I would write, or how I would make it happen. As an aspiring academic, I always hoped one day I would write a book that would help more people and leave an impact on the world. But it wasn’t until my 50’s that I finally found the subject I was supposed to write about: women’s leadership.

How do you handle setbacks and criticism? You have to remember that the most important voice to listen to is your own voice. It’s easy to get caught up with what other people are saying. It takes practice to slow down, and ask yourself “what do I need right now?” Criticism can help you get better, once you are open to hearing it, and that may take some time. Setbacks are pretty much standard on any path. I remind myself of the motivation that got me into the process when the going gets rough. That helps a lot.

How did writing a book help your career take off? I am within the first 6 months of launching my book, so the full picture is still unfolding. I had a strategic goal of repositioning myself from a professional fundraiser to an executive coach with the book. I believe I have successfully achieved this with the book. My goal is to work with ambitious and compassionate women leaders going forward. I believe the book is the tool that will get me there.

How do you believe your book will uplift others? The audience for the book is mid-level and emerging women leaders in North America. My goal in sharing both the research on women’s leadership AND the first-person lived experience stories of these women, is to help women be better prepared for the obstacles they will encounter on the way to the senior leadership table. The stories are honest, inspiring, and relatable. Any woman leader reading the book can relate to the experiences described in detail. With this information, I hope women leaders will be uplifted to dive into the corporate world with more courage, more energy and more optimism. I hope they will ask for more, be clearer with what they desire, and ask for the money and the promotions they deserve.

Connect with Jenny and learn all about how she empowers success via her website.