Speaking & Workshops

About Jen as a Speaker

Jen McDowell spent nearly two decades as a healthcare attorney inside Fortune 25 companies before her own life came apart. She's not speaking theoretically about disruption or rebuilding — she's been on both sides of it, and audiences recognize themselves in that.

Most people in the room aren't failing. They're stuck. She knows the difference because she's lived it. People leave with a clearer read on what's actually in front of them — and a concrete sense of what to do next.

TEDxAlbuquerque August 2026

Jen is also the host of Through the Sh#t — a podcast about loss, resilience, and rebuilding. Listen at throughtheshit.com.

What She’ll Talk About

The Identity Question

Who are you when the thing you built yourself around — a job, a marriage, your health — is suddenly gone? Identity collapse and what actually comes after.

When Sh#t Strikes Twice

Surviving one crisis is hard enough. What happens to your sense of self when life comes back for another round just as you're finding your footing.

Chosen Sh#t vs. Unchosen Sh#t

Not all hard things happen to you — some you choose. What separates a breakdown from a breakthrough, and why that line is rarely as clean as it looks.

Going Through the Sh#t

What 13+ conversations with people who've lost jobs, parents, health, and identity actually reveal about resilience — nothing like the highlight reel.

  • "The depth of knowledge and compassion Jen brought was truly appreciated — the discussion was so engaging the audience didn't want it to end."

    Legal Community Wellness Program Organizer

Full- and Half-Day Workshops

Navigate the Sh#t

WHAT: A pre-workshop friction assessment + a 3- or 6-hour deep-dive to excavate, reveal and start facing the unintended impact of your sh#t so you can make designs and build alignment within your team.

WHO: For organizations that need a kick-start in reframing how they think about their sh#t.

IMPACT: Leave with greater clarity about how disruption has affected the way they think, communicate, decide, and lead—and a practical framework for navigating uncertainty without losing sight of what matters.

Speaking Logistics

Available for: Keynote · Full- or Half-Day Workshop · Panel
Fee Range: $2,500+
Format: In-person or virtual