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Jennifer Houston

Jennifer brings over 20 years experience in leadership, board and consultant roles in the areas of: nonprofit management, organizational development, fundraising, communications, community engagement, strategic planning, board governance, and executive coaching.

About Jennifer

Jennifer Houston (she/they) joined Better World Partners in March 2022. Jennifer brings over 20 years experience in leadership, board and consultant roles in the areas of: nonprofit management, organizational development, fundraising, communications, community engagement, strategic planning, board governance, executive coaching, and most recently, diversity, equity and inclusion based on the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) framework. They have worked at the intersections of race/ethnicity, gender/gender orientation and identity, and other areas of identity that are marginalized to bring more social justice in the world.

They identify as a queer adopted Korean American woman with deep-lived professional and personal experiences that inform her practice. She envisions a world where all people can be seen with respect, care and dignity for who they are, and is working to build this through her work. Jennifer has a BA in psychology and women’s studies from the University of Minnesota and an MPA in nonprofit management and public policy from the Humphrey School, and recently completed a certificate in Facilitating Culture Change. Jennifer is an avid outdoors person, studies energy healing modalities, and has two cats and a partner who she pets regularly.

Coaching

Work with Jennifer

Specialties:
  • Equity
    Equity coaching focuses on fostering equitable practices and outcomes within organizations by addressing systemic biases and promoting inclusion. Through tailored guidance and support, coaches help leaders and teams identify and dismantle barriers to equity, develop inclusive policies and practices, and cultivate a culture of belonging where all individuals can thrive and contribute to their full potential.
  • Grant Writing
    Provides targeted support and guidance to individuals seeking to improve their grant writing skills and increase their success in securing funding. Coaches help writers enhance their proposal development, storytelling, and project planning abilities through personalized feedback, training, and resources. By refining techniques, overcoming common pitfalls, and staying abreast of funding trends, coaching for grant writers empowers individuals to craft compelling grant applications and secure vital resources for their organizations or projects.
  • Intercultural Development
    Intercultural coaching offers personalized support and guidance to individuals navigating diverse cultural contexts. By fostering cultural humility, awareness, and communication skills, coaches help clients navigate cultural differences,* build inclusive communities, and succeed in multicultural environments. Through practical strategies, cultural insights, and empathy, intercultural coaching enables individuals to thrive in a globalized world by embracing diversity and leveraging one's own cultural strengths. *Differences come in many categories, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age/generation, socioeconomic status, geography, education level, positionality/power differential, caretaking status, and any difference that affects how you experience your life.
  • Somatic
    Somatic coaching is a holistic personal development and transformation approach that integrates the mind, body, and emotions. It emphasizes awareness of bodily sensations, movement, posture, and breathing patterns to facilitate self-discovery and growth. Through guided exercises and dialogue, somatic coaches help clients explore how physical sensations and movements are interconnected with thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. By cultivating mindfulness and body awareness, clients can deepen their understanding of themselves, overcome limitations, understand how energy will affect them and their work, and achieve personal and professional goals. BWP also offers resources for healing options and referrals if needed. *No physical touching. However, somatic coaches can pick up on their clients’ energy to help counsel or advise on strategies and/or next steps
  • Antiracism
    Coaching focused on learning and understanding principles of antiracism provides personalized guidance and support to individuals committed to understanding and dismantling racism. Through education, self-reflection, and actionable strategies, antiracism coaches help clients develop the awareness, skills, and courage to challenge biases, advocate for equity, and contribute to creating a more just and inclusive society. Antiracism coaching empowers individuals to actively engage in antiracist work and become agents of positive change within their communities and organizations by fostering accountability, empathy, and allyship.
  • BIPOC Leadership
    BIPOC Leadership Coaching offers tailored guidance and support for individuals from Black, Indigenous, and communities of color navigating the challenges of leadership. Empowering BIPOC professionals to unlock their full potential, coaches with this specialty address unique racialized experiences, foster authenticity and cultivate essential skills for success in inclusive and equitable leadership roles.
  • Personal Development
    Personal development coaching is a transformative journey focused on empowering individuals to reach their full potential in all areas of life. Through personalized guidance, goal setting, and accountability, coaches help clients identify strengths, overcome obstacles, and create meaningful change in careers, relationships, health, and mindset. By fostering self-awareness, resilience, and a growth mindset, personal development coaching enables individuals to live with greater purpose, fulfillment, and success.

In her coaching practice, Jennifer Houston (she/they) deeply understands that part of her purpose revolves around aiding individuals engaged in meaningful work to fully embrace their purpose and values by facilitating an understanding and bridging of differences.

Like everyone else, Jennifer embodies multiple identities influenced by societal norms, familial structures, geography, and generation. Her politicized identity, guiding her purpose, is that of a queer, transracially adopted Korean American woman. This visible and hidden identity has compelled them to navigate systems unprepared to understand differences like theirs. Confronting systemic barriers, Jennifer learned alternative means of communication and relationship-building, realizing that her sense of not fitting in was actually her superpower for effecting change.

Through intentional reflection and deep healing, Jennifer has honed their superpower to support and coach leaders from diverse backgrounds, fostering belonging and inclusion within themselves and their organizations.

Employing an intercultural trauma-informed developmental and somatic approach, Jennifer incorporates a racial, gender, and gender identity lens, with equity and inclusion as core values in her coaching framework. She aims to empower the next generation of leaders, particularly pioneers and ‘onlys’ of any identity within organizations, to address systemic barriers and cultivate holistic leadership practices, thus enhancing resilience and preventing burnout, especially in social justice spaces.

As a coach, Jennifer cultivates/fosters/nurtures the coaching relationship as mutually beneficial, where both parties contribute their lived experiences. Together, they explore the client’s leadership journey, experiencing breakthroughs collaboratively. Jennifer holds a safe space for experimentation, learning from mistakes, and navigating real-time challenges. She uplifts strengths and supports growth areas, fostering reflection, practice, and building resilience on the client’s leadership journey.

Ultimately, Jennifer believes that creating the envisioned world necessitates diverging from conventional teachings and conditioning. Challenges and setbacks are viewed as pivotal learning opportunities to comprehend learning edges and systemic barriers, requiring ongoing support and capacity building.

Jennifer has primarily collaborated with nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, and academic institutions in their coaching endeavors.

 

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