Patagonia Untamed

Jess was raised by mountain guides and has been working and playing in mountain ranges across the world her whole life. Love of walking through wild places was instilled in her at a young age, when she became the youngest person (a title since given to an even younger individual) to thru hike the famed Continental Divide Trail in a 3,200 mile odyssey across the country with her family.

For more than a decade, Jess has been guiding both internationally and domestically, including leading a team across west Antarctica. She loves connecting people to beautiful and wild landscapes, creating spaces in which people feel equally challenged and supported. Jess is a seasoned adventure guide, instructor, mentor, teacher. She loves supporting women in exploring elements of themselves that are not as often brought into the light and connecting them to an incredible outdoor community of like minded individuals, whether it is set against the backdrop of foreign peaks or in the familiar setting of her hometown in Colorado. And as a lover of  literature and journaling, Jess is naturally drawn to the way HHJ facilitates unique transformational experiences!

Jess lived for five years in Patagonia and speaks Spanish fluently. Getting to take a group of women into the area of the world that she called home is a dream come true. Her greatest desire is that women walk away from her trips feeling like they have discovered that they are more capable, stronger, and have more sparkle than they originally believed.

Jen loves celebrating and encouraging the beauty she sees in others. She's a gatherer and builder who naturally nurtures community and hosts safe environments for meaningful connection. She believes in our inherent wholeness and need for ongoing discovery, growth and relevance.

After pursuing careers in dance and design, Jennifer recognized that she thrives most nurturing people. She spent almost two decades developing and facilitating programmed trips and events for youth and families, including helping develop a national servant leadership program for teens as director during several of its formative years. As dean of girls at a midwestern boarding school, Jen heard a calling to nurture the kind of sisterhood that defies current cultural stereotypes and expectations. Honest Heart Journeys was conceived during long conversations about strong, gracious womanhood with a sister friend during COVID lockdowns. 

Jen loves exploring timeless women’s topics in her blogs and on her Honest Heart Podcast hosted on Spotify. Travel has always been a passion of hers, and she’s seen firsthand the powerful impact of intentional experiences facilitated within correlative environments and universal themes found in literature. Thus, the birth of Honest Heart Journeys!

Wherever Jen's gone, her 'sisters' -- wonderful women with whom she’s built teams, programs, and deep friendships – have been steady, supportive companions. This kind of quality sisterhood is woven through the HHJ experience. It encourages others to give time to nurture their spiritual hearts and gently holds them accountable to seeing and living their fullness, which of course blesses others. 

Jen lives in Colorado and Florida with her husband, Bill, and is mother to three beautiful adult children who have blessed her with the new role of "Nani."