“My podcast is kinda like getting a hug from a friend, but also a sweet kick in the booty at the same time.”
I had to giggle as Jennifer Allwood described her show—mostly because she couldn’t have been more accurate. Her podcast is equal parts self-help reality check and “you-can-do-it” motivation.
With dogs barking (the UPS man interrupted our interview) and echoes of kiddos in the background, Jennifer’s office was full of the happy working-from-home vibe that comes across in her podcast episodes, too.
Back in 2000, Jennifer started a decorative painting company from Kansas City. She fell in love with the painting—and how the company allowed her to stay at home to raise her kids.
Then, she stumbled on the power of social media, and it blew up her business. She shifted to teaching others how to paint, and the business hit the six-figure mark within a year.
As her success in social media continued to grow, she also launched a social media training program to show other entrepreneurs how to do what she’d done. That program quickly led to a thriving Facebook group. Then, the success stories began to pour in from women taking their families on vacation, parents quitting corporate jobs to stay home, and families getting out of debt and building their dream homes.
Jennifer shared the effect this had on her personally, saying, “It’s so rewarding to me when I see women really blow up their business and do exceptionally well.”
With half-a-million followers on social media, Jennifer decided the time was right to launch her podcast, The Jennifer Allwood Show… and, crickets.
Compared to the super-engaged community she’d built across social media, the podcast downloads grew slowly. 
For the first two years, Jennifer felt like she was banging her head against the wall as her number of subscribers slowly grew. But her determination and consistency paid off—now, the show’s ranked as high as #9 in Entrepreneurship and has clocked over a million downloads.
Her ideas for episodes now come from a notebook she keeps at her bedside, jotting down messages and inspiration throughout the day.
Most of that inspiration centers on one simple concept:
Don’t allow fear or overwhelm to stop you from doing what you’re here on Earth to do.
She lives that concept daily, knowing she’s got “a community who’s watching and waiting for me to slay my own dragons, so they can slay theirs,” she said.
For Jennifer, writing a book was one of the things she felt compelled to do. Just five-and-a-half hours after the pre-release listing for Fear is Not the Boss of You went live on Amazon, it hit number one status. And I’ve got to say, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
If you, like much of the world, could use a strong dose of something to believe in right now, pick up Jennifer’s book, tune in to her podcast, and treat yourself to a gentle hug and sweet kick in the booty.
And remember… as Jennifer reminds her community, “It’s okay to be scared, but you’ve got to show up anyway. Don’t stay trapped in fear.”
May 2020 Issue
Thank you, I was hesitant about entering the personal development space. But that’s what I’ve been immersed in for the past twenty five years, and it has enhanced my life, every day, in every way. So I’m all in on it now. I love that you kept going when the initial response was light. You stayed true to your message, and the results came in.