Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Woo.
Hi Jenny, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m the first person in my family to attend a 4-year college. Fast forward, I also have an MBA from UC Berkeley, M.Ed. from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from UC Irvine. As someone who frequently speaks about Emotional Intelligence at colleges and in the workplace, I jokingly tell my audience that I earned enough credentials so that my parents and relatives could each have an honorary degree–they were fully capable but just didn’t have the resources to do so. All jokes aside, needing to figure out things on my own trained me to be incredibly resourceful, resilient, and hard-working. It also taught me the importance of having a positive mindset and interpersonal skills.
I dedicate my career and research to helping people realize their potential from classrooms to boardrooms–especially those with less privileged backgrounds. I worked in childhood development as a Montessori school administrator; in adult development as an MBA career coach and instructor of Leadership Communications at UC Berkeley; in organizational development as a Human Capital consultant at Deloitte Consulting; and in leadership development as a Talent & Succession Planning manager at Cisco Systems; and growth mindset and memory training with older adults 70+ as a cognitive neuroscience researcher.
In working across the lifespans, I noticed the importance of mindset and emotional intelligence in people’s ability to succeed and their overall well-being. Yet, these essential intrapersonal and interpersonal skills were not taught nor emphasized in schools and workplaces. For this reason, I created a series of 52 Essential card games to help children and adults build emotional mastery and social competence–anytime and anywhere. My business was incubated out of The Harvard Innovation Labs (where I did my Master’s) and nurtured at UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation (where I did my Ph.D.).
As the Founder/CEO of Mind Brain Emotion, I am passionate about bridging research and practice. My 52 Essential product line is used by teachers, parents, and mental health professionals in more than 50 countries. The products have won the 2018 Parents’ Choice Awards®, Tillywig BRAIN CHILD Award, and 2021 National Parenting Product Award, Parents’ Favorite Products, Family’s Choice Award, and more.
For more information on my story, see my TEDx talk: “How to be Self-ish without Feeling Selfish” (https://www.ted.com/talks/jenny_woo_how_to_be_self_ish_without_feeling_selfish)
Also available on Amazon:
52 ESSENTIAL COPING SKILLS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L6WTBDR
52 ESSENTIAL CONVERSATIONS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FKSQV47
52 ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QKMVB35
52 ESSENTIAL CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FYL1Y1V
52 ESSENTIAL SOCIAL SKILLS (K-3): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BB8W4FJ2
52 ESSENTIAL SOCIAL SITUATIONS (3-6): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBD986GS
52 ESSENTIAL SOCIAL DILEMMAS (MIDDLE SCHOOL): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBLDH9K7
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. As a parent of three, I am constantly challenged on a daily basis juggling family, school (I was a student the first three years of my business), and work.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mind Brain Emotion. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Mind Brain Emotion was born at the world-famous Harvard Innovation Labs at Harvard University and nurtured at the UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation.
We create cleverly simple, immensely practical, and immediately actionable tools to help people become happier, calmer, and wiser. We repurpose a regular deck of cards to provide bite-size, evidence-based emotional intelligence skills and strategies that people can use and see results from day one. Our card decks help people have authentic conversations (52 Essential Conversations), strengthen relationships (52 Essential Relationship Skills), build emotional agility and resilience (52 Essential Coping Skills), develop social competence (52 Essential Social Skills series), and make smart decisions (52 Essential Critical Thinking Skills).
We strive to provide the most up-to-date and relevant resources for our customers. Our card decks come with “How-To” videos, online assessments, and facilitator guides. We are always developing new supporting resources and innovating new ways to build emotional intelligence skills.
Our 52 Essential cards games and tools are used by teachers, parents, and mental health professionals in more than 50 countries. The products have won the 2018 Parents’ Choice Awards®, Tillywig BRAIN CHILD Award, 2021 National Parenting Product Award, Parents’ Favorite Products, Family’s Choice Award, and more. Featured by Harvard University, Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Harvard Graduate School of Education, University of California Berkeley.
The card decks are available on our website (http://mindbrainemotion.com) or Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L6WTBDR).
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I learned that if I focus on developing quality products that truly meet the fundamental needs of my customers, then my company was going to be okay–and even pandemic-proof. For example, I listened deeply to the pain points and needs of my college students and the people around me.
I realized that people desperately needed help developing adaptive coping skills to weather the Covid-19 crisis. But, most people did not have access to help because they were either resource-strapped (i.e., lack of money and time) or espoused stigmas around mental health issues.
In response, I created the 52 Essential Coping Skills, which provided cleverly simple and actionable strategies that people could implement right away to feel better–and uncover their mental health stigmas through the process of doing so. The 52 Essential Coping Skills ended up being the bestseller (still to do) and greatly used, applauded, and recommended by therapists and psychologists around the nation.
I learned the importance of noticing opportunities and turning them into silver linings. My business ended up growing by over 300% during the pandemic.
Pricing:
- 52 Essential Conversations ($24.99)
- 52 Essential Coping Skills ($24.99)
- 52 Essential Critical Thinking Skills ($24.99)
- 52 Essential Relationship Skills ($24.99)
- Online Emotional Intelligence Certificate Program ($199)
Contact Info:
- Website: http://mindbrainemotion.com; http://mindbrainparenting.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindbrainparenting
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindBrainParenting
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mindbrainparent
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWiXe7-7ZvJgc_W__xW6lzA
- Other: TEDx talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/jenny_woo_how_to_be_self_ish_without_feeling_selfish
Image Credits
Jenny Woo, Lisa Hu Chen, Josh Friedman, Alyssa Petrella
