Meet Jennifer Seniuk

We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Seniuk recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?

It is funny to see this as one of the interview questions, because I have been talking about this a lot recently. My name is Jenn and I am an Art Therapist who specializes in working with marginalized men supporting them in telling their stories through creative expression. In May of this year, I started a new community initiative called ‘My Friend Dave’. We meet in a local park, myself and a group of guys who live outside gather every Monday and we are working on a book, we make art, we play music, and we just connect.

The guys always ask me, “What’s the catch?” or “Why the hell are you so nice?” they are in complete disbelief that a human can be genuinely generous and kind without strings attached. And when I sit with this, I can honestly say that Jenn 10 years ago would have been subconsciously doing this to feel worthy of praise, to make myself feel good, or use this work to fill in the gaps where I needed love. But, I have done a lot of internal work, I have sat with my shadow parts, I am in therapy, I have done many hours of supervision and I finally love myself. So, when I show up for these guys, it is just genuine generosity because I have a lot of extra love in my heart. But there is more to it!

When my grandpa was alive he would share stories about being a business owner- he was a self made millionaire who came from nothing. He had 7 brothers and sisters, they caught rabbits to eat, burned their furniture so they wouldn’t freeze, and shared 1 pair of shoes for school. Despite all odds he became a business man- he owed a Tire Shop and the guys he would hire were guys who lived on the streets, or were in addiction. He gave them a chance because “who else would”. He taught them work ethic, he provided a safe space for them to find purpose, he saw the good in these guys who had tough lives, and understood that these guys had to have had a tough life to end up where they were.

It makes me a little emotional sharing this, because my grandpa was my best friend and to know that my generous spirit has truly come from him, feels very special.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a Jill of all trades, as they say! But in my private practice work as a counsellor and Art Therapist I have shifted my work to specializing in seeing men. I see clients individually for therapy, and I also run art therapy groups, or workshops. As an Art Therapist- because the field is still so new- I have had to ‘patch work’ my career together. You get very creative in the hustle and luckily I enjoy connecting with others! I also feel like after 4 years of hustling to establish my career it is finally starting to feel more consistent. Something my grandpa use to say is that you should always give a new business 5 years to settle, if you aren’t making money by then, it will never work.

But what I feel the MOST passionate about is the My Friend Dave project that I started in May 2024. I was feeling quite lost, and stuck emotionally in life and in my work- so I took a job at Salvation Army in Calgary February 2024 and worked at their Warming Stations for the winter. I needed something different, and loved the idea of being outside. We set up tents, handed out coffee, soup and just connected with vulnerable folks living outside. I felt such a big spark in this work and that’s when I met Dave! Dave would come to our stations daily, talk about art, history, travel, his family and it really challenged several unknown biases I had towards vulnerable folks. Dave spoke about writing a book about his life and then next thing you know in May we are starting this project!

Dave and I have become such good friends and it is because of him that we have supported 44 guys in feeling safe, sharing their stories, making art, or giving a snack to. I am blown away at the generosity of complete strangers! We have an Amazon wishlist that anyone can purchase from, and we now have a donation subscription option. We are currently working on growing our social media following so please check us out on all the socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfrienddaveyyc/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@myfrienddaveyyc
Youtube: https://www.tiktok.com/@myfrienddaveyyc

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Networking, networking, networking: it is not what you know, it is who you know. I still think of this often. When I had just started my undergrad a close friend of mine had said this to me and it really stuck. Because of his advice I always led with an open heart, and would work on building genuine personal relationships with people. This advice has actually taken me all over the world. One time I was on a beach in Australia getting a massage, and the massage therapist invited me to India with her family- a year later I was travelling with them to an Ashram to practice meditation for 2 weeks. The more I do this work, the more I see how a lot of people focus on the “gimme” first, before getting to know someone. So, when you show up genuinely because you are curious- it goes a long way.

2. Boundaries: mainly with yourself. This has been a massive one for me to learn. I have gotten really good at setting boundaries with others, but the most difficult one to finess has been setting boundaries with myself. Because this work has been a lot of hustling and grinding and taking any/all clients I had to learn to tune into my body. Is this new project a heck yes, or a meh? Do I have the emotional capacity to take on this work? Not having work seep into every hour of every day, but only working from set hours- which is VERY difficult when you are playing all the roles. I will say, once you set these boundaries and trust that you are not running out of time, you have way more energy and the jobs that are in alignment will come in.

3. Asking Questions: This is one I am still working on, because there is a part of me that doesnt want to “look stupid”. Ironic I know- my job is to literally ask questions ha ha! But, being curious and not making assumptions has been such an asset to my work in all areas. I am not the expert in anyone’s life, and when I assume I know what people are going to say I miss out on great opportunities!

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I didn’t intend on this, but it seems that a big theme of today’s interview is sharing about my grandpa Art. I have been thinking about him a lot lately, so this feels like a really nice way to honor him. He was a very successful businessman and he became so successful because he was incredibly smart. He might not have directly taught me things about business, but watching him be confident, not afraid to be direct, not taking care of everyone else’s emotions and knowing his worth, planted a lot of valuable seeds in my life.

The biggest thing that always stuck with me, was when he would ‘sleep on’ any big decision. He never got in a hurry, he would shop around, he wouldn’t get caught up in someone else’s panic and he would take his time. One time I asked him why he would sleep on big decisions and he said, “in my sleep, I am shown the right decision”.

When he passed it became very obvious just how big of a role he played in my life. I logically knew he did, but when he wasn’t physically there anymore it was the first time I really understood just how much he was there for me. But, that vacant space he once took up- has given me room to be brave, and step into a more confident, direct, person. Slowing down, and reminding myself to sleep on a decision has also been a big game changer. I get excited and want things now, but this pause gives my nervous system time to settle. When I am not being impulsive I shift into a beautiful flow state.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Emma Bass Photography
Ray Muise

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
How did you develop a strong work ethic?

We asked some of the hardest working artists, creatives and entrepreneurs we know to open

Confidence
Breaking Barriers: Succeeding Even When Representation is Lacking

What do you do when no one else in the company or the meeting looks

Mental Health
Thriving Through Adversity & Overcoming Mental Health Challenges

“After every storm, there is a rainbow. If you have eyes, you will find it.