Meet Jennifer Stank

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Stank. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jennifer, so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.

Honestly, I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point I just stopped caring what people thought and I stopped needing other people’s approval. For the longest time, it felt like at every turn someone had an opinion about why I’d fail, how I was doing it wrong, or why I’d regret leaving the safety of a full-time job. The wildest part? Those comments didn’t just come from strangers online, but they also came from people I loved and trusted the most in this world.

Once that truth revealed itself—once I saw everyone’s true colors—I realized something huge: the only person I ever needed to make proud was my younger self, and the only one I needed to impress was my future self. That shift changed everything. When you know who you’re doing it for, the noise fades. Every negative comment just becomes background static compared to the clarity of your purpose.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

If I had to sum up my story, it’s definitely a rags-to-riches tale, but not in the traditional sense. It’s more about mental and spiritual wealth.

When I was younger, I struggled with confidence on a life-threatening level. I barely spoke, rarely interacted, and grew up in near isolation on a farm miles outside of town. My parents both worked full time, so visiting friends wasn’t always possible. I spent most of my childhood alone with my sister, but in that solitude, quietly, something sacred was forming.

I learned to observe. To listen. To dream. I’d spend hours watching birds, tracing shapes in the clouds, or pretending my swing could launch me into outer space. Looking back now, I realize that was my first real design education. The universe itself was teaching me how to see and creatively think. Those years of imaginative escape became the foundation for my creativity and curiosity.

Fast forward to college, I was accepted into my dream school by the skin of my teeth, and it became my mission to make the professor who took a chance on me proud. I caught up quickly, poured my soul into the craft, and landed a design job straight out of school. But even then, I was hungry. Hungry to learn more, do more, and create something that truly mattered.

That hunger led me through a few different creative paths until I discovered my true calling in branding and, oddly enough, vehicle wraps. There’s something so poetic about transforming a blank surface into something that moves, travels, and tells a story on wheels. It’s living design, poetry in motion.

Eventually, I took the leap and started my own studio, Stankin’ Good Design, where I help visionary entrepreneurs uncover the essence of who they are and translate it into brands that really feel alive. I call myself “The Clairvoyant Creative” because what I do isn’t just design, it’s energetic alignment.

Every project is a transformation story. My clients come to me seeking clarity, and together we build brands that mirror their evolution, brands that guide, magnetize, and awaken. It’s the most fulfilling work I can imagine.

Because truthfully, I’ve lived that transformation myself, from invisible to seen, from silent to self-assured, and now I get to help others do the same through the power of design. It’s awesome!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

If I had to narrow it down to three, I’d say self-awareness, curiosity, and resilience have been the biggest cornerstones of my growth.

Self-awareness taught me how to listen to my own intuition instead of the noise around me. In the early years, I spent a lot of time chasing what I thought success was supposed to look like. The moment I stopped and asked, “What actually feels right for me?” everything started to click. My advice? Spend time alone. Reflect. Journal. Sit with silence long enough to hear your own voice again, and yes that means turning off your phone for a bit. Because that’s exactly where your raw, unfiltered direction and purpose hides.

Curiosity has always been my compass. I’ve never stopped asking “why” or exploring the unknown corners of design, psychology, and human behavior. Curiosity keeps your work alive and your ideas evolving. The best way to strengthen it is to approach every project, every client, every mistake as a new piece of the puzzle that’s shaping you.

And finally, resilience. This journey is not linear. There are moments of doubt, rejection, and burnout. But resilience isn’t about never breaking—it’s about learning how to rebuild yourself with more clarity each time you do. When things fall apart, take it as a sign that something new wants to emerge.

If you can stay aware, stay curious, and stay standing even when it’s hard, you’ll create a body of work (and a life), that reflects who you truly are.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

One of the most transformative books I’ve ever read is The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer. It completely reframed how I experience my thoughts, emotions, and the world around me.

The biggest takeaway for me was the idea that you are not your thoughts, you’re the one observing them. That simple truth cracked something open in me. It helped me understand that the voice of fear, doubt, or criticism isn’t who I am; it’s just noise passing through. Once I began to separate my identity from that inner chatter, I stopped living for approval and started creating from alignment.

It also deepened my sense of self-awareness and resilience, two qualities that have defined my journey. When you can observe your inner world without judgment, you stop reacting to every wave and start learning how to surf them. That shift changed the way I show up in business, creativity, and even relationships.

Singer also talks a lot about surrender; the art of letting go and allowing life to flow instead of forcing outcomes. That mindset has become a core part of how I build brands and guide clients through their own transformation. You can’t align what you’re unwilling to release.

The Untethered Soul reminded me that freedom doesn’t come from control, it comes from clarity, and that’s something I try to infuse into every decision I make, design related or not.

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