We recently connected with Jenny Abeling and have shared our conversation below.
Jenny, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
My generosity comes from my mom and my family. I was raised to care not about just ourselves or our families but for the greater community and our natural world. Based on that upbringing, I have always thought that my purpose is aligned with making a positive impact on my community by giving back and helping empower others to do the same.
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?
My story begins like so many others when my grandmother had dementia and seeing her go through that journey. That stoked a fire inside me to become a caregiver and give back to others. I have worked my way up from caregiver to administrator and have done most of the jobs across the long-term care industry. I bring two decades of unwavering dedication to advocacy and caring for our communities. As a seasoned executive and nationally recognized force, I have relentlessly championed the rights of vulnerable communities, leaving an indelible mark on campaigns, programs, and communities nationwide. As an award-winning advocate for vulnerable people, I have earned recognition for my efforts in advocating for those often left unseen and unheard.
I am in the discovery phases for building out an intergenerational program that spans ages and abilities. This is coming on the heels of my new book, A Kids Book about Long-Term Care, which is a way to spark conversations about long term care with kids, adults, communities…really anyone.
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?
The three qualities that I think have propelled me on my journey are persistence, flexibility, and determination. All three of these have allowed me to overcome barriers that have blocked my journey in times of uncertainty. With some many complex systems, flexibility is key so that we can keep our expectations in check. By controlling expectations, we can always find a little win in every situation.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am looking for collaborators who are interested in intergenerational programs and communities and helping with a pilot project that is scale able nationwide. People can find my at www.jennyabeling.com or on social media @jennyabeling
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jennyabeling.com
- Instagram: @jennyabeling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jrows221
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jenny-abeling
- Other: Tiktok: @healthcareebradshaw
Image Credits
A Kids Co.
