Meet Jadah Sellner | Author, Business Coach & Mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jadah Sellner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jadah, what role has risk played in your life or career?
One of the best risks I ever made In 2013, I attended a 2-day mastermind in New York City with Jonathan Fields (founder of Good Life Project®). When the invitation popped into my inbox, I had already invested five figures in my first business coach (which was so scary at the time). I couldn’t possibly invest in anything else, I thought. I was scared to tell my husband.

On top of that, I had to navigate childcare, plane flights, and hotel room. All. The. Things. It wasn’t just an investment of money. It was also time away from home and work, logistical kung fu, and facing emotional resistance.

But something in my heart knew I had to be in that room. Jonathan had been my mentor from afar. I had watched his videos, listened to his podcasts, and felt a deep resonance with his ethos on business and life. I didn’t know what results I’d walk away from, especially since it was only two days. But I got my 🍑 on the airplane 💺and made it happen.

What happened because I said YES to two days:
Jonathan invited me to speak at his event RevU Live in NYC and Camp GLP.
He personally vouched and introduced me to Chris Guillbeau to deliver a keynote in front of 3,000 people at the World Domination Summit.
I got paid $5,000 to be a guest mentor and participate at a retreat in Costa Rica.
I was featured in Jonathan’s book How to Live a Good Life.
I’ve been a guest on the top-rated podcast Good Life Project 3 times, and I’m a featured mentor on the SPARKED podcast (a LinkedIn Collaboration).
I met a friend and soul sister, Amy Groome, at the 2-day mastermind (she flew out to see me speak at WDS in 2014, flew out to see my book signing event last year, and we text all the time).
Hopped on the phone several times for mentorship and guidance with Jonathan as I was navigating selling my half of Simple Green Smoothies and also writing She Builds.

When we’re stuck… When we’re ready to level up… When we want to make more meaning and more money… we need a community and mentorship.

We also need to step away from our daily levels to see the bigger picture.

We have to bet on ourselves over and over again.

You have to invest in yourself and your business to grow. There are no shortcuts.

Your vision is worth it. Your business is worth it. You are worth it.

What should our readers know about your business?
Please tell us more about your business. Jadah Sellner is a bestselling author, business coach, international keynote speaker, TEDx presenter, poet, and host of the Lead with Love® podcast. She’s the author of SHE BUILDS: The Anti-Hustle Guide to Grow Your Business and Nourish Your Life. She’s also the co-author of the best-selling book Simple Green Smoothies where over one million people have embraced this simple and healthy habit.

As the founder of Jadah Sellner Media, Inc. and She Builds Collective, Jadah helps women build their businesses and their lives in a way that works for them—–with love. She has been featured in Forbes, O, The Oprah Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. Learn more at jadahsellner.com or follow her on social media at @jadahsellner

When Jadah’s not speaking on stage, you can catch her dancing to Beyoncé in her living room or sipping on a Chai tea latte by a cozy fireplace. She lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, daughter, and dog Beesly.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others. Choosing to lead with love in business and life. I developed my signature “Build with L.O.V.E.” approach, which. is about building a business sustainably, with love at the center of every decision. It’s the antidote to building with hustle, something female entrepreneurs around the world have been craving (whether we consciously realize it or not). Here are the four pillars:
LEAD. Building our businesses sustainably means learning to lead from the inside out.
OPTIMIZE. Setting up internal support systems to optimize the way we run our businesses and our personal lives.
VISUALIZE. Stepping away from daily distractions and visualize what we want, the big picture.
EXPAND. Learning to communicate our needs and establish boundaries, so that we can prioritize taking care of ourselves and our businesses.

What you are most proud of or excited about? My latest book! She Builds is a road map for you to build and scale your business in a new way. It is an anti-hustle handbook to help you move from overwhelmed founder leading with fear to empowered CEO leading with love. From burnout to balance, from exhausted to energized, from frustration to freedom, this book will get you off the hamster wheel of busyness, stress, and self-doubt and onto a clear path toward leading with more heart.

How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? I opened a day care center with my husband, Little Sprouts Playhouse, at the height of the economic downturn in 2009. I was struggling to reconcile the demands of holding it all together as a woman, a partner, a mother, and a business owner. We had a mountain of debt. We had no medical insurance. I felt lethargic in my body, and my mental energy was zapped. I felt as though I had no control over the direction of my life. And I was the only one who could change that. Though I knew I wanted to build a business and be there for my daughter, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my health or relationship. I knew there had to be another way where burnout was not an option.

I read tons of business books searching for answers, but as a multiracial woman, wife, and mother (I’m African American, Chinese, and White), I didn’t see myself or my experiences represented in anything that I found. I was looking for evidence that someone like me could build a successful company. But at the time it seemed every book on entrepreneurship out there was written by a man, usually White, single, without kids, and with an ability to pour eighty hours into his workweek. The bookshelf wasn’t reflecting my reality, so I had to piece things together on my own. Clearly Little Sprouts was not a sustainable business for us. We built it out of necessity and survival mode. Over the years, I went on to create three more businesses, each with a little more intention and a lot less hustle.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Building an anti-hustle business does not mean that life will get easier; it does mean that you will have to redefine scale on your terms so you don’t burn out. You need to have systems in place that take care of you at the center of your business while also taking care of your team and customers. It’s about leading with love.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story? The company I run today at jadahsellner.com guides women to build at a pace that works for us, growing our businesses out of love for ourselves, our families, and our communities. We need a business plan that is aligned with a greater mission for our lives, beyond just the metrics. We need to focus on the meaning behind the numbers, too. Through my professional coaching practice, speaking, and Lead with Love podcast, I am on a mission to help women entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses and recover from burnout. I help my clients take their businesses to the next level while remaining fulfilled in the rest of their lives. As a woman of color without a typical business background, it is also my mission to redefine who gets to write business books and give advice on entrepreneurship. I want to challenge the belief that creatives can’t make money while doing world-changing work that they love.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
During your week-long trip to Miami, indulge in ultimate relaxation by starting your day with a luxurious massage at Faena Spa. Not only will you feel rejuvenated, but you’ll also gain access to their stunning beach, where you can have lunch delivered to you while you unwind under a comfy chair with an umbrella to shield you from the sun. And if you’re up for it, have a cocktail in The Living Room before leaving Faena.

For an extra dose of pampering, treat yourself to a Hamaam scrub followed by a soothing soak in the tub at The Standard, ensuring a blissful and tranquil experience. You’ll also have access to the pool, so bring your swimsuit to catch some Vitamin D while drinking cocktails with your friends.

To kickstart your mornings with a beautiful courtyard view, head to Cecconis at The Soho House for a nourishing brunch. The ambience becomes even more enchanting at night, with twinkle lights illuminating the trees, creating a magical atmosphere to enjoy your meals. When it comes to dinner, make sure to check out Doya and MILA, as both restaurants offer dining experiences that will stimulate your senses with a sophisticated Miami vibe.

To immerse yourself in Miami’s vibrant art scene, take a leisurely stroll around the Wynwood art district. Admire the colorful street art, murals, and galleries that showcase the city’s creative spirit and cultural diversity.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a shoutout to Jonathan Fields, founder of Good Life Project and author of Sparked and How to Live a Good Life. Truly an amazing friend, mentor, and someone who uplifts and shares diverse stories and voices on his platforms.

Website: https://jadahsellner.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadahsellner/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadahsellner/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jadahsellner

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jadahsellner

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jadahsellner

Other: shebuilds.com jadahsellner.com/listen

Image Credits
Headshots: In Her Image Photography Group photos: Kim Thompson Steel