Jennifer Allwood: No Excuses, No Fear

Fear can be a healthy and unhealthy aspect of our lives, especially for women. Feeling fear when we stand on the edge of a cliff is good. It helps us to back up. Feeling fear while face to face with a lion is good. It helps us to run away. But fear that keeps you from experiencing living life to its fullest or enjoying new chapters in your life is defeating and, at its worst, paralyzing. Sadly, many women will use fear as an excuse to never take chances or explore new possibilities and simply come to a dead end.

In her new book, Fear Is Not the Boss of You: How to Get Out of Your Head and Live the Life You Were Made For, Zondervan Publishing, April 2020, Jennifer Allwood, Kansas City, Missouri, resident, shares ideas for helping those who are stuck with fear to become unstuck, basing her principles on her faith in God. Her book is listed in the self-help and Christian literature reading genres on Goodreads, and she covers how to improve life situations and how to transition these new ideals into making changes.

Looking Outward
“Some women are paralyzed with fear and don’t know how to get out of their own way,” the wife and mother of four noted. “Many self-help books are pointing women back to themselves, but I point women to their faith and something bigger than themselves such as communities and families that need us, and a God in heaven that needs us to do things.”

According to Jennifer, this book is for any woman who has ever been overwhelmed with indecision, paralyzed with fear or just plain stuck. With no-nonsense biblical truth, Fear Is Not the Boss of You is a loving kick in the backside that will catapult you into action. In her writing, she will show you why you can’t stay stuck, teaching you how to get out of your own way and get on the road to fulfilling the life of your dreams—even if you’re afraid.

Many people are buying into her messages, which translates into solid hardback book sales. Jennifer says that Fear Is Not the Boss of You hit the Amazon best-seller list in five and a half hours as a pre-release. For those whose lives seem to revolve around driving kids to school and events, an audio version, with Jennifer completing the narration, is available on Audible. In April, Jennifer hosted a 12-city online book tour. But she hopes after the COVID-19 scare, she will be able to reschedule to later dates to personally meet with fans and sign books.

The Guide
As Jennifer’s Amazon book site states, “Whether you’re thinking of launching a new business, adopting a child, writing a book, or competing in a triathlon, Jennifer will coach you to move from paralyzing fear into courageous obedience. With stories, no-nonsense truth and practical tips you can apply today, Jennifer will show you how to:

• Identify if you are stuck.
• Determine what keeps you stuck.
• Get a deep revelation that you can’t stay there.
• Get out of your own way.

Experience the incredible joy that comes from trusting a big God to do big things in you and through you.”

And Jennifer has much on which to base her experience. Her resume reads entrepreneur, digital marketer and influencer. She boasts nearly 100,000 email subscribers, 360,000 Facebook fans and 90,000 Instagram followers. Her journey has been a solid one, but it began with her own fear of being stuck in a career she did not like more than 20 years ago. 

While toiling away in a corporate job, Jennifer would dream of the design world and turning her own home into a gorgeous retreat. A part of her “coming unstuck” pathway was learning faux painting. She entered the world of being a creative entrepreneur by running a faux-painting business on nights and weekends. Unfortunately, a short time later, things took a different turn when she was laid off from her corporate job. But she decided to turn water into wine and transitioned her faux painting into a full-time business. She and her team painted for new construction and remodels and completed three homes for ABC’s hit show Extreme Home Makeover.

The Opportunity
But a big life change meant a change in how she managed her business. “I got pregnant with my oldest son, Noah,” she recalled. “I stayed home and got work for the women who painted for me.” At one time, she was scheduling up to eight different painters depending on the workload. While others might be overwhelmed by this turn of events, Jennifer saw it as a new business opportunity, that of using social media to teach others her art form.

In 2013, she launched an online DIY section to her business, teaching people how to faux paint in their own homes and how to begin or expand their own small businesses as well. “I got started with Facebook and other social media,” she shared. “I grew my following and many women asked me how I did that.”

Yet another opportunity presented itself to Jennifer. Eventually shutting down the painting business, she laser-focused on sharing her social media skill set to help other female creatives. This led her into the passion she has today with a successful weekly podcast, the Jennifer Allwood Show, a coaching platform titled The Creators’ Inner Circle, a course called The Creators’ Roadmap™ and book authorship.

“When I started a decorative painting company in 2000, I never imagined I’d someday be coaching over 2,500 women on how to build and scale their creative businesses,” she writes. “I’ve taught more than 5,000 entrepreneurs, bloggers, authors, coaches, brick-and-mortar store owners, makers and creatives how to set up businesses that can be profitable even when they’re not physically working.”

The Bottom Line
One of the segments she shares with her students is the opportunity to integrate seven different revenue streams into their businesses:

• Membership or subscription groups
• Coaching, consulting or instruction
• Digital courses, e-books, videos and webinars
• Affiliate marketing
• Sponsored content
• Physical products
• Ad revenue

For many women, the fear of trying something new or venturing into a different way of living life is terrifying. But Jennifer took opportunities to change and built them into a successful business that she is willing to share with others. “God has blessed me with this tremendous platform, and I use it to teach creative women how to build their business online. I teach them how to grow their social media, grow their email list, implement online revenue streams, and so much more,” she noted. “I’ve always said that my list of priorities goes like this: God, husband, kids and business. When you keep those priorities in line, the rest will fall into place.” ■