The Intersection Of Creativity And Leadership – Exclusive Interview With Ellen Jenny Watkins
Inspired by the intersection of ancient wisdom, modern science, and the connection back to our souls in this hectic world, Artist and Personal Development Coach, Ellen Jenny Watkins, has a unique perspective on personal growth, life transitions, and living our best lives. She holds Master Facilitator and ATD Coaching certifications, has shown her work at The Austin Museum of Art and Lombardi Gallery, and is the Creator of award-winning Global Training and Coaching programs for companies including Dell, IBM, National Instruments, Jones Lang LaSalle, and L’Oreal/SkinCeuticals. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also the Author and Illustrator of the Amazon bestseller Caterpillar and Snail: Go on a BIG Adventure (a storybook for all ages), and an Akashic Records Reader.
Ellen’s current work includes the Heart Waves series of paintings, to help transform our spaces and our energy, and her new three-month coaching program, Find Your Way, to help powerful women get clarity on the next steps to take in their lives. This unique program is based on 20+ years of corporate training experience and knowledge, plus Akashic Records consulting, personalized power artwork, and more.
Ellen Jenny Watkins, Abstract Artist and Certified Coach
Will you introduce yourself to us?
I’m an artist and professional development coach focusing on creativity and utilizing that creativity for growth and success. I live in Austin, Texas, and grew up all over the state. This is actually a funny story: I tried to leave Austin three separate times, and on the third time, I came back and was finally like, “Okay, I get it. Austin it is.” And four months later, I met my husband. Talk about intention setting!
I love to travel and have new experiences. When I travel, I try to tap into the local culture and work a museum visit into my plans. I’m also heavily inspired by nature, like the beach, camping, or being on a nature walk. It just resets my soul.
Can you provide an overview of your business and its primary purpose?
I guide women leaders going through transformation in their careers and life get to the other side with happiness, fulfillment, and more confidence. I help them clarify their vision, understand their true desires, and thrive through the changes that life throws their way. It’s really about stepping into their power as they move into a new phase in life.
By doing that, it also supports their professional life and leadership responsibilities. It also helps their teams grow together, which is what my creativity-based workshops are all about.
What inspired you to start your coaching business?
There was a moment of transition in my life that left me crying at the dinner table. I remember it clearly. I remember looking at then four-year-old my son and thinking, “How did I end up here?” How did I end up in this space where I checked all the right boxes and I made conscious decisions about being happy and growing my career – into something that’s amazing – and I’m unfulfilled and unhappy. I was showing my son he could do anything but he’d end up crying at the dinner table. That was my moment of clarity and recognition that I had to change.
That sent me on a personal journey where I did my own deep work – which is what I’m coaching on now. The transformation into what my work is now happened from that moment and from that journey.
I know what it’s like to be a woman and growing my career and doing all the right things and then thinking, “Why am I miserable? Is this it? Is this as good as it gets?” And I know I’m not the only woman in that situation.
That is why not only did I start creating art again, after losing touch with it in the corporate world, but I created a program to help others in that situation to gain clarity and confidence to move forward in a way that they can envision and that’s fulfilling and happy. My work is also for women on this journey before they get to this point so they can make conscious, correct decisions for themselves, based on the things that will light up their soul.
It doesn’t have to mean leaving their corporate career, but it means including the things that light us up, make us feel fulfilled, and help us be better leaders, better mothers, wives, sisters, etc. All of this from that moment of transformation.
What are your future plans for your business?
I recently went through another transformation in my business. I’ve refined my offerings into a 3-month transformation package for women who need to find their way. I’ve actually named it Find Your Way. It’s for women who are going through personal transformations, work transformations, soul transformations – and I’m giving them skills that are essentially a “shortcut” from years of study, knowledge, and experience. That way, they can go faster than I did, be better at fulfilling their dreams and be stronger than I was so they don’t get stuck and have to spend 20+ years figuring it out for themselves.
All this while also continuing to sell my powerful paintings to private collectors. That’s the goodness that I need in order to make the rest of this happen. Because when we do the things that light us up, we impact those around us in really powerful ways. And, they take that forward to their circles and it creates this ripple effect of goodness into the world. That’s what I want and that’s why I create – the art, the books, and the coaching. Because it matters to us all.
