We recently connected with Jenny Boss and have shared our conversation below.

Jenny , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

A defining moment in my professional career actually came from a traumatic moment in my personal life.

Three years ago I was in an abusive marriage and struggling to survive. We were both Pastors at our church playing the game all too well. When serving God I knew I was operating in my gifting, but my home life left me feeling ashamed and alone.

My marriage was imploding and I desperately needed safety and healing. After counsel from my Pastor, my own counselor, parents and then my grandfather up in Pittsburgh- I asked my husband to leave. As I waited for him to get his own help and healing, I realized how much he was battling mentally. His fight with anger, addiction, and bipolar disorder ended our marriage. But that rubble lit a passion that had been dormant in me to pursue mental health; to help people find wholeness and healing coupled with an authentic relationship with Jesus.

Now I am a Certified Pastoral Counselor and continuing my education at Asbury Seminary for my LMHC. The divorce was one of the hardest things I’ve ever walked through, but the fruit that’s been produced from the ashes has been priceless!

Jenny , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. ​An avid treehouse reader turned “self help” nut who was fascinated by people and their behaviors. I grew up in your cookie cutter perfect family, but at age 14 my dad was killed and knocked my entire world upside down. This began a season of mass self destruction and addiction.

I had a co-worker continuously invite me to church and I finally decided to go, I had no clue what I was doing. Walking in and being asked “Are you saved?” left me perplexed. “Saved form what?” I responded. However, after being introduced to Jesus, I simply went all in. I had grown up experiencing sexual abuse, the trauma of my father being killed at age 14, and addiction after addiction in my teens and into my 20’s. I had always been searching for something but didn’t know what. That something was Jesus.

Quickly after accepting Jesus I started spending all my time volunteering at the church. I thought if I volunteered then I would stay out of trouble, and it worked. Within two years of becoming a Christian, I became the church’s Children’s Pastor. I loved serving people. I soon moved to Florida, found a church and quickly found myself in Volunteer leadership. After a year I became a Pastor there, and after my separation from my ex-husband started my pursuit in the mental health field.

One thing I am passionate about is helping people pursue an authentic relationship with Jesus and break free from false teaching and poor guidance thats been given by the church. I have seen and experienced how the church had held a stigma over mental health and want to help break that cycle.

I am a counselor who is Christian, not a Christian counselor, meaning I want to meet you where you are, not shove the Bible down your throat. I currently am passionate about a client-centered counseling approach. Helping my clients discover what they truly believe and how they can pick themselves back up and feel whole again. Feel confident who they are embrace how they are wired.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

If I could go back I would absolutely choose the same profession as a Pastor, but I would’ve started in the Mental Health field much sooner. It’s so necessary within the church. Majority of people in the church don’t seek secular counseling as their first option, they go to the Pastors of their church. What a huge responsibility! I believe Pastors should be well equipped and trained in mental health not just from a biblical perspective, but from the clinical side too.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think one of the most important pieces for me has always been being true to myself. Yes I am a Pastor, but I will always be me! I am a divorced single mom of four who’s a little rough around the edges. I don’t fit into the typical Pastor mold, but I think people need leaders who are real, people who are authentic. I have no problem sharing my real struggles and personal mistakes publicly because I am human and this is just part of it. I want people to feel comfortable being their true selves when I counsel them, the best way to do that is for me to lead by example.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jennyboss.co
• Instagram: @jennyboss.co