We were lucky to catch up with Jenny Randle recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jenny, appreciate you joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

In my mid-20’s I was working as a video editor in Hollywood and felt led to transition out of the height of my career. I told one person I felt called into speaking and they asked a simple question, “Why would you do that?”

In theory, the new job idea seemed great, but when having to execute it, I ended up delayed for a decade. I twisted those simple words and made it all about me. “Why would I do this? I wasn’t smart enough. I didn’t have the skill set. I’m not as fancy as the other people in similar career paths.”

Then I had what I call my “perspective shift”, and I realized it’s not about who I think I am… it’s about who I think God is. I want to be the type of person that thinks God knows what He’s talking about and pursues the ideas He puts on my heart. This perspective took the pressure off big time, and I was able to begin to show up to execute.

Since I had worked with non-profit organizations for years, I slowly gained the confidence to start saying the words “I feel called to this faith-based speaking thing”.

I told my best friend and she believed in this idea of a career change so much that she sent me to my first conference for professional development. Months later I was speaking at a conference teaching leaders how to stretch their creativity and reclaim their child-like wonder.

I then took the outline of my first speech and turned it into post-it notes and my first book was outlined. I texted two friends and said, “Now what?!” They told me to write. So I did.

A mentor speaker and writer who was steps ahead of me encouraged me to pursue traditional publishing. I left our conversations DREAMING BIGGER than ever.

The first professional speech turned into my first traditional book! I’ve since written a total of 4 books, co-host a faith-based podcast, speak around the nation, and coach and mentor other creatives to pursue their calling! Since I don’t want anyone to delay their dream or big ideas like I did… my most recent book “Dream Come True: A Practical Guide to Pursue the Adventures God Has for You” was birthed out of this season where I learned how to dust of my dreams. My hope is this book is the kick-in-the-pants people need to get out of their head and execute a life of greater purpose.

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?

Sure! I’m a wife, and mom to two elementary-aged kids and have always had a love for creative expression. Professionally, I’ve held careers in the entertainment, publishing, non-profit, media, and marketing industries. My job title has morphed over the years from an editor to an art director and now a ministry leader, Bible teacher, author, and creative strategist.

For over a decade, I have been in vocational ministry, creating content for local churches to international non-profits. In addition to that, I lead an organization called Freedom Creatives where we offer prayer events, group coaching to help people walk out their calling. and practical classes from writing a book proposal to branding your business. I LOVE seeing my creative clients put the pedal to the metal and work their dream into a reality!

I’ve authored “Courageous Creative”, “Getting to Know God’s Voice” and my newest book “Dream Come True” (Harvest House Publishers). I also co-wrote the forthcoming book “Flash Theology” releasing Spring 2023 (David C Cook). I speak on these typics at churches and conferenes and carry a passion to equip people to step into their giftings and calling.

Along with running a non-profit ministry, my husband and I also run a creative agency. Our agency has developed strategies for clients that have doubled their income, have coached personal brands on how to position themself as an expert in their field, and have worked on marketing campaigns and videos for clients including major Hollywood studios.

I believe our professional life can be interwoven with our faith, no matter what creative industry we’re impacting. That’s why I love this intersection of faith and work and a portion of our non-profit work is focused on that. We host classes and coach our clients to develop a greater understanding of the connection between their work, who they serve, and why we do what we do in whatever sphere of influence they’re in!

On a personal level, my greatest accomplishment to date is not anything physical that I’ve created or award earned, but realizing the benefit of being your own boss. I’ve creating a work schedule that allows me to work less over the summer and enjoy rest and family. As a creative, don’t you feel like your brain is always spinning with new ideas? So finding space to slow down fuels inspiration and innovation for the next story to tell. I love enjoying island living in Northeast Florida alongside my two young kids and husband!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Telling stories! Stories are important. I’ve used different media outlets to tell stories over the lifespan of my career. For me, the most rewarding aspect of my job is when I get to tell the greatest love story ever told, the gospel. Understanding who God is and the love He has for us has fueled my work, mindset, heart, and motivation more than anything else. This is probably why the majority of my work has shifted toward the Christian market over the years. :)

I always try to invite people to see how God is orchestrating their story too. When we trace the story of our lives there are themes, defining moments, and people that shape us into who we were created to be.

For me, I can trace back a defining moment to when my parents let me borrow their video camera in third grade to make a video for a teacher. It was a moment that marked my timeline in life as I discovered the power of storytelling.

They let me do the overnight shift in high school so I could DJ the college radio station. They picked up the phone at 3 AM when I was directionless downtown, and guided me home after that radio shift.

They didn’t tell me my dream to make an impact in the entertainment industry was dumb or unrealistic. Instead, they sent me off to college to study television, and after graduation packed my car to overflowing and waved goodbye as I moved from NY to CA.

Fifteen years later, they watched my young pre-school-aged kids as my husband and I drove to Canada so I could teach the Bible internationally. I was invited to speak a series I entitled “Called: Dreaming Big With God”. I taught how God casts vision into the things He calls us to and that with every excuse we make, He simply points us back to Himself.

A woman came up to me after hearing those messages and was weeping. She was in her 80’s and felt purposeless. We prayed this reminder, “While there is still breath in your lungs, you are not done.” I later heard she gained a fresh vision and set her in motion for things to come.

I’m sure you can think of those mentors, bosses, peers or friends who have seen your unmet potential, understand your talents and champion the opportunities that come. These are the dream supporters that help unlock your creativity. My parents modeled that, and I hope to emulate that for my own children, and for anyone that I have the blessing to cheer too.

I believe a dream is purely a placeholder for our unmet potential to meet God’s unlimited opportunities. Don’t you think Covid has caused a career and calling crisis in our generation? What if we saw the potential before us and looked to God to help us dream again? What if He used us to create greater impact for the good of others?

There’s a dream God has for you, a life of adventure as you live for Him. Perhaps it’s found in supporting others in their dreams, maybe it’s found in the moments where your soul feels unsettled and you wrestle to see the beauty in a broken world. I believe this is the gift of walking in our creative nature. We find a message that needs molding, or people that need encouragement, and we’re charged with the task of sharing something beautiful.

There’s adventure waiting, and as you trust God with your one and precious life, you’ll find you’re living the dream… because you’re with Him! It’s time to tackle the “BIG” and “little” dreams and pursue all God has for you, simply because He’s inviting you to.

All that to say, seeing people understand the BIG story of knowing God and adventuring with Him, is a profound piece of my work.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Over the years I’ve worked with multiple volunteer teams as well as paid team members. The greatest motivator I’ve found is being able to cast vision! “Here’s why we do what we do.” I do this by sharing personal stories from clients’ reviews and highlighting the positive work our team members have made.

As a boss, I’ve also learned what I love to do and what I could do without. Finding a way to delegate the “do without” tasks have freed up my brain to focus on things I thrive in. Being upfront and diligent in creating an effective backend process to offboard my “do without” tasks is instrumental in training a new team member who excels at those tasks. This helps keep the morale high. I find if some balls get dropped on something, I ask myself if there’s a glitch in the process or something I can do better to communicate to that team member. Creating video tutorials of tasks, and a detailed procedure for implementation has freed me up to create and not worry about the other stuff. Recognizing the strengths of passions on our team and delegating these tasks early on was key to the growth of our business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jennyrandle.com/ and https://freedomcreatives.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenny.randle/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreedomCreatives/

Image Credits
Professional Images by Ariana Brookshier with Brookshier Creative

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