“Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask yourself this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't then it is of no use to you.” Carlos Castaneda, quoting Don Juan Matus
What I do
At heart, I [fa·cil·i·tate verb \fə-ˈsi-lə-ˌtāt\]. I make things easier; help things run more smoothly and effectively. I bring things about, help cause things to happen.
I get you to the place where change happens.
I fa·cil·i·tate your personal and professional development. I help you live in alignment with your truth, your talent, and your calling—even if it’s crazy and out there and gets you into occasional trouble. I support the part of you who crosses the street when the sign says not to, and I’m equally interested in learning about the part of you who waits for permission.
The path is sometimes straight and clear; sometimes it’s zigzag or squiggly. But once I truly get you, we get there together.
WHY I DO IT
I’m inspired by the radical idea that within any challenge or disturbance - whether an impossible boss, a failed project, an intractable conflict or a global pandemic- there is immense potential for growth and learning.
I have needed this attitude, first to survive and then to thrive. And to live a purposeful life.
Who I am - Some Backstory
Jan: After the short, stout and mean-spirited maternal great grandmother Jenny, known for a bullet hole in her ankle (running away from the Cossacks). A name my parents settled on after Zoe and Zelda were voted down for being old-worldish.
Dworkin: Origin, Dworetsky. Ellis Island, circa 1905. Means guardian of the interior courtyard (rough translation from Polish).
I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I walked early, but clung to the hem of my mother’s skirt. At school they figured out I was extremely near-sighted and I got the first of many pairs of awkwardly thick glasses. Adults clicked their tongues and said I was adorable. In high school I got contacts, met my BFF, became a vegetarian, and spent as much time as I could in The City. I went to college and majored in art.
On the way to a Masters in Fine Arts program, my path took an unexpected turn that would shape my beliefs and career. I ended up in Zurich, Switzerland (thank you college boyfriend), and for the entire Reagan Era, I had my head either in a psychology text or up my own Unconscious. I returned to the States in 1990 with volumes of dream journals, a boatload of hubris, and a PhD in clinical psychology.
I began my career as a psychologist and co-founded the Process Work Institute in Portland, Oregon, an educational institute devoted to research and training in Process-oriented Psychology. I served as the Academic Dean of its Master of Arts in Process Work (MAPW) degree program for a decade. During that period, I was a guest speaker on many podcasts and a presenter at seminars and conferences worldwide. My award-winning book, Make Love Better: How to Own your Story, Connect with Your Partner and Deepen Your Relationship Practice, was published by Belly Song Press in 2019.
After two decades of experience with a broad range of clients and issues, it became clear that I was most on fire when my clients faced leadership challenges, particularly in creative fields. For the last decade, I have brought my years of experience in psychotherapy, marriage counselling and conflict resolution to my passion for developing leaders and teams. At the same time, I stay connected to my roots—my first career-love—by maintaining a small therapy practice.
As a coach, I work with C-Suite executives, entrepreneurs, business owners, creative professionals, and executive partnerships and teams, as well as a wide range of high performing individuals in fields from media, to government to finance to tech. Clients include Google, Amazon, Nike, the NHS (UK), and Wieden+Kennedy, the world’s leading independent advertising agency, to name just a few.
My style is very direct. I provide clear actionable feedback and an absence of BS.
