Jen Braun, MS, LPCC, CH (she/her)

Journeys don’t always turn out the way we think they will.

In the fall of 2014, after 21 years in child welfare, I mentioned to my spouse that I was thinking of leaving Ampersand Families, the award-winning nonprofit that I cofounded that finds and supports adoptive and permanent families for the oldest and longest-waiting kids in the foster care system.

I had other visions for my life, so I was considering taking a leap of faith. My wife supported the idea. “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” she mused.

Neither of us considered that I’d be propelled into something messy and transformative, becoming seriously injured and struggling to walk again.

By the way, the irony is not lost on me that after so many years spent helping other people metaphorically find the ground beneath their feet, I literally found myself trying to put the ground beneath mine.

When I made the decision to leave, I was at the height of my career in child welfare: Ampersand Families was doing exceptional work (it still does!), not only shepherding resilient-yet-vulnerable youth to what is called “permanency” in child welfare, but also providing leadership in Minnesota and nationally to champion policies and practices that expanded family and youth participation, community engagement, child welfare systems change, and innovative practices. It was well documented that teens “aging out” of foster care faced grim prospects* – many without a place to live, unemployed, and worse. Healthy communities rely on engaged citizens, and the social justice mission of Ampersand Families was critical in bringing a large group of disenfranchised young people back into the fold of family and community life.

Working in collaboration with Michelle Chalmers (the other cofounder), what began in 2007 – with an idea, an office, and a grant – had blossomed. By 2014, we supported a staff of 14 and a budget of around $1 million, and we were doing pioneering work. We’d also won some accolades: Ampersand Families was named the “Nonprofit to Know” by the Minnesota Community Foundation and the Saint Paul Foundation; our program Minnesota Heart Gallery won an award for meritorious services in adoption recruitment by the Minnesota Department of Human Services; and we were nominated for the U.S. Children’s Bureau National Adoption Excellence Award.

After spending over two intense decades working with teens and families, I’d also developed and led workshops nationally, been featured as a keynote speaker, and provided extensive consultation and training to other child welfare professionals. Additionally, my work with two teen siblings in foster care had been featured in the American RadioWorks/APM Reports documentary Wanted: Parents, which aired on National Public Radio and won the producers the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. I’d also authored an article ("Why Bother?") for American Public Media, sharing my personal and professional views on teen adoption. My other experience included: participating in The Homecoming Project (a successful five-year federal project that laid the groundwork for Ampersand); supervising staff at a nonprofit focused on family and teen crisis intervention; and providing hypnotherapy to clients at a hypnosis clinic.

In terms of fancy papers, I have a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and am a licensed professional clinical counselor through the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. I also hold a certification in hypnotherapy from the National Guild of Hypnotists.

My job had been the scaffolding upon which I’d hung my identity. I’d always been a wellness enthusiast, but could I rebuild my life after that fateful day when everything changed?

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Two days after I resigned from Ampersand Families, I was injured by a horse. I chronicled that experience in an article for The Career Astrologer magazine (now called The Evolving Astrologer), which is the quarterly journal of the Organization for Professional Astrology. (“Eclipses in Scorpio & Taurus: Life Lessons on Letting Go” begins on page 52.) I also shared more in two blog posts (“Capricorn New Moon: Step by Step” and “Capricorn Full Moon: One Thousand Steps”), so I won’t go into detail about the injury here. Suffice to say, it changed my life.

I struggled. A lot. But in the years that followed, I began finding my way back through the most unexpected avenue: astrology. I had a deep longing to figure out how I could heal and what the patterns in my life were telling me. Determined to find a larger meaning to it all, astrology offered guidance. I entered an intense period of carefully observing the movement of the planets against the framework of my own unfolding transformation. I began studying everything I could about the complex topic, as a student of life in pursuit of recovery.

In 2019, I connected with April Elliott Kent at Big Sky Astrology. By November, we launched the Big Sky Astrology Podcast, with me as producer and cohost – and JJ Boots Productions was born! Over the course of 107 episodes, we amassed 100,000 downloads, were heard in 120 countries, and appeared on top charts over 75 times in a dozen countries. We figured it wasn’t too shabby for our small, independent podcast!

By the spring of 2022, JJ Boots Productions began to grow as an astrology-focused production company. I currently produce and manage several weekly podcasts, including the Celestial Insights Podcast (hosted by astrologer Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste), Within Orb (in collaboration with Dr. Jenn Zahrt of the Celestial Arts Education Library Institute), and We Are the Compassionate Revolution (hosted by therapist, author, and popular cartoonist Molly Davis Moon). Additionally, I guide astrologers to produce captivating, high-quality audio for their podcasts. I enjoy providing these one-on-one consultations – learn more at my Offerings page!

My Virgo planets (trine Saturn!) also love to write and edit! Most recently, I edited the soon-to-be-released book Death Charts: An Astrological Tool for the Bereaved by astrologer Moon Zlotnick of Astrology by Moonrabbit. (Moon’s identical twin died in 2005, and after walking a poignant path of grief and recovery, she began offering readings to the bereaved. The book explores her groundbreaking research using death charts as a healing tool to help folks suffering overwhelming heartbreak after the death of a loved one.) I’ve also been part of the publications team for The Evolving Astrologer magazine since 2023. (If you’re interested in my editing services, you can read testimonials at my Offerings page or contact me here.)

Lastly, I’m a member of the International Society for Astrological Research (ISAR) and the Organization for Professional Astrology (OPA) and have presented webinars for both organizations.

If someone had told me in 2014 that today I’d be an astrologer, podcaster, and editor, I’m not sure I would have believed them. But I’ve found that sometimes, in our quest to pursue our dreams, we are not given what we think we want, but rather, the most surprising gift of all: Coming home to ourselves.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! If you’d like to drop me a line – perhaps you’re interested in collaborating on a podcast or need help with a writing project – please contact me so we can learn more about each other.

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*Source: The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth

Photo credit: Alyssa Lund Photography