Jen Braun, MS, LPCC (she/her)

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

In 2014, after spending over two decades advocating on behalf of young people, I mentioned to my spouse that I was thinking of leaving Ampersand Families, the award-winning nonprofit I cofounded. Ampersand Families 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, saying, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

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

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 conference 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 the 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 trained in hypnotherapy and was a longtime member of 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 The Career Astrologer magazine (now 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 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 longed to figure out how I could heal and what the patterns in my life were telling me. Determined to find a larger meaning, astrology offered guidance. 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 a 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 the Celestial Insights Podcast (hosted by astrologer Celeste Brooks), Astrology Heals (hosted by astrologer and author Marina Ormes), and Stellar Reflections (hosted by astrologer Georgina Sierra). I also produced 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 create captivating, high-quality podcasts.

I also edited the book Death Charts: An Astrological Tool for the Bereaved by Moon Zlotnick of Astrology by Moonrabbit. And I’ve been an editor on the publications team for The Evolving Astrologer magazine since 2023.

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’d like to drop me a line – perhaps you’re interested in collaborating on a podcast, want help with a writing project, or are curious about a one-on-one astrology consultation – contact me here. Or visit my Offerings page to learn more and read what others have said about working together.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

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

Photo credit: Alyssa Lund Photography