About

About |  Why I Started Life After College | 100 Things About Me | Contact

For “official” bios and headshots, click here.

The Fun Stuff

I LOVE cupcakes, coffee and personal development books. Dogs, dancing, gadgets, yoga, watching football, baseball, writing and travel make me pretty happy too. Want to get to know me without ever having a conversation? Not that there’s any fun in that, but I fit the Myers Briggs profile ENFJ to a tee. I’m from Northern California, currently living in New York City.

I’m the proud author of Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want. I moved to New York, my “soul” city, in September of 2011 and immediately felt like I was home. I am 28 years old (a true-to-form indecisive but laid back Libra) and recently launched a weekly Geek Yoga class that I’m incredibly excited about. Two more fun facts: I am guilty of excessive use of emoticons and exclamation points (which anyone on Twitter can attest to), and I’ve been known to wear a zebra-print retainer to bed from time to time.

Looking for more dirt? Read 100 things about me, my ever-changing life checklist, or my off-the-cuff writing on my Tumblr.

Official Bio

Jenny Blake is an author, blogger, life coach and sought-after speaker who helps others “Wake up, live big! and love the journey.” She has been featured on Forbes.com, US News & World Report, CNN.com and was recognized by Suze Orman as a leader among Gen Y. Jenny has spoken at Google, Best Buy, Carnegie Melon (TEDxCMU) and Columbia University — always with rave reviews.

Jenny recently took her own great leap by leaving Google after five and a half years at the company (on the Training, Career Development and Authors@Google teams) to move to New York City and pursue her passions full-time.

Prior to Google and halfway through her junior year at UCLA, Jenny took a leave of absence to help launch a political polling start-up company with her college professor and mentor. She returned to finish at UCLA in the spring of 2005. The experience of leaving school before her friends inspired her to start a blog, LifeAfterCollege.org, in 2005 which she recently translated it into a popular book, Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want (Running Press, 2011). Life After College is a portable life coach for 20-somethings, filled with tips, quotes and coaching exercises to help people focus on the BIG picture of their lives…not just the details. Follow her on twitter @Jenny_Blake.

My Full Background:

I am focused on helping others “Wake up, live big! and love the journey” through coaching, speaking, and my latest project, Make Sh*t Happen – an 8-week course that takes people’s big GIANT goals from “improbable” idea to inevitable success snowball. I recently left Google after five and a half years at the company to pursue life as a solopreneur.

During my time at Google I worked for over five years in training, coaching, career development and Authors@Google. My most recent role was as Career Development Program Manager, where she focused on building scalable solutions to help Googlers focus on their personal growth and career development. My proudest Google accomplishment was building a global (15+ country) Career Guru program which involved training senior-level managers around the world to provide 1:1 drop-in coaching to employees looking to speak with someone other than their manager about something on their mind.

Prior to my time in Career Development, I spent almost 4 years as a Senior Strategist on the Training & Development team, where I delivered AdWords product training and web development training to over 1,000 people.

Coaching Background / Certifications:

• I completed training to be a life coach through the Coaches Training Institute in 2008, and became a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach in 2010.
• I am also a certified coach through David Rock’s Results Coaching Systems program, which focuses on coaching and the brain.
• I served as a member of the Board of Governors for the International Association of Coaches in 2010.
• I am a certified Myers Briggs (MBTI) facilitator and well-versed in Strengthsfinder 2.0 and True Colors
• I completed yoga teacher training in October 2010 through the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, and completed my certification in February 2012.

I am passionate about helping people gain confidence, direction and balance in their lives. I believe my purpose, and by extension the purpose of this website, is to help others (young professionals and beyond) become their own best selves – to wake up and be fully present and alive – through simple, practical exercises and tips.

My Story

Prior to Google and halfway through my Junior year, I took a leave of absence from UCLA to help launch a start-up company called Polimetrix (later acquired and renamed YouGovPolimetrix) with my professor and mentor Lynn Vavreck. For two years I served as the Office Manager, Marketing Assistant and Webmaster. The experience of leaving school before my friends inspired me to start this website to help recent graduates navigate their lives after college. (Click here to read the full story)

I went back to finish at UCLA in the Spring of 2005. I graduated in three years with degrees in Political Science and Communications, and with several distinctions – Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude and College Honors.

Book Trailer Video

This video will give you a great snapshot of me and the book — learn more at my book website: LACBook.com.

Video Interview with Gopi Kallyil – 2010 (~30 minutes):

I was honored to be a guest on Gopi’s local TV show — during which I talk about blogging, the book, career advice, and even my dating life. One note before you watch: my book is called Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want, not “The Complete Guide to a Perfect Life,” which I would never claim to have or strive for!