I’m Emily J. Jansen
I’m an author, marketing and philanthropic strategist, community volunteer, athlete, pianist, poet, aunt, and person of faith. I love to travel and if you come over, I’ll likely feed you dinner. But most of all . . . I’m a dreamer.
I ask, What if?
When my doubts creep in,
I say, Why not?
To be a dreamer means that my heart and feet have taken me to diverse places.
From east Africa, to Seoul, to northern California, and now to Austin, TX, I have explored and lived out my dreams amongst beautiful people and places for most of my 20’s and 30’s. But my roots always take me back to D.C., which will forever be home.
For more than 15 years, I have lost, birthed, re-birthed, and scaled my dreams, personally and professionally. Across non-profit, public, and private sectors, I have stewarded my marketing, branding, communications, and philanthropic skills to serve organizations and activate the dreams and goals of businesses.
In 2009, I dreamed a dream, and it forever changed the way I saw the world. Growing up, my local community followed a trend of getting married young, settling down, and staying in the local community. I had a healthy discontent, and at 24, I found myself staring blankly at construction spreadsheets, dreaming of living in Africa. The next day, I applied to a volunteer program, raised $20,000 in three months, packed my bags, scared my parents, made my Grandmother smile who lived in Nigeria in the 60’s, and moved to Kenya for a year to mentor high school girls at the Rift Valley Academy. That experience taught me that every dream that resides in your soul is worthy and changes you forever if you choose to follow your heart.
Today, I am an active volunteer and committee member for several organizations: Fisher House Foundation in the U.S., Lily of the Valley Endeavor (LoVE) in South Africa, and She Saves a Nation, which supports marginalized young women in Kenya, Uganda and India. I received my B.A. from University of Maryland in 2008 and a Masters of Science in Marketing and Branding from Johns Hopkins University Business Carey School in 2018. I am an avid athlete, pianist, poet, and aunt. If you come over, I’ll likely feed you dinner.
You were born with dreams, and those dreams have a purpose. They exist beyond your sleep. And when you wake up, you are meant to take it with you into your day, never lost in the night of your soul. I hope you dream with me.