Wild at Heart: Embracing Life's Untamed Journey

Jennifer Muldowney shares her entrepreneurial journey from Ireland to America, building a business with no local resources, and finding success through resilience and community. She offers candid insights about the reality behind social media success stories and emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with people who lift you up.

Jennifer Muldowney

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGlamReaperMuldowney
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/muldowneymemorials
• Email: glamreaperpodcast@gmail.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermuldowney/

• Finding mentors can be challenging but valuable for entrepreneurs facing uncertainty
• Creating your own networking opportunities when existing ones don't meet your needs
• The importance of reciprocity - asking "how can I help you?" before seeking help
• Social media only shows success highlights, not the struggles behind them
• Surrounding yourself with supportive people is crucial for entrepreneurial resilience
• Business evolution is natural - your starting point rarely matches where you end up
• Kindness matters regardless of differences in beliefs or backgrounds
• Rescue Life Animal Assisted Enrichment Program helps both animals and children

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Transcript

Introduction to Friends from Wild Places

Voiceover 0:03

Tales from the Wild. Stories from the Heart. A journey into the mind and soul of fire business professionals where they share their vision for the future. And hear from a different nonprofit organization every month as they create awareness of their goals and their needs. Dive into a world of untamed passion. As we join our host, Shireen Botha, for this month's episode of Friends from Wild Places.

TanyaScotece 0:35

What an amazing story. What a really, truly, truly.

JenniferMuldowney 0:39

Oh, we all I think we all have these little moments, these nuggets in our lives where you know that they they lead us to where we become.

ShireenBotha 0:48

Right. And it is, it's true for me as well. It's true for Tanya. We all we're following this journey that's unique to only us. And it's amazing. It's so exciting, you know? Yeah. Um, what would be one of the pieces of ad well, if if you some of the listeners are obviously wanting to start, not obviously, but they they're coming to a point in life where it's they're not happy in the corporate world or wherever they are, and they've been having this idea to start their own business for a while now, um, and they haven't done so yet. Or you have the other party where they have done so and they're very new to it, and they're in that imposter syndrome kind of space where they're not sure if they're gonna make it or they're gonna fail, or should they continue? So you got those two kinds of groups, and many of them are mid mid-age and suddenly just decided to to do it well into their age. So, what would be your piece of advice for them?

Advice for New Entrepreneurs

JenniferMuldowney 1:54

Oh, that is a tough one. Um, because I would say, like something that's definitely helped me is it's easy to say go out and get a mentor, right? It's it's kind of I feel like that's said quite a bit um lately, I've noticed. And I'm a part of um, you know, and even Tanya and I have discussed this, but I'm even part of sort of peer support within the funeral space and especially supporting women and all that sort of stuff. And I am absolutely all about it. And um I always say, like, reach out to me in this space. If you see me at a convention, come up and say hi, like you know, if you've listened to the podcast at all, please do, and stuff. Um, but I will also say that that it that is difficult, both as a mentor and a mentee, in a sense, right? I have there are certain people that I have thought, oh, I'd love to have them mentor me, and and and they do, but it it's mentoring somebody can just mean picking up the phone and having a five, ten-minute conversation. It doesn't have to mean meeting every week and it being consistent because I would love to help more people, I just don't have the time or the bandwidth at the moment. So there is a little bit of that tricky juxtaposition where it's like, like I want to help everybody, but I have to, you kind of have to start with yourself first and you have to fill up your own cup before you can help other people. And I know there's a lot of budding um funeral event planners out there. I've seen some of them, I'm you know, supporting them um as much as I kind of can, um, but it's it's not easy. Um, we're all trying to kind of find our way in the world, and I mean the US at the moment is just a bit insane, so it's it's tough, it's it's not easy. So, what I would suggest to people that I have found helpful is, and these do take time, but if you have the time, um, is going to networking and going to community events, um, whether it's in your industry or in your space or in your local local area. Um, like for example, I just joined um uh a thing that I think it's in Miami and it's here in Fort Lauderdale, but I just joined a thing where it's uh business women going on walks together and you're paired up, there's three of you, and you go on a walk together. And I was like, brilliant! That is getting me my steps in for that day, and I get to meet two interesting women. That is exactly the type of stuff I want to be doing, um, because I don't have time to be going to a million different networking things. Um, and if I do go to these networking things, it's um I want to talk to people who are going to progress me forward. I don't want to be wasting my time, um, but I also am very cognizant of you you get what you give as well. Like I do notice there at a lot of these networking things, and I don't want to say it's an American thing, but I do notice that it some people can be a bit sort of like, are you giving me anything? No, then I move on. I'm not like that. I'm very you never know what nugget of information you're gonna get from somebody or where a relationship can bring you. So it's like going with intent and going with business cards, yes, but it's having conversations with people and staying in touch with people. Um, you know, organizing a happy hour, or or you know, it doesn't even have to be an alcoholic happy hour. I know I'm being very Irish saying that, but organizing a coffee morning yourself. Like if the if what you want isn't available in your community, then maybe make it happen, you know. Um, like there's been many, many times in my career where I've been time rich and money poor. And if I've got time, then I will help people. I will, you know, do Zooms, which are free. Okay, you have to have Wi-Fi, but you know, there are things you can do. Um, so yeah, I mean, I guess that would be my advice to people is just try and find like-minded people, especially if you're female. We're all for the most part trying to help each other, but sometimes, sometimes, and actually this is key, sometimes you starting to how can I help you? I'm the one who wants the help. But if for example, I would maybe approach you, Shireen and Tani, and be like, but how can I help you? Maybe I can promote your podcast. Does it cost me anything? No, but by doing that, you guys are gonna think a little bit more favorably of me and maybe give me more time if that's what I'm looking for. Does that make sense?

ShireenBotha 6:02

Absolutely, yes. I think you nailed it. I think you nailed it on the head. Um, because a lot of I say that. I say, because that's my experience is get yourself a mentor. I had two when I first started out as a a business owner, and they kept on talking me off the ledge every time I just wanted to pack my bags and quit, you know. So mentors are very important, and if you can um find those, but I think your perspective of things, uh Jennifer, is actually very it's it's nice. I like what you said there. So thank you for sharing. Um, Tanya, do you have any more questions before we move on to the non-profit of the month?

TanyaScotece 6:44

So let me see, Jennifer, I might guess, you know, I just want to just ask you, is there anything that you maybe haven't been asked or haven't shared that really just want to get something out to our listeners? So most of our listeners, you know, entrepreneurs, all walks of life, all ages, gender, there's really not a specific target market, but just something that you want to share about your journey as far as you know, breaking into, as you called it, you know, male-dominated industry, um, anything at all.

Finding Your Community and Support System

Reality Behind Social Media Success

JenniferMuldowney 7:17

Well, that's actually a great great question. And actually, I'm glad you did ask because it's not something I would have thought of saying, but um I would say so. For me myself, I mean, I'd be I'd be remiss to kind of not share that we have courses. Obviously, I'm writing my fourth book, and we do have courses available for people in the profession and not in the profession. I even have a meditation um that's it's five dollars for the meditation. It's a I think a great 10-minute meditation. I actually play it while I walk, I do walking meditation because I can't sit still again. I'm multitasking, see, that's always the key. Um and my courses are designed from a I'm as I said at the start, I'm not a funeral director, I'm not a death doodler. They're designed very much from somebody who's been outside of the business trying to get into it for the last 16 years. I still almost say that I'm still trying to get into it. Um, because we're always learning, there's always some education that we can learn. But what I would say, what I love about your question is what I would say is as an immigrant in this country coming from Ireland who has had to fight tooth and nail, both in terms of legally to you know be legal in this country, but also to set up a business without any family or resources here, is your the people you surround yourself with are the most important, they're gonna make or break you, and you don't have to be physically surrounded by them. Um, like I would be lost without Zoom and FaceTime, and especially during the pandemic. I mean, I lived in a basement in the pandemic, a practically windowless basement in the pandemic, and had many, many ups and downs over the last 16 years, and so there's so many little nuggets, I would say, is what you see on social media is not real life. Um, even my own. Like some people are like, Jem, you look like you're living the best life. And I'm like, Yeah, but you don't see the dark moments, you don't see the times where I'm sitting with a glass of wine out my balcony in the lashing ring, crying my eyes out like a three-year-old's. Um, you know, you don't see where I've just been let down with something, you don't see the late hours, and so you know, all of that is to say, just be kind to people because I've seen such horribleness in this country, I've seen it in my own country. I've you know, just there's no need to be nasty. It doesn't matter what side of the tracks you're on, what religion, what your political beliefs are, if we could all just be a little bit kinder to people and surround yourself with people who lift you up as opposed to pull you down, that would be my biggest advice. Um people call me so resilient and you know that I've managed to stick it out for as long as I have. And part of me is like, I don't know if that's a compliment or what's going on, but um, I would just say stick with it and evolve, just keep evolving because you know, just because I mean I what I started out with is not where I'm at today, and it's because I just kept evolving. I wasn't giving up on this one idea, general idea, and I just kept going, and I wouldn't do it, wouldn't be able to do it without the people around me. So um, yeah, don't believe everything you see on socials, keep good people around you, be nice, and just keep going.

ShireenBotha 10:25

Smooth, drop the mic, walk off. We love that. I absolutely love that. Thank you, Jennifer. Uh, also, we absolutely love animals between Tanya and myself and Jennifer. We we love the fur babies, as you can see, for those people that are watching. There's a picture behind and that is my first fur baby Rolo that I literally lost just over that I lost just over a year ago, and uh still brings tears to my eyes. So I everywhere I can I always want to try and support uh animals that don't have humans to call their own, animals that have been abandoned or abused. I didn't ask to be either of those things. Uh so you know, Jennifer, I'm gonna leave it to you just to share with the the listeners a little bit more about uh our nonprofit of the month, but just so you know, listeners, it's called Rescue Life and it's the Animal Assisted Enrichment Program. That's Rescue Life Animal Assisted Enrichment Program, and we're going to put the all the links and stuff in the show notes for you. So don't worry about that. We'll have that all sorted for you. But Jennifer, tell us a little bit about your friends program.

JenniferMuldowney 11:55

So, yes, this is actually a good friend of mine, uh relatively new, but good friend of mine down here in Florida, and it's called Rescue Life, and it helps it helps both animals and children, and I guess adults. Um, it's using education, healing. I mean, animals are just such healing creatures, and we can learn so much from them. I mean, back to my be kind, like animals are not you know angry or vicious, they just they don't know that um without humans teaching them. So um, yeah, they're it's an incredible charity, they help children with special needs, um, you you know, youth, um, generally children that are at risk, and uh they work with families and schools and they help promote emotional well-being in all of those, and obviously it's a great time for the animals as well because these animals would probably be uh, you know, in slaughterhouses or just generally, you know, I and she it's just such fabulous, you know. I follow them all on Instagram and social media and just see seeing Stacey with the donkeys and the various different things and all the activities that they get up to is just really great. So just check out Rescue Life, they're based here in Florida, and um, yeah, it's my chosen non-profit.

ShireenBotha 13:09

Oh my gosh, that sounds so beautiful. And yes, I mean we just had uh shame and uh uh our last uh guest, she has sheep. Um uh what was her name again to Elizabeth Fournier, Elizabeth Fournier, Elizabeth's the bad eye, her sheep, and now she sings to her sheep. Oh, my heart just Elizabeth is lovely.

JenniferMuldowney 13:36

She is lovely.

Fact or Opinion Game

ShireenBotha 13:38

Oh anyway, sorry, yeah, I get carried away when we talk about animals, but yes, don't worry, we're going to have all the information in the show notes. But yeah, I if you want to just take some time listeners and go and check it out and see you know, if you're not in the area to maybe go and support what they're doing, you can always help monetarily and donate to their vision and what they're doing for the community and for the animals because yes, uh animals have such a healing power. I do believe that they are created. Uh so I I really yeah, I really, really, really love animals and I think they they do so much for us. So, yes, enough of that. I'd love to end with a little bit of a game for the podcast before we we say goodbye to each other. Um, yeah, so I'm not sure. I don't think we've played this game yet, guys. So bear with us. But this game is called fact uh or opinion. Uh and there is another game called Fact or Fiction, and I think it's kind of like the same thing, but now this one's gonna be say it's called fact or opinion. So we're gonna say because it's just have a statement and then you guys decide whether it is fact or opinion. So this is going to be interesting. Are you listening to the first statement? The first one is statistically women live longer than men. Is this opinion or is it fact? Okay, Sonya. I'll say fact also. Yeah, girls, it is fact. Oh my gosh. That was my favorite when I found that one. I was like, uh-huh.

JenniferMuldowney 15:33

There's a reason for it.

ShireenBotha 15:36

What do you think the reason is, Jennifer?

JenniferMuldowney 15:40

Well, I don't know if uh you guys saw recently I saw on social social media, but I think it's like the Hollywood Report or something, where they have a round table of actresses and actors, and they get like certain people together. And I they had um all of the actresses from The Morning Show, and they were talking about something. Reese Witherspoon, I think she'd said something in a speech where she was talking about um how in every movie women used to always turn. Like I remember even saying it to my father growing up in James Bond, how all the female characters were like, Oh, James, right? And and so Reese Witherspoon said, you know, how how come in all the old school movies the woman always turned to the man and was like, Oh my god, what should we do now? And the so the actresses were debating this, and Jennifer Aniston basically turned around and she was like, I'm sorry. At what point, ladies, in any part of your life, any any part of your life, have you ever, ever turned to a man and said, Oh my god, what do we do now? It just doesn't happen in the female vocabulary. It's like we already have a plan. We're basically just saying, Okay, we're gonna execute this. How how are we doing this or what's happening, or like we're moving the parts. We're not we're not asking them, oh, we've nothing, we've a total no-brain cell. We've so I think that's why. Yeah, for the important topic check it out, it's really good.

ShireenBotha 17:01

Yeah, yeah. Like with important topics, we've got everything down to the T. But don't tell us we're indecisive when it comes to food. That's like silly. That's silly. That's not even that's not important to us. What we're gonna eat today. I don't know, you choose. You know, it's it's it's I'm gonna be more decisive on big things. Like I will have a plan in place, everything sorted down to the last little cross of the T and the dot of the eye. But things like what do you feel like eating today?

JenniferMuldowney 17:32

Yeah, we always have an opinion, yeah. We always have a thought.

ShireenBotha 17:37

Okay, here's another one for us. All right. Um Working from home is more productive for everyone. Is this a fact or is this opinion?

JenniferMuldowney 17:51

Opinion.

ShireenBotha 17:52

Okay.

TanyaScotece 17:54

Yeah, I'm gonna go opinion too.

ShireenBotha 17:56

Yeah, it's definitely opinion. Absolutely. Obviously, uh it's more productive for me. I love being able to work from anywhere in the world. Very productive for me. But for some people, they need to be in an office. They need to be, they need to get out of the house to be able to be productive. Fair enough. You know, it's different for everybody. Um okay, here we go. A standard deck of playing cards contains 52 cards. Is this a fact or is this opinion? That was easy, of course it's a fact. 52 cards. This is an unusual one. It always comes from the side.

TanyaScotece 19:00

What are you doing? I don't know. I wish I wish supervisor was here. She's an expert in water. Um I don't know. I'm gonna I'm gonna say opinion. I don't know.

ShireenBotha 19:13

Okay. It is actually fat. Water always comes from the sky.

TanyaScotece 19:17

Oh good job, Jennifer. Good job, good job. It comes from the sky, huh? That's that that's that's this really, okay. Yeah.

JenniferMuldowney 19:24

Well, yeah, yeah, because I was like, even rivers or anything like that, it comes from condensation into the rivers, which then go to the top, you know.

ShireenBotha 19:33

Yeah. Oh I would, yeah, that was a good that was a good one. Okay, this one's easy though. This one's an easy peas one. Maybe for me though, because I know a lot about the body. And you ladies are obviously know more about the body as well, so this is just silly. Okay, the human heart is four chambers, fact or opinion.

TanyaScotece 19:56

Yeah, it depends how you look at it, but yes, it can be a true statement. It can be fact. What do you mean?

JenniferMuldowney 20:02

Depends to me, then if if you're saying it depends, I feel like it's opinion then.

TanyaScotece 20:10

No, I'm gonna say fact. I'll say fact.

JenniferMuldowney 20:13

Oh.

TanyaScotece 20:15

It's how it's worded, it's how it's worded.

ShireenBotha 20:17

Yeah, the human heart has four chambers. That is facts.

TanyaScotece 20:26

Yeah, so that's that's it. But the interesting thing is just depending, I teach um um, you know, funeral pathology, funeral embalming, funeral restorative. So depending on how you actually have that question, it can be like, well, there's other parts of it. So dep depicting the specific, but yes, too upper, too lower. That's right, that's right.

ShireenBotha 20:46

Yeah, I knew my Tanya would be there with all the answers. I knew it.

JenniferMuldowney 20:51

Tanya, you need to do the you need to participate in the NFDA, the National Funeral Director Association, have a um a quiz uh at their annual convention every year, like a um uh like it's a trivia quiz where you comp you compete before you show up, and then there's one sort of in-person, you'd be so good at it. I'm useless.

TanyaScotece 21:12

I've actually contributed to um you know to the questions, you know. Oh, you have, yeah, to the but I'm a contributor. You know something, but I am not a um like it's almost like what I know I know very well, and what I don't know, I don't know at all. So I'm not hung for like current events, current facts, like you know, that kind of stuff, or who said this. Like I have I've never even seen an episode of Six Feet Under. I mean, and I'm like three years in the funeral profession, so certain things I just just don't know at all. Like zero reference.

JenniferMuldowney 21:43

Same, same. I haven't watched that show either.

ShireenBotha 21:45

Me neither.

JenniferMuldowney 21:46

I keep trying to, but it yeah.

Contact Information and Closing

ShireenBotha 21:48

Oh ladies, I can't believe it. It's come to the end of the podcast. So this is the time where you take a moment just to let the listeners know where they can find you, if they want to reach out or they're really connected with you during this podcast. Um, just let the listeners know exactly what your favorite places. Um, if you want an email, a phone number, however, whatever you're comfortable with. Jennifer, go ahead.

JenniferMuldowney 22:13

Well, you can look me up on socials at Jennifer Muldowney is pretty much across the board. At Muldowney Memorials is my company. But if you want me personally, then at Jennifer Muldowney is the easiest. Um, otherwise through my website, Muldowney memorials.com. And thank you for having me.

ShireenBotha 22:33

Oh, it was lovely having you. Yeah, Tanya, what about yourself? Where can we find you?

TanyaScotece 22:39

Thank you, Shireen. So, pretty much LinkedIn is my hub. Um, you'll see my posts there from Miami Dade College. I oversee the funeral service program. So, all this discussion about death and funerals, if anyone is looking for a career change, we do offer two pathways. We offer the Associate of Science, which is 72 credit hours. We also offer the college credit certificate, which is for Florida for funeral director only. So contact me for more information on that. I do also work in the senior space, matching people with communities. Um, my niche there is folks with dementia. So families who have loved ones with dementia. Um, we do place, we are a free placement agency, and I do cover the east and west coast of Florida. And the latest that I've been actually just booming with is the um expert witness for funeral and cemeteries. So if there's any personal injury or attorneys out there, um, we're happy to consult with you for any wrongdoings within our profession. So LinkedIn is where to find me. And how about you, Shireen?

ShireenBotha 23:43

Thank you, Tanya. Yes, you can find me on the socials as well. Um, Shireen Botha, if you want to follow uh Shireen's bookkeeping as well, if that interested you, then you can find Shireen's Bookkeeping on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Uh, our podcast, Friends from Wild Places, has the own website, which is friendsfromwildplaces.buzzsprout.com. It's friendsfromwildplaces.buzzsprout.com. Please go and think seriously on whether you want to try and support us a little bit more by subscribing. It's only five dollars a month. We would really appreciate it. But if you can't, that's also okay. A simple like, share, comment would also mean the world to us. Um, you can definitely go on any of the live streams uh to search for Friends from Wild Places and you'll find us anywhere. Um, and also on YouTube, Friends from Wild Places. You can find us on the video and the in the audio if you want to see our faces. Well, then that's the place for you. But other than that, guys, thank you so much for listening and we really appreciate you. And uh remember, you got this, and stay wild. Bye guys. Bye bye.

Voiceover 24:54

You've been listening to Friends from Wild Places with Shireen Botha. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast from the links to catch every episode and unleash your passion.