Heal & Grow with Nickie
Join your host, Nickie Kromminga Hill, and her guests on a journey of personal stories and insights into healing and growth from past and current trauma. The focus is on fostering true connections through conversations centered around vulnerability and authenticity. The goal is to collectively heal and find opportunities for growth, promoting a sense of togetherness.
Heal & Grow with Nickie
40. A Conversation with Kris Jenson, Part Two
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In an emotionally rich episode, Kris opens up about her niece's battle with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and how an inspiring exchange with Dr. Doris Taylor turned personal loss into a life-affirming mission. Kris' entrepreneurial story evolves into a tale of triumph, infusing her handcrafted pieces with intent and compassion. As we traverse this journey, we uncover the potential to heal, inspire, and make peace with life's most challenging moments through loving perseverance and the artistry of natural jewelry.
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From Government to Jewelry Entrepreneur
Speaker 1Hello everyone and welcome back to part two of my conversation with Christine Jensen from Jensen Natural Jewelry. If you haven't listened to part one, please go back and listen to that. It's a really beautiful and heartbreak and interesting story and I think that you will want to listen to part one before you listen to today's part two. And I mentioned this last week, but I do want to apologize again to all of you and Chris Jensen that the audio is not good. I've realized my mistake and it won't happen again, but because this conversation was prerecorded, the audio is not great. Ok, here we go, part two with Chris Jensen.
Speaker 2Welcome to Heal and Grow with Nikki. I'm your host, Nikki Kraminga-Hill. Here we talk about everything Grief, hope, illness, work, family, tragedy, possibilities, fun stuff and not so fun stuff. It's all on the table. Let's take a look at our lives and work to heal and grow together. I'm so glad you're here.
Speaker 3Because I remember this other family whose daughter had a heart transplant when she was about 12, you know, on Caring Bridge they like were posting everything, so I was following it, you know, constantly checking in for updates, and when she got her heart transplant, you know, I'm just like again praying to whatever.
Speaker 1Right.
Speaker 3Please let this work, and the next day they posted a picture of her and I won't say her name because it's, you know, not there. They're not here to say it you know, but they posted her picture and her lips were pink and as a heart family, you know what that means, right?
Speaker 1Everything's working, yeah, as it should.
Speaker 3She has pink lips instead of blue purple lips. You know, and I just started bawling. You know and I just started bawling. I was working at the time still and I was bawling like at my desk and trying to explain to people what would it, what was happening to you? Yeah, um, so you know, there's, there's stories of ones that have made it, you know, and and it's beautiful.
Speaker 3And so anyway, years go by right and I've been in a career in the government working for natural resources protection, primarily water resources protection, and I start feeling thank you, it's an honor, Really important work. It's been an honor to do it for sure. But you know, working in government and politics just is a slog as well.
Speaker 1Oh, I can imagine. And.
Speaker 3I'm not a very good politician, because I'm a. What you see is what you get kind of gal. And I don't play the games. And so I, you know, I had a lot of frustrations in the field, working in that field too, but I just kind of needed changes in life. I was, you know, that cliche of like hitting your 40s and like what am I doing? And sure you know what, yep, what's this path that I'm on and what more can I do?
Speaker 3right I am familiar yeah with those questions and and I had been a big time yogi, uh, yoga practitioner and meditator for many years, that's been definitely a part of my healing journey is doing that and I went and got my yoga teacher certification and while, like, through my yoga journey and getting my certification, I had learned how to make what are called mala necklaces. Yes, m-a-l-a mala necklaces and they're used in meditation often and it's a traditional Buddhist piece of jewelry meditation tool. It's a lot like a rosary.
Speaker 1Yes, I was just going to say, because the only thing I know about mala bracelets are through your necklaces. Bracelets, would you say.
Speaker 3There's both, Both is through your site yeah, at your website and I was like these look an awful lot like rosaries yeah, so tell, so tell me about them yep, so uh, a traditional mala necklace has 108 stones on it, and then it has what's called a guru stone on it, and when you do a certain type of meditation a Japa meditation, it's called you repeat a phrase, a mantra, whatever 108 times, and 108 is a very sacred number. It's sacred in many religions. It's also in science. I'm going to probably get it wrong, but something about the distance between the earth and the sun and and the earth and the moon, it's like 108, like a ratio. You know, if I had my papers in front of me, I could list it a lot for you, but like there's cool things in science that are 108.
Speaker 3And then, like ancient religions that didn't know about the science, that 108, so it's 108 beats and um, the traditional Buddhist way of doing them is you string them on. You know a stringing material and then you hand knot between each stone. That has got to be real tiny.
Speaker 3loved it, I loved gemstones because it's a natural resource and like I was fascinated with, like how different stones are created and stuff, and then the meditative practice of making those knots and trying to get the knot right above each stone as you're going along and some people get super frustrated with the process I was just like really like enthralled by it.
Speaker 3It slowed my brain down, yeah, it kind of put me in that flow state and stuff, and so I just started playing with that and I ordered gemstones and started learning more about them. A science geek got really into it and then like there's, you know, purported to be like energetic and healing properties as well, and I found that fascinating because, like certain elements have to come together and have to be, like the earth has to heat it in a certain way or pressure put on it in a certain way to create amethyst versus agate versus a jasper versus fluorite Different. You know things like that have to happen naturally to create such gorgeous different colors on the earth. And I just I get all geeky. I love it. You know things like that have to happen naturally to create such gorgeous different colors on the earth and I just I get all geeky.
Speaker 2I love it, you know.
Speaker 3And so I just kept buying more stuff and I started just making like simple stretch bracelets and started making a lot more malas and getting really good at the process of it. And my husband that I've been married to now for 11 years I love him to death, but he's very practical Ooh it's raining, it's raining.
Speaker 1You guys, I don't know if you can hear it.
Speaker 3But he's like you know, it'd be great if this hobby could somehow like pay for itself. You know I was like, yeah, I guess.
Speaker 2Sure.
Speaker 3So I was like well, I don't know, should I make like an Etsy shop? And I did like one weekend I just like made some Etsy shop and threw a bunch of stuff up there and didn't know what I was doing. And one of my really good friends is a marketing person for a local jewelry business. Yeah, and she's like let's make you a website and like make you more legit you know yeah.
Speaker 3And so she helped me with that. And so I'm a yoga teacher, I'm making jewelry and I still have my job in the government and. I'm kind of doing all three things and, um, the jewelry started to kind of take off a little bit, you know, and, like I was, started selling all around the country and then I started getting orders from other countries and all this stuff, and before I made it like the website, I had to sit and think on this, like I didn't want to just put more junk out into the world.
Speaker 3I didn't want to like be a capitalist, I didn't want to just it couldn't be just about making money for me.
Speaker 3And I meditated on it and the answer came to me like a thunderbolt and it was make it about Devin. And so I was like that I can do Right. So what I did is I created a card that I put with every order that goes out that just talks about Devin. Yeah, and it's Devin's legacy. And so this jewelry business has now become a legacy brand is what we call it for her, and I donate 10% of my profits every year at least 10% of my profits every year to Children's Hospital, and I donate to, like Minnesota Public Radio. When my girls were in Ashland, I was donating to Ashland on behalf of the company when I live now.
Speaker 3there's this great animal rescue place where we just got our latest dog from. I donate to them now. You know like I do things that mean a lot to me and I give back through the company, but Children's Hospital is by far the number one thing and it's such an honor every year to find out how big of a check, to write that check for them.
Speaker 1Oh, I can imagine that feeling.
Speaker 3Yeah, and so it's been seven years. I've been in this business and I've now sold to New Zealand, japan, all over Europe.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3Like I think there's only like two states in the United States that I haven't gotten an order from, like Maryland and like Montana OK, Maryland and Montana, If you're listening.
Speaker 1you got to do it. You got to do it.
Speaker 3I mean I've sold to Alaska Hawaii.
Speaker 1That's incredible.
Speaker 3Yeah, and you know people will write to me after they get that card because they maybe didn't see on my website, they didn't see the Devon's Legacy and read on, read on it. But then they see that card and I get so many messages from people the one in New Zealand that I did a custom bracelet for she's like my sister had this, no way. And she's like. I know I was meant to find you.
Speaker 1Right.
Speaker 2You know, Right.
Speaker 3And then the big business anecdote was six months after I started it as a business, I was doing like an in-person market at a brewery because that's like a big thing around here, right yeah. And so I'm standing at my little table and I'm an introvert, so these kinds of settings suck for me. They're the worst.
Speaker 1Come talk to me, come buy my stuff.
Speaker 3Yeah, there's someone walks by. I'm like like it's like the last thing I would ever do. And so I'm like, oh God, I can do this, I can do this and and um.
Speaker 3It was jam packed in there, so like I get like two seconds of a person's attention and they're moving on Right and this you know, one person kind of paused and she's like looking at my jewelry and I have a little sign with Devin's picture on it and I just said you know, oh hi, everything I do is made with high quality, all natural gemstones that are ethically sourced.
Speaker 3I make everything myself and I donate 10% of my profits to Children's Hospital in memory of my niece, like yeah like, that's like your elevator pitch, yeah, as quick as I can get it out, and she goes oh, tell me more about, about her. And I was like, oh well, you know, she's my niece, she, you know, and I like give her the elevator, elevator speech of HLHS is right. And she, she goes my friend needs to hear this and she walks off. She grabs her friend, pulls her back and she goes tell her what you just told me.
Speaker 1Like okay.
Honoring a Niece Through Innovation
Speaker 3It's jewelry I make. My brand is all about honoring my niece who died from hypoplastic left heart syndrome. And you know, and the woman's just nodding and when I'm done she goes. I just created the heart that'll fix it.
Speaker 1Oh my God, oh my God.
Speaker 3What? And I go? What Right? And this place is packed oh my gosh noisy.
Speaker 1Oh my god, sorry, I'm having another.
Speaker 3I'm crying again this whole time this is happening, my husband's like sitting back behind. He has no clue. This is going on. Right, I'm having this conversation, I go what? And my mouth just drops open like no words can come out other than what, right, of course? And she's just, she's like kind of quiet and she's goes yeah, I've been working on it for 40 years and, um, just last week we put it in an HLHS patient in it and it's working like oh right, how are you?
Speaker 1How are you comprehending any of this? I?
Speaker 3wasn't, I was. I mean, and like all the hairs stood up you know everywhere. And, and all I could spit out was you're a hero, oh my God. And she just points at Devin's picture and she goes no, she is.
Speaker 3And she walks off I don't have her name, I don't know what, she didn't buy anything walks off. I don't have her name, I don't know what, she didn't buy anything, damn it. And she just walks off and her friend comes over. We did buy some stuff. Her friend comes over and she leans over and she goes. She's way too modest. Her name's Dr Doris Taylor and she created ghost heart. Look it up.
Speaker 3Oh my gosh, I'm like yeah, Okay, and as soon as I catch you know a second, I'm like pulling it up on my phone. And yeah, she created this thing called Ghost Heart.
Speaker 1I won't even try to explain it and I'll link it in the comments so that everybody can check it out.
Speaker 3It has not saved all HLHS patients. It's nowhere near that yet.
Speaker 2It is still something in the works, right.
Speaker 3But it's real and she's real. And on that day at that market when I met her. That is the day my business went from running in the red to running in the black, from being in debt to being in profit.
Speaker 1That day is when the tip happened and I was like okay, dev, right, right, okay, I get it, I get it, I got it. Keep doing this, Keep, oh my gosh.
Speaker 3So you know, you asked me earlier, like how has this helped me heal? Yeah, well, it has. And I mean I'm never going to be fully healed.
Speaker 1No, I don't think that. I don't think that there's such thing as a fully healed person, and I also don't know that we should be striving for 100% healing.
Speaker 3But I do think, yeah, that hole is never going to go away it's always going to be there.
Speaker 3But I have been able to use that energy that was really being poured into my pain and grow it into something that A provides some joy to others, that makes me feel like I'm doing something in this world. I'm doing something in this world and just it allows me to share her. You know, like I saw some quote the other day that said you know, if you're afraid to bring up a person that has died to their loved one, don't be. I saw you.
Speaker 1I, yes, I saw that one because we get. So I don't want to. I don't want to remind you that your niece died. Or, in my case, I talk pretty openly about my mom's death. I don't want to remind you that your mom died. I'm like why did I forget?
Speaker 3You're not reminding me. I know she's not forgotten, right? You know like that's been. My huge thing is like you can't forget her. You can't forget this little girl. She only was here three and a half years.
Speaker 3You better not forget her you know, and so this is like my way of keeping who she was alive, right and like when she died that night. I'm like she doesn't have to die for me to learn my lessons. Those lessons are that it's so cheesy and cliche, it's all about love. It really is. That's what the key is for everything. It's about love, you know, like there wouldn't be fucking wars. Sorry, I swear like.
Speaker 1I don't fucking care.
Authentic Connections and Collaboration
Speaker 3We wouldn't have wars, you know, and stuff like that. I sound like I should be like a peace baby, like in the sixties, but you know, it's like if people came from a point of compassion and empathy with each other, we wouldn't have the issues that we have in this world. There are people in this world that I do not like. Okay, we have in this world. There are people in this world that I do not like. Okay, yep, I don't wish them evil, right? I don't wish pain on them.
Speaker 3They're just not my person to be around Right. We don't all get along Right, but I know enough that I'm not going to like judge whatever they're going through. You know what I mean. Like they have their own story.
Speaker 1That's their story.
Speaker 3Yep, they have their own thing going on. So I approach it with, you know, like loving detachment. If it's someone like I can't really be around, it's like a loving detachment which is a hard skill to learn. That's like the worst of it for me. You know, what I mean, Like if I don't like you or something. It's like a loving detachment rather than me.
Speaker 1Like how can I hurt you? You know what I mean. It's really interesting that you say that, because I don't remember what episode it was, but my friend, eric um was a was a guest on this podcast earlier and he was talking about just struggling with, with the struggles that he was having with his son, who at the time was addicted to heroin, and that loving detachment like how I can love you but also know what my own limits, what my own boundaries are, also know what I can and can control, and so anyway, I didn't mean to interrupt you it's just oh, I was like oh, hey, I'm making a connection, exactly.
Speaker 1Yeah, and that's a great way of explaining what that is you know, and um, yeah, so like, if you so, my company's Jensen Natural Jewelry a little plug hello, oh, we're gonna, we're gonna put all the info, all the info, yeah, every you guys you'll know all this information.
Speaker 3It'll be in the, it'll be linked in the comments but yeah, to make me feel okay about, like, talking about having a business was that it's about Devin right. You know, and it's like every interaction and I hope you felt that before meeting me in person even like every interaction you have with me, is centered on you feeling seen and heard and appreciated absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1you're very, um, mindful and I'm trying to think of the word, but it's so like, like we were talking about earlier everybody we Chris and I just met today really, but any interaction that I've had with her business has been like thank you, you're the customer, they whatever you need, how can I help you more? Do you know about De Devin, do you like? Yes, so it's very intentional, I guess is what. I'm trying to say I try to be authentic.
Speaker 3Yes, like there, I can't not be authentic for better or for worse. That's why politics has been difficult for me. Right being in that world, because if I don't agree, I'm going to say so, right. And in the same vein, though, like I'm very authentic in that I appreciate each and every person that buys something from me. Or even if you don't buy something from me, but you tell someone about me, right, or you share something about me and my business, well, and think of how many people like you're keeping Devin alive and her legacy alive through so many different ways.
Speaker 1But even just like thank you for coming on this podcast and talking about her, because now all we all know about her you know I mean it's, it's, that's what it's for.
Speaker 3That's what it's about for me. Yes.
Speaker 1Yeah, and, and, and, just like the, the connections that you are making. I don't mean like networking connections, I mean like connecting and like the real stuff.
Speaker 3Yes, yes, yeah, yes. And even when I do make like business connections, they're authentic, right, because like attracts, like you know, yep.
Speaker 1I'm here for that, for sure.
Speaker 3So I'm all about community, I'm all about collaboration over competition and I have like this I don't know where I got it from, maybe I made it up, but I don't think I did but it's my motto and it's connect and amplify so it's like I have it like on a post-it note on my computer connect and amplify.
Speaker 3So that's how I try to authentically interact. I am an introvert, so you put me in a room full of people. I'm going to be hiding in the corner, yeah, but if you come up to me and talk to me, I'm going to be looking you in the eye, I'm going to be genuinely interested in who you are and what you have to say and I'm going to be like how can we help each other?
Speaker 1This is crazy. I'm loving this right now, chris, because the two things that I'm trying to get going on in my life right now are connecting and amplifying, specifically like um through my networking group, it's all we connect, connect, connect. And then I'm doing this um speaker intensive class right now, and all we talk about in there is amplifying in each each other. How do we? How do we lift each other up? So I love that Like like yeah, I love that you're in my house talking about it right now that's yeah again.
Speaker 3I, I couldn't, just, I can't just be a business, I can't.
Speaker 1I get that that's not. Some people are really really good at it and we need we need those people.
Speaker 3Yeah, that's not me no, and will Jensen Natural Jewelry ever be like a million dollar business? That would be awesome, yeah, great, but but you know I, I am not out there making the deals. You know what I?
Speaker 2mean, that's not what it is for you.
Speaker 3No, it's not. You know I'm if I genuinely have connections and we can grow and help each other and that helps me grow so that I can pay sam more. Our mutual friend sam he's. He's been my assistant and volunteer for yeah, for stuff. But you know it's like I would love to pay him more. I would love it that I don't have to work.
Speaker 3Three things you know right I mean, granted the stuff I work on. Now I'm no longer in government, I still dabble in the water resources world, but it's through my friend's company, her engineering company, water resources engineering and consulting company, and so I just do things that I enjoy with her but you know, and I still teach a little bit and I, you know, I'm always like dabbling in it.
Speaker 1Yeah, me too.
Speaker 3There's always like 17 things going on, because that's just how my brain is. Yeah, is it a multi passionate person? Or something, but I would love it if I could only like have one thing be the thing that I make income from you know what I mean.
Speaker 1And then the rest of it's just gravy.
Speaker 3Yeah. So it's like, like it would be great if if j and j that's my shorthand for, yeah, business name if I could pay myself. I've never paid myself, but we need to get you some money.
Speaker 1Oh, that'd be nice um, well, how about this then? Drum roll, please, hey. Uh, kristen, I got something cool going on right now, starting right the second that you hear this, so we're going to collab for a little bit and see how it goes. So I will link all of this, everything everywhere, and I'll put it all over my socials. But Chris is going to give you all a 20% discount using the code Nikki20. N-i-c-k-i K I E 2 0. That's cool. My name's never been used for a discount before.
Speaker 1So, um y'all, I, in preparation for like cause, cause Chris and I have known we were going to do this for, I would say, at least two months. So I went and bought some stuff. You guys, I really love it and I'm not just, like you know, I would never endorse anything unless I actually believed in it. Her work is beautiful, first of all. Just like beautiful work. You know, like you can tell, I don't, I don't know how to explain this, but like I feel I don't know how to explain this, but I feel your love.
Speaker 1I feel your love in the things that I buy and so far I've bought three of these mini bead bracelets. She also has larger beads, but I really like the tiny ones because I have really small wrists.
Speaker 1You do. You have really small wrists. In fact, I ordered a six inch bracelet and Chris reached back out and she was really sweet. She was like so I just want to double check. I was like, yeah, I have child wrists, which is one thing that I love is that I don't like bracelets usually fall off of me. So I really love these mini bracelets and of course, I'll take pictures and everything and show you. And then I got this ankle bracelet that I love.
Speaker 3Divine feminine.
Speaker 1It, you guys, it's beautiful, it's so fun. It has this really pretty like moon charm on it. And then what was the name of the stone that I got? Cerulean, I don't know. I got Cerulean, I don't know. I got a necklace and it's like a sliver of a rock. Yeah, what the heck did you get? I don't know, I don't know. You guys, we don't need to bore you with all of that, but the point is that her work is beautiful Carnelian, carnelian, that's what it is Carnelian, her work is beautiful. And then you hear this story that she's just told us and it's like, well, this is a no-brainer, like I get something beautiful for myself or for someone else yeah, especially because y'all mother's day is coming up and I don't have to buy that present anymore, but that was one that was a hard one for me.
Speaker 1All the time I was like, well, mom, you're getting another book or you know, um you know, and then to have something like like special for mother's day or for yourself, and anyway, please check out Chris's work. It's stunning, she's a true artist, you know. And then you hear that she's like this tree hugger too. I mean, yeah, so just please check it out, I'll link it, we will, um, we'll do, we'll do some cross promotion. Um, check out all of her socials. Again, I'm going to link everything about her, her social security number her credit card.
Speaker 1Um, yeah, but it's just been. It's been so fun to like kind of prepare for today. I mean, there wasn't a lot to prepare for. But if I actually was like a little bit nervous before you came over, were you? I was like, why are you nervous? And I was like, well, because I'm meeting a new friend and it's exciting, but like terrifying, because I I'm really good at making friends and I hate doing it.
Speaker 3Yeah, I'm a. I'm the kind of friend where, like I, can have a friendship, a real friendship, if there's like not a requirement to like have to check in all the time.
Speaker 1Oh yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, anyone, I have a really beautiful, wonderful circle of friends but we can go months, months or years. Yeah, one of my friends we were texting each other last, like it was like back and forth, you're it text chain, you know? Yeah, and she called me the other day and, um, the last text was me sending back to her in November and she was going through her text messages and she's like oh shit.
Friendship and Gratitude Exchange
Speaker 3Oops, I forgot. And so she texted me. I was busy working in my workshop getting ready to come out here to do all this stuff for this weekend that I've been in the cities for, and she goes hey, can do you have a minute to chat? And I write back immediately. I go sure what's wrong? Why do you want to talk to me? And then she calls me and she goes. I just figure, you know, damn it. It took me six months or whatever, four months to get back to you. I'm going to call. And so I just put her on speaker and I was working in my workshop and we like talk for an hour and a half and like that's the friendships.
Speaker 3I'm like I love you.
Speaker 1I know I love you, you know I love you, and I know they love me. Yeah, oh, my God, I'm like don't call me, don't ever, ever call me.
Speaker 3There's no need. If people call me, I'm like what's wrong.
Speaker 1There's no need. I'm good on like the Zoom or FaceTime or something like that, but phone calls forget about it.
Speaker 3When you were young, didn't you sit on the phone for hours? Well, of course I did.
Speaker 1I just got to do some more training. I guess it was so great to meet you.
Speaker 2You too.
Speaker 1It was so amazing to hear your story. Ladies and germs get some amazing jewels from Chris. And I'll take good care of you. She will actually. Everything comes in this like beautiful pouch. Okay, you can. You can figure it out for yourself. Ladies and gentlemen, as always, thanks for healing and going with me this week.
Speaker 2This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, health or professional advice. I am not responsible for any losses, damages or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.
