From Academia to Grief Care: Genna Reeves’ Founder Journey

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we’re joined by Genna Reeves, Ph.D., founder of Invictus by Genna. Genna shares her unconventional path from academia as a tenure-track professor to building a deeply human-centered business rooted in grief, loss, and resilience. Her journey began long before entrepreneurship—shaped by personal experiences with loss in her teenage years and further developed through her research into memorialization, death, and end-of-life practices.

In the conversation, Genna explains how Invictus by Jenna supports individuals navigating a wide spectrum of loss—not only death, but also divorce, estrangement, chronic illness, infertility, and workplace trauma. She discusses her multi-pillar approach that blends grief peer counseling, coaching, death doula services, and funeral celebrancy, alongside curriculum-based tools and group support. Genna also opens up about building a trust-based, relational business as a solopreneur, the challenges of capacity and availability in deeply personal work, and her vision for expanding access to grief education through scalable programs and an upcoming book designed to help the public better support grievers.

This episode offers a thoughtful exploration of grief beyond traditional therapy, the power of human presence, and how purpose-driven entrepreneurship can create meaningful, lasting impact.

Connect with Genna Reeves, PhD:
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genna-reeves-phd/