Meet Jen, from Merchandise Planning!

what are you most passionate about?

Absolutely without a doubt I am most passionate about my husband. He is my favourite person! We have a blast playing and travelling together. We are also very real; we talk it out when we have to. I have so much passion in making our relationship the best that it can be. I am also very passionate about reminding the people in my life just how awesome they are.

Jen and her husband in Egypt, touring the pyramids of Giza.

what is the scariest thing you've ever done? Are you glad you did it?

Jumping out of an airplane was the scariest thing I have ever done. I was absolutely terrified during our ascent in the plane. I couldn't speak. And I’m fairly certain that I screamed for the entire freefall. Oh yes, I am glad I did it. Oh no, I will never do it again.

what is your favorite way to sweat?

I am a big fan of sweating. The sweatiest I have ever been is during a hot sweaty Bikram yoga class. I L-O-V-E yoga. Currently I am drawn to the very deep and restorative types of yoga. But I go through phases where I am all about the muscle-y power yoga or the hot-hot-hot yoga. I also love the feeling of a run in the sunshine, and I absolutely dig surfing, scuba diving, backpacking & snowboarding.

Jen finishing the famous Oregon Hood to Coast, 180 mile (290k), 12 person team relay.

what is the best place you've travelled to (or the place you'd love to go to)?

It is so incredibly difficult to choose one place, but I have to say the island of Bonaire. My experience snorkeling and diving around that island was so dreamy, the memories are so vivid. And there is a sea turtle swimming those waters right now that still holds a very special place in my heart. Runners up are Thailand, Sydney, Australia, and my oh-so-dreamy honeymoon in Belize. Next on the list is somewhere in the Pacific Islands.

Jen snorkeling on the Island of Bonaire, 80km of the coast of Venezuela.

coolest thing about being a merchandise planner?

The coolest thing about merchandise planning is that we really dig into the biz. We know how the business did last year. We know what our targets are as a company for the future. And we know how we are tracking to those targets. We are always waist-deep in what is working and what is not. It’s cool to know all that stuff and apply our learnings to the future. Plus, partnering with the merchants we are always close to the product, which of course we are all wild and crazy about.

Attention all passionate, fun, energetic, constantly aspiring embodiments of greatness: you could be the next Jen. If you think you have some greatness to bring to the Merchandise Planning team, check out the lululemon careers page.

If there is one thing I’m passionate about in life, it’s living the best one possible. Needless to say when I heard lululemon’s Director of Possibility, Susanne Conrad, and imagine1day were hosting an event open to all I was almost giddy with excitement. What kind of possibility would this event create in my life?

Going into the room that day, my goal was clear. I wanted to leave the day a better communicator than when I came in. But the truth behind that goal, was the communication I sought was very one way. How could I say what I wanted to say in a way that influenced others? So when Susanne started talking about stingy versus generous listening I smiled politely and waited for her to get to the good stuff. Then it clicked. This was the good stuff. I’m stingy, and if I want to be a great communicator I need to listen. Really listen. Not listen, assess whether or not I agreed with this person and then say something to make myself look good. Yep, I do it and I’m owning it. Sometimes the best thing a person can do for you is remind you of the obvious things you already knew. I needed to be reminded I can be stingy.

Looking back it’s laughable. What kind of effective communication goes only one way? Of course, I hated admitting to myself that I’m a stingy listener. Nobody likes to think of themselves as stingy (and I’m a generous tipper, even on sub-par service). Sometimes the best thing a person can do for you is to remind you of the obvious things you already knew.  The moment I owned who I was being as a listener, was the same moment I became the person I wanted to be. The kind of person who has the courage to recreate themselves, to own a mistake and to take themselves on and change that behavior. The kind of person who understands communication is a 2 way street, and the listening side is a four lane highway. So off I go to recreate myself.

Sheena recently took part in Livin' It Up led by Susanne Conrad and imagine1day in Vancouver where 100% of the tuition goes to building new schools in Ethiopia. This event is happening in Toronto May 1st and in New York May 2nd. For more information about Imagine1day visit their site here: http://www.imagine1day.org/