We had the good fortune of connecting with Jen Butler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, what do you attribute your success to?
Rigorous honesty, vulnerability, and embracing my weirdness. I think we all experience a lot of shame and embarrassment around quirks, thoughts, feelings… when, in reality, they’re all natural aspects of being human. I share my messy behind-the-scenes so others can feel less alone in theirs.

That’s the exact approach I use with my content creation (@jenbutlersays), my screenplays, and my books. I share openly and honestly (even when it’s not pretty), which births natural moments of comedy and connection.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My entire vibe is around befriending rather than hiding from the discomfort of being alive. Being human is hard, especially for highly sensitive, deeply feeling people. Life is loud and spiky, emotions are BIG, and basic day-to-day stuff can feel impossible. A decade ago, I couldn’t get out of bed. Making eye contact with someone was enough to induce a panic attack. Since then, I’ve worked really hard to rewrite and retrain my brain and nervous system to feel safe enough to pursue my big-deal dreams.

As for what sets me apart, my answer to that is related to my answer to “Was it easy?”

I am in recovery from alcoholism, addiction, chronic suicidality, disordered eating, cancer, BII (Breast Implant Illness), and a weird period of time when I only listened to dubstep. Wanting to die and nearly dying were catalysts for me learning how to live. Since I’ve traversed those depths and am intimately familiar with that mental anguish and existential despair, I’m able to bridge the communication gap for people who are still stuck there.

My superpower is taking complex, abstract, or even taboo concepts and translating them into digestible content. I do that in my dark comedy screenplays, my books, and my videos online. How do we talk about heavy stuff like suicidality and addiction, but in a way that’s accessible and marketable? *Waves* That’s where I come in.

What I’m most proud of recently is that my self-published book, Volume Control: a guidebook for highly sensitive people in a loud & spiky world, was a Barnes & Noble Top 100 bestseller. I’m working with a publishing company on a second book, and all of my dreams are genuinely coming true. Ten years ago, I never would have thought this possible. I thought I was too sensitive and too fragile. Turns out, we can be sensitive AND live a really full life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First of all, I’d never have someone come and visit me because that’s entirely too much pressure and I enjoy personal space too much. But, for this hypothetical situation, I’d make sure the friend visited Oakland Cemetery. It’s expansive and beautiful and just the right amount of creepy to keep things interesting.

I live in Canton, Georgia, where there are more mullets and cows than things to do. So hypothetical visiting friend and I aren’t gonna, like, chill at Walmart. (Or maybe we will…?) But there is this incredible sustainable restaurant called Goin’ Coastal that’s DIVINE.

We may also visit Kennesaw Mountain to hike, and then regret the decision the entire way up. That sounds fun.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Books:

The Four Agreements, Loving What Is, The Artist’s Way, and The Untethered Soul. Those books changed and continue to change my life.

As for humanoids:

I must first and foremost thank my partner and “toe tether,” Matt. He’s the one who inspired me to stop complaining about my dreams not coming true and actually DO something about them. He’s my best friend, my rock, and my roll.

My bonus kiddos, Eisley and Finley, who ground me in reality, challenge me, and make me laugh a LOT.

Shoutout to my lifer best friend, Sandy, for loving me even when I was sobbing on her living room floor wanting to cease existence. She’s my forever friend and my biggest cheerleader.

I lucked out on the parent front, with a highly empathetic, loving mom and a witty, intelligent dad. They’ve never told me my aspirations are dumb or “too big.” They’ve always supported me, even when I tried to push them away. Same with my big bro.

I’d also love to give a shoutout to my second grade teacher, Mrs. Ransom, for discovering and nurturing my love of reading… as well as Mrs. Shelnutt, my college English professor who made me promise to keep writing rather than pursue a career in accounting.

Oh, and my therapist. Sup, Amy!

Website: https://www.jenbutlersays.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jenbutlersays

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenbutlersays/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jenbutlersays

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenbutlersays?

Image Credits
Kari Stopp

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