Jennifer McClung

Born in Denver but multiple moves later (my Dad was in the oil business) I finished junior and senior highs school in Houston. I started college with the intention of going to medical school. However, the combination of learning that I faint at the sight of blood and was certain I would never pass organic chemistry resulted in an undergraduate degree in English (with a minor in Russian studies) from SMU. Fortunately, while working in a physician’s practice all through college, I discovered I loved the operational side of healthcare. Next stop was Duke University for a MHA (now part of the MBA program). The education at Duke made me highly employable and the Duke network and connections follow me to this day. Go Blue Devils!!!.

I wanted to solve problems for healthcare companies and help them improve their operations. Prior to graduation, I received an offer from Accenture (at that time my offer was officially from the “Management Information Consulting Division” of Arthur Andersen). My parents were certain that I was now an accountant, but I worked with clients from coast to coast and assisted healthcare companies ranging from large hospital systems to major physician organizations and innovative healthcare startups. More than anything, I spent sixteen years in a culture that focused on growing their people. If you loved to learn new things it was the place to be and teaching the younger professionals was recognized and rewarded. Having the chance to help younger staff grow and progress motivated and inspired me. The desire to lead and teach never left. The sixteen years at Accenture were a foundation in my professional life that still positively impacts me every day. The partners I worked with were brilliant, creative, and best of all they wanted to hear what you had to contribute.

At the same time, I had married and had two beautiful children, but the marriage did not last, and I found myself a single mother. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) I’d had primary financial responsibility all along so the need to financially support my two children was no problem, but I felt far more pressure in my new role as a single parent. The Accenture 70-hour weeks and travel combined with raising two children was wearing me down and I knew it was time to move on to something different. I have a great deal of faith in the universe and the universe was looking out for me. I went on to spend time working with a past college friend who had a healthcare marketing firm but needed someone to help with strategic planning for her clients. Again – a chance to learn new things and help clients again. Next, a past connection as a Board Member at my children’s private preschool resulted in the introduction that allowed me to become part of a consulting startup (with four ex-Deloitte partners – “me and the Deloitte boys” I called it.) An amazing chance to build a company from the ground up and work with a phenomenal group of partners. We ultimately sold the company to Grant Thornton and I decided to try working in industry. Next stop was a large healthcare system in North Texas. Wonderful group of people and I led an amazing team, but I missed consulting. It was only a couple years until I found myself consulting at a firm focused on independent physician practices.

But, five years later I found myself getting tired and I was ready for a change.

Somedays I am not sure. I was fortunate in many ways. Because of my earnings, I was able to hire Mary Poppins the Nanny. I had two different Mary Poppins at key points in my children’s lives. Hope and Tangela saved me on a regular basis. I made it to the school conferences and key events, but the fact is I missed a lot of things. I volunteered quite a lot for things at school but looking back I would do it differently. My children were in very good private schools and there were lots of eyes helping me keep watch. I was damn lucky.

I was and still am a master organizer of time and to dos. The strength that made me get the impossible projects done at the office allowed me to apply similar principals at home. But I missed baseball games, track meets, horse shows and was often exhausted at homework time. A lot of days, it just plain sucked. And I really had no one to talk to about this juggling act I had going on because at the time, I was at a place in my career where my peers were predominantly men with a full-time wife at home. It was often lonely.

Fortunately, in parallel with all these professional ventures, I had met the love of my life. And while we didn’t marry until 2009, he was incredibly supportive and jumped in with carpools and events and mostly loving and supporting me and my two children. I married this love of my life in 2009. Suddenly I had a life with a true partner whose emotional and financial support allowed us to put my two children through college plus one master’s degree and one law degree. My two amazing “adult children” became wonderful human beings and by 2017 were on the path for their own careers. With the encouragement of my husband and my two grown children they supported me in my decision to leave the corporate landscape and try something different.

It took a couple false starts. It was hard to not be earning six digits and I lapsed back into some consulting contracts that spiraled into long hours and many air miles. Change is hard and I’d been running fast and furious in the professional world for more than 30 years! Finally, in January 2019, I really paused. I walked the dog. I enjoyed cooking. I flew to visit my daughter. And I thought – a lot. What was it during all those years that I had really loved doing? What part did I want to hold on to? Where did I want to let go? What did I want to share with others?

It took a while to find my answers, but they finally came.

• I wanted to give other professionals the training and lessons I had been given in my early and later days. The chance to grow and be better.
• Most companies today have a hard time giving their employees the kind of training and development that I received. I wanted to create something that could be within reach for everyone.
• I wanted to help others who found themselves in my place of trying to do too much and offer ideas for a better balance
• I realized that I LOVE helping young businesses get started and grow – and what better place to do that than to help other women.
• I recognized that I was good at helping people recognize their potential and I wanted to support and encourage others.

Recognizing my vision, I founded greatfullgrowth, a company focused on helping individuals grow in their professional and personal life. That has given me the stepping stone to partner with Sandpiper Staffing to offer these same courses, mentoring and desire to help by offering greatfullgrowth courses and tools through Sandpiper Staffing as well.