Oh, hi there.
I'm Jena. And I have a thing for figuring things out.
I'm a designer, former teacher, mom of three, and the person who genuinely enjoys figuring out how things work. Even when those things are unnecessarily complicated. (Especially then, actually.)
I've worn a lot of hats over the years. Creative Director, educator, business owner, professional Googler of oddly specific questions.
And somewhere between designing things, teaching things, selling things, and raising three humans, I discovered that one of my favorite things is helping other women succeed, too.
Not in a "let me tell you the seven secrets to success" kind of way.
More like the friend who pulls up a chair, opens her laptop, and says, "Okay, let me show you."
That's pretty much the idea behind She Knows How.
The very unexpected beginning
It all started with a pencil. Seriously.
When my son was diagnosed with dysgraphia in kindergarten, I started creating handwriting resources to help him. With my background in design and education, I figured I'd put those skills to work.
I wasn't planning on starting a business. I was just trying to help my kid.
But other teachers and parents started wanting those resources, too. So in 2019, I opened my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Pencils & Poppies.
Within about two months, I was consistently earning four figures a month. Today, Pencils & Poppies ranks among the top 1% of TPT sellers, consistently earning four- and five-figure months.
I'm incredibly proud of what I built. But I'm just as proud of everything I learned along the way.
Because creating the products was only half the job. There were websites to build, emails to automate, storefronts to manage, and software settings buried so deep I started questioning my life choices.
I made mistakes, found solutions, and eventually got pretty good at making all those moving parts work together.
And I realized something: all that knowledge I'd worked so hard to acquire could make someone else's journey a whole lot easier.
Before all the entrepreneur stuff
My career path? Not exactly a straight line.
Before Pencils & Poppies, I was a Creative Director at The Walt Disney Company. I earned my MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and later became an IB college-prep high school teacher, where I helped establish the school's graphic design and media arts department.
It's a pretty eclectic résumé. I'll give you that.
But the common thread has always been creativity, problem-solving, and teaching.
Design taught me how to make things beautiful and functional. Teaching taught me how to make complicated ideas approachable. Running my own business taught me how to put it all together.
Turns out, that combination comes in pretty handy.
Anyway, back to why we're here
You don't need another business guru. You need someone who gets it.
I know what it's like to have big ideas and spend years putting everyone else's priorities first. And I know how exciting—and intimidating—it can be when you finally decide to build something of your own.
You can be incredibly smart, creative, and talented and still have absolutely no idea how to set up an email automation.
That doesn't mean you're bad at business. It just means nobody's shown you how yet.
I created She Knows How to be the resource I wish I'd had when I was starting out. Thoughtfully designed tutorials, genuinely useful tools, and explanations that actually make sense.
No gatekeeping. No unnecessary jargon. No pretending everything is effortless. And definitely no convincing you to subscribe to twelve different tools when two would do the job.
I'll share what I know, tell you what I think is worth your time, and be upfront when something isn't.
Because I'm not here to make things sound impressive. I'm here to make them make sense.
The very unofficial bio
A few things you should probably know about me.
I live in Newport Beach, California, with my three kids, a cat, and a dog. I'm a dance mom, a soccer mom, and occasionally the mom trying to remember which kid needs to be where in the next 20 minutes.
I'm ridiculously crafty. Give me a creative challenge, a few supplies, and an unreasonable amount of confidence, and I'll probably convince myself I can make it.
I love pickleball, lunching with friends, and a good excuse to eat tacos. Or Vietnamese food. Or cookies. I'm not particularly difficult to convince when cookies are involved.
My ideal Saturday night? DoorDash, a really good show, and absolutely nowhere I need to be.
Oh, and one slightly controversial fact about me: I hate coffee.
I know. But before you question our friendship, I should probably admit that seasonal flavored Red Bulls are my guilty pleasure.
We all have our things.
One last thing
Consider me in your corner.
Think of me as the friend who's already spent three hours figuring out that annoying software issue so you don't have to.
The one who'll tell you when something is worth the money, when it isn't, and when there's a much easier way.
I don't have all the answers. Nobody does. But I'm curious, I'm resourceful, and I genuinely love sharing what I learn.
Whether you're just getting started or ready to take your business further, I'm really glad you found your way here.
You've got the ideas. I'll help you figure out the how.
Let's make it happen