Jenn Daniels
Jenn Daniels is an expert in navigating the complexities of municipal government. She has been an elected local leader for over a decade, serving as a Councilmember, Vice-Mayor, and the Mayor of Gilbert, Arizona. Under her leadership, Gilbert thrived, becoming one of America's most vibrant towns-earning several national awards, including the Most Prosperous City in America, Most Livable City, and Second Safest City. As Mayor, she was committed to the future of Gilbert and, as part of the Town's "City of the Future" initiative, was focused on innovating local government in the areas of fiscal responsibility, infrastructure and technology, and community prosperity. Under Jenn's leadership, the Town implemented advisory groups including Advancing Education in Gilbert, ONE Gilbert, and the Executive Advisory Committee. During Jenn's time in leadership, the Town achieved AAA bond ratings from all three rating agencies, opened three new parks, and transformed the Heritage District into a regional destination with some of the best restaurants in Arizona-all while remaining the safest community in the state with the lowest cost of service in the metro Phoenix area. Jenn has also been a small business owner since 2005.
Jenn has served on several regional and national boards and committees, including the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council, Regional Transportation Policy Committee, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, League of Cities and Towns Executive Committee, and Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, and as a Radel Fellow for the Aspen Institute. In 2020, Jenn was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey to a six-year term on the State Transportation Board.
Jenn's experience spans a broad spectrum that encompasses both her public and private expertise. She has a deep understanding of transportation planning and policy, municipal strategy and engagement, including procurement, economic development, strategic communications, political strategy, and policy analysis. She brings a wealth of knowledge and an extensive network to get our clients their desired outcomes.
Jenn makes being a mom to four kids spanning high school to elementary her top priority and spends her free time hiking, reading, organizing all the things, and baking delicious treats.
Episode Transcription
Guiding Growth Conversations with Community Leaders in this podcast will explore the human journey of leaders, their stories of humility, triumphs, roadblocks, and lessons learned. Come join us as we journey together and uncover the questions you've always wanted to know. Yeah, yeah, this podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce providing resources, connections, and belonging for business professionals and rocket space an event and meeting venue in the heart of the East Valley with a full service for person podcast studio Okay, I have been waiting for today, just today, Yes, today, today is jenn Daniels, Daniels, that's not an official holiday, it should be, why not very well could be, let's make it today, what is today?
Anyway, jen Daniel's day sitting in front of us is jenn Daniels, I see her ceo of horizon strategies, former mayor and council members serving the town of Gilbert, small business owner and mama four and one of my favorite human beings, I feel the same way about you. She doesn't say that, she did not say that to everybody. I was telling Ben earlier that one of my mottos when I first met you, which I don't even know maybe 8, 10 years ago at least was what would jen do you when you approach people, you are so authentic and you just, you reach them through a place of humility and yet you demand their attention.
We forgot the clinics box. She's going to get really sad. We also forgot rapid fire around, I'm ready. Let's do rapid fire. Here we go, morning beverage of choice, monster energy drinks. The white ones with no sugar. It's very specific. How long does it take for you to get ready in the morning? Hair washing days or non hair washing days? 30 to 45 minutes. Star Wars or star trek? Neither. I agree. Name one thing. You can't live without people. Paper color yellow. Today today changes. What did your mom call you as a kid?
I almost said a bad word. That's my name for them to just kidding. Um, my real name is jenny, Lynn but everyone called me jenny growing up. So I was jenny from the block. What song do you sing on karaoke night, jenny from the vlog, wow, that was a good son. Go to anybody. No, I have skills like singing isn't one of them. When are you most productive? Morning, noon or night? Morning, absolutely. Favorite sports team. I grew up watching the Oakland A's and just have like an affection for them and also the 49 ers, but I'm Arizona fan now.
Okay, so give me all the Arizona team. You just redeemed yourself. Town of Gilbert or city of Gilbert. Does it matter? That's too political question to answer this. Uh, spender or saver spender? Yes, I'm in the favorite holiday april fool's Day. I wanted you to say, I thought she's gonna say jen Daniel's day. Great, which is today camping or glamping camping. I really do love backpacking, especially your hobby of choice hiking clears my brain organizing and cleaning is actually really, really helpful for me. It might be an illness.
I love it, bobby illness. Same thing. Uh, most annoying sound in the world. Mom mom mom also, most endearing, right? There's a, there's a, there's a way they say it, that's sweet when on vacation do you prefer to be relaxing or chill? Axing. I'm kind of still a tourist. I like my routines so I'm going to say I'm relaxing. It takes me about three days though to get into vacation mode and most of my vacations are not longer than four. So all right. Last one here glass half full or half empty.
Oh, it's totally full actually it's not even half, No. Look at that glow perspective. Thank you to phoenix Mesa gateway airport for their support with nonstop service to 60 plus cities. Gateway airport makes traveling just plain easy visit gateway airport dot com for more information. So I, one of the things that I admire about you is that you are an over comer and you have faced so much challenge and yet you approach life with just such humility and grace and people are attracted to following you and I just, I want you to share a little bit about just your childhood and some of the things that you have overcome that people would have no idea.
Gosh, that's I think every human has actually overcome a lot and most of us just don't talk about it. I really don't think that my life has been anything harder or easier or I think we just all sort of get ours and so my bag is what I have to carry around, but everybody has one. So I just want to preface it by saying like I haven't overcome actually, probably more than anyone else has grateful that I've always had in my health and my mom used to teach classes on how to raise your Children with self esteem and she may have overdone it a little bit in my, in my family's situation, but um, great parents growing up school teacher, my mom was in kindergarten and first grade teacher, but she also taught english as a second language classes at night through the adult school and she taught teen mothers and she was just like a total go getter.
She was so much energy and we're all, we're kind of like jogging next door to try to keep up because that's just who she is. My dad is a nurture like mellow sweet, he was a tool and die maker, a machinist by trade. He did an apprenticeship when he was 21 or 22 and that's how we got into it and he launched his own business and I didn't realize probably until recently that entrepreneurial spirit that um, I didn't realize I had that until probably more recently and I think I got that from him.
So great parents really, really long awkward stage when I was a teenager and I mean really long, like a full face of acne braces with headgear, like you name it, I had it really bad haircuts, like, and this was like early nineties. Um, there's actually some pictures floating around I think of that, but you know, I think I just, I never felt like I was the smart kid or the athletic kid, you know, I wasn't, my sisters are musical, I wasn't musical. Like I kind of felt like I didn't have that niche of talents that I saw other people having, but I always loved people and I think when you talk about like why I genuinely am interested in people's stories, I think everybody has one and I'm totally fascinated by the way that people like the site almost the psychology behind it as people, we all are evolving, We're not stagnant at all.
We're all changing all of the time. And it's, it's really a mixture of things that we're processing and learning and growing and doing all at the same time. So again, I don't think my life is like Particularly hard. My siblings like to remind me of my extremely long, awkward stage even now and it's kind of a fun family joke, my parents both died really young. So my mom was 56 and my dad was 52. Um, and they were really young. Yeah, and I was 24. I just had my first baby when my dad died and that was a life shift for me, not just becoming a new mom, but at the same time losing somebody that was like my nurture.
And that was a really, really shocking thing. And then to lose my mom five years later from cancer and I was actually already on the council when that happened. So yeah, just, I mean kids, I have a great life, but it isn't perfect, but no one's is so what can I learn from the things that I'm going through and what do I have to share with people? I think that's what I am just so in awe about with you is that you have been very vulnerable and you have been very authentic even in your leadership and it takes some sort of, I don't know if it's confidence or craziness, I don't take something to just good mix of, put yourself out there in that way and be okay with it and be comfortable in your own skin.
I think that's what it is that I love about you. Well, we've talked about that quite a bit just over the last several years. Um if I was trying to be someone else or to emulate someone else's leadership, it would be very inauthentic, it would not meet needs. So, but I'm also really aware that I'm not for everyone and it's okay. Um I used to kind of as I was evolving in the role of mayor say it's okay for people to be wrong about me and what people think about me is none of my business.
And those are hard things, but it took me a long time to get there that it doesn't really matter. I'm just going to do the very best I can with what I have and for some it will be great and for others it will not, I will miss the mark and it's okay. Did you believe it when you said it, did you have to continue to tell yourself that was okay to get yourself to believe it? So I still, I still have to tell myself because it is very easy.
I think for us especially I think I'm a natural people pleaser. And so it's very difficult for me to know that what I'm doing isn't meeting someone else's need and I tend to feel real selfish on occasion because I'm looking introspectively rather than trying to meet someone else's need. And I've had to sort of shift that like if I'm not living true to myself, I'll never be able to help others or to be there for other people because I wouldn't show up authentically I'm going to jump back just a bit.
You talked about your parents, your mom is a teacher do you ever have as a teacher? No, but my little brother did okay. And my nieces, I had two nieces that got to have her as their teacher. And you have four kids. I do, how much teaching are you doing there these days? Well I think it's daily, but it's really shifting because of their age is that I am much more now leading or teaching by example And I was kind of laughing. I have 18 year old, 16 year old, 14 year old and 10 year old.
So I have three teenage boys right now and at their ages they actually, I don't think are capable of hearing anything that I actually say anything. I say is not going to be helpful, not only do they know it all, but let's be honest, am I saying anything new? Like this is the same stuff I've said for their entire lives and so I'm not giving them any new information and me repeating it over and over and over again isn't helpful for them. And because my family life has shifted so much in the last couple of years, my entire view of being a mom has shifted and that's been a really interesting dynamic.
I used to think that I could measure how good of a mom I was by how much I did for my Children cooking, cleaning, I do their laundry, I drive them places, I help them with science project, whatever it is that I felt like was my view of motherhood is completely different now. My job is to love them and love them exactly where they are and for when they do need something from me that they feel empowered to be able to ask for it. That they can articulate what they need and that then I can turn to help them.
I love that it's a trap we've fallen especially as working moms where you do feel the obligation to do and to prove yourself worthy of yes being a mom and I wholeheartedly agree that it really is about loving. In fact, we just did an exercise where I had to name the wise person in my life and I really reflected on it And it's my 14 year old. Yeah, I have so much to learn from him. Absolutes, yeah, it is totally a two way and just the amount of time that I could spend listening that will be better than anything I will ever tell them.
My oldest came to me not too long ago, I think he'd be okay with me sharing this, but he came to me and he said, Mom, I feel like me being honest with people is actually pushing people away from me. Like they'll ask my opinion or question and I'll give him an honest answer, but I feel like sometimes it's being rejected and my response to him was because of previous conversations with him. I said, you know what I've noticed is when people come and ask questions sometimes they just want a safe space to talk it through.
They just want to feel safe in exploring some of the answers that they might have to, their own question? How can I create that space? And I said it's what I'm trying to do with you. Um, but maybe you could extend that same grace to your friends. Isn't it funny how I remember when I was in college, I thought I'm an adult now and now that I'm a parent, I'm looking back and I'm like, I am so much like my parents, this is crazy. Do you find that is you reflect back 100%.
I'm a lot like my mom, my energy levels, my desire to go do, go do, go do and actually having read my mom's journals from when she was younger, I have those and she was constantly, it seems like a constant recommitment to doing better meaning. She would write and say, you know, I've got to get all these ducks in a row and I'm going to do all these things and should kind of be consistent for about a week and then about four months later there'd be a new, like a new entry and it would say I need to recommit myself doing better.
There was so much validation for me in reading that and I was like, oh this, this actually is adult ng like it's just a constant recommitment to doing better. Oh, so it's validating to hear that. I appreciate that so much. You talk about setting example for your kids. What are some of the examples that you hope you've said that they've learned from? I think for a big one is definitely holding space for people. I think that that's a really critical skill that I've had to develop over a lot of years, meaning being genuinely interested in someone else's story and putting their not just their needs, but trying to understand the emotion behind where they are and just giving them space to feel and experience that without judgment is difficult.
It's really hard. But you want to put yourself, you hear stories and you like something so well that made me think of my story but it's not about, you know, no, it really isn't. And if I can put other people into the center of that conversation, I hope that they walk away feeling heard seen and valued. That is I want people to feel heard seen and valued when they're with me or when I have an opportunity to interact with that. Did you get your psychology degree from?
You know, tell her all the time. Why haven't you written a book yet? He's amazing because it would be like three pages. That would be like a really awesome book. Hey, they say, you know, simple is the best. Yeah, I just, I hope that they learned that I definitely know that I've modeled hard work for them and one of the things that I've loved about serving in my community is that they know that none of the stuff happens by accident, that it takes hard work and intention and vision and it takes effort and it takes a lot of people with various skill sets to make anything happen.
You know, you're building a park. My kids have seen these visioning exercises essentially from just an idea all the way to a tangible building that now is training police and firefighters. And my kids have been able to sort of see that process all the way through and they know that it takes various skill sets, all different kinds of people and that none of this is by accident, you have the opportunity to serve as mayor in one of the most prosperous communities in America, what surprised you most about being mayor.
I I think at the end of the day and I'll probably sound a little bit like a broken record here, but I thought I loved people before I was the mayor and it wasn't until after I was able to witness the goodness of people from a whole different vantage point that I have even a deeper respect for people in our community. Absolutely hands down to see quiet acts of service on a daily basis of just really good residents reaching out and ensuring that their neighbors have what they need and that they are always extending themselves to other people and you know, You get a lot of, I'll call it hate mail when you're, when you're in these types of positions.
In fact, I have a really funny story, I was on the phone, I had about 250 residents that I needed to call back. They had all called because there was some scuffle about and it was all miscommunication, but it was about our budget and so I decided that I was personally going to call back every single person that called the mayor's office about that. It was, it had spread it out over a couple of days. It was a lot of calls but I was making this call and this woman was livid and it turned into like this, her being very upset about various things and I was hunkered down in my bedroom making these calls because that's where you go for Quiet space to make a call.
And my son, he was 12 at the time, came in the room and so he hears the end of the conversation. She's on speaker and she is just angry and Yelling mostly at me and after about 15 minutes, I finally just said, you know, I really appreciate having this conversation with you. I hope that you know that I took notes that I heard you that I want to make sure that your needs are being met as a member of our community and you know Karen, I just want to thank you for your time And I get off the phone and my 12 year old goes, why did you call her Karen?
And I said, because that's her name, her name is Karen. And he goes, there's people actually named Karen. He thought the whole thing is just like something. So yes, we have people like that in our community too. Um, but by and large they've been ignored and that's why they're angry, they want to be heard, they want to be heard. Um, and so yes, Gilbert is an amazing prosperous place. There are still great needs in our community. The domestic violence rates are too high. zero would be the best.
But absolutely, there are a lot of people in pain. I think that's probably a worldwide challenge. But to think that what you see on the outside is what's really happening. If we took everything from the surface, we would be missing a huge part of our community, not just the, the pain, but also some, some really good things that are happening. So look deeper. And so then you're leading this amazing community and you're at the top of your game and you make a really hard decision that I have a lot of respect for because the best leaders know when they can't, they're not in the headspace to lead.
And so you decided to leave office. Yeah. And I actually made the decision about two months before I actually did it. Um, so I had some runway if you will and I actually did like a little mini staycation in Arizona by myself And I needed just like some thinking time. My friend actually ended up coming with me and she and I were having this really great conversation about all the things that we were carrying around. I was going through some personal challenges. It was the middle of Covid.
We had black lives matter marches in our community and we were in the middle of a very contentious budget cycle. I mean it just felt like there was a lot sort of pouring down at the same time and I think leaders everywhere probably felt that. But for me, I had this added layer of, of personal that was going on and my oldest son had said to me, I think it's too much. I think you being in leadership is too much, you being the mayor is putting a lot of pressure added pressure on on all of us.
And I was again grateful that he could articulate that and, and he felt safe enough to tell me. But also I, it wasn't something that I didn't want to let the roll go. I, I'm when I make a commitment, I want to see it all the way through. That's really important to me. And so doing this little staycation, lots of soul searching, some quiet time to be thoughtful and I ultimately just decided that I could handle all of this. I could do it. I got, I got my batteries recharged And as I was driving home from that little staycation, my, my friend said to me, have you ever thought about just resigning?
It was the first time and I said, can I, can I do that? Is that allowed? And um, we, we talked it out and there was a lot of tears and I'm not a crier, but there were a lot of tears at that point where I really, and all of a sudden became very clear to me that that's what I needed to do. Um, so again, I made this decision sort of on the way home from having this pensive weekend and made that determination in about two months later is when I actually resigned and I kept it really, really quiet and I had no other plans.
The speculation was incredible and hilarious to me. If I had thought that people were going to wonder that much, I would have told them that I wasn't doing anything that I just needed to to walk away. But there were a number of considerations, one, you don't make very much money And I was in a position where I needed to be the head of household at that point. And so you can't live in Gilbert on $42,000 a year and that's what I was making as the mayor. So I needed to supplement my income and I could not do two full time jobs.
I just couldn't, I knew that capacity wise, there was no way I could add another job to my plate, especially where we were as a community, with all of the challenges that we had and then on top of that, you know, knowing that my son was done um and he wasn't the only one, my kids had all felt that pressure and it was, it was a relief and it was kind of what I would consider to be the end of an era for me and not long after, probably about six months after someone said, does it feel like it was so long ago that you were the mayor?
And I said it feels so long ago that I observed someone else being the mayor because I felt so removed from that role just a few months later. So it's really interesting, I can still see in my head because it was a virtual meeting for attendees. I can still see that meeting in my head and I felt relief for you in that moment as well. What do you think is your biggest fear in letting go? Oh, the judgment of others? How can you abandon us during these really tough times?
And there were some people that felt that and expressed that to me and I still feel really badly about that. Again, going back to what I said earlier, it felt like a selfish decision and I don't think of myself as being a selfish person, but that felt like a really selfish decision to say I can't I can't do this anymore in hindsight and I have, you know, a year plus now, since since that day it's a good leader knows when it's time to walk away. A good leader knows and understands when they've done all that they can do and they've given all that they can of themselves because a good leader is giving by themselves.
I think it was an act of love for your family, for your community and for you. Thank you. Yeah, I think I did put myself first and I was probably the first time in a long time. Why is it so hard for women specifically to put ourselves first? Yeah, I think it's because we want we we want genuinely want people around us to be happy and for some reason we've determined that we have that type of power and control. Um it's probably an ego thing actually if I if I dig deep enough in it, I think it's an ego thing that I have the power and ability to ensure everyone else will be okay.
The reality is we don't have that power, we can just do the best we can with what we have where we are. I'm pretty sure that the community, I know I was in the speech when you're talking about the announcement, when businesses have great leadership, the team kind of rallies around that and we get we get excited about that, we get used to that and we get comfortable. And I think that was my probably perspective was when I saw that note, I was like, no, we got it good right now.
We don't want to go different not knowing what tomorrow is going to bring, right. So I think you got a lot of that to people just like really respected and enjoyed your leadership. Um, and it was, it was a great run. It was a great run, but 12 years is a long time. And um, I did feel confident in that. I had grown in those roles, but I had also contributed in those roles and these are not meant to be things that you hold on to forever. A big piece of the wishes that I had been able to fulfill my term, but it is what it is at this point and I did have to move on.
I was thinking her daughters were born about the same time. And so your daughter knew nothing different. I mean you, she was born while you were in office and um, on council I think at the time, But yeah, so I'm sure for her, um, she didn't know anything different than you serving. She didn't. Um, and my boys were 53 and one when I started. So for the most part they didn't either. In fact, I still remember john Lewis, former mayor of Gilbert before me calling my oldest on his first day of kindergarten, I was already on the council when he started kindergarten.
So my Children didn't know any different and I'm glad they actually are having an experience now where they can know that there is a difference. So you shared in your words of wisdom, I don't fear anything that could happen to me. I choose not to live like that. What does that mean to you? I think we have these ideas of what can hurt us or what will be painful for us. I don't fear things that will happen because there's going to be a lot of things that cause pain in our lives, whether it's the actions of someone else, whether it's our own choices, whether it's acts of God that we don't have any control over there are going to be things that cause pain.
But what I know is that not only is that pain temporary, that pain is probably one of our greatest teachers and as someone who wants to grow, I want, I want to keep growing. A good friend of mine sent me a meditation and she's like, you know, there's a good meditation for you to listen to. I hated the meditation because it said it was, it's like, it was talking about having this life of ease and I was like, I don't want a life of ease. I have zero desire to have a life of ease.
I want to grow and growth means pain and pain can teach. You need to read a book you sure someone already wrote that, make sure it's in a certain level. She can understand the yes, please make it simple dot the only way I'm not smarter than 1/5 grader. I already know that. So like all good leaders and even athletes. I was also reflected on that too when I mentioned that last comment about leadership and athletes like Michael Jordan, one of my favorite athletes, right? When he decided to retire, that was a big thing for all of us.
And now anytime I hear anything about him, I was like, what's he doing now? I guarantee you and I'm like this, what is Jen Daniel's doing now. So many people I know want to know what are you up to and where you're going next. I'm living my best life. I really am. I'm really loving this phase or stage I guess of life that I'm in. I think there's something that happens to women when they turn 40 And it's a shift. I hear it happens again when they turn 50.
Um, and probably six, you know like that there's the shift in our thought process about who we are and how we fit into the world. So I am living my best life. I am enjoying being a mom more than I ever have. I'm enjoying building a business and it's dang hard but so much fun. I'm enjoying the people that I am able to choose? I have around me. I get to be very specific about who I spend my time with and I don't spend time with people who are amazing and inspiring for me.
I just don't. And I think that that's been a gift and something that I will cherish about probably this little window of time in my life where I have a lot more autonomy and I get to decide where I go and how I get there and who I'm with. And so I'm inspired every single day and I find a lot of things to look forward to. And you've got, you've got a lot to look forward to. Your oldest is 18, 18. So you're on that college journey now. He's a senior.
Yeah, he's a senior. So yeah, yeah. Senior sophomore, eighth grader and fifth grader. So it's a good life and they're all pretty independent and I love each of them deeply and uniquely. It's a really interesting thing that I didn't, isn't it? That I didn't, I didn't know I had capacity for, to be honest. Absolutely. And Ben's heart. I mean, Good Lord, I have zero capacity left, don't even try to get in this boat. Sorry. This has been an amazing conversation. Thank you for spending time with us and sharing a little bit about your journey and I have learned a lot just in this conversation.
Have you learned anything I learned something every time from john Daniels, we have no title lunches every now and again. We don't get to do them very often, but it's where we get to sit down and just be like real normal humans that have pain and happiness and everything in between. That's awesome. I like that. Well, thank you. This has been a great episode. Thanks to both of you, appreciate you guiding growth conversations with community leaders. Ben, let me ask you a question. How do you see other community members being involved in this podcast?
This is going to be a great opportunity for so many people in the community to have a chance to be heard if they want to tell their story or if they just want to be part of this journey with us and help sponsor in a way that helps bring more people to the table with us. So I think there's many opportunities at hand whether you want to again be on the show, reach out to us, let us know what your story is and how you think you could be part of it.
We'd love to hear from you, reach out, let us know and we'll see if we can make that connection
