HEY I’M JESS!

and I create keynotes that move people and drive action.

I am an award winning Keynote Speaker recognized for my generosity of spirit, courage, and commitment to inspiring meaningful change. I am also a coach, entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, and most proudly a wife and mom of three. Everything I do is rooted in one belief: our time matters, and how we show up in it matters even more.

My work was shaped by profound loss. After the passing of my father in law, and just 18 months later the heartbreaking loss of our son Lewiston, my perspective on leadership, resilience, and impact transformed. Grief clarified what truly matters. It taught me that we are not guaranteed unlimited time. The average person gets 30,000 days. That truth became my call to action.

Today, as a Keynote Speaker, I partner with associations and organizations to help leaders and teams choose courage over comfort, strengthen connection, and lead with both heart and accountability. My goal is simple. To create experiences that move people, shift culture, and spark action long after the event is over.

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My Journey From Mental Health Struggles to Keynote Speaker on Resilience…

As a Keynote Speaker, I do not speak about resilience from theory. I speak about it from lived experience. I have walked through depression, battled suicidal thoughts, and felt the weight of deep loneliness. I know what it is like to feel stuck in survival mode. And I also know what it takes to rise.

Determined not to merely exist, I committed to the hard work of healing by prioritizing my mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. That journey reshaped how I lead, how I live, and how I serve others. Today, I bring that hard earned wisdom to stages across North America, equipping leaders and teams with practical tools to navigate adversity, strengthen culture, and choose what I call The Hard Work of Joy.

Alongside my husband Ronnie, I co-founded The Love For Lewiston Foundation, turning our pain into purpose. Together with an extraordinary community, we have raised more than 3 million dollars to honor Lewiston’s legacy and support families affected by Spinal Muscular Atrophy. What began as heartbreak became a movement, and it continues to remind me that even in our hardest seasons, impact is possible.

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In 2020, Amid Global Turmoil, I Published Bring The Joy, A Book That Shaped My Work as a Keynote Speaker and Coach.

As a Keynote Speaker, I bring not only experience and insight but also the unique perspective of someone who discovered her neurodivergence later in life. Learning that I have ADHD reframed how I understand myself and gave me a blueprint for success. It transformed my marriage, my business, and the way I view my past. What could have been a limitation became a superpower, empowering me to advocate for my needs and embrace the perspective that only I can bring.

Outside of the spotlight, you will find me journaling, reading, or dreaming big with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. I cherish the warmth of the sun, the laughter of my family by the water, and the simple joys that make life rich. I approach each day with gratitude, enthusiasm, and grace, celebrating both the small moments and the big possibilities that life offers.

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I am the recipient of The 2021 Doc Seaman -Generosity of Spirit Award, winner of The Best Documentary at the 2022 Okotoks Film Festival for a documentary that I co produced called One Seven Nine and the recipient of the 2022 Muscular Dystrophy Canada, Dr. Katie Mander’s Courage to Inspire Award. I also was inducted into the 2022 Class of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40.

We don’t always get to choose what happens to us but we do get a choice in our response.
Each chapter I write will be one worth reading and will be a response to the gifts and blessings I was given.

Let's Work Together

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“Resiliency is a choice. It's a myriad of choices made through the course of our days. Choosing to be resilient during life's small setbacks like missing a deadline, losing at a board game, or burning dinner will help give you a mindset and disposition for resiliency that will help carry you through moments of darkness.”

— JESSICA JANZEN

2014

Jessica quits her 9-5 career and starts her own business.
2016

Her son Lewiston is diagnosed with SMA and passes away.
2017

Founded The Love For Lewiston Foundation.
2020

Bring the Joy is published.
2022

LFL has raised over $2M dollars & Jessica is named Calgary’s Top 40 under 40.

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WHY SHE’S A TOP 40

Since February 2022, more than 20,000 infants in Alberta have been screened for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). This is thanks to Jessica Janzen Olstad, who once swore that no family would endure what hers went through with her son, Lewiston. “I don’t want a mother to have to sit holding her baby wondering, ‘Is this your last breath?.’

A mother of three children (“two earth-side, one up in heaven”), Janzen Olstad works as a keynote speaker and executive coach, encouraging people to find joy, even in difficult circumstances. In 2020, she wrote a book, Bring The Joy, which is available in bookstores and online.