Juggling Life & Work with Jen Mott, Ed.D.

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | June 10th, 2022

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“It’s never too late to learn.”
Jen Mott, Ed.D.

Today, Jen joins me to talk about how she juggles her teaching job and her life as a circus performer. She explains how she got into the circus in the first place, noting the power of saying yes. She talks about the impact of the realization that you can be paid to do what you love.

Jen discusses how being a circus performer has helped her communication skills, as well as how traveling has affected her life and journey. She explains how each of her jobs has affected the other positively, and she emphasizes the power of being open to finding the right choice in unexpected places.

She notes that it’s never too late to learn, she defines the Say-Yes-And-Figure-It-Out-Later Mindset, and she shares the benefits of the student mindset.

This Week on The Mindset Zone:

The student mindset
The power of saying yes
How traveling has affected Jen’s life and journey
Being open to finding the right choice in unexpected places
Why you’re not too old to learn more
The Say-Yes-And-Figure-It-Out-Later Mindset
The benefits of the student mindset

The Guest:

Dr. Jen Mott has been with Cincinnati Circus Company since 2006 as a juggler, stilt-walker, balloon artist, and fire performer. During that time, she graduated with her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education for Spanish and completed her Master’s program in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Cincinnati.

Additionally, in 2020 Dr. Mott defended her dissertation on Teacher Perseverance research in order to complete a Doctorate in Leadership Studies at Xavier University. She has served as an Adjunct Instructor for the Educational Administration program there as well, teaching future educators leadership skills and capacity.

While Cincinnati Circus Company has been her consistent weekend and summer job for nearly twenty years, Dr. Mott has continued to serve the students and staff of Greater Cincinnati in a variety of capacities. She has been a Spanish teacher, ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) teacher, and most recently moved into school administration. For the past five years she has served as an Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Cincinnati area high schools and middle schools.

In addition to her daily duties in the community that she serves, Dr. Mott has performed at a multitude of school and outside organization presentations. Specific topics most commonly presented about have included keynote presentations on how to Juggle Our Big Potential, and/or breakout workshops where participants get hands-on training on how to juggle and/or make balloon animals in an effort to bring levity to the workplace, teach unique skills, demonstrate that it's never too late to learn something new and encourage people to harness the potential within themselves.

In her free time, Dr. Mott can be found planning trips, booking flights, and traveling across the country and internationally. Pre-pandemic she traveled to 10 countries on 40 flights in 2019 alone! She is passionate about adventure, new experiences & cultures, and continually learning along the journey.