Jillian Bernstein, Founder of The Wellness Extension, LLC
Name: Jillian Bernstein
Founder: The Wellness Extension
Who is Jillian Bernstein?
Jillian Bernstein, CEO & Founder of The Wellness Extension, LLC, has over 20 years of experience in the human resources and consulting fields. Jillian’s professional career began in economics consulting after receiving her BS in Economics from The George Washington University. She spent a few years in litigation and pharmaceutical consulting before transitioning to HR, where she loves engaging with employees and helping them develop to their full professional potential. Jillian’s passion for bringing well-being to the workplace led her to start The Wellness Extension.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
Jillian believes organizations need to see the whole person when they show up at work, which mean investing in the team’s well-being. Through The Wellness Extension, Jillian offers innovative and creative programs to her clients with the mission of building community and engagement among team members, all the while bringing her HR knowledge & expertise to the table.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
I was inspired to become a FoundHer because I saw the impact I could make on employees' well-being in the workplace, both as an innovator in terms of employee engagement but also as that approachable and empathetic leader. I want to be able to bring that to other companies and their HR teams who honestly are struggling with finding the time and bandwidth to provide these services to their employees - I was my future client! As important, I really was driven to show my kids that when you believe in something important, all you need to do is start and show up - and that is what I am doing every day at The Wellness Extension.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
My business is designed to elevate other talent in the well-being space who are also female founders. Whether it means introducing a nutritionist, financial expert, or fitness coach, for example, to organizations, I want to grow my own network to help others build their exposure and share their expertise in the well-being field. Then, it is truly a quadruple win - for me, for the other founder who gets the corporate exposure, for employees who improve their well-being and for companies that see increased engagement and retention of their most important asset - their people.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I am still working towards that goal - and hopeful by year-end of 2024. I have already reduced my hours to 32 hours/week at my full-time day-to-day job, in the hopes of slowly winding down while being ready to go full force...I often tell staff, do not quit unless you have a plan (or another job). I have a plan, and I am a bit risk averse, so a slower exit works for me, and I have come to accept that is totally OK!
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
One of the lost arts of companies is demonstrating that they truly care about their people. I even talk about that in a recent presentation, focused on empathy being the building block of strong leadership.
Once you know what makes your employees tick and truly invest in that element of their well-being, not only will you build engagement, but you will see their loyalty. I have had people tell me, they stay at organizations because of me and my leadership style. I want other leaders to hear that too...and my secret sauce is truly demonstrating that I care about my people and their well-being.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
Me, myself & I...and occasionally my 15-year old daughter will help with my Instagram posts. I am also fortunate to be in the MMS Founding Cohort and can ask all of my technical questions there. The biggest challenge I currently face is having a dual presence on LinkedIn because of holding my "day" job, but I think that will be able to transition well in time. And, I have used that platform to occasionally write about well-being topics interesting in the HR space.
How did you land your first client?
Two came in simultaneously but both through relationships - one through a coaching program I did and another through a family member who had gone on a trip to Israel and on the trip met someone who needed HR support.
What are three strategies you use to market your business, grow brand awareness and generate bottom line growth?
1. Join groups - It is so critical for me to be out there in various groups...that will lead to more introductions.
2. Putting my face out there - we talk about sharing your story in the MMS cohort, and that truly is the best way for me to grow my awareness. Even when I am chatting with parents at my kids school, I talk that I am starting a new venture. It is key for others to know - and then, you expand your network of support.
3. Keep it lean (for now) - It is just me, and I keep expenses low except for the musts. I think it is critical to invest in having coaches, for instance. That external sounding board has been transformative for my business and my mindset.
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