In conversation with Jenny Rossiter, author of The Freedom Bus

The Art of Being a Writer

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In conversation with Jenny Rossiter, author of The Freedom Bus

Linda Parkinson-Hardman

Jan 04, 2022

Jenny Rossiter first joined me on this blog back in 2012 with her book The Masks that Men Wear. Since then much has changed in her life and business. In her latest book, a memoir called The Freedom Bus from adoptee to true self Jenny combines her heart-warming story with her professional expertise, calling on her experience as a psychiatric nurse and lessons from corporate life, while drawing parallels as a single mother and successful business owner.

As an adoptee, she unveils her story from rejection to acceptance and how her midlife questioning empowered her to be her true self and how she found a version of herself she didn’t know existed. And, as a business owner and being her own boss, she talks of the sacrifices of working life and the consequences of success. Sharing what it takes to break the cycle – A Dog, a Man, and a Camper Van.

Listen to the interview

https://lindaph.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/jenny-rossiter.mp3

Key takeaways from this episode:

Jenny is the founder and principle of Feelgood Leadership.
She loves good cocktails, dancing and great mates.
As an adoptee during the closed adoption era she was prevented from finding out about her birth parents.
She started the journey to uncovering where she is from at 19 when she requested her file from Somerset House.
One of her greatest traumas as an adoptee was not having the opportunity to grieve for her loss and never being able to explore why she was given away.
Jenny is both dyslexic and has ADHD, but that hasn’t stopped her from following her dream of running a successful coaching business and being a writer.
In writing her book she left no stone unturned and had no choice but to approach life differently after she had finished.
During the interview, we discussed the qualities of a good coach and how the coaching process is designed to hold a safe space for people to feel they can open up and explore what may be painful or challenging.
You can’t ask a question if you don’t even know there’s a question to be asked. The act of writing a memoir is often one that prompts us to find new questions we didn’t even know existed and then seek the answer.
The only thing to be afraid of is fear itself.
One of the things she’s looking forward to most this year is co-creating a book with a 10-year-old friend about the adventures of her dog Fifi.
As Jenny says “This is my story, but it could have been yours. Our journeys might be different, but our humanity is universal — regardless of our experiences. When we find ourselves, we find each other.”