As Shakespeare contemplated “What’s in a name?” I wonder what his ponderings would have been about mine.
My name is Jenaha.
As you read this, you may be wondering “How, exactly, do I pronounce this?” or “Is this Jen-awe-hah?” or perhaps you're thinking “That’s an unusual way to spell Jenna.” Take heart, dear reader, you are nowhere near the first person to reach this impasse nor will you be the last. Furthermore, I am, in fact, delighted by our awkward meet-cute as it facilitates a lasting impression that no Jane or Mary (though these names are lovely) is likely to experience.
My name is pronounced Jen-Ā-uh. Jen as in Jenny, Ā as in “way”, and uh as in “luck.”
I was not always delighted by my name, or more specifically by the awkward introductions it induced. I still feel the anxious knots tightening in my stomach as I recall every substitute teacher progressing alphabetically through roll call. I’d sit in tortured anticipation, waiting for the inevitable pause – which was also generally accompanied by an uneasy purse of the lips, a brow-line furl, and/or a couple of silent false starts - as the substitute reasoned internally how best to proceed.
At some point in my young academic career, I began addressing these flustered pauses by calling my name out loud. And I was genuinely stunned each time these adult strangers met my gaze with unspoken expressions of relief, rather than the stern reprimand I’d anticipated for speaking out of turn.
My name was the start of owning and telling my story. And how powerful it is to own one’s name, which is essentially the core of any child’s first-established identity. I am grateful to have learned this lesson at a young age as it has served me well throughout my adult life. It gave me the courage to sing, act, and dance before massive audiences, thus giving me a decade-long career in the performing arts that I had always dreamed of.
Later, it gave me the courage to walk away from this well-established career in entertainment to rediscover my sense of self and pursue a new path toward fulfillment and happiness.
Now, it is the driving force propelling my passion for storytelling into communications, marketing, public relations, and content creation. In this new space, I strive to empower people, brands, communities, and organizations to own and tell their stories authentically and without fear.
As a communication professional, I foster collaborations to develop authentic brand messaging through a variety of media outlets and then strategically distribute this messaging across the best platforms in order to most effectively reach desired audiences.
So, what's in a name? For me, it’s the beginning of a soon-to-be-told tale any time someone new takes a moment to consider mine.