Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Willey.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I look back on my career, what surprises me most is that while I’ve had many different jobs, they’ve all been rooted in the same passion: helping people achieve their potential.
That journey started when I was just 15 years old. I began teaching fitness classes (or as we called them back in the day, aerobics!). I realized that I could be paid to work out… but soon learned that I loved helping people become stronger, healthier, and more confident. Looking back, I’m not entirely sure it was legal for someone my age to be leading adults through workouts, but I loved every minute of it. The week I turned 16, I earned my certification through AFAA, and by the time I was a student at Cornell University, I was teaching fitness classes on campus to help pay the bills. Even then, I was discovering how much joy I found in teaching, motivating, and helping people grow.
After graduating from Cornell, I pursued another passion: storytelling. I became a television reporter and news anchor for ABC and CBS affiliates in New York and South Carolina. One of my favorite memories from those early days is that my husband, John, was actually my first videographer. We met in television news, and he has been my biggest supporter ever since. Through every career change, every risk, every success, and every setback, he has stood by my side. More importantly, he’s been an incredible father to our two boys, who somehow became men before we were ready. Tyler recently graduated from Ohio State and is beginning the next chapter of his career in Pittsburgh, while Carter is a student at Syracuse University. Watching them grow into thoughtful, capable young men has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.
I eventually realized I wanted more intellectual challenge and broader business experience. I made a career pivot into management consulting at PwC, which opened the door to the worlds of technology, media, and digital innovation. Over the next two decades, I led sales, strategy, marketing, and business growth initiatives for companies including Yahoo!, AOL, WebMD, Everyday Health, Sharecare, and The Trade Desk.
In my ‘spare time,’ I would lead women’s leadership initiatives, developing the first Women’s Employee Resource Group for WebMD, serving on the board of the Alliance for Women in Media, and training female entrepreneurs how to be more successful and effective communicators and growth drivers.
I was fortunate to work for organizations that were constantly reinventing themselves and shaping the future. But over time, I began to feel that something was missing.
I thought the answer might be finding work that was more purpose-driven, so I left the digital media industry to become Chief Business Officer of a health technology company focused on supporting aging adults. What I learned there was that the industry itself wasn’t the source of purpose for me. The real purpose came from helping people grow.
Whether I was training and mentoring employees, coaching colleagues, leading teams, or helping someone gain confidence in their abilities, those were the moments that energized me most. That realization led me to make the biggest leap of my career.
In 2017, I founded Wet Cement, a leadership development company dedicated to helping people become more confident communicators, adaptable leaders, fearless innovators, and courageous changemakers. The name reflects my belief that none of us are fully formed. We are all still “wet cement,” continually learning, growing, and making our mark. And it was a big leap, since I was the sole breadwinner at the time–my husband took a break from his career as a videographer at WPIX-TV to be a full-time dad to our boys.
To better understand what holds people back from achieving their professional potential, I partnered with behavioral scientists from Wharton to conduct original research exploring the internal barriers that limit success. We examined those findings through a gender lens and combined them with extensive academic and industry research. That work became the foundation for our programs.
Today, I’m honored that Wet Cement has worked with some of the world’s most recognized organizations, including Walmart, NBCUniversal, Johnson & Johnson, Genentech, Aflac, WBENC, Disability:IN, DPAA, Executive Women of New Jersey, the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, and many others. Through keynotes, workshops, coaching, and consulting, we help people build the confidence, communication skills, and courage they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
This year marks another exciting milestone. After more than five years of writing, my first book, *Fearless in 5: Confidence, Communication, Connection, Control and Courage*, will be published by Pearson. The book brings together lessons from my own journey, research, coaching, and the thousands of professionals I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years. My hope is that it helps people overcome the fears that hold them back and gives them practical tools to move forward with confidence. Readers can learn more at fearless-in-5.com.
While my career has taken me in many directions—from fitness instructor to journalist, consultant, executive, entrepreneur, speaker, coach, and author—the common thread has always been the same. I love helping people discover what they’re capable of and giving them the tools to achieve it.
And while I’ve lived in many places throughout my life (and grew up on Staten Island), New Jersey has been an important part of my life since day one. Every summer growing up, I spent my days in NJ, first at Mirror Lake Beach Club as a camper, and then Birch Hill Swim Club as a counselor. And NJ became my home in 2000. Today, not only do I have an incredible circle of friends here, but my family is close by as well. My sister lives down the block from me, my parents are about 30 minutes away in Monroe in a 55+ community they love, and my brother lives in Weehawken.
I often joke that New Jersey gives us the best of everything. We can be in New York City in about an hour, yet still have trees, wildlife, and peace in our backyard. We can finish a workday and be at our favorite Jersey Shore beaches in less than 30 minutes. For me, that’s a perfect combination.
As I look ahead to what comes next, I feel incredibly grateful—for my family, my friends, the opportunities I’ve been given, and the people I’ve had the privilege to help along the way. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that growth doesn’t stop. We all have the ability to continue evolving, learning, and making our mark, no matter where we are in our journey.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely was not a smooth road. In fact, writing about many of the setbacks, disappointments, and barriers I faced was one of the most cathartic parts of writing my book, *Fearless in 5*.
Throughout my career, I’ve experienced harassment, worked for toxic bosses, navigated difficult workplace dynamics, and been told things that no professional should ever hear. Early in my television career, I was even told that I wasn’t “pretty enough” to move up to larger markets as a news anchor. I’ve been underestimated, misled, overlooked, and I’ve shed more tears than most people would ever know.
One of the hardest chapters of my life was becoming a working mother. At the time, I had a commute that stretched more than three hours roundtrip each day–I’m sure many of your readers can relate to that, living in NJ and commuting into NYC. Leaving my newborn son at daycare was heartbreaking. I cried on the drive to work and on the drive home, questioning whether I was making the right decisions for my family and my career. Ironically, what felt like one of the greatest disappointments at the time turned into one of the greatest gifts. I was working at Yahoo!, a company I loved, but when I requested a more flexible work arrangement, the answer was no. That decision led me to leave and join RealAge, where I was able to work remotely full-time long before it became common. I didn’t know anyone else who had a remote job. Not only did it allow me to be more present for my family, but I also found some of the best bosses, mentors, and colleagues of my career—many of whom remain close friends to this day.
Looking back, I can see that so many of the moments that felt like setbacks were actually setting me up for something better. The challenges taught me resilience, self-advocacy, and the importance of believing in yourself even when others don’t. They forced me to find my voice, build confidence, and keep moving forward when the path wasn’t clear.
Today, I can see that those experiences put me exactly where I’m supposed to be. They gave me a deep understanding of what so many professionals—especially women—experience as they navigate their careers, raise families, and try to balance competing demands. They’re a big part of why I’m so passionate about helping people overcome impostor syndrome, communicate with confidence, advocate for themselves, and achieve their potential.
The struggles weren’t detours from my journey; they became some of my greatest teachers. And through *Fearless in 5*, I hope to help others learn those lessons a little faster—and with a lot fewer tears.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wet Cement ?
I founded Wet Cement because I believe every person deserves the opportunity to achieve their potential, and every organization deserves a culture where people can thrive, innovate, and grow.
At Wet Cement, we help companies build confident leaders, stronger communicators, and more inclusive, high-performing cultures. Through keynote speaking, training, coaching, and consulting, we equip professionals with the skills that are often overlooked but are critical for success: confidence, communication, connection, control, courage, and culture.
While many organizations focus exclusively on technical skills, we specialize in the human skills that drive business results. We help professionals overcome impostor syndrome, communicate with impact, navigate change, build meaningful relationships, lead inclusively, and advocate for themselves and others. We also help organizations retain and advance women, develop stronger leaders, and create environments where diverse perspectives fuel innovation.
What sets us apart is our unique blend of business expertise, storytelling, and real-world experience. My background spans television journalism, technology consulting, sales, marketing, and leadership roles at companies including Yahoo!, AOL, WebMD, and The Trade Desk. That allows us to bridge inspiration with practical application. Every program is grounded in research, packed with actionable tools, and designed to create measurable behavior change—not simply deliver motivation for an hour.
We’re also proud to be a certified Woman-Owned and Disability-Owned business. But what I’m most proud of isn’t our certifications or awards. It’s the impact. When participants tell us they finally spoke up in a meeting, negotiated a promotion, launched a business, navigated a difficult conversation, or found the confidence to pursue a goal they had been postponing for years, that’s when I know we’re making a difference.
Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies and global associations to nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders. Organizations like Walmart, Genentech, Aflac, Paramount, and many others bring us in because they want practical, engaging, and inclusive learning experiences that help their people grow.
The name Wet Cement reflects our philosophy. Wet cement is moldable, adaptable, and full of possibility. Once it hardens, change becomes much more difficult. We believe that when individuals and organizations remain open to learning, growth, and new perspectives, they can create remarkable outcomes and truly make their mark.
If there’s one thing I’d want readers to know, it’s that confidence, leadership, and success are not traits reserved for a select few. They are skills that can be learned, strengthened, and developed. That’s the work we’re passionate about every day at Wet Cement.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is discovering new places and experiences through travel, having fun with my amazing family and friends (and I especially love a comedy club, like Stress Factory in New Brunswick, or wine tasting), being in nature (which is easy to do here in the Garden State–whether it’s hiking in the woods, strolling through Holmdel Park or having my toes in the sand in Asbury Park or Ocean Grove), and Zumba! In all of these times, I find I’m totally present–not distracted thinking about other things or planning for the future (which I do too often!).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Wet-Cement.com and fearless-in-5.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wetcementconsulting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wetcementconsulting/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwilley
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyTRlZEFB_zx_VEYtfLhRQw
