Jillian Ferry of Durable Minds Everboarding: Redefining Career Readiness for the Next Generation

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business

Hello! I’m Jillian Ferry, co-founder and CEO of Durable Minds Everboarding. At Durable Minds Everboarding, we create products and services aimed at bridging the gap between school and work while redefining career readiness. We offer two impactful programs: DurableSuccess, a career-readiness course that gives early-career professionals a head start, and DurableME, which focuses on developing essential soft skills necessary for sustainable (durable) professional growth. Both programs assist students and teams in connecting with who they are, which allows them to navigate various situations more effectively.

Alongside my amazing co-founder and Chief Learning Officer, Anh Lee, we aim to empower the next generation of leaders to feel confident, prepared, and grounded as they start their careers, so they can lead with purpose. We like to say we’re taking the unwritten rules of work... and finally writing them down. Our work is research-based and further rooted and strengthened by decades of experience in people operations and learning design. We’re dedicated to helping employees navigate corporate environments with integrity and confidence.

Who are your customers?

Our customers are students, recent grads, early career professionals, and the parents, educators, and organizations who support them. We work directly with high schools, colleges, and career centers.

We’re also seeing incredible interest from parents who want to give their kids a leg up in a world that feels much more complex than when they started their careers. Whether it's a mom helping her college freshman navigate their first internship or a career center trying to bridge the gap between education and industry, our programs are here to meet that need.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

I spent 15+ years in people operations, talent development, and HR leadership—building programs, leading teams, and supporting hundreds of employees across higher education, healthcare, and the behavioral health space. I’ve led onboarding redesigns, created leadership development programs from scratch, built performance management systems, and navigated just about every tough conversation you can imagine.

Anh brings two decades of experience leading organizational learning and development initiatives across industries—including education, oil and energy, SaaS implementation, government administration, and MedTech. Her expertise spans leadership development, organizational development, instructional design, training facilitation, and change management. She’s currently pursuing her doctorate in Ethical Leadership at the University of St. Thomas, with research focused on strategic leadership, workforce development and engagement—particularly for early-career professionals.

I have a Master’s in Global Human Resource Development from the University of Houston and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Texas A&M (so yes, I’m both a proud Cougar and an Aggie!). Anh holds a Bachelor’s in History from Texas Tech and a Master’s in Global Human Resource Development from the University of Houston—same program, same passion.

Our careers have always been about people—how we show up at work, what we need to thrive, and what it takes to create cultures that actually work for humans. Everything we’ve created at DME starts with that truth.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

Honestly? It was a mix of passion, timing, and a deep sense of responsibility. We had both spent years watching brilliant, capable young people struggle at work—not because they weren’t smart or motivated, but because no one had taught them the real skills they needed: how to give feedback, navigate tough conversations, advocate for themselves, or even just read the room.

Then I became a mom and everything shifted. I started thinking about the kind of world I wanted my daughter to grow up in. I didn’t want her or her generation to walk into their first job full of self-doubt. I wanted her to know her worth, lead with character, and feel confident in her voice.

When I shared this vision with Anh, she immediately agreed that we had to build this. I still remember her saying, “These kids need to know how to onboard themselves.” She had seen the same thing I had—young adults graduating with knowledge, but lacking the real-world skills to truly thrive at work. That shared belief lit the fire, and DME was born.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I think I always knew I wanted to build something greater than myself—something that would outlive a single job title or company org chart. Even when I was working inside organizations, I was always creating: building new programs, designing systems, mentoring teams, and asking the bigger questions.

So while I didn’t always use the word “entrepreneur,” the drive was always there. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of doing meaningful work that impacts real people in real ways. Starting DME gave me the space to bring all of that to life. 

Anh’s decision to pursue entrepreneurship was inspired by the impact of the organizational solutions, training programs, and learning resources she developed for the companies she had worked for. However, while creating impactful programs, she also experienced the organizational chaos that many people face in corporate environments. Ultimately, she decided it was time to take her talents and passions and focus them into creating something she could fully immerse herself in, free from the constant constraints of working for someone else.

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

We’re still very much in this stage—testing, learning, adjusting, and trying new things almost every day. When we first launched, we knew we had something powerful, but neither Anh nor I came from a marketing background. So, we’ve been learning and executing simultaneously, which has been both exciting and incredibly challenging.

Some campaigns have really connected and helped get our message out there. Others…not so much. We’ve had to get creative—leaning into storytelling, building relationships, and showing up consistently even when things didn’t take off right away. Over the last six months, we’ve been laser-focused on refining our message, figuring out how to communicate the heart of what we do in a way that resonates. It’s definitely been a journey—but one we’re deeply committed to, because we believe in the impact of our work.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. In the beginning, it’s all excitement and momentum—this shiny new idea you can’t stop thinking about. But then you hit what I like to call “the messy middle”—far enough from the energy of the launch, but not yet close enough to the success you envisioned. That’s where it gets real.

We’ve faced a lot of rejection. Some people didn’t get it. Some partners said no. Some launches flopped. And there have been more days than I can count where we’ve thought, “Is this actually going to work?”

What we’ve learned along the way is that the difference between success and failure isn’t always brilliance, it’s staying power. It’s the people who keep going until they figure it out. That’s what we’ve committed to.

We believe so whole-heartedly in the mission behind DME. We know the problem we’re solving is real, and even in the hard moments, we remind ourselves: this work matters. So we keep showing up, learning, making small adjustments, and moving forward

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

Honestly, building this from the ground up is something we are both incredibly proud of. What started as a conversation over lunch has grown into a real, living platform that’s helping real people, and it’s surreal to step back and see how far we’ve come.

We’re proud that our DurableSuccess course has helped students during their internships, build confidence, and finally feel like they belong in the workplace. We’re proud that our DurableME deck has come to life, and students are challenged to think introspectively about decision-making, emotional regulation, and what it truly means to be authentic to yourself.  We say this often, but you have to know yourself, if you want to be yourself.  I’m especially proud that Anh and I built this without outside funding—just grit, experience, and a deep belief in what we’re doing.

Above all, we’re proud that we didn’t give up when it got hard. That we’ve kept going (and continue to keep going) through the messy middle. We push forward—not because it’s easy, but because we know how much this work matters for the next generation.

Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

Yes! This past year has been filled with momentum and milestone moments for us.

We officially launched both of our flagship programs—DurableSuccess and DurableME. From concept to creation, we brought our vision to life. DurableSuccess is now guiding young professionals through the unspoken rules of the workplace, and the first physical prototype of our DurableME Deck is finally in our hands after months of development and design. Seeing it come to life was one of those “we’re really doing this” moments.

We’ve also started building strong relationships with universities like Texas A&M and the University of Houston, leading workshops that help students stand out during internships and grow the durable skills that matter most. This June, Anh will be presenting at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Conference in Philly, sharing how character development and durable skills are game-changers for career readiness. It’s been a year of growth, validation, and real connection—and we know we’re just getting started.

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

We have a big dream: that every college graduate has access to our products and can step into the workforce feeling prepared, grounded, and confident. At Durable Minds Everboarding, we exist to bridge the gap from school to work—so young people can stand out and get ahead without feeling overwhelmed or lost. It’s the unwritten rules of work, finally written down.

We’ve got some exciting things on the horizon. Anh is wrapping up her dissertation this month, which is a huge milestone—not just for her personally, but for our identity as a research-backed organization. We’re exploring ways to expand the DurableME Deck, including a potential game version that brings durable (soft) skill development to life in a more interactive way. A book is also on our vision board, and we’re continuously refining our DurableSuccess program to make it even more impactful and accessible. Long term, we see ourselves as a key part of the school-to-work pipeline—a bridge and a lifeline for students learning how to thrive in today’s workplace.

What is your top productivity tip? 

Plan, then execute. It sounds simple, but it’s a game-changer.  Block your calendar like it’s your boss, set timers, schedule focus blocks, and make time to actually do the work, not just think about it. When you’re building something from scratch, it’s easy to feel like you’re playing a never-ending game of Whack-a-Mole. The only way to break that cycle is to organize your work. Know what’s a priority, give it time on your calendar, and protect that time. Structure creates space and space is where the real progress happens.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

Burnout happens when you give and give without ever taking a break.  Our secret to avoiding burnout is building intentional breaks into your schedule.

Step away when you need to. Say yes when your child asks you to play or your significant other asks to watch your favorite show. Go for a walk without your phone. Give yourself permission to stop working, even if it is only for 20 minutes.

When you run your own business, it can live in your mind 24/7, but we all know you can’t pour from an empty cup. I’ve learned that I’m more creative, more focused, and more resilient when I take breaks, protect my energy, and stay connected to the people and moments that matter most. You have to remind yourself that it’s not laziness, it’s sustainability.

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

For us, it’s all about integration over perfection. There’s no such thing as a perfectly balanced day, but there can be a harmonious balance where your work and your personal world coexist with intention.

Plan ahead, but also remind yourself to stay flexible. Block time for both work and family, and try not to feel guilty when one pulls a little more than the other on any given day. Some weeks you’ll be deep in creative mode, launching new things. Other weeks, you need to slow down to be present for your family or just take care of yourself and binge watch a show on netflix.  Give yourself grace and take breaks when you need them.

We don’t chase this rigid scheduled balance. We chase alignment because when you feel aligned, that’s when you know you are doing life and work in a way that feels true and authentic to you.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

I wish we would’ve known that just because you build it, doesn’t mean people will come. I think we had this idea that if we created a powerful solution to a real problem, people would be banging down our doors to get it. The reality is that it takes time. People don’t know who you are yet. You have to earn their trust, build credibility, and keep showing up, over and over, before they’re ready to believe in what you’ve built.

Creating the product was just step one. Building the bridge between the solution and the people who need it is the long game. It’s taken longer than I expected, but every step of that journey has made us stronger and more resolved in our mission.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

I love asking, “Think about a time when you were unsure how to complete a task—what steps did you take, or what steps would you take in that situation?” It gives us a clear sense of how someone approaches ambiguity, problem-solving, and ownership. In a startup, there’s not always a playbook, so you are looking for people who aren’t afraid to take initiative and figure things out.

I also like to ask, “What’s something you’re really proud of that most people wouldn’t see on your resume?” That question usually opens the door to something deeply personal or meaningful and gives us a better sense of who they are beyond their job history.

If you've raised capital for your business already, what are some of your best tips or lessons learned?

We haven’t raised capital yet, but believe me, we’ve had the late-night, “Should we start pitching?” conversations over snacks and spreadsheets more times than I can count.

Right now, we’re bootstrapped and building, and it’s been both empowering and exhausting (IYKYK). We’ve learned how to stretch a dollar, pour our hearts into our mission, and stay laser-focused on value and impact.

However, we would love to learn from the incredible Entreprenista community on this! If you’ve raised capital and have tips, tricks, lessons, or cautionary tales, we’re all ears. Seriously, slide into our DMs with your wisdom. We’re building something big and beautiful, and know outside funding may be part of our journey in the not-so-distant future.

Are you a Mamaprenista? If so, please share your best advice for simultaneously managing a business and a family

Yes—I’m a proud mamaprenista to the most kind and fierce 4-year-old, and Anh is the proud mama of a strong, creative, and thoughtful thirteen-year-old. I think we can both agree and admit—it’s not always easy balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship. When you run your own business, it’s kind of always on your mind—24/7.

Our biggest advice? Be intentional about disconnecting. Take the time to enjoy your slow mornings. When your child asks you to play or spend time, say yes. It’s not just good for your relationship, it’s good for your brain. Stepping away from the pressure, even briefly, gives your mind space to rest and reset.

Those moments of presence—laughing, playing, slowing down—have brought more clarity and inspiration than any to-do list ever could. You don’t have to choose between being a great mom and a great business owner. You just have to remember what really matters.

Do you have a co-founder? If so, how did you find the right one for you and what are your best partnership tips?

Yes! My co-founder, Anh Lee, is the absolute best partner I could have asked for. We met about 10 years ago during our Master’s program at the University of Houston and instantly clicked on a deeply professional level. During that year, that connection grew into an incredibly strong and honest friendship, and she is one of my best friends today. From the beginning, we shared the same heart for students, the same drive to build something meaningful, and the same passion for pushing ourselves beyond our own perceived limits.

What makes our partnership work is trust, clarity, and constant communication. We know our strengths, we respect each other’s lanes, and we create space for honest conversations—even when things are tough. We don’t always agree, but we always align. Above all, we respect each other enough to have the hard conversations when something feels off or when we need to realign.

My biggest tip for any partnership? Choose someone who shares your values, your vision, and your commitment to mutual respect. Skills matter—but how you navigate pressure, make decisions, and move through challenges together is what builds strong partnerships that last.

What's the one app on your phone you absolutely cannot live without and why?

I think we would both agree it’s a tie between LinkedIn and Calm—and honestly, they represent both sides of the entrepreneurial life.

LinkedIn is where we connect, share, and grow our community. It’s been a huge part of how we’ve built brand awareness and engaged with students, parents, educators, and other entrepreneurs. It’s our go-to platform for sharing what we’re building and why it matters.

And then there’s Calm, which helps us disconnect and regulate our nervous systems when our brains just won’t shut off (which, let’s be honest, happens a lot when you run a business). Even just 10 minutes of quiet or a bedtime meditation can completely change how we show up the next day.

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

We have a few favorites that keep us sane and moving forward! Canva is a lifesaver for all things creative. It’s how we design our decks, course visuals, social posts, you name it. It makes us look polished and professional without needing a full design team.

Loomly is our go-to for content planning. It keeps us organized, helps us batch and schedule posts, and gives us visibility into our weekly and monthly marketing flow.

Finally, Asana is the command center for our brains. With so many moving pieces between product development, partnerships, events, and content, this system helps us break big ideas into small, doable tasks and keep everything on track. Together, they help us run like a much bigger team than we are!

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Be 100% sure you want this—because entrepreneurship isn’t easy. It’s beautiful, fulfilling, and empowering, yes, but also demanding, messy, and relentless. Your passion and purpose have to fill your cup before the money or success ever shows up. Everything takes longer than you think. Even when it looks like someone found overnight success, what you’re not seeing is the years of invisible work, the 60-hour work weeks, the sleepless nights, and the endless trial and error behind the scenes. So go in with open eyes and a full heart. Know your why, and don’t just do it for the outcome, do it because the mission matters enough to keep going, even on the hard days.

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