Hi! I’m Jo.

I’m an Enneatype 7, and an INFJ personality. I’m a big ideas person and value authenticity.

My professional story started decades ago when I received my bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management from San Francisco State University. Interestingly, I managed to create a career in recruiting which was one course I never took in college.

I served as the Internship Director for my program at SFSU, where I contacted companies (primarily large technology companies in the Bay Area) and solicited our students for internship opportunities. I also served as President of our HRM student council, where I recruited undeclared students to our program and advocated for our program outside of our school. I suppose these were my first experiences in recruiting, and I didn’t even know it.

I spent the next decade aimlessly navigating through my recruiting career, barely surviving the Dot Com Boom followed by the Dot Com Bust, 9/11, the War on Terror, Hurricane Katrina, the housing crisis, and the global recession. It wasn’t until after that I started to get serious with my career and realized I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure who could help me. I was a recruiter, after all. I helped others get jobs. Surely I know how to navigate my own career. WRONG.

I was lucky to work for exceptional leaders who helped me figure it out. It was through that experience that I realized how invaluable managers can be for employees. I usually join, stay, or leave a company because of a manager. When I became a people manager myself, I wanted to be the type of leader that I loved working for, but I didn’t know how to become that because I didn’t have access to the expertise, tools, or support. I believe it was this spark that lasted for years until it finally manifested into CareerlyLAB. I’m extremely lucky that I get to be on this journey with my co-founder Candi. We often joke that if we combined all of our good traits, we’d make one amazing human who can rule the world.

I’m a newly inducted empty nester with two college kids. I recently relocated from the Bay Area to the Central Coast with my Ryan, and we’re currently renovating our beach bungalow. I spend my days working from home, next to my senior pup, Marley, who sleeps about 20 hours a day. (I highly recommend adopting senior pups for stay-at-home professionals!) She and I are still missing my other sweet pup, Chloe, who recently crossed over the rainbow bridge.

I spend my free time crocheting, making and donating doggy sweaters my Chloe would love, as well as fun accessories like earrings, hats, and bags. I also recently completed my pilates teacher training program, and I’d like to think a backyard home studio is in my future. Moving also reignited a few hobbies I haven’t touched on in years. I dusted off my Feng Shui skills to lay out my house in the most auspicious way, and I’m sure I can squeeze in some more time to jump back into candle and soap making. I know I have so many interests, and oddly, it keeps me sane.