How to Lead Through Disruption: The Human Connection Strategy Nobody Talks About | Jen Marr
4/20/202644 min
Get Jen's book 'Lifting Up' and 'Showing Up' on Amazon today!
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In this episode, I sit down with Jen Marr — Human Disruption Specialist, author of Lifting Up and Showing Up, and founder of the organization Showing Up — who brings one of the most extraordinary and hard-earned perspectives on leadership I've ever encountered. Jen shares how being just 700 yards from the finish line during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, combined with her frontline support work after the Sandy Hook school shooting, gave her a transformational understanding of how humans navigate disruption, trauma, and change — and how those exact same principles apply to every entrepreneur and leader running a company today. We dig into why most organizations get communication wrong, why AI will never replace human-to-human connection, and why the cortisol flooding your team's bodies every day can only be overpowered by oxytocin — the bonding hormone that's triggered when a leader genuinely says, "I've got your back." Jen walks us through her "fast and frequent one-on-one" framework, how to handle the emotional overwhelm of employees without becoming their therapist, the growing crisis of "fear of taking part" in Gen Z workers, and how native analogs and native digitals can bridge the workplace communication gap. If you lead a team of any size, this conversation will fundamentally change how you show up for the people around you.
Connect with Jen Marr
- Website: jenmarr.com
- Organization: showing-up.com
- Email: jen@showing-up.com
- LinkedIn: Jen Marr
About Justin:
Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The Science of Flipping podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur with over and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience.
Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence.
Connect with Justin:
- Instagram: @thejustincolby
- YouTube: Justin Colby
- TikTok: @justincolbytsof
- LinkedIn: Justin Colby
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJustin Colby· Host0:00
What is up, The Entrepreneur DNA family? This is a good one. I have a special, special guest here. This is one who is... She's a true gem, uh, to all human beings, and you're gonna wanna stay on. We have a human disruption specialist who not only was 700 yards, I believe, from finishing the Boston, uh, Marathon before the bombing hit, she was in the bombing, literally running the marathon, and then also leaned on that experience to help adults, uh, you know, companies, children through the Sandy Hook shooting, and she is now focusing on very high-level leadership with the adult world, the entrepreneur world, to help us through disruption. Jen Marr is here. How are you?
Jen Marr· Guest0:44
Hey. Thank you, Justin. I'm so excited to be here. Can't wait for this conversation.
Justin Colby· Host0:49
Yeah, me too. This is something you have a very unique, uh, lens on this. You started with your need, and then your awareness of the need you were needing during the Boston, uh, bombing, during the marathon, and then you took that and you became aware of what you were looking for and what you needed to get through it. And you said, "Okay, I can actually go out there and be a, a light in this space," and tragedies into such disruptions as the Sandy Hook shooting, you can lead the charge and help adults, help family members, help parents, help companies understand how to get through this. So let's start there. When tragedy strikes- Yeah ... what's the first thing that you think of? What's the