Announcing...
EPP's Newest Advisory Board Member | Jill Woodman!
BIO | Jill Woodman
is a
n avid proponent of the human potential and a compassionate lover of children. Jill graduated from UC San Diego with a major in human development and a heart to guide kids to reach for their highest possibilities. Knowing that a more consciously connected world requires us to be emotionally engaged with every “little person,” Jill’s college days were informed by the disparity she experienced between nannying for her professors and volunteering in homeless shelters for children. Jill witnessed kids whose parents were working the streets just to survive, unwittingly leaving their children feeling disconnected from their caretakers and from themselves, and practically on a direct path to prison. Seeing first hand how shattered beginnings severely affect children really impacted Jill and in 2015 she and her husband, Nick became philanthropic partners to Safe and Sound (Formerly San Francisco Abuse Center). Jill is continually compelled to “wholing” our world, by addressing the complex and overwhelming issues that affect children, like child abuse and human trafficking, head on.
After being introduced to the Enneagram at a class for couples led by Susan Olesek, Jill resonated with Enneagram Type Nine and connected the dots inside of herself in a way that left her intrigued and excited. Over time, Jill says, “Knowing my Enneagram Type took away judgment and blame. It made me a kinder person and changed the dynamic between me and my partner.” EPP invited Jill to come to jail where she witnessing a class of men “doing the work,” leaving her completely inspired. Jill says:
“Every single one of those men was in a place where they weren’t supported when they were small. They didn’t have the means in their childhood to guide them to make the right decisions. And yet, the men I witnessed in the EPP class were so willing to explore their emotional sides and learn new things about themselves. I went in there and I saw how I was able to have really intimate, thoughtful conversations with each of the men. There was so much hope because when they were learning about themselves I could tell that they liked themselves better - just like I did when I learned the Enneagram. That feeling of HOPE was infectious. I knew during that visit to jail that those men would be in a never-ending cycle, but that EPP was doing something profound to support them in breaking it.
The real and tangible way in which the Enneagram is taught inside this project - taking complex psychological concepts out of the theoretical and into the practical - is what makes me so want to be a part. Not only do I feel like EPP helps transform the student’s sense of self, I feel it changes the culture within the prison. This project offers a lifeline to people who can finally see that they do have a path and that they can continue walking it on the outside. Actually, when they get out, the graduates of EPP have a whole community of people looking to
them
as to how to make the same hard changes they were able to do inside of themselves and against all odds.”
- Jill Woodman
Today, Jill lives in Woodside, California with her husband Nick, who is the Founder of GoPro, and together they are devoted to raising their three young children.
