Jenny Mitchell is the founder and president of Chavender, a leadership development company that helps high performers become influential leaders at work – and stay human while they do it. She partners with ambitious, thoughtful women leaders, most often in the social good sectors, to build influence at work, navigate complexity, and use their seat at the table with confidence.
As a Certified Executive Coach, Jenny creates spaces where leadership journeys happen – curated rooms where the masks come off and leaders find their own way to lead. Her work with CEOs, executive directors, and boards focuses on identity shift, self‑awareness, and courageous communication, closing the gap between the role they hold and where their ambition will take them.
A sought‑after speaker and facilitator, Jenny hosts Underdog Leadership, a podcast that explores what it really feels like to step into bigger roles and bigger rooms. Her first book, Embracing Ambition (2024), shares research and stories from women CEOs across North America on claiming their seat at the table and leading with purpose and impact.
Originally trained as a classical musician, Jenny holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and brings several years of working within. She holds a CFRE fundraising designation and spent 10 years as a professional fundraiser helping charities and non-profit organizations raise millions of dollars to make the world a better place. She brings an eclectic mix of creativity, curiosity, and optimistic, down‑to‑earth realism to all her work, championing women leaders to step out, be seen, and lead with everything they’ve got – no lone leaders, and no need to trade kindness or humanity to be taken seriously at work.
