Growing up the oldest of 3 daughters in a small farming community in rural Minnesota with two eclectic parents who met playing in a rock band together gave Jenna an interesting start.
With an unquenchable thirst for understanding the human condition, Jenna spent part of her senior year of high school in Thailand and her first year of college in Japan on exchange programs. She then took a job working for an airline allowing her to travel even more.
But, Jenna’s passion for acting and hosting couldn’t be ignored and in 2000, she moved with her now fiancé to Burbank, CA where she appeared in UNSOLVED MYSTERIES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE along with several independent films. Growing up “in the business”, Jenna knew that it was not all glitz and glamour, in fact, she knew the glamour only came after lots and lots of hard work and knowing that in order to be better at her chosen profession, she needed to understand what others did in the business so she took jobs with agents, managers, casting directors and did various on-set crew work. This lead to producing several award-winning films as well as a hosting gig on the top-ranked podcast, Film Method.
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On July 16th, 2003 Jenna's life would be forever changed while buying oranges at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. It was there that she was struck in the now infamous “Farmer’s Market Crash” which left 10 people dead and 64 with serious injuries, both physical and mental.
On that horrific day, a car going sixty miles an hour came crashing through the outdoor market sending tables, debris and people flying through the air. One of those tables flew at Jenna like a bullet pinning her to the ground and knocking all the joy and life out of her body with a giant jolt.
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She struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) so severe it sent her into flashbacks that caused her to pass out daily. She didn’t sleep for eight months and ended up in a hospital psychiatric ward. She couldn’t read, struggled to remember common words and stuttered when she talked. Her joy was gone and she thought her life was over.
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But, Jenna persisted and rebuilt her life and is now living out her dreams in beautiful Burbank, CA where she has started a company called Scrapbook Rehab. Scrapbook Rehab takes traditional scrapbooking and tips it on it's head. Jenna uses scrapbooking as a goal setting tool. Her mission is to help people realize their potential and just go for it. She does private scrapbooking sessions as well as group workshops where you can scrapbook specific goals like planning a wedding or a vacation.
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Jenna is also thrilled to be an advocate for those who can't speak for themselves in regard to mental health issues. She's been interviewed on several radio programs and is now pleased to be doing one of her own. Jenna is now the host of Create Your Life with Jenna Edwards on the Universal Broadcast Network (UBNradio.com) where she gets to talk to people about overcoming things big and small. Tune in Mondays at 11AM PST and check out her blog at scrapbookrehab.com