Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Bertrand.
Hi Jennifer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Wowzahs…to say I feel like I’ve lived a million lifetimes is an understatement. I was a military kid of an Air Force Colonel whose longest place I lived was in Germany, I went to an international school in Holland and then I later taught art on a Navy base in Italy. But the story really begins when I tried out for a reality show on HGTV called Design Star in 2009. Eight thousand people tried out, thirty-eight were flown to Los Angeles (my husband included), nine contestants made it to the show, five million people voted and I was very fortunate to win season three of Design Star. But destiny decided that I was meant to have a different adventure at that time. Two days before I won, I found out I was pregnant with our first child, Winston. At five months pregnant they said Winston had a tumor. At birth, they said it was worse than a tumor and that it was two rare malformations that couldn’t just be fixed. He was born with a team of 30 people working on him, NICU for seven weeks, multiple PICU stays, given a tracheostomy tube, feeding tube and at 5 months old we started flying to New York every six weeks to see specialists. And even crazier, Winston coded on us at home and my husband had to resuscitate him and I will never forget how those were the longest minutes of our lives while my husband saved him. And as if that is all not enough for the heart and mind to absorb, we tried to keep up with the bills but it eventually became too much, we lost our house, our car, and eventually through the love of family and the community we survived. We experienced so many loving and generous moments of help from strangers we had never even met and those who had known us since I was an elementary art teacher. The family got us a house, friends got us a car, and financial help to survive the adventure. And it was a lot of humble pie learning how to accept help. My goal has become paying it forward and giving love back to communities after we were helped by so many. We are only here and together because of everyone who helped.
I also knew my design and tv story were not done and that I was determined to write my own ending. I ended up hustling back like so many working parents determined to challenge fate. In 2018, I, fortunately, won a national Angie’s List Sleep Sanctuary Contest in conjunction with Arianna Huffington’s book ‘The Sleep Revolution’ on designing the perfect bedroom according to Huffington’s bedroom rules. And then later I became the designer on a design show helping military veterans with Montel Williams called Military Makeover on the Lifetime channel. My passion for veterans has come from my life of growing up on bases and moving every two to four years and watching my mom transform every house. Military service is a family affair. My father spent my whole sophomore year in high school going for Desert Storm and when I moved to college, he was off in the Bosnian/Serb conflict. Every military family member plays a role, sacrifices in different ways, and quietly do what is needed.
I giggle that life has come full circle and that because of my adventures I am a better designer. I know how your mind can be influenced by your environment as I experienced many of life’s highs and lows. And our experience as parents of an incredible special needs child is now being paid forward in my work on Ronald McDonald Houses in multiple Chicago projects. And more importantly, Winston is now 12, in 7th grade, and is a beautiful eclectic soul who rightfully has a charmed life of knowing only love and happiness as our marriage survived the strains of this adventure. It wasn’t always pretty but we have come out the other side and now it’s time to finish the story. I feel very fortunate for both the good and the bad. We often joked that we took one for the team for someone else who wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
My advice to anyone reading this going through something hard would be this:
First, say yes to any and all help. It’s hard but just do it, doesn’t matter what it is, say yes…. food, groceries, lawn mowing, babysitting, just say yes, and thank you.
Number two, take care of yourself as much as any other high priority in your world. I say this from experience as I had comfort eaten my worries and myself care was just not something on my mind. My husband and I both faced depression at varying times so it was hard to pull each other up as we were both sinking. I found a great trauma therapist, I found parents going through the same thing on forums and in our community, and I am on a continual health journey that never ends but you have to start somewhere.
The final bit of advice is about shifting perspective. When everything is dark and heavy it is hard to find the positives. But if you change your verbiage, add a splash of a delusion that it will all be okay because it has to, then you find hope in the phrase “one day this will be a story you will tell” and it will be. I send whoever reads this so much love and if you are not the one going through something, then awesome, go find someone who is and be their sunshine! 🙂
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ooohhhhh, I think I covered that in the previous essay…. but just to clarify… I feel like I have experienced a large portion of life’s highs and lows…
I have survived a medical adventure, a reality show, working with my husband, and being self-employed during COVID and my story is not done yet. I am determined to take care of our family’s future while inspiring others and creating happiness along the way.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I like to think I specialize in the psychology of design. If I can figure out how you think, what makes you happy, I can design a space for you. Your home is your safe haven in life that should be your mental warm fuzzy. Home wellness is the main focus of our industry and while there are a lot of design elements that improve the way you live, there are a lot of decisions to be made in the design process that are very personal. And if done right, they can improve how you and your family live within your home. The standard is “there is no standard” anymore and despite anyone’s budget, it’s all custom to you.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Ooooohhhhh, great question… I am such an open book that I laugh because people probably know wayyyyy too much. But I think a lot of people don’t know that my life prior to design I was an elementary art teacher. I joke that I still do it but now I just teach adults to color outside of the lines!!! 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: jenniferbertrand.com
- Instagram: @jenniferbertranddesign
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbertrandllc
- Twitter: @jblovesdesign
- Other: https://militarymakeover.tv
Image Credits:
Erin Hassett
Shanley Cox
Jenny Wheat
Adam Hanley
