Power Women: Jennifer Ioppolo of Electric Pony Co On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman

Appreciation and acknowledgement for intelligence in others: I’m inspired by other women and men “going for it” and cheer them on! I surround myself with much brighter, more talented people and learn to push myself.

How does a successful, strong, and powerful woman navigate work, employee relationships, love, and life in a world that still feels uncomfortable with strong women? In this interview series, called “Power Women” we are talking to accomplished women leaders who share their stories and experiences navigating work, love and life as a powerful woman.

As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Ioppolo.

Jennifer Ioppolo is the founder of Electric Pony. She’s a horse-crazy Colorado cowgirl and an aromatherapist. She’s formulated dozens of aromatherapy blends for private label spa brands and created her own line of oils for the dental/medical industry. She’s an observer of the “language of life.” She’s devoted to helping horses and humans connect to their ruggedness, their inner beauty, and their love for one another.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I grew up very adventurous, which made me very independent and also taught me to be a self-starter. I grew up in the mountains of Pine, CO on Elk Falls Ranch, where I got off the school bus with just a bridle in my backpack. I used to get home from school and find my horse which would be somewhere on the 1000 acres I grew up on and ride him through the ranch. At age 11, I would ride bareback through the mountains, home and back, alone.

Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?

My love of horses, flowers, and plant oils led me to create an aromatherapy oil to use on my sensitive mare. I shared the oil blend with some barn friends and they loved the way they left the barn smelling and that their horse still smelled good days after they applied it. I made a personalized essential oil blend for a friend and her horse, and found that the blend had a calming effect on both of them. This blend would eventually turn into Electric Pony.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Messenger in a bottle.

I have a keen sense of smell and am able to tap into a plant’s healing story by listening to it. I’ve formulated aromatherapy blends for individuals, tapping into the story of the human’s emotional needs and the plant’s purpose on earth to heal. I’ve personally experienced plant healing from Cardamom, with its warm and sweet essence; Rose Geranium for its gentle reminder to stay soft, open-hearted, and feminine; Black Spruce for its total ability to be a true friend, so many of us have experienced trees to be friends, right? I’ve discovered that essential oils are the ultimate “messenger in a bottle.”

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Character traits that have been most instrumental to success are being soft and gentle, being a self-starter, and having tenacity. Working with horses reminds me to be gentle. They reciprocate with gentleness. The softer and quieter I am, the softer the horse is. Being gentle and straightforward is powerful. I’m not afraid to be tough and show my gentle self. Tenacity, for me, is going for it, not giving up on what I see for myself. I would not give up in order to get a job with a world leader in Homeopathy to further her experience with natural medicine in my 20’s, and I got the job. As a self-starter, I’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit, started multiple businesses and failed a few times. I still dive in and take imperfect action.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. The premise of this series assumes that our society still feels uncomfortable with strong women. Why do you think this is so?

Women tap into an intuition and a knowing that isn’t always comfortable. It’s more of a fluid, flowing mentality that wants to support the earth and ALL of life. We observe the whole language of life and understand that it’s ALL important.

Without saying any names, can you share a story from your own experience that illustrates this idea?

I’ve witnessed others not trusting in a softer, more relational approach — trying for the transactional sale over the relationship. Many of us know that bad feeling in our stomach when we’re just pushing for something that isn’t for the greater good.

What should a powerful woman do in a context where she feels that people are uneasy around her?

If others are uneasy around a powerful woman, it’s helpful to shine acknowledgement and appreciation on all of those around her for their unique contributions. People want to feel seen for who they are and for the efforts they make for the greater good. When powerful women support others, genuinely, and show vulnerability, they make everyone feel safe to be who they are.

What do we need to do as a society to change the unease around powerful women?

Soften, be a seed of softness. We shouldn’t shame anyone for feeling unease or expect change overnight. Pointing the finger at anyone is not soft, it’s dismissive. Acceptance for who we all are as imperfect humans is soft.

In my own experience, I have observed that often women have to endure ridiculous or uncomfortable situations to achieve success that men don’t have to endure. Do you have a story like this from your own experience? Can you share it with us?

With two children at home I struggled with the duality of motherhood and wanting a career, something some men don’t have to worry about. I pushed myself past my breaking point in an attempt to have both. I chose to pause my career and raise my family first, then focus on a career. It’s what felt right to me. I acknowledge that we MUST do what feels right for our own family.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women leaders that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Women leaders face the challenge of feeling more insecure and wanting to be liked more often. We tend to be people-pleasers more often than men. I’ve had my “nice” boundaries pushed as a Chief of Operations for a company that I ran. I’ve learned that being clear over being nice is a more solid way to build relationships.

Let’s now shift our discussion to a slightly different direction. This is a question that nearly everyone with a job has to contend with. Was it difficult to fit your personal and family life into your business and career? For the benefit of our readers, can you articulate precisely what the struggle was?

The familiar struggle of neglecting family for career or career for family eats at me often. Both give me joy and fulfillment, just not at the same time, and it doesn’t feel “good” to not be present for family or for a business. I’ve accepted that being productive when I can and being present when I can is okay.

What was a tipping point that helped you achieve a greater balance or greater equilibrium between your work life and personal life? What did you do to reach this equilibrium?

Equilibrium became easier when I accepted that timing is important. Raising a family came first. Now that my children are teens, they have an understanding of the importance of self-actualization and fulfilling dreams.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Powerful Woman?”

1. Being soft is powerful: Softening gives others permission to be gentle, too. People become more honest with who they are, rather than operating like a robot or non-human.
2. Never be offended: We all have bad days and things that weigh on our hearts and minds. Our work may suffer sometimes, and forgiveness is a gift to ourselves and to others.
3. Be adventurous: Taking ourselves too seriously is “vanilla” and doesn’t make me feel much. Adventure and play makes me feel “a part of” instead of just observing.
4. Focus on relationships: Relationships give us the experience of connection in our everyday life, work, or family. When we think of a good job or a good career, it’s usually because of a connection we had with people.
5. Appreciation and acknowledgement for intelligence in others: I’m inspired by other women and men “going for it” and cheer them on! I surround myself with much brighter, more talented people and learn to push myself.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I would love to have a private lunch with Gwen Stefani. She represents juxtaposition. She’s a badass. It’s apparent that she still enjoys what she does in her career, she’s an attentive and supportive daughter, sister, mother, and wife. She’s not afraid to be feminine and soft and she has a cowboy as a husband, and she gets involved in his world too.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Thank you for the opportunity! You can follow me and my work on LinkedIn and on my website www.ElectricPonyCo.com.