We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jennifer Hook. Check out our conversation below.
Jennifer, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now, I’m in the middle of a really interesting transition – I recently moved from California to North Carolina and shifted from running my own business to a full-time employee role in healthcare SaaS marketing. Honestly, I was nervous about it. I thought the structure of an 8-5 would feel limiting after years of freelancing, that I’d get bored or feel creatively stifled.
But it’s been the opposite. The work is incredibly rewarding and challenging in the best way – I’m part of a small three-person marketing team, so I get to work on everything from developing interactive journey experiences for medical conferences like RSNA to building AI-powered workflows. I still get to use my cinematography skills creating video content, and my freelance work actually prepared me well for this – I wasn’t just shooting, I was creating marketing materials for clients and thinking strategically about how that content would perform. That experience translated directly into this role.
There’s this great balance of creative work and technical problem-solving that keeps every day engaging. What’s been unexpectedly wonderful is working with the same people over time. In freelance, every project meant different clients, different teams – and when a project wrapped, that was it. But as a marketing specialist, the work is never really ‘done’ in that same way. I’ve been able to build deeper rapport with my coworkers, understand how we each think and work, and that continuity has made the collaboration so much richer.
Outside of work – which sometimes extends past 5pm since I’m salaried, but that’s fine when you’re engaged in what you’re doing – I’ve found I can actually disconnect and focus on the things that ground me. I’m saving up for a down payment on a house, which is wild because home ownership was never even a goal before. It was completely unobtainable in LA. But here? It’s actually possible. I’ve also gotten really into precision cooking – perfecting things like pizza dough ratios and reverse-sear techniques for prime roasts. There’s something satisfying about applying that same systematic, detail-oriented approach I use at work to creating a really great meal. It’s become this creative outlet that has nothing to do with screens or deadlines.
So a typical day might be problem-solving an automated flow issue in the morning, collaborating on conference booth strategy in the afternoon, and then spending the evening experimenting with a new recipe or working on home projects. The rhythm of it really works for me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jennifer, and I work in marketing for a healthcare SaaS company that provides imaging practice management software. We help radiology practices and imaging centers with everything from AI-powered scheduling tools to revenue cycle management – basically making the operational side of healthcare run more smoothly so providers can focus on patient care.
What makes our work interesting is that we’re at this intersection of healthcare, AI, and practical workflow solutions. I get to translate complex technology into compelling stories for practice administrators and C-suite executives – showing them how these tools solve real problems they face every day.
My path here has been unconventional. I started as a cinematographer and ran my own freelance business for years. In 2020, I formalized things and created an S-corporation, building a business creating video content and marketing materials for clients. I never imagined I’d end up in healthcare tech, but when I relocated from California to North Carolina last year, I made the jump from business owner to full-time employee. I just dissolved my S-corp recently – closing that chapter felt significant, but the transition has been surprisingly rewarding. I’m using all the skills I developed as a creative entrepreneur, but now I’m building something bigger with a team over time rather than project to project.
Right now I’m working on some really exciting initiatives – creating interactive HTML customer journey experiences based on buyer personas, setting our content strategy for the year, and helping unify our messaging across the company. I’m also coordinating our charitable work, like company-wide participation in Making Strides. It’s challenging work that spans creative, strategic, and community-focused efforts – which keeps things interesting.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The identity of being a business owner. For years, that’s who I was – I ran By The Hook, Inc., my S-corporation, and everything flowed from that. I was the one making all the decisions, setting the direction, being ultimately responsible for everything. There was pride in that, and security too – I controlled my own destiny.
But when I moved from California to North Carolina last year and took a full-time role, I had to start letting that go. I just officially dissolved the S-corp a few weeks ago, and that was kind of scary. It wasn’t just paperwork – it was releasing this part of my identity that had defined me for years.
What I’m learning is that letting go of being ‘the boss’ doesn’t mean giving up expertise or authority – I’m still the go-to person on video production, visual storytelling, certain technical skills. My coworkers respect that experience and I contribute in meaningful ways. But what’s different now is that I’m also the student in the room on so many other things – healthcare industry knowledge, SaaS and B2B strategy, long-term organizational planning. When you’re running your own business, you’re always the expert people hired. Now I get to be both: the expert on what I know, and the learner on everything else.
The independent, self-reliant entrepreneur served me incredibly well. She got me through years of uncertainty, taught me how to think strategically, how to solve problems, how to run a business. But she also kept me from being a beginner at anything – I had to project competence in everything. Releasing that identity has meant I can finally say ‘I don’t know, teach me’ without it threatening my livelihood. That’s been unexpectedly freeing.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
It’s okay to not be okay – and it’s okay to ask for help.
It took me a long time to figure that out, to understand that even if I had the confidence I could do it myself, that I could do it better with a team. I spent so much of my younger life thinking that struggling meant I was failing somehow. I built this armor of competence and self-reliance because I thought that’s what survival required. And maybe it did, for a time.
But I’d tell my younger self: the hard things you’re going through don’t mean you’re broken. You don’t have to carry everything alone. Leaning on others isn’t failure – it’s actually one of the bravest things you can do. The people who care about you want to help, and letting them in doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.
I’d also tell her that not every problem needs to be solved right now, that it’s okay to sit with uncertainty sometimes, and that the pressure you’re putting on yourself to be perfect is so much heavier than anything the world is actually asking of you.
And maybe most importantly: everyone is carrying something. Show compassion – to others, and to yourself.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
That communication and perspective-taking are everything.
I don’t talk about this much because it feels almost too obvious to say out loud – but then I watch people talk past each other constantly, assume malicious intent when there’s just miscommunication, or refuse to even try to understand where someone else is coming from. And I realize it’s not obvious at all – and I see the irony of not communicating my belief in the importance of communication.
You have to communicate. Not hint, not expect people to read your mind, not assume they should just know – actually say what you need, what you’re thinking, what’s wrong. And equally important: you have to listen when others do the same. Really listen, not just wait for your turn to talk. Try to understand their perspective even when it’s completely different from yours.
So much conflict, so much pain, so many broken relationships and failed projects and missed opportunities come down to people not communicating clearly or not being willing to see things from another angle. I’ve built my entire approach to work around this – asking clarifying questions, confirming understanding, trying to see things from my coworkers’ perspectives or from our clients’ perspectives. It’s why I can translate technical features into stories that resonate with practice administrators – because I’m trying to understand how they see the world.
This isn’t about always agreeing or finding common ground. Sometimes perspectives are genuinely incompatible. But you can’t even know that without first actually understanding what the other person is saying. And often, people want similar things, they just see different paths to get there.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
This question requires some really honest reflection. I always try not to lie to myself, not say the answer that I think is the “correct” one, or that makes me sound the best to others. So after thinking on it, my answer is: It depends on what ‘praise’ means.
I’d like to think I could – and in some ways, I know I can. I care deeply about doing things well for their own sake. The satisfaction of solving a problem correctly, of creating something that works beautifully – that matters to me independent of anyone’s reaction.
But if we’re talking about two years of excellent work met with complete silence – no acknowledgment, no impact, no sign that anything I’m doing matters? Honestly, I don’t think I could sustain that. And I don’t think that’s a weakness. Recognition isn’t just about ego – it’s feedback that you’re contributing something of value, that your work has impact.
What I don’t need is constant praise or validation for every task. But what I do need is some form of acknowledgment that my work matters – whether that’s seeing my projects actually implemented, having colleagues respect my expertise enough to ask for my input, or simply knowing that the effort I’m putting in is moving something forward.
The question perhaps assumes praise is the only form of recognition, but there’s a whole spectrum: respect, trust, autonomy, impact. I can absolutely give my best without applause. But not in a vacuum where none of it seems to matter.
That’s why I’m so grateful to work for a company that sees and acknowledges my value. It’s meaningful to have my work validated like that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @hook_is_back
