Jena Ball's guest appearances

Jena Ball

Evolutionary Woman Radio

Collections by Michelle Brown

Ryan O'Donnell

John Collins

Carter Brown

Jackie Jones

Karen Hardy

Scott Ellis

Alexis Pauline Gumbs

Corine La Font

Ruth Ellis

Karen Williams

Eric Darnell

Willy Wilkinson

Imani Williams

Jodi Flynn

John Sykes

OwlTail

Michelle Brown WSG

Michelle Brown

CritterKin is a children's media property that uses stories and project-based learning programs to teach kids social-emotional and core communication skills. It is the brainchild of multimedia storyteller Jena Ball who has 25 years of professional writing and editing experience, 15 years of designing and teaching online courses, 13 years working on immersive learning environments in 3D worlds. Jena has spent 12 years working as the Creative Director for the CritterKin Coalition.The CritterKin Coalition is a community composed of creative professionals, educators, parents, and community members, businesses, and organizations that understand education is a lived experience extending far beyond the classroom. The mission is to make emotional intelligence (EQ) a priority and help each child discover, develop, and share their unique interests and abilities. Of all the things learned from working on CritterKin these past 10 years, is that it takes a global community to raise our kids. That community needs to be composed of creative professionals, educators, parents, and the community.Even before the pandemic many parents were questioning the quality of education especially in public schools.  Was the focus on “teaching to the test” failing our children? Were standard lesson plans keeping children from being able to think critically? Were their minds being influenced by media images that limit the ability to be empathetic, compassionate and communicate?

CritterKin is a children's media property that uses stories and project-based learning programs to teach kids social-emotional and core communication skills. It is the brainchild of multimedia storyteller Jena Ball who has 25 years of professional writing and editing experience, 15 years of designing and teaching online courses, 13 years working on immersive learning environments in 3D worlds. Jena has spent 12 years working as the Creative Director for the CritterKin Coalition. The CritterKin Coalition is a community composed of creative professionals, educators, parents, and community members, businesses, and organizations that understand education is a lived experience extending far beyond the classroom. The mission is to make emotional intelligence (EQ) a priority and help each child discover, develop, and share their unique interests and abilities.  Of all the things learned from working on CritterKin these past 10 years, is that it takes a global community to raise our kids. That community needs to be composed of creative professionals, educators, parents, and the community. Even before the pandemic many parents were questioning the quality of education especially in public schools.  Was the focus on “teaching to the test” failing our children? Were standard lesson plans keeping children from being able to think critically? Were their minds being influenced by media images that limit the ability to be empathetic, compassionate and communicate?

Collections by Michelle Brown WSG Critter Kin Collective's Founder Jena Ball

Jena Ball​ has traveled the world telling, sharing, and collecting stories along the way. It was clear to her that people are hungry for connection. They need places to meet to comfort, console and encourage one another and tools that allow them to communicate and share ideas effectively. This has driven her endeavors and led to her most recent project, Braided Lives, Braided Lives is designed to find, publish, and "braid" the stories of our lives into a larger narrative.This multimedia storyteller has used her big picture thinking and artistic skills to develop and execute large-scale projects. She looks for ways to work with those who think outside the box, work collaboratively, and are not afraid to fail forward.She started a children's media property called CritterKin. Critter Kin used stories and project-based learning to teach kids social-emotional and core communication skills to help each child discover, develop, and share their unique interests and abilities so they can become kind, compassionate, and competent adults.Her most recent project, Braided Lives. It was clear to Ball that people are hungry for connection. They need places to meet to comfort, console, and encourage one another and tools that allow them to communicate and share ideas effectively. Braided Lives is designed to find, publish, and "braid" the stories of our lives into a larger narrative that offers insights into what it means to be human. She has lived in California, Japan, Hawaii and now North Carolina telling and collecting stories along the way.

Jena Ball​ has traveled the world telling, sharing, and collecting stories along the way. It was clear to her that people are hungry for connection. They need places to meet to comfort, console and encourage one another and tools that allow them to communicate and share ideas effectively. This has driven her endeavors and led to her most recent project, Braided Lives, Braided Lives is designed to find, publish, and "braid" the stories of our lives into a larger narrative. This multimedia storyteller has used her big picture thinking and artistic skills to develop and execute large-scale projects. She looks for ways to work with those who think outside the box, work collaboratively, and are not afraid to fail forward. She started a children's media property called CritterKin. Critter Kin used stories and project-based learning to teach kids social-emotional and core communication skills to help each child discover, develop, and share their unique interests and abilities so they can become kind, compassionate, and competent adults. Her most recent project, Braided Lives. It was clear to Ball that people are hungry for connection. They need places to meet to comfort, console, and encourage one another and tools that allow them to communicate and share ideas effectively. Braided Lives is designed to find, publish, and "braid" the stories of our lives into a larger narrative that offers insights into what it means to be human.  She has lived in California, Japan, Hawaii and now North Carolina telling and collecting stories along the way.

Collections by Michelle Brown WSG Storyteller Jena Ball

Jena Ball is the beloved author and illustrator of the CritterKin book series, and an educator on a mission to debunk the myth of perfection and empower others to ignite and express their creativity.Jena likes to call herself a connoisseur of imperfection. It's a phrase she coined in 2013 after discovering that children as young as seven, eight and nine believe they're expected to be perfect. The realization grew out of work she was doing with a group of third graders who were extremely critical of themselves, saying their "not perfect" work was, "stupid, broken, bad, ugly, messed up and wrong." Subsequent visits with elementary school students around the world revealed most children felt the same.Jena's answer to the myth of perfection is The Not Perfect Hat Club book and related programs and presentations. Based on the lives of three recovering perfectionists, the book chronicles the characters' journey as they learn that mistakes are stepping stones to discovery and they can only be perfect at being themselves."What identifies us as human beings above all are the powers that flow from our deep resource of imagination –creativity and empathy. Creativity is fundamental because we create our own lives." – Sir Ken Robinson

Jena Ball is the beloved author and illustrator of the CritterKin book series, and an educator on a mission to debunk the myth of perfection and empower others to ignite and express their creativity. Jena likes to call herself a connoisseur of imperfection. It's a phrase she coined in 2013 after discovering that children as young as seven, eight and nine believe they're expected to be perfect. The realization grew out of work she was doing with a group of third graders who were extremely critical of themselves, saying their "not perfect" work was, "stupid, broken, bad, ugly, messed up and wrong." Subsequent visits with elementary school students around the world revealed most children felt the same. Jena's answer to the myth of perfection is The Not Perfect Hat Club book and related programs and presentations. Based on the lives of three recovering perfectionists, the book chronicles the characters' journey as they learn that mistakes are stepping stones to discovery and they can only be perfect at being themselves. "What identifies us as human beings above all are the powers that flow from our deep resource of imagination –creativity and empathy. Creativity is fundamental because we create our own lives." – Sir Ken Robinson

EVOLUTIONARY WOMAN RADIO- AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR JENA BALL