About Jep Enck | thepositivityseries

Who is Jep?

Jep is an internationally-renowned speaker, leadership coach and author who inspires people to identify their gifts, unleash their greatest potentials and embrace the power of positivity to make a difference in their lives.

Throughout his life, Jep has been driven to make a difference, and he weaves his experiences, insights and research based knowledge into his books and presentations with a down to earth, relatable style that is not only educational and entertaining, but heartfelt.

Growing up in a large, loving, loud and fun family, Jep quickly learned

the importance of being an individual while also contributing to the greater

good. Early on, he embraced the importance of pitching in, and

keeping a positive attitude, particularly during life’s most difficult

times.

While attending Slippery Rock University working on his Bachelor of

Science in Education, Jep started taking on leadership roles that included vice president of student government, as well as the student representative for the University’s Board of Regents. His concern for others, ability to turn his visions into reality, and his natural people skills led him to found the university’s first on campus child care center . . . which became the first of many organizations he would start.

He moved to Colorado and took a job with the Forest Service as a trail crew

foreman in the Rawah Wilderness. During this time he learned more about

his own resilience and strength when he witnessed a raft flip in the icy rapids of a canyon river. He was able to rescue a twelve year old boy, and after several attempts he resuscitated him, saving the boy’s life. This experience drove home the fragility of life, and cemented his belief that we all must do something to make a difference

for others.

Arapaho National Forest Photo by Yongli Zhou of Rawah Wilderness

During his Forest Service time he was deployed to fight a wildfire in the

mountains of Southern California, and it was here that he met his

future wife, and lifelong best friend Gail Bishop. He openly shares with

others that it was a ‘hot date,” and that the “sparks were flying,” from the

very start.

Jep completed his formal education at Colorado State University receiving a Master’s from the college of Health and Human Sciences while teaching at a local junior high school. During his time teaching he connected with a young student having emotional and social difficulties. After graduating, Jep started to mobilize community resources to start an afterschool program for youth and in 1986 founded Larimer County Boys and Girls Club. Within its second year of operation it was recognized as Youth Agency of the Year, by the State of Colorado’s Juvenile Council. It did not take long for the youth center to expand its outreach to over 1,000 youth involved in a variety of outdoor, and community programs. Jep was able to recruit a team of caring professionals that collaboratively built a program that continues to this day.

Jep was then asked to provide presentations at multiple locations across the country and soon became a lead trainer, speaker and facilitator for the Corporation for National and Community Services. He expanded his outreach beyond youth services to include non-profit leadership and community organizing, culminating in the co-authorship of a training module entitled, “Assessing and Involving Your Community,” as a consultant to the University of Northern Colorado.

In between traveling across North America as a speaker and leadership trainer Jep volunteered locally in three capacities. For a nine year period he coached little league baseball with his good friend Rick, and considers those years as some of the best summers of his life. Mostly because he could act like a kid and get away with it!

Secondly, Jep served as the board president of The Healthier Communities Coalition of Larimer County, and it was within this capacity that he discovered another need. With a rise of bad behavior at youth sporting events by both athletes and their parents it was time to see what could be done to strengthen the integrity of such an important aspect of our national culture. He then launched, along with his board colleagues, CHAMP – a non-profit agency dedicated to the promotion of character development in youth sports. It continues its work to this day touching 8,200 student athletes each year with educational offerings, scholarships and award recognitions.

The third project Jep jumped right into with his normal infectious enthusiasm was establishing a local blues band after attending some open jams and meeting new friends. Within a year he was the front man, and harmonica player for The Deja Blues Band. Later on his band morphed into a rock, funk, swing, jazz and blues band called "Lakeside.” It was during this period of time that Jep co-founded what became The High Plains Blues Society, dedicated to supporting live music, teaching the history of blues, and providing free live entertainment for local non-profit fundraisers.

Over these decades his speaking and consulting business sent him across North America, working with over 400 organizations. His clients included national associations, state and federal government agencies, universities, hospitals, countless non-profits and businesses in a variety of industries. Over time, his focus moved toward leadership development and personal self-fulfillment programs, and eventually he added executive and life coaching to his list of services.

Three times during this period of traveling he took a break from his company and accepted local leadership positions. The first being the Executive Directorship of Team Fort Collins, a community coalition for the prevention of substance abuse. As an avid researcher, he was able to align the agency’s programs to a more science-focused approach and increased its community membership and programing.

Another time he was recruited by Coors Credit Union in Golden Colorado to help their CEO develop an innovative corporate culture based on the principles of positivity. For nearly two years he served as the Vice President of Cultural Stewardship and Human Resources building what became known as the K.E.G. culture based on the foundational principle of kindness, elegance and genuineness.

After a number of years contracting with first responder agencies as a trainer and strategic facilitator he was offered to come on board and join Platteville Gilcrest Fire Protection District’s Executive Team, and Leadership Coach. Again, it was an opportunity to help co-develop a cultural shift toward the positive, and creating an atmosphere of mutual integrity, respect, experience and service.

In 2012 Jep was contracted by his local school district to develop and facilitate a leadership institute for their classified employees. The yearlong series incorporated a range of self-reflective activities and monthly classes along with one-on-one leadership coaching.

Throughout his life, Jep learned the value of “playing it forward,” working alongside like-minded people willing to give a part of themselves to assist others. He was constantly reminded of the goodness we all have inside us, and that when we focus on helping others, magic happens. He also discovered that it is during our difficult times that we are most likely to go inside, and learn more about who we truly are. Growth, both individually, and as a group involves self-reflection, acceptance and a keen appreciation of our strengths and weaknesses, and then applying that knowledge – moving it forward with positivity. All of his books and presentations convey these messages with humor, humanity and hope.

Jep, along with his wife Gail, currently live on a lake in Fort Collins, Colorado. Together they enjoy a variety of outdoor activities that include hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding and spending time with family and friends. Jep continues to be an avid reader and plays harmonica and sings at regular blues jams up and down the Colorado Front Range, and wherever his travels take him.

You can also often find him working on a variety of home and yard projects, with a particular fondness for his leaf blower (but don’t get Gail started!)