Coach Class
My name is Dom Burch, I am a business coach and mentor. On this podcast I speak to fellow coaches about their field of expertise, and inspirational leaders about what makes them tick, how they motivate themselves and others, and what it means to be authentic.
Coach Class
Invisible Girls, Loud Voices: How Jane Kenyon Is Helping a Generation Be Seen and Heard
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Dom Burch
In this episode of Coach Class I caught up with Jane Kenyon MBE — a serial entrepreneur, intuitive coach, and unapologetic champion for women and girls. Jane shares her extraordinary personal journey: from a traumatic upbringing and being abandoned at 16, to thriving in corporate life, reinventing herself as an entrepreneur, and ultimately founding Girls Out Loud – a social enterprise that empowers teenage girls to find their voice, speak up, and make bold, informed choices.
💡 Key Themes
- 💥 A Life Shaped by Adversity
- Jane opens up about being “daddy’s girl” in a wealthy but emotionally volatile home.
- Kicked out at 16 and abandoned by her father, she became fiercely self-reliant.
- Her early trauma became the foundation of her resilience and empathy.
- 📈 Corporate Burnout to Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur
- After rising fast in the corporate world (with multiple degrees and an MBA by 28), Jane hit burnout.
- She reinvented herself as a coach, then founded Girls Out Loud in 2010 after a powerful pilot project with at-risk girls in Blackpool.
- 👧 The Two Groups Who Slip Through the Cracks
- High-risk girls: Experiencing trauma, abuse, grooming risks, or teenage pregnancy.
- “Middle girls”: Not excelling, not failing — often completely invisible. These girls hold huge untapped potential, but get little attention from schools or services.
- 🧠 Mentoring That Changes Lives — Both Ways
- The Big Sister programme pairs each girl with a woman who “has been there, done that.”
- Mentors are trained not just to support, but to reflect on their own lives. The process transforms the adults as much as the girls.
- As Jane puts it: “You can’t model confidence or boundary-setting for a teenage girl if you’re not doing it yourself.”
- 📱 Social Media Isn’t the Root Cause — It’s the Amplifier
- Social media magnifies existing issues like misogyny, body image pressures, and peer toxicity.
- Pornography, violence, and grooming are now normalised online. Jane believes society handed kids this world without any real guidance or boundaries.
- 🚸 Schools and Parents: Who’s Responsible?
- Jane calls out both systems: schools are overwhelmed, and many parents are disengaged.
- She urges parents to “get on the bus” — have regular, meaningful conversations and understand the digital worlds their kids inhabit.
- 🏫 What Needs to Change
- Better, braver sex and relationship education.
- Trauma-informed schools where teachers are emotionally present.
- Stronger parental involvement and better role-modelling from adults.
- 👑 Building a Legacy
- Jane recently received an MBE, recognising decades of tireless work.
- She’s now focused on scaling Girls Out Loud and ensuring it can thrive beyond her leadership.
- 🔥 Why She Keeps Going
- It’s the messages from former mentees that keep her fire burning — hearing that “you changed my life” or “I wouldn’t be here without this programme” reminds her the struggle is worth it.
- 💬 Call to Action
- Whether you're a potential mentor, fundraiser, coach, or supporter — get involved. Girls Out Loud is actively seeking volunteers, role models, and regional partners.
🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, and please rate or share if it resonated.