Jo Ellen Grzyb
Founding Partner and Director
At the age of 75, Jo Ellen is taking on the challenge of learning Greek. καλή τύχη, Jo Ellen
Jo Ellen Grzyb loves growing things.
She’s a keen gardener and allotment holder and nourishes her plants and veggies with the same passion and commitment with which she nurtures people.
And people are at the heart of what she does. Be it her Co-Directing Impact Factory with Robin Chandler, her volunteer work, or her relationships with her family, friends and community – her very Purpose is about making life a better place to be.
Jo Ellen spent 20 years in the development of the performing arts on both sides of the Atlantic. She worked for The New York City Ballet, The Mannes College of Music, The Arts Council and The London Philharmonic, before setting up Impact Factory with Robin in 1991.
Although she no longer has a formal practice, Jo Ellen is a counsellor/psychotherapist and initially got into this work as a career counsellor. Having changed jobs, careers (more than once) and even countries, she has great insight into the impact of change and how to manage it well. Equally, she loves working with people to help them become more of their authentic selves.
Jo Ellen Grzyb – Author
Another of her passions is writing and she is responsible for most of the material on Impact Factory’s considerable and comprehensive website library.
Jo Ellen Grzyb’s book, Family Heaven Family Hell – How to Survive the Family Get-Together, is an in-depth look at family dynamics and is available through Amazon.
The Nice Factor Book: The Art of Saying No (written with Robin Chandler) is pretty much a definitive guide on how to tackle assertiveness in a humane and gentle way. Also available on Amazon.
In the same vein, Jo Ellen has recorded all of Impact Factory’s podcasts with many of her wonderful colleagues. She has a monthly guest slot on The Maine Group’s weekly webinar series, The Maine Event. She enjoys being a talking head on programmes such as Women’s Hour and BBC Radio Suffolk.
Jo Ellen Grzyb – Activist
Jo Ellen Grzyb has never been a bystander. Since the age of nine, she has been involved in some form of community work and believes that her volunteer work truly helps her to fulfil her Purpose.
In the sixties, she was active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, working with the great John Lewis and Fannie Lou Hamer. She also worked on a project with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the year before he was assassinated.
She has never not been involved in some form of volunteer work.
Black Lives Matter
Currently, she is a core member of Bury St Edmunds for Black Lives, focusing on outreach work in schools on racism for students and teachers. Additionally, she helps run events for up-and-coming minority artists and musicians in East Anglia, participates in festivals and writes a monthly column in the local paper on issues of racism.
She is also on the Advisory Board of 2-3 Degrees, a London-based social enterprise that runs personal development skills workshops for young people.
Jo Ellen does have a tendency to bite off more than she can chew, which is why she’s learning (correction, attempting to learn) Greek!
