Jillian Bernstein, Founder of The Wellness Extension
Names: Jillian Bernstein
Founder: The Wellness Extension
In one sentence, what problem do you solve and for who? (WHAT DO YOU DO?)
I extinguish the HR fires small business owners face - or better yet, make sure they do not start in the first place.
What's your story? Share how you got to where you are and WHY it is you do what you do.
At 27, I was just starting my HR career when I lost my Mom to cancer. A week later, during a conversation with my boss who showed zero empathy for my family's loss, I knew I wanted to "do HR" differently - ensuring no employee would ever feel as unsupported as I did during life's most challenging moments.
Over the next 20 years in corporate HR, I built that vision into reality. I grew teams, mentored others, and heard "I'm still here because you are here" from countless colleagues. That happened because I learned to lead with empathy, foster genuine connections, and build community within organizations.
In 2007, I could have used more support for my personal well-being at work - after all, that's where I spent most of my waking hours. Now, through The Wellness Extension, I partner with companies to create exactly that: workplaces that integrate well-being into their programs, policies, and benefits.
My ultimate goal remains the same as I tell my kids - to help people. And there's no better way than creating workplaces where teams genuinely enjoy gathering, connecting, and growing together. When organizations prioritize their people's well-being, they see higher retention, deeper engagement, and stronger bottom lines.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Being a FoundHer means building something confidently and unapologetically that you believe in - AND (this is the critical piece) inspiring others along the way. My senior year, my calculus teacher (who was a tough lady, and one of the few female math teachers in the school), said to me, "Ms. Gross {maiden name}, you will be a CEO one day." I took that to heart. A teacher's confidence in me had that domino effect and her words sat in the back of my head throughout college and my corporate career. In fact, when I LLC'ed The Wellness Extension, I was able to get my teacher's cell phone number through some contacts, and I texted her that I started my own company. Being a female business owner, I think it is critical to differentiate ourselves and inspire other females to also shoot for the starts and realize they can break the glass ceiling, like my Calculus teacher inspired me. It was her words that sparked me to even think I could become a FoundHer one day. Now that I am, I believe in showing my daughter you can do it all - be a mom, be an entrepreneur, volunteer, and be social. And, it is just as critical that my son sees this too so he cheers on his future wife or daughter(s).
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
The Wellness Extension is built on 2 key principles: 1) Helping small business owners to make their lives easier when it comes to the "people stuff" and 2) elevating other women-owned small businesses who educate organizations on an aspect of well-being. Workplaces are where we spend a majority of our hours, and I believe we need to offer access to well-being programs to our employees. So, when I founded The Wellness Extension, I committed to building out my own network of women that I could bring to my clients so they could highlight how they could help employees - with the "life stuff" whether it is in or outside of the workplace. This is one of the reasons my tagline is "it's not personnel, it's personal." And, as part of that, I have brought parenting coaches (Rachael from Parenting on Mars, Nora O'Brien from Whyfully), time management coaches (Ronna Belinky) and Jill Beck (Go Long) to my clients to help coach, mentor and guide employees - giving employees resources during the workday that can help support them in life in general. It has not even been a year, and I am so grateful to partner with other FoundHers to make work a place where well-being is integrated and not an after-thought.
What are three podcasts you listen to that have helped you with your business?
CorinneMorahan Podcast
Adam Grant WorkLife (now Rethinking);
DearFoundHer
Smart Gets Paid
What are the first five things that you did when you were starting your business?
Set up my LLC
Grabbed my socials (LinkedIn, IG - multiple names)
Bought web real estate under multiple iterations of my name
Sent an email to my family & friends letting them know about my new venture
Wrote my story
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I had been building The Wellness Extension at night and on the weekends for 1.5 years before I resigned from my corporate job (full-time VP of HR). I knew the time was right when I felt MUCH happier working late into the evening on The Wellness Extension than during the day taking meetings and working through projects for my full-time employer. In fact, I had told my husband, I could work all night on this Company, I believe in it so much! That's when I took the leap to resign. And, when I resigned, my employer asked that I stay on part-time and they become "a client." I had already had a handful of clients at that point, but I knew the money would be consistent and this would allow for more transition. I worked in a part-time capacity with them for another five months and now freelance for them 5 - 10 hours/week.
How did you land your first client?
It's all about networking; my first client came through my husband who "talked me up" on his Israel trip when one of the women he met mentioned she had HR problems - and he said simply, "you need my wife!" That was the soft intro, and the rest is history - they have been with me since my day 1.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
Lead with empathy. Most HR consultants are transactional. I want to be a true extension of the team, a sounding board and make sure you can sleep well at night knowing you are doing the absolute best as an organization to manage and retain talent effectively.
What are three actionable tips you would give with other women who want to start a business or are just getting started?
1) Simple and often repeated - but just start!
2) Surround yourself with mentors who specialize in areas you need support - invest in that support and outsource where you can.
3) Take breaks - structuring my day has been key. Knowing I juggle the Mom/wife stuff, want to make time to give back, and of course see my own friends, it is important to integrate work. During the school year, I try and work while my kids are doing their homework, for instance, but I try and be present when they come home from school so I can hear about their day.
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