Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillian Ferry & Anh Lee of Durable Minds Everboarding.
Hi Jillian Ferry & Anh Lee, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It’s like when Steve Jobs once said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.” Today, looking back, the seeds for DME were planted back in 2014 when Jillian and I met in our Executive Human Resource Development Master’s program at the University of Houston. At the time, Jillian worked in talent development and recruitment at Rice University, and I worked in learning and development at a prominent global medical device company. For that entire year, we spent 3 nights a week learning literally side by side – we sat right next to each other. Our conversations focused on how we were leading and facilitating learning and change strategies in our organizations.
The cohort created a community of practitioners where we shared our work experiences and collaborated to solve organizational challenges. Of course, Jillian and I learned so much during that year, but the most important thing we developed from the experience was our profound respect for each other’s expertise and the friendship that we continue to have today.
Since our UH days, Jillian and I have continued to deepen our expertise and advance our careers. We’ve worked across multiple industries and touched every facet of organizational transformation, including human resources and workforce development.
At the core lies our deep passion for reducing the needless friction that people experience at work. However, even with the oftentimes unpleasant work realities we all face, work can be a place where people can thrive and realize their full potential. While the seeds for DME were planted over 10 years ago, with anything in life, experience is the best teacher. With the knowledge we’ve gained and two decades of experience, we decided it was time to share our points of view and contribute to the conversation regarding work, employee engagement, and performance.
However, instead of pursuing corporate consulting or another leadership role within our organizations, we wanted to cut the middleman out and take this knowledge directly to the people – especially the early career professionals just starting their journey. So, we decided it was time to establish Durable Minds Everboarding.
The problem DME is trying to solve is that, within our various leadership roles, we’ve often witnessed the variability in how companies train and prepare their employees, especially new ones. Jillian and I have taken on countless projects designed to support employee development over the last twenty years, especially onboarding. However, until recently, that work has always taken place within the four walls of our corporate jobs, always in the context of a particular organization. Even though we were passionate, we were driven by or often constrained by the organizations we worked for. We were doing our part within our companies but wanted to do it at scale and in an authentic way that aligned with who we were.
We increasingly felt the growing need to support early career professionals entering the workforce. And that brings us to the present day. Durable Minds Everboarding was established to support early career professionals in bridging the transition from school to work. We want to help people feel prepared and confident as they enter the workforce. DME products and services are here to help workers define their values and find their truth so they can create their path to a meaningful and fulfilling career from the start!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building Durable Minds Everboarding (DME) has been by far the most fulfilling work we have ever done and one of the most challenging endeavors we’ve taken on. However, we know nothing worth having is ever easy, but it’s worth it. What drives us is our passion for the work we do and our genuine desire to serve and contribute to the greater good. A lot is going on right now, and there’s no shortage of areas that need care and attention. When we reflect on all the current conversations about work, a pivotal shift can be traced back to the 2020 COVID pandemic, which fundamentally changed the work rules. During that time, everyone was thrust into an unknown situation. As society moved quickly to adapt, every aspect of our lives was impacted in real-time, especially our education system and workplaces. However, the residual effects of the pandemic continue to reverberate within many facets of society, especially work. It’s been half a decade since the onset of the pandemic, and years later, the incoming generation of workers entering the workforce spent most of their pivotal developmental years experiencing learning within quarantine. They missed out on those key experiences that prepare them for work. We are beginning to see the lasting effects—not only of the pandemic but of all the factors that have shaped their experience, including the rapid proliferation of technology, social media, declining mental well-being, and societal and environmental factors.
In March of 2024, when we began to build DME. Anh and I came together hungry to change the world, change the narrative, help the next generation, and unshackle ourselves from the rules of corporate that had been holding us back our entire careers from making a real impact.
The creative process has been incredibly rewarding, and with our backgrounds in functional HR and L&D, we knew we had to create this the right way–no shortcuts. Striving for excellence can bring its own challenges. We don’t want to create something just to create something. We want to build something meaningful and sustainable. As any entrepreneur can tell you, building a business means wearing every hat—HR, marketing, product development, and more. At times, it felt like we were learning new skills faster than we could keep up, but through this growth came an incredible amount of resilience, determination, and grit. This determination, resilience, and grit were fast-tracked and battle-tested with the very unexpected layoff of Jillian in August of 2024, which found her at a crossroads but ultimately became the catalyst for pushing ourselves to launch DME.
The theme of this past year has been that we can do hard, scary things. Nothing will ever be perfect, but we must be brave enough to hit “post.” Whether creating social media videos for the first time, starting a podcast, or launching our products—each has been a scary step. But they’ve all required us to face our self-doubt, expand our leadership capacity, and keep moving forward with courage.
There have been both wins and setbacks along the way. Every victory has been a testament to our resilience, while every challenge has taught us valuable lessons. Finding our voice in this uncharted market is one of the most complex aspects. There’s nothing like this yet, so we’re building a brand-new business and carving out a niche in an entirely new space. We understand the vital need for character-building, durable skills, and practical application among young professionals, but the challenge is how to communicate that effectively. How do we package our vision in a way that resonates with others?
We hear this message swirling in every direction: that the next generation is unprepared for the workforce, that they don’t want to work, and that they’re being fired at alarming rates. There’s so much noise around this narrative, but we know the current education-to-work pipeline system has set them up to fail. They need practical tools to help them develop their skills and succeed. That’s why we created DME—to bridge the gap and support the next generation in achieving success. We’ve been fortunate to see DME grow, and every step of the journey, from struggles to successes, has been part of the larger vision we’re building. The road may not have been smooth, but it has certainly been worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Durable Minds Everboarding. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Durable Minds Everboarding was founded to support early career professionals. We wholeheartedly believe that everyone has greatness within them, regardless of age or years of experience, and certain conditions allow people to flourish and tap into that unlimited potential – these are durable skills.
DME provides an educational platform and products designed to assist early career professionals in transitioning from school to work. As they enter the workforce, the better-prepared individuals gain more confidence. This confidence, in turn, gives them a genuine sense of agency and freedom when making career choices.
At DME, we believe that everything begins with self-awareness. Understanding yourself and developing your perspective enables you to seek and create the best conditions for your growth. Our company integrates personal and professional development because, in our experience, professional growth is incomplete without personal development.
DME connects personal growth with professional success by offering products designed to help early-career professionals define their character and values while providing practical tools to leverage their strengths and navigate real-world situations effectively.
The DME brand is dedicated to engaging and empowering early career professionals. What sets us apart is our commitment to fostering meaningful conversations as equals rather than preaching to the next generation. Everyone, regardless of age or years of experience, has valuable perspectives and experiences shaped by their life journeys.
We take pride in being curious and eager to learn from the new generation of workers. Even though we have been in the industry for a long time, we recognize that we’ll never have all the answers. Our products provide a platform for ongoing engagement in this important dialogue.
Durable Minds Everboarding is all about developing resilience through the continuous learning journey. That is what it means to have a durable mind, and everboarding acknowledges that the learning never ends.
Our products engage and create the space for people to prepare for work through self-discovery. Our products help workers build a new story about work. DME is dedicated to integrating personal and professional well-being and providing tools for practical application
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Jillian:
Growing up, I was always a curious and ambitious kid, constantly challenging the status quo, asking questions, and questioning my own beliefs. When I think about my childhood, I remember having an active imagination, dreaming up things that didn’t exist, and imagining worlds that were beyond reality. I always wanted to do something that would change the world and help people. Though I was always surrounded by friends, being the youngest in my class by almost a year had its challenges. Always surrounded by friendships but always somehow feeling left out or out of place.
My first love was singing–it’s always been my happy place, the one escape where I could leave the present behind and transport myself to another dimension. It also drives my ability to feel things very deeply. Music has walked with me through each era of my life, helping me process the most beautiful moments and the most traumatic ones.
I’ve always been resilient and determined—sometimes to the point of stubbornness. When I set my mind on a goal, I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it. I have tunnel vision and an unyielding drive. Growing up, I didn’t realize it, but my superpowers have always been problem-solving and resilience. I always find a way, a compromise. My creative brain works in harmony with my rational side in a way that is uniquely me. It’s taken me 36 years to embrace who I am fully, everything I am, and everything I am not—and to realize that I am exactly who I’m meant to be.
Anh:
I am a first-generation Vietnamese-American who grew up on Houston’s southwest side – Alief! Growing up in such a diverse area significantly shaped who I am. I had the opportunity to experience many different cultures, and from an early age, I was always observant and intuitive. I adapted quickly to the various situations I found myself in.
In terms of personality, I was not very confident and often awkward but always witty and sharp. My mom was a single mother, and while she worked, I was a typical ’90s latchkey kid. This fostered my early sense of independence and taught me how to figure things out on my own. Running around Alief with my friends definitely contributed to my street smarts. Though I projected toughness as a kid, it often served as an exterior armor to navigate the world. Deep down, I was sensitive but tended to hide that side of myself. I was also very creative and did well in school, although I don’t feel I ever truly applied or challenged myself fully. Even though I would get in trouble, I always had a great relationship with all my teachers.
As I grew up, I leaned more into my creativity and curiosity, which fueled my passion for learning. I have never looked back since. My interests, both then and now, include reading, history, and people-watching. Human behavior really does fascinate me. Over the years, I’ve learned to channel my toughness into tenacity, grit, and resilience, and I now fully embrace my sensitivity. It has been my superpower.
These early experiences have shaped who I am and inspired me to dedicate my life’s work to learning and development. I was that lost kid growing up, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had many teachers, mentors, and leaders who took the time to see me for who I was inside. That made all the difference. And DME is my way of paying it forward to the next generation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dmeverboarding.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmeverboarding/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dmeverboarding/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dmeverboarding
