Maven5Q Janet Mary Cobb

A fascinating life thus far

Janet Mary Cobb

I’m Janet Cobb. After 13 years in a Catholic convent, and years cooking in convent kitchens and teaching high school in Asia, I returned to the States and left the convent. I married, raised three children, and led high schools and nonprofits until 2015, when my career imploded, and I started over—again.

I’ve done a TEDx talk and published five books. Today, I teach people how to cook with confidence and creativity—not just to feed themselves, but to come home to themselves. Whether I’m stirring soup or facilitating a workshop, I show up with one hope: that what I’ve come to understand might nourish, nurture, or encourage (or challenge) someone else.

My Substack publications are a space for anyone hungry—for flavor or a thoughtful conversation.

You can find all three publications at my profile:

· Claim Your Inner Chef

· Small Nonprofit Whisperer

· The Cobbled Path, Unmeasured

Let’s explore together.

What is the most surprising part of being in this stage of life?

I’m most surprised that I can keep figuring out how to start over and reinvent myself professionally—and that I still need to do it this late in life. The only constant is change…

What’s one new thing you’re trying to embrace in mid-life?

I’m a little beyond mid-life now, but I’m continuing to embrace asking myself, “Does this (decision/activity/person/event) ignite your soul?”

If it doesn’t, stop doing it. Find another path…

If you could give yourself a piece of advice 20 years ago, what would it be and why?

In 2005, my children were 7, 5, and 3. My husband and I were fulltime high school teachers and we had high hopes for our children. But I sometimes got twisted and worried and frustrated and forgot what was most important.

So, I would advise myself to listen to my middle child who often said, “Hakuna Matata, Mommy! No worries.”

In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff because most of the things society tells us to stress about for our kids like good grades, test scores, building up a resume through extracurriculars, etc. DO NOT MATTER.

What’s something that our generation had access to that you’d like to bring back?

I’d like to bring back hope—and the desire and drive to work toward a better tomorrow instead of thinking it will all happen overnight with just a protest or two.

I’m no Pollyanna. I know we’ve had issues individually, in our communities, as a country, across the globe forever—but hope kept the good folks going.

We need hope now.

If the next 20 years of your life had a theme, what would it be and why?

In 1987, when I arrived in Hong Kong, I was given a Chinese name by one of the Chinese nuns in my convent, 安 欣 怡, which means:

安 (Ān – Mandarin pronunciation) – peace, safety, calm, serenity

欣 (Xīn – Mandarin pronunciation) – joy, delight, appreciation

怡 (Yí – Mandarin pronunciation)– harmony, pleasantness, ease

I have spent my life trying to live into a life of peaceful joy and gentle harmony. For the next 20 years, I’ll continue on this journey.

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FANTASTIC answers…I am fascinated by Janet’s life path and I think we need to put this on a T shirt, a flag and whatever else:

What’s something that our generation had access to that you’d like to bring back?

I’d like to bring back hope—and the desire and drive to work toward a better tomorrow instead of thinking it will all happen overnight with just a protest or two.

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ICYMI Last Week!

PS…want to be a Maven5Q? Contact me! Womenssurvivalguide@gmail.com