From the Fairway to the Field: How Jenn Harris Turned Reinvention Into a Career Superpower

Some people build careers. Others build transformations. Jenn Harris has done both, again and again.

Before she was the President and CEO of AirX Utility Surveyors, a leading woman-owned utility company in California, Jenn was an entrepreneur, a golfer, a strategist, and a problem solver who refused to stay inside one box. Her story is not about one big break or a single defining moment. It’s about a series of pivots that demanded courage, curiosity, and a willingness to start over without starting from scratch.

When Jenn talks about her journey, she does so with clarity and humility. She has built businesses that help women find confidence, taken over an established company in a male-dominated industry, and navigated the personal and professional challenges of pregnancy while running a business. Each phase of her career has tested a different kind of strength, and each has prepared her for what comes next.

This is the story of how Jenn Harris learned to lead, to pivot, and to own every chapter of her evolution.

The First Swing: Golf, Psychology, and the Pursuit of Connection

Jenn’s career began far from the world of utilities. In college, she studied psychology and marketing while dreaming of becoming a professional golfer. Golf had always been her passion. It represented focus, mental discipline, and a quiet competitiveness that she carried into everything she did.

But during one fateful summer, things fell apart. Her swing was off, her confidence cracked, and her game slipped from championship-level to below average. For the first time, she experienced what it felt like to fall short in something she loved.

That setback would become one of the most defining experiences of her life.

“It was devastating,” she recalls. “I had gone from shooting in the 70s to a 95. It wasn’t just about the score. It was about realizing how much of the game was mental. I didn’t have the tools yet to recover from that kind of disappointment.”

Years later, she would talk about that summer not as a failure, but as a training ground for leadership. Golf taught her how to lose, how to recalibrate, and how to face challenges that don’t come with easy fixes. Those lessons would eventually shape her approach to business and resilience.

Building Confidence: High Heel Golfer and the Power of Bringing Women to the Game

After graduating, Jenn followed a corporate path briefly but found herself restless. She wanted to solve problems, build something new, and create spaces where others could grow.

That motivation led her to launch High Heel Golfer, a company that helped women build confidence, relationships, and professional networks through golf. The idea was simple but powerful: bring women into a space that had long excluded them.

She hosted more than 300 networking events, helping women across industries learn not just the mechanics of golf, but the social and business language that often happens on the course.

“Golf is where deals happen. It’s where relationships deepen. But many women were missing out on those opportunities because they felt intimidated,” Jenn explains. “I wanted to change that.”

Through High Heel Golfer, she created a bridge between personal confidence and professional advancement. It wasn’t about sports. It was about empowerment.

Her work helped women show up differently in their industries. It gave them a platform to connect with clients, build trust, and enter conversations that previously felt off-limits.

At the same time, Jenn was learning how to build and sustain a business from the ground up: marketing, client acquisition, partnerships, and operations. Those years would form the foundation for her future as a leader.

Innovation on the Move: Street Swings and Expanding Access

Jenn’s next venture was Street Swings, a company built around a simple but disruptive idea: bring golf to people, wherever they are.

Street Swings used a portable golf simulator and custom-designed trailers to bring the game to corporate events, festivals, and community gatherings. What began as a creative side project quickly became a thriving business model.

“Traditional golf takes too long, it’s intimidating, and it requires access,” Jenn says. “Street Swings was about accessibility. If people couldn’t get to the golf course, we would bring the experience to them.”

That innovation reflected a pattern that would continue throughout Jenn’s career: she finds solutions by seeing the gaps others ignore. Whether it was helping women gain confidence or helping companies engage clients in new ways, she built her businesses around the belief that connection drives growth.

Through both High Heel Golfer and Street Swings, Jenn built partnerships with corporations, charities, and community organizations. Her work created not just revenue but relationships, and those relationships would later become part of her “personal board,” a trusted network she relies on to this day.

The Pandemic Pivot: When Everything Stopped

In 2020, the world changed. Like many entrepreneurs, Jenn watched her event-based businesses come to a halt. Overnight, every booking, sponsorship, and engagement disappeared.

“It was brutal,” she admits. “Everything I had built depended on live experiences. Suddenly, there were no events, no gatherings, no business.”

But instead of freezing, she adapted.

Through a mentor, Jenn began consulting in the utility industry, helping with marketing and business development. It wasn’t glamorous or familiar, but it was an opportunity to learn and contribute.

That consulting role eventually led her to AirX Utility Surveyors, one of California’s early pioneers in subsurface utility engineering. When AirX’s long-time CEO decided to retire, Jenn was asked to step in and lead the company.

It was a moment of both opportunity and uncertainty. She had no direct background in utilities, but she had years of leadership, strategy, and problem-solving experience.

“I didn’t come from this world, but I knew how to build teams, fix systems, and drive growth,” she says. “That’s what leadership is about.”

Taking the Helm: Leadership in Real Time

When Jenn took over as President and CEO in 2023, she inherited a business that had history, legacy, and challenges. The company had been successful for decades, but it needed restructuring and a fresh strategy for the next phase of growth.

The first year tested everything she knew about leadership.

“I wish I had felt confident enough at the start to redefine the culture and make big changes immediately,” she reflects. “It took me a year and a half to fully realize that some people weren’t aligned with where the company needed to go.”

She learned that culture is not something that evolves naturally. It has to be built intentionally, reinforced daily, and protected through hard decisions.

Her approach combined empathy with directness. She prioritized communication, accountability, and clarity of values. When difficult transitions were necessary, she faced them head-on, knowing that every decision would shape the company’s future.

“It’s about learning when to listen and when to act,” Jenn says. “You can’t build a new vision on top of old habits.”

Leading While Expecting: Redefining Motherhood and Leadership

While leading AirX through change, Jenn also faced a deeply personal challenge: pregnancy.

Balancing the demands of a turnaround CEO role with the physical and emotional realities of pregnancy was an entirely new kind of test.

“The first trimester was rough. I was exhausted, sick, and still trying to keep the business moving,” she says. “You’re told not to tell people too early, but when you can’t function, you have to. You need your team to understand and support you.”

She describes the experience as both isolating and eye-opening. There were moments of compassion from colleagues, but also moments when the demands of the business didn’t pause, no matter how she felt.

“It’s not just maternity leave,” Jenn explains. “Pregnancy affects nearly a full year of your life, your energy, focus, emotions, everything. And most workplaces aren’t built to accommodate that reality.”

Her transparency about this stage of life is refreshing and rare. In an era when women are still pressured to “do it all,” Jenn’s honesty offers a different model of strength; one that values grace and boundaries over perfection.

She also speaks openly about preparing for postpartum realities, working with a therapist, and building support systems before returning to work.

“Having a plan for your physical recovery is just as important as having a business plan,” she says. “You can’t lead well if you’re not well.”

Rebuilding for Value: What It Means to Build a Company to Sell

Jenn’s focus at AirX is not just growth: it’s value. When she stepped in, the company’s owners wanted to prepare for an eventual exit. That meant stabilizing operations, improving retention, and making the business attractive to future buyers.

Building for value is a different mindset than building for revenue. It requires systems, documentation, delegation, and a team that can operate independently of its leader.

Jenn’s background as a strategist positioned her perfectly for this phase. She worked to streamline internal processes, modernize sales, and improve visibility within the industry.

It’s meticulous work, but Jenn thrives on it.

“I love forensic accounting,” she admits with a laugh. “I like looking at the numbers and asking what really happened. What changed between one year and the next? What story do these numbers tell?”

Her analytical curiosity (paired with her people-first approac) has allowed her to make tough financial and cultural decisions with clarity. She focuses on sustainability, not explosive growth, and on measurable progress over empty momentum.

Lessons in Communication and Compassion

One of Jenn’s biggest insights as a leader is that communication is not one-size-fits-all.

“I have an analytical team. Some of them want data and direction. Others need context and reassurance. The way you communicate can determine whether your vision takes hold or falls flat,” she explains.

She admits she is naturally direct, focused, and goal-driven. Over time, she has learned how to blend that with compassion and curiosity, meeting her team where they are instead of where she wants them to be.

“When I notice tension or miscommunication, I step back and ask what’s really going on. Most of the time, people want to do good work; they just need clarity and understanding.”

That balance between structure and empathy defines Jenn’s leadership. It’s a skill built not from textbooks, but from experience, years of running small businesses, facing setbacks, and learning what motivates people to give their best.

Women in Leadership: Shifting the Lens

Jenn’s career also highlights an important truth: women can succeed in male-dominated industries without losing their authenticity.

In utilities, she has found an environment surprisingly open to diversity. The industry values woman-owned businesses, and Jenn’s leadership has helped position AirX as both competitive and inclusive.

Still, she recognizes the subtle challenges. Relationship-building often happens in long-established networks where women are underrepresented. But rather than see that as a barrier, she sees it as opportunity.

“There’s a changing of the guard,” Jenn says. “More leaders are my age or younger. They’re starting families, balancing careers, and redefining what leadership looks like. That’s where I feel at home.”

Her presence alone sends a powerful message to other women considering leadership in technical fields: you do not have to look or lead like everyone else to make an impact.

Reinvention as a Habit

When asked what drives her to keep evolving, Jenn smiles.

“I’ve always been a problem solver,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what industry I’m in. I want to fix what’s broken, help people work better together, and build something sustainable.”

Her story is proof that reinvention is not about abandoning your past, but about using what you’ve learned to navigate what comes next.

From the fairways of her golf days to the field operations of her current role, every step has taught her to be comfortable with the unknown.

“You don’t need to have every answer to start,” she says. “You just need the courage to take the first step and trust that you’ll learn along the way.”

The Next Chapter

Looking ahead, Jenn imagines a future where she continues to lead companies through transformation, possibly through acquisitions or partnerships. She knows she’s built the muscle for change, and she’s not afraid to use it.

“I don’t want to start from scratch again, but I love turnarounds,” she admits. “I love stepping into something that already exists and finding the potential inside it.”

That mindset reflects the core of her leadership philosophy: growth is not about doing more, but about doing better.

Jenn Harris is not a founder in the traditional sense. She is a builder, a fixer, and a strategist who understands the art of transformation. Her journey reminds us that success is not a straight line. It is a series of choices that reveal who we are and what we are capable of.

Her story matters because it redefines what it means to be a woman in leadership. It shows that ambition can coexist with compassion, that failure can become a foundation, and that every pivot, no matter how unexpected, can lead to purpose.

In her own words, “You don’t have to know how it will all work out. You just have to keep showing up.”

And that is exactly what makes Jenn Harris a badass woman in business.