John McConnell and Virginia Rhoads, a husband and wife team, have been coaching clients and offering ground breaking leadership courses since the mid 1990's. They formed the Jempe Center (formerly Ascent Institute) to further their mission of supporting people to dream, design, and live a thriving life of professional success, personal fulfillment, and true expression.
Our lives and our work are informed by experiences in nature. In particular, we have long been inspired by the power, mystery and grace of hummingbirds. Their astounding displays of flight, and their intense protection of their food and territory, are congruent with the guiding principles of our work.
Why Jempe? "Jempe" (pronounced JEM-peh) is the Achuar word for hummingbird. An unconquered, indigenous tribe living in the Amazonian rainforest, the Achuar have deeply influenced our work. In gratitude to the Achuar, for the wisdom and joy we have received from them, we chose their word for hummingbird as our company name.