Jane Rennie

Knowing that your passion helps to make a real difference to people's lives, is one of the most satisfying feelings. This is certainly the case for Jane Rennie.

The founder and managing director of The Extraordinary Training Company, Jane's days are varied and fast-paced. "It sounds cliched, but I really don't have a 'typical' day", Jane tells us. 

The Extraordinary Training Company help people to perform, teams to thrive and businesses to grow. It takes a very special person to be able to tap into what makes people tick, and to draw out the inherent potentials lying in all of us.

Jane is just that, and that perhaps comes from meeting people and experiencing cultures all across the world from an early age: although Jane was born in the UK, she has lived in 27 countries and 39 different houses!

Scroll down below to find out all about Jane....we loved getting the chance to know her better! 

Tell us the weirdest / funniest thing that has ever happened to you at work?
When I was based in Dubai, I did a lot of travelling all over the Middle East.  On one occasion in Saudi Arabia, I had to deliver a 2-day training program from behind a black shower curtain because the client hadn’t realised I was a woman (how?), and the participants were religious clerics! I'm glad to say that things have change a LOT since then…no more screens or curtains nowadays.

The second really funny thing was when I was transporting some racehorses to Gatwick airport for their flight to Hong Kong (Macau). I was ‘accidentally’ locked into the nose of a 747 with three horses because the flying groom forgot about me. It was only when I felt the plane move, and then the engines roar that I realised – an interesting 48 hr round trip!

Everyone has the power to be extraordinary, to live an extraordinary life, whatever that means for each of us.

What signals the start of your days off?
I genuinely don’t really take days off, in the normal sense.  My husband works in Saudi Arabia, so when he’s away, I fill my time working on new ideas/projects or doing some of my own learning.  That way when he comes home on leave, I can have some (relatively) guilt-free days away from the office. 

I love gardening and I am the reigning Queen of DIY (so much so, my son-in-law bought me a Black & Decker Workmate this Christmas!) and so weekends tend to be filled with one or other project in the house. Along with painting, wallpapering and tiling, I’ve so far made two built-in wardrobes, a very large breakfast bar, renovated the garage into a laundry room…and a bit of dry-stone walling…the list goes on. Give me a power-tool and I’m a happy girl (aren’t we all)!

What might people be surprised to know about you?
I have an HGV license and used to drive articulated lorries full of horses! Before the days of L&D and Training (i.e. before children!) I was a bloodstock agent, working with the Royal Mews, King’s Troop, Household Cavalry and Met Mounted Police as well as racehorse trainers, transporting horses all around the world. 

What is at the top of your bucket list?
My fabulous husband has managed to tick off two huge bucket list items: last year, he took me to the Bahamas for my 50^th birthday; I wanted to go to Exuma to see the famous Swimming Pigs! It was absolutely surreal, swimming in water the colour of Windex, surrounded by pigs and feeding sting-rays off the seabed. Before that, back in 2015, he arranged for a group of friends to go to Hampden Park so I could see AC/DC in concert (Yes, AC/DC! Huge fan!). I can’t say I’ve got a list of items; we just seem to find things to do and make them bucket list experiences.

Although, I’ve always wanted to be a runner. Not as in Mo Farah, but just someone who enjoys running to keep fit. So, this year, I joined FiveStar Active in Auchterarder and Fiona Watt helped me to check off another thing, and I ran my first 5K just before Christmas.

What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
Not really the worst job, just a bad decision regarding a job that turned out to be very different than what it said on the tin! On the upside, it spurred me into action and that’s how my training consultancy was born.

Who or what inspires you?
I take inspiration from lots of places, lots of people. My husband and children are a constant source of inspiration; they’re each tremendous examples of resilience, determination and unconditional love. I’m in awe of my mother’s energy, who at 78, runs rings round most people half her age. 

But I suppose my greatest inspiration comes from my late father; he was stubborn, opinionated and resolute in doing as he wanted…difficult some might say. He was my greatest critic, but he was the best man I have ever known. He was my greatest source of encouragement and when asking for advice he’d say, “Ask yourself, ‘so what’, Janie?”. Two very simple, very powerful words, that have shaped the way I look at things. What’s the worst – or best – that could happen?

Tell us about the day you’d love to live again? 
I’ve had a pretty fortunate life; lived in some amazing places, done some amazing things with some equally amazing people, so there are too many to choose just one.

My greatest inspiration comes from my late father; he was stubborn, opinionated and resolute in doing as he wanted.

What’s the best part about your job?
I have the privilege to impact people’s lives on a daily basis. Everyone has the power to be extraordinary, to live an extraordinary life, whatever that means for each of us.  We all like to hear how we’ve been part of a positive change or transformation in another human being, but when someone says ‘thank you for saving me from myself’ as a result of training and coaching I’ve done with them, can anyone want anything better?

Complete this sentence; the best things in life are….
FREE! And they’re not things: friends, family, love, hugs, smiles, laughter, memories. They’re all around us, they’re what really matters and they don’t cost a penny.