Rising Stars: Meet Jen Knox

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Knox. 

Hi Jen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Healthy Leather was originally developed by my late husband, a Marine Corps Veteran who spent a lifetime on horseback, working with all kinds of leather in all conditions. After sharing his creation with friends and family, everyone wanted more. It was that good. 

One of his wishes was to “make sure anyone who wanted it could get it, no matter where they are.” And that’s what we’re working on doing. Sitting on the porch one day with a close friend of the family, Jill, I mentioned wanting to pursue that dream but being unsure of how to proceed. Healthy Leather was born. 

In the two years since that conversation, we have grown an enormous amount. We already had and were in touch with our market, and that’s been a giant bonus. We’ve been quickly crossing off goals and gaining vendors and can’t wait to see what the future holds. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
While being in touch our market gave us lots of great ideas, Covid put a screeching halt to many of them, given that horse shows were canceled. Stores were doing curbside pickups and most gatherings we would be demonstrating at were cancelled. 

We took to the internet, though that was daunting for two people who grew up on horses and didn’t often sit in front of a computer. We started with an Instagram page and hosted our demo videos and before and after pictures there. They were a hit. 

Hand-making Healthy Leather offers its own challenges; mainly storage and space. We turned Jill’s loft into Healthy Leather’s headquarters and usually make our products in her kitchen, but sometimes we pack it all up and make it somewhere else. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Jennifer is not only an accomplished equestrian and stable manager but an outstanding dog trainer as well. She offers lesson packages for both dog and owner and is passionate about making sure clients are focusing on both health and wellbeing for themselves and their pets. Jennifer studied photography in college and expresses her creative side through many outlets, including calligraphy. 

Jill grew up riding and competing, and working for some notable horse folks. In her 2o’s, Jill accepted a job working for Jen’s mother Margaret. That’s how Jill and Jen met. After teaching and training in Colorado, Oregon, and Florida, she retired from the saddle and has been looking for a meaningful yet different career in the horse industry since. Jill’s college major was journalism, and her parents are still wondering if she’ll ever use that. 

What do you think about happiness?
Bubbles. It always makes me think of the quote “Never lose your childish enthusiasm. It’s the most important thing.”. 

Animals. They are so good at knowing what we need when we need it. 

Being part of the community. I’m finding I really enjoy giving back. 

Helping others. Paying it forward is so important to me, and finding creative ways to do that makes me happy. 

Contact Info:

• Email: jenk@healthyleather.com
• Website: www.healthyleather.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/healthy_leather
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/healthyleather

Image Credits
Jill Brennan McConaughy