Dr. Jenny Grant Rankin is a Fulbright Specialist for the U.S. Department of State who has lectured at institutions such as the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Columbia University, federal agencies, and TED. Dr. Rankin has written 14 books and has two doctorates (a Ph.D. and L.H.D). She delivers keynotes/plenaries and workshops at major conferences on the best ways to share information, and she also writes an ongoing blog column for Psychology Today. Dr. Rankin has been honored by the U.S. White House for her professional contributions, all while juggling side hustles volunteering at Mensa, serving on boards, and raising a 13-year-old in Southern California. You can visit her website for her full bio.
1. Walk us through your morning routine.
I wake around 6:00 AM but I lie in bed for 30-45 minutes just thinking. Bedtime and showers are my main brain breaks for the day; I’m not meditating, but I find it relaxing just to “space out” for a bit. Then I skim emails, deleting and quick-replying, for about 30 minutes while drinking two room temperature, premade coffee shots (I never tasted coffee until I was 46, so I’m easy to please on the taste front). I then drop my daughter at school and take my run (which is also work time, explained later), knowing my inbox’s urgencies are under control. After my run I get to dive into work full throttle.
2. Do you have an exercise routine?
Definitely. I used to teach aerobics on the side, but during COVID I rediscovered my teenage love of running. I schedule my low-pressure phone calls (like helping mentees) for my week-daily jogs. When I’m not on calls while I exercise, I listen to the nonfiction books and podcasts that are part of the research I do for my books, keynotes, and teaching. I just squeeze my phone for screenshots of the audio’s clock at spots I want to revisit, and I make occasional speech-to-text notes on the Notes app as I run so I can copy/paste the thoughts into my book drafts later. I bike on weekends to mix things up, and that audio-free time is great for dreaming up a new presentation or book chapter.
3. Do you follow a specific diet? Share a little about how you approach nutrition.
I have been a strict vegan since I was young because I don’t want to hurt anyone. I’m not ready to eat first thing in the morning, other than coffee or tea, but I eat something after about an hour. I’ve found that to maintain high energy all day, my breakfast needs to be protein-packed. My faves are grilled and salted tofu (which is the most I ever cook) or almonds. After that I graze when I’m hungry off of premade vegan meals I order in batches off delivery apps. I avoid carbs, sugar, and sugar substitutes. I haven’t had a soda since 2014, but I devour obscure sparkling waters and sparkling teas to feel like I’m still getting a treat.
4. How many hours do you sleep each night?
Eight. I struggle to fall asleep, but I go to bed early to account for the “can’t turn the brain off” time.
5. What are some hobbies you enjoy?
I love travel, reading, movies, museums, cheesy reality TV, and being active. I have an art background yet little spare time for drawing, so it comes out via decorating my home. For example, I’ll draw a 20-foot octopus on the wall with magic marker or build something. I love making my surroundings fun and functional.
6. Do you have any life mottos or principles you follow?
I’m big on gratitude, and I feel a compulsion to use my time in this life to have impact with whatever opportunities I’m given. That means maximizing time. I do this funny thing where “Jenny of the Present” does things with the intent of saving “Jenny of the Future” time or frustration later. For example, if I know I’ll be in a hurry later between events, I’ll set out everything I’ll need for the quick change and anything I could forget taking. When the time comes where these kindnesses help me, I mentally thank “Jenny of the Past”. Sometimes I thank her out loud just to amuse my boyfriend. As valuable as mindfulness is for psyche, life runs smoother if we also extend kindnesses to our future selves.
7. How do you approach setting goals?
Long term goals are easy to remember, as they’re fun to dream about: like back when I wanted to give a TED Talk or teach at an Ivy League university. I can’t shake them until they’re accomplished. As for short term goals, I put them on the same iPhone notes page as my daily to do list. That way I keep encountering them as I cross off the others and am reminded to align the two types of items.
8. What is your favorite way to learn new things?
I love becoming aware of a gap in my knowledge and then diving down a series of rabbit holes to investigate answers. The topic can be anything (like bat echolocation), but even seemingly random investigations often lead to anecdotes for my plenaries and books. Since much of my work involves circumvention of cognitive biases, I also love to look at varied sources and conflicting narratives in an attempt to identify the truth in the middle.
9. You speak in front of some pretty large audiences — how do you typically prepare for these larger speeches? Any tips for others that might be doing this too?
I spend the most time determining and fine-tuning the images and stories I’ll use to communicate concepts. I keep them short and tightly tied to whatever message I impart. I think hard on where to weave in research so that findings feel more like “fun facts” than jargon dumps. My slides are image-rich and text-sparse, so some of my prep time is spent on a user-friendly handout attendees can download later if they want to revisit or dive into the content shared.
My favorite tip for others reflects the research findings of Alison Wood Brooks (2014, June): if you feel nervous, tell yourself you are just excited. You can’t be fooled by telling yourself you’re calm because a pounding heart and jitters feel so obviously not calm. Excitement, on the other hand, is similar to nervousness (rapid pulse, stomach butterflies, etc.), so that emotional reappraisal is successful. People with pre-performance nerves who tell themselves “I am excited!” outperform others. No audience wants an unexcited presenter, so getting excited gives you an edge.
10. You’ve published 14 books on a few different topics, which is incredible — what typically inspires you to take the leap and actually write and publish these books? (passion, opportunity, etc.)
A book (almost like a living entity) demands I write it when:
A) I’m ultra passionate and knowledgeable about the topic and
B) there isn’t a book like this already out and
C) the book could be a big help to readers and/or those who readers are then better armed to help.
This way the content will still be exciting to me when I’m rereading & reworking the same chapters for the 20th time. If it wasn’t, I’d fear letting my readers down.
11. Is there anything that you haven’t done that you still want to do?
I still haven’t visited Angkor Wat, the Galápagos Islands, or Machu Picchu, so those trips are high on my list. Most of all, I can’t wait to finish and release my next book. I’m sure I’ll be saying that after it comes out, too.