About.

Hi, I’m Janice — an entrepreneur and wholehearted lover of life.

I’ve always been someone who lives with passion, dreams of what could be, and creates with intention and heart. Over the years, that has taken many forms… from founding my first business, BAGOLITAS, to supporting founders and ideas as the Director of the Startup Incubator at the University of Iowa, to designing meaningful gifts in my studio today.

Like many women, I’ve experienced seasons of building, pausing, questioning, and becoming. After closing the doors on BAGOLITAS, I found myself asking that familiar question: Is this it? I was grateful for my life and my family, but I couldn’t shake the sense that I still had something more to offer — something creative, something connective, something that mattered.

What I’ve learned is this: that “something more” doesn’t always show up as a big, loud next thing. Sometimes it shows up quietly — through thoughtful work, meaningful connections, and moments that help people feel seen.

Today, I get to spend my days in my dream job — nurturing early-stage ideas and the next generation of entrepreneurs. When time allows, my creative energy flows into my studio, where I design heartfelt gifts meant to mark moments, honor memories, and celebrate the ones we love.

I believe gift-giving is an act of love. That intention matters. And that the most meaningful moments are the ones we choose to create.

Thanks for being here. I’m so glad you found your way.

xoxo

Janice lives in the Iowa City area with her husband Brad (est. 1997), their dog Tucker (who she said she would never get), and a deep appreciation for gathering people she loves. She has two adult children and a lifelong passion for creativity, self-expression, connection, and meaningful work.

A serial entrepreneur and wholehearted lover of life, Janice currently serves as the Director of the Startup Incubator at the University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, where she nurtures early-stage ideas and supports the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Her background blends formal training in graphic design with years of hands-on business building — including founding her first company, BAGOLITAS — as well as professional coach training that informs how she leads, facilitates, and creates memorable experiences for the students she works with. She brings a people-centered, experiential approach to her work, shaped by years of designing programs, workshops, and events that foster collaboration, clarity, and momentum.

When she isn’t working with founders or creating self-discovery experiences, Janice can be found designing heartfelt gifts in her studio for her Etsy shop, landscaping, organizing just about anything within reach, solving Wordles of all varieties, and dreaming with the Great Divine about ways to be a pattern breaker and changemaker in the world. She is an active member of the Iowa City Noon Rotary and believes deeply in living — and giving — with intention.

Corridor Business Journal’s Forty under 40 (class of 2007)