About Jen Nealon Garone
Wedding Officiant, Ceremonialist & Jungian Depth Coach
Hi, I’m Jen Nealon Garone — an irreverent reverend, non-religious wedding officiant, ceremonialist, and Jungian-informed depth coach living just outside Boulder, Colorado. I’m a first-generation USAmerican with an Argentine mom and a German dad, bilingual in Spanish, with a little Italian, French, and German sprinkled in. My DNA tells the story of a European-ancestor mutt — fitting, since I often feel a bit like a stray dog.
What I Do
For over 20 years, I’ve had the honor of facilitating ceremonies of all kinds. Creating custom ceremonies is my heart’s joy. I want to connect deeply with individuals, couples, and families to craft something authentic, meaningful, and unique — a ceremonial space where you can truly shine as the humble hero(ine) of your own story.
In recent years, my devotion to meaning-making has blossomed into Jungian/depth coaching and spiritual companionship. Whether you’re standing at a threshold moment or somewhere in the quiet middle, I offer space for deep reflection, inner alignment, and soulful living.
My Approach to Ceremony & Coaching
I love spinning a good yarn, whether it’s crafting a ceremony or coaching a client through their story. While my writing skills serve well in ceremony, my deeper goal is to help people live their stories fully—whether by delivering a Ceremony, capital C, that feels real, relevant, and energizing, or by guiding you through the narratives and inner myths that shape your growth.
I love uncovering the transcendent meaning beneath the everyday and bringing that alive. There’s so much magic in the mundane. Whether through ceremony or coaching, I’m fascinated by what brings us into conversation with the deeper layers of life — the stories we carry, the symbols that move us, and the questions we live into.
“I will tell you something about stories… They aren’t just entertainment. Don’t be fooled. They are all we have, you see, all we have to fight off illness and death. You don’t have anything if you don’t have the stories.” -Leslie Marmon Silko
What I Believe
I honor all traditions, but I’m not a fan of pushing beliefs on others or having them pushed on me. I follow my own path, guided in large by the natural world — the earth and her rhythms. I believe in the simple things: beauty, kindness, forgiveness, acceptance, and love. I “believe-ish” in more things than I believe in.
One of the most important things in life to me is to live my values. That means, firstly, knowing what my values are, and secondly, walking my talk, and thirdly, being kind to myself when I fail (which happens, um, daily.) I think that the universe is far too large and mysterious and unknowable to take myself too seriously, so I am a big fan of humor too. I’m quite pragmatic and grounded. I do this work not because it is “the right way” or “the truth,” I do it because it brings beauty and joy and meaning and connection to myself and the people I work with.
Knee-deep in the cosmic overwhelm, I’m stricken
by the ricochet wonder of it all: the plaineverythingness of everything, in cahoots
with the everythingness of everything else.-Diane Ackerman
Credentials & Community
I was ordained in 2012 as a non-denominational “Minister of Walking Prayer” through the Center for Sacred Studies after completing their two-year program. I’m also a Certified Life Cycle Celebrant specializing in funerals, memorials, and end-of-life celebrations, accredited by the Celebrant Institute & Foundation.
I’ve been lucky to learn from and collaborate with incredible ceremonialists, but I’d be remiss not to mention Susan Merrie and Monica Glusman… anam cara, those two are. Ceremony is a lifelong study for me: its artistry, its power, and its role in how we birth, die, and live all the moments in between.
On the coaching side, I’m certified in Jungian coaching through the Jung Platform, a soul-centered approach rooted in dreamwork, archetypes, and the lifelong journey toward wholeness. I’m also accredited by The International Association of Coaches, Therapists & Mentors (IACTM). Coaching is another sacred thread in my work… a way to meet people not just at big life changes but also at the quiet, luminous thresholds within.
The Sweet Little Side Hustle
In addition to facilitating ceremonies and coaching, I have also created a line of wedding ceremony scripts and vow writing templates with Naomi, a rock star colleague and soul friend. So…if I can’t be there for your ceremony, you still have access to beautiful, mindful ceremonies where most of the work has been done for you.
Let’s Connect
Take a look at my thoughts on depth coaching, wedding ceremonies, funerals and other ceremonies, and please do get in touch if you would like to learn more or say hi.
“The whole world is, to me, very much “alive” – all the little growing things, even the rocks. I can’t look at a swell bit of grass and earth, for instance, without feeling the essential life – the things going on – within them. The same goes for a mountain, or a bit of the ocean, or a magnificent piece of old wood.” -Ansel Adams
