Meet Jody Todd of Franklin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jody Todd.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A Kansas farm girl turned graphic designer and nonprofit leader, I have spent over 34 years combining business savvy and creative vision to serve others. Through personal experiences with trauma, motherhood, and mental health, she found healing in creativity and founded The Respite – Mindful Art Studio in 2022. The Respite is a non-clinical, non-religious space where individuals can pause, express, and reconnect—no matter where they are on their journey.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not even close to smooth. One of the biggest struggles has been getting people to be okay with how I think—especially when it comes to doing things differently. You’d be amazed how quickly people can dismiss something simply because they don’t understand it. I’ve heard things like, “Well, I’d never do that,” or, “I don’t see the point of something like this.” And that’s okay. The Respite isn’t for everyone—but it is for someone.

What I’ve learned along the way is that no one will hold your values higher than you do. You have to protect what matters, even when others don’t see it yet. I’ve had to stand firm in the vision, trust the purpose, and keep creating anyway. Because if you water down what you believe just to make others comfortable, you’ll end up losing the very heart of why you started in the first place.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
By trade, I’m a graphic designer with degrees in Marketing and Economics. By passion, I’m creative at heart. I do a lot of different things—and I love that. I have difficulty ordering straight off a menu. I rarely want to replicate something that’s already been done. I’ll celebrate it, but why do the same thing? I love new possibilities.

I talk a lot about why we do something. In the teams I lead, you’ll often hear me say, “What value are we trying to achieve?” Too often people get stuck in the “thing”—the program, the campaign, the plan—and forget there are a lot of ways we can get to the same point. When you focus on the value, you create room for new ideas.

The storytelling component of my work is what lights me up the most. I love the personal layers of a project—reading the room, noticing what’s resonating and what needs a little tweak. The most effective communication isn’t always the loudest.

What sets me apart is this combination of strategy, creativity, empathy, and just enough rebellion to challenge the normal for something better. And I’m most proud of the spaces I’ve helped create that invite people to feel seen, safe, and inspired.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have a really great husband who is more than just a spouse—he’s my balance. We all have the things we do well, but he’s the other side of me. We’ve been married for 34 years. We’ve done a lot together, and we’ve been through a lot. We don’t do things perfectly, but we are there for each other no matter what. His steady, grounded support has made so much of this possible.

I also work in a place that gives me the freedom to step out and try things that might not be on their “wish list,” and that kind of trust means everything. It’s rare, and I don’t take it for granted.

And then there’s Mary Ann, my partner in ministry—an incredible friend and collaborator who has a degree in teaching art. A few years ago, she and I started participating in a local art crawl, where she absolutely shines at curating little mini-galleries for our monthly artists. And because she used to teach art in our schools, we always have student art. So when the idea for a therapeutic art center started to take shape in my mind, she was the first person I went to. I asked her if she wanted to be part of it—and of course, it was right up her alley.

Great teams really do make all the difference.

Pricing:

• It’s all free

Contact Info:

• Website: https://franklinfumc.org/the-respite/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.respite.franklin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.respite.franklin
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jody-todd-b7ba8732/