Her Story
About Brandy Marie
Brandy Marie Jansen is a Group Home House Supervisor based in Brainerd, Minnesota, with approximately five years of experience in the field of direct care and residential services. She was born and raised as a small-town farm girl in rural North Dakota, growing up in the community of Upham. Her early background instilled a strong work ethic, practical mindset, and a commitment to helping others, which has carried through every stage of her professional journey.
Before entering the human services field, Brandy built a diverse career foundation in both corrections and hospitality management. She worked as a Correctional Officer in North Dakota, where she developed strong skills in communication, crisis response, and accountability. She later transitioned into the hospitality industry, holding multiple leadership roles including General Manager and Assistant General Manager, where she oversaw daily operations, staff development, scheduling, and guest services. Over time, her natural inclination toward helping people led her to shift into direct support work as a Direct Support Professional, which ultimately aligned more closely with her passion for serving others.
For the past five years, Brandy has worked in the field of residential care, currently serving as a House Supervisor in a group home for vulnerable adults at a crisis site. In this role, she supports individuals experiencing life challenges related to mental and developmental disabilities, ensuring they receive safe, structured, and person-centered care. Her motivation for entering this field is deeply personal—having a cousin with severe nonverbal autism, she witnessed firsthand the gaps in care and treatment that can occur within support systems. This experience inspired her to make a difference in the lives of others in similar situations. She recognizes the demands of direct care work and finds the greatest reward in seeing individuals thrive, feel safe, and enjoy meaningful, fulfilling lives.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Brandy Marie
01What do you attribute your success to?
The way I was raised, growing up on that farm. If you didn't succeed, if you didn't have a good harvest, you know, good crop, you don't have a good harvest. If you weren't successful with calving season, and come the sales ring, you weren't gonna make anything back, and then you're in debt, more in debt to the bank than what you needed to be. So my drive would definitely come from growing up in the farming community with my parents as farmers and ranchers, knowing that there's no easy way out in life - to grab it by the horns and just do it. Get dirty.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Mistakes happen. Own them. Everyone's gonna make a mistake. You're gonna make a mistake when you're learning your job, you're gonna make mistakes. If you've been at the job for years, just when the mistakes happen, own it, take responsibility, because the only way to go is up. Any mistake is fixable.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
We can do it just as good as the men, if not better, with this compassion. Women, we have that motherly tone. We have that mother compassion immediately. You see somebody's injured as a mom, or as a woman, you're like, oh, I gotta help you with your hurts, or what's wrong? And that's what makes, like, as DSPs, women succeed better at it. So own who you are, just own who you are. Be proud. Don't take advantage. Don't let the male counterparts who do your job make you feel like you can't do your job. Being a DSP is a great stepping stone. It can get you into LPNs and CNAs. Most places, most companies who run with DSPs help pay for college. It's a great way, it's a great stepping stone to further if you want the healthcare field. Knowing that there was other women that were able to do it was really reassuring to me. Knowing that it doesn't matter if you don't have a background grown in medical, that it's a way to help people out even without that background knowledge, that it's a field that is very trainable, and very, you know, people are very passionate with.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Staffing shortages. There's more people who need assistance with group homes and clinical settings like that for the DSPs than there are DSPs for. There's always open positions. Being a DSP is a great stepping stone - it can get you into LPNs and CNAs. Most places, most companies who run with DSPs help pay for college. It's a great way, it's a great stepping stone to further if you want the healthcare field.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity. Integrity and honor. Selfless service. You can't do the job without being selfless. If you're selfish, you're not gonna get anywhere.
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