Why I Built JLT Group

Hi, I’m Janine — founder of JLT Group.

I don’t often talk about my personal story, but after the amazing questions we had at our JLT Jamboree a few weeks ago, it feels like the right time.

When I was 12 years old, I went through one of the hardest times of my life.

The bullying I experienced wasn’t from strangers — it was from my friends. One day, something changed, and suddenly almost my entire class turned against me.

The only people who still spoke to me were two classmates — Rachel and Zoe McVeigh — names I still remember so clearly.

It was a horrible, isolating time.

So much so that I ended up leaving school altogether.

We tried to find another school, but it was full. The only other option was a school where one of the bullies had already been expelled — and I was too scared to face it all over again.

So, without much of a plan, I decided to home educate myself.

I wasn’t particularly clever, and my mum wasn’t academic, but I was determined to keep learning. I walked into WHSmiths, picked up every curriculum book I thought I needed, and built myself a timetable. Every day, I stuck to it — lesson by lesson.

Eventually, the educational authorities took my mum to court because officially, I wasn’t going to school.

But we won the case.

They couldn’t fault what I was doing, and I was allowed to continue educating myself.

That chapter shaped who I am today.

It taught me that it’s not about where you come from, what background you have, or what opportunities you’re handed — it’s about what you put in and how you choose to move forward.

The drive and determination I have now — in life and in business — all started back then.

So why am I telling you this?

Because that same spirit — of resilience, of carving your own path, of creating something better — is exactly why I built JLT Group.

When you’re building a travel business, it can sometimes feel lonely. It’s easy to wonder if you’re doing the right thing, if anyone’s in your corner, if you’re “good enough.”

I wanted JLT Group to be the opposite of that.

A place where people feel supported.
A place where community and kindness come first.
A place where we lift each other up — not tear each other down.
A place where you can take your passion for travel and turn it into a business you’re proud of, without having to fight every step of the way on your own.

I know what it feels like to be isolated.

And I know what it feels like to choose yourself, even when it’s hard.

At JLT Group, we believe in building something better — together.