Stop 3 – Tuesday May 22

Article: Travels on the Road to Empowerment, hosted by Eldonna Lewis Fernandez Pink Biker Chic on Go Pink Magazine

Stop 4 – Wednesday May 23

Radio Interview with  Susan Macaulay of AmazingWomenRock’s on Herewomentalk Radio’s Yak Program with Kay van Hoesen.

Originating from Myrtle Beach, SC, the interview lands right in the middle of  Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson’s Cruisin’ the Coast Spring Rally, May 18-28, 2012

Stop 5 –  Thursday May 24

Review of Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment and Live Chat – hosted by Bud Miller, The Commuting Motorcyclist.

Don’t forget to keep those comments, likes and tweets using #WMRE50 coming in to be eligible for the gift basket draw at the end of the tour!  Details

Liz Jansen

Stop 2 of Book Tour -10 Life Lessons from being a Biker

In today’s tour stop at Amazing Women Rock with host Susan Macaulay, I talk about 10 Life Lessons from being a biker.

Motorcycles and our relationship with them have much to teach us, whether we ride or not. The lessons are vivid and indelible. Riding encompasses all our senses, including the sixth one.  It engages our spirits. Misinterpret or ignore signs while riding and the immediacy and potential severity of the outcome are absolute.

Liz Jansen

Women Riders Speak is an interview series with female motorcyclists. Through their stories, they illustrate the transformative role motorcycling has played in their life.

Donna gives her fitness and yoga students the same advice she gave herself once she began riding in mid-life: “Let yourself be new.” After successfully navigating through many ups and downs, she credits riding as her source of inspiration and power to do all the other things life asks of her.

What prompted you to start riding?

I got hooked at age eleven. That’s when John, my sidekick, brother and now working man who usually drove a big baby blue Pontiac Parisienne, showed up in our parents’ driveway with a motorcycle. Never have I been so thrilled as I was on that ride around a few blocks of our small home town.

Married with a daughter at age sixteen and a son four years later, there was no room for motorcycles until the kids were teenagers. I was overjoyed when my husband got a bike and we had many great rides before the bike got sold and the marriage fell apart.

Money from the settlement bought me a navy blue 450 Kawasaki and paid for the basic rider course. My first ride was across the road, through the neighbour’s hedge and back on the street where I regained control – until I hit sand and dumped it. I married a non-rider two years later and the bike was sold.

I put my two kids through college, watched my parents age, my Dad die and my second marriage end. My son and all the new friends I found were riders.

Four years ago at age fifty-one, no longer content to sit on the back and wait to be taken out for a ride, I hung up the vacuum and purchased a Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 that my son had been riding, affectionately naming it “Wich.” He’s a mechanic so he customized it for my short legs and turned it over to me on Mother’s day.

What was your biggest challenge when you were learning to ride?

Even though I repeated the rider training course, I dropped it so many times my son bought a case of signal lights as he was constantly replacing them for me. I stuck with it, sneaking out at supper time when there weren’t so many cars on the road, riding the same streets over and over again until I got confident enough to try something new.

By the second season, the butterflies and shakes were starting to go away.

Where have you travelled on your motorcycle?

I live on Georgian Bay and am surrounded by beautiful riding areas so most of my riding occurs locally. There are beaches, waterfalls and quaint, welcoming towns like Creemore for lunch stops. I love riding to Algonquin Park and to Haliburton. I have taken the bike to Louisiana three times.

What impresses you most about another woman rider?

The first woman rider I knew was only about five feet tall, and ninety five pounds. Her confidence taught me a lesson. Riding has nothing to do with size or strength. It’s a skill that anyone can learn.

When I see other women riders, I know that we have learned the same thing. There is a tremendous sense of power in conquering something you are afraid of.

That woman has met the challenge and is now enjoying the benefits. Nobody will be telling her she can’t do anything ever again. She has proven that she’s not too small, too weak, doesn’t have enough time, or isn’t being selfish or all the other things we hear that keep us from being all we are meant to be.

What is your greatest joy from riding?

It’s great to meet up with my friends for a day ride. I love riding with my special friend. Riding with my son is an exceptional blessing.

But on a cool crisp morning and I’m alone, I turn the Wich over and hear that distinctive “tick tick tick” in her powerful heart, I know that there is just she and me, we have no special agenda. I take a deep breath, drop the gear shift into first and feel that special place we are all meant to come to.

How do you look back on yourself as a beginner rider now?

I love life, I’m busy, happy, and always looking for the next adventure. Who’d have ever thought I would end up this way.

My story is dedicated to BOOMUS — my son Ian who build the Wich and watched me destroy her so many times, CLEATUS — my friend Clayton whose quiet humour got me through some rough rides and finally to Raymus — my love Ray whose patience and guidance was with me every step of the way.

Liz Jansen

Stop 1 of Book Tour – 7 Steps for Adventure Travel

In today’s tour stop at Motorcycle Misadventures, I talk about 7 Steps for adventure travel and how to get past fear and delight in the trip!  This Road can take you around the block or around the world.  It always leads back to You.  Read the article here.

Host Carla King was unexpectedly put in a situation where she had to confront fear.  Her response opened up a whole new life!

Post a pertinent comment on this blog post between now and Friday at 3:00 p.m. EST and you’ll enter the draw for a free ebook.  What’s your story?

Thank you Carla.

Liz Jansen

Life Lessons from Motorcycles is a new Monday series exploring the lessons we learn through riding.

Here, we examine the 7 ways our bikes teaches us about communications.

The basic communications model is simple. There’s a sender and a receiver. In between are filters. Often it’s not what we say but how we say it that carries the meaning. Responses are influenced by the verbal and non-verbal messages that get through to the receiver after they’ve been filtered.

The immediacy and potential severity of the outcome when we misinterpret or ignore signs when we ride make our motorcycles excellent models, which deliver indelible lessons.

Communicating intentions.

Motorcycle: We live in a world full of distractions. Headlights, brake lights, turn signals and horn indicate our approach and intended action. Being visually conspicuous can catch the eye of other drivers and prevent a collision. Not only does this include our apparel, it also means letting others know when we’re going to turn or stop, especially if the change is sudden.

Lesson: While it’s wise to keep some things to ourselves, how we communicate with each other is a key ingredient to maintaining healthy personal and professional relationships. This can be a life-long lesson!

Signals that Work

Motorcycle: Checking turn signals, brake lights and headlights prior to going out for a ride is a good, proactive practice. It gives us greater confidence in our ability to travel safely, knowing that we can be seen.

Lesson: Confirming that the messages we intend to send out are those that are being received, goes a long way in averting misunderstandings, hurt feelings or miscued behavior. A few clarifying questions are a good idea, especially in matters of great importance.

Mindfulness

Motorcycle: We receive signals through our senses on surface conditions, posted signs, traffic, weather and other potential hazards. We are constantly scanning our environment to prepare for the road ahead.

We are also vividly reminded of sights, sounds, smells and sensations that are part of our world that we miss when we’re traveling with a metal cage around us.

Lesson: Clearing our mind of clutter brings us to the beauty of present moment. When we ride, we are alone with our thoughts. This explains the miraculous ability of a motorcycle ride to clear our minds, inspire and rejuvenate.

Prioritizing Inputs

Motorcycle: While we’re riding, we take in only what we need for right now and stay focused on our immediate surroundings. It’s important to focus only on those things which are salient to where we are.

Lesson: We get lots of signals but we need to listen first to the ones that are important. Distractions cloud our thought process and take precious energy. There is no point worrying about something down the road which may never materialize. Better to stay in the present and focus on current reality.

Filters

Motorcycle: Anything that impedes our senses can affect our ability to make an informed decision. This includes dirty mirrors, visors, ill-fitting gear, poor lighting, excessive noise.

Lesson: Thoughts, biases, subjectivity, cultural training, expectations can all act as filters and influence how we perceive messages. Everyone has them. Awareness is the first step to understanding and overcoming the potential barriers they can erect. Diversity, while not without its communications challenges, can be very enriching. We just have to be receptive.

Authenticity

Motorcycle: A motorcycle has no emotions. This objectivity makes it easier for the rider to respond appropriately. Ignoring an engine noise, failing to check tires for wear or checking oil levels can result in avoidable trouble down the road.

Lesson: The communications we receive are complicated by the filters mentioned above. Becoming more self-aware allows us to perceive communications and messages as the sender intended. Masking, ignoring or duct taping them may be a short term fix, but eventually, something will give.

Mirrors

Motorcycle: Mirrors reflect back to us what we can’t otherwise see: what’s coming up behind us. They also remind us of lessons we’ve learned along the way. They allow us to react appropriately in the present and prepare for future.

Lesson: Other people mirror back to us what we don’t otherwise see. They provide feedback on how our message is being perceived. Whether their response is favorable, neutral, disappointing or hostile, there’s a lesson for us, even though it may not be immediately apparent.

Motorcycles and our relationship with them, have much to teach us. As Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment describes, “The partnership of rider and machine when they join together in perfect harmony is like observing a beautiful dance that gives birth to power, strength, balance and positive change.”

Liz Jansen

Women Riders Speak is an interview series with female motorcyclists. Through their stories, they illustrate the transformative role motorcycling has played in their life.

“When I ride, I don’t dissect my past or try to control my future. I just have my breath, my bike and my God.” Read Tanya’s moving story.

What prompted you to start riding?

I’ve always ridden: from a children’s trike to numerous Big Wheels (I wore holes in the front tires), to mini-bikes to our go-kart to my BMX bicycle.

While attending a conference in Wheaton,Illinoisin 2002, I met a woman from my home  state of Wisconsin (WI) who rode a Harley Ultra Classic.  She invited me to join a small group of girlfriends for a day of riding as her passenger.  After many years of riding dormancy, I was hooked. I wanted to ride my own motorcycle. I took a motorcycle safety class and have been riding for over 10 years.  My life has never been the same.

What was your biggest challenge in learning to ride?

Trusting the bike: leaning and letting the bike do what it is capable of doing.

Where have you travelled on your motorcycle?

Mostly the western part of Wisconsin /Eastern part of Minnesota (MN) along the Great River Road (GRR) from Prescott, WI to Nelson, WI.  I’ve travelled from St. Paul, MN to Sheboygan Falls,WI, approximately 640 miles round trip. I’ve ridden lots of beautiful backroads in Western WI off of WI Hwy 35, the western side of Lake Michigan and the northern part of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

(Liz’s note: Carla King has just named GRR one of the USA’s Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in her Lonely Planet article. )

Riding from St. Paul, MN to my hometown of Sheboygan Falls, WI. 320 miles one way in one day was the longest ride I had ever accomplished. It felt like I had completed a trip around the world … conquering heat, cold, fatigue and soreness to “go home.”  The look on my mom and dad’s faces were priceless. My two worlds came together that day; riding with my husband to see my mom and dad and the home I grew up in. That ride really solidified me as my own person, who happens to be a motorcyclist too.

What impresses you most about another woman rider?

Courage combined with a strong sense of riding safety and caring for other motorcycle riders and drivers on the road — giving motorcycle a good name inside and outside our sport.

What is your greatest joy from riding?

Feeling free like a child without worries. The peace it brings my soul. Being in the moment. Soaking in the sights, smells and warmth of my environment. Feeling the wind. Cherishing my time alone with God. Riding to a special place to listen to the rolling waves of a lake or river while I rest on the beach; witnessing soaring eagles, hawks and butterflies close up; negotiating tight slow corners through deep forests; following the leaves’  bright hopeful greens to the firecracker reds, oranges and golds of fall, governing the motorcycle’s unique power to control and accelerate skillfully through winding hills and valleys.

Motorcycling directs my focus to one thing: riding. While concentrating on riding, I release a lot of worry and anxiety. In this practice of letting go, I am able to listen to my heart and to the Lord who directs my paths.

One of my favorite quotes sums up my greatest joy of riding: “You live more in five minutes on a bike (motorcycle) like this going flat out than some people live in a lifetime.” -From the movie The World’s Fastest Indian

What’s a specific insight has riding given you either about yourself or life in general?

I am keenly aware that my life could be cut short at anytime. While I am alive in this moment, I tune into all the things I am grateful for and that bring joy. When I ride, I don’t dissect my past or try to control my future. I just have my breath, my bike and my God.

If my life ended today, I have lived my dreams. I have no regrets.

Liz Jansen

Life Lessons from our Motorcycles is a series exploring the lessons we learn through riding.

In this issue, we examine the wisdom our bikes impart regarding energy consumption. Here are seven parallels.

Range

Motorcycle: The gas tank on our bike has a finite capacity.  It’s important to know how far you can go on a tank before refueling is necessary.  We also realize that bikes are different and have varying capacities.

Lesson: Knowing when we need to stop and refuel is important for our well-being.  This applies to all areas of our beings.  Knowing when to stop and eat is usually pretty obvious.  Recognizing that it’s time to recharge mentally, emotionally, spiritually can be more subtle – but just as disabling if we run out of fuel.

Fuel leak

Motorcycle: Aside from being a safety hazard, fuel that leaks out from faulty seals, gaslines means we have less gasoline to fuel our trip.  It shortens the range the bike can travel and means more frequent gas stops.  Fortunately, the distinctive fumes mean it will be detected quickly.

Lesson: Giving our energy to the wrong people or endeavours means we don’t have as much to put towards our own goals.  Not being able to say no is a perfect example of how this happens.  It’s less obvious than detecting a leak on our bike.

Stagnation

Motorcycle:  Gas can degrade when it sits too long, which is why adding stabilizer is recommended if the bike is going to be idle for extended periods – i.e. over winter.  It needs to be used.

Lesson:  Our energy needs to be used as well.  If we’re not growing or challenging ourselves, we too stagnate.

Reserve/Warning light

Motorcycle:  Most bikes have some sort of indicator to alert you that it’s time to top up.  This can be either a gauge with a warning light or a fuel tap that you need to switch to reserve.  Whatever the case, it’s an indication that it’s time to stop and refuel.  Ignoring this warning sign will leave you stranded.

Lesson: We too receive warning signs when it’s time to fuel up. The problem is they’re often less obvious. There are no indicator lights or fuel tap that tells us to stop.  Others may recognize the signs in us before we do and hopefully give us that feedback. As we become more self-aware and intuitively astute, we recognize the signs in ourselves earlier and can take proactive measures.

Premium or Regular

Motorcycle:  Your owners manual will tell you what type of fuel your bike requires.  Feeding it the wrong kind will cause premature engine wear.

Lesson: We’re all different and have individual requirements.  What feeds one’s soul is not necessarily the same as what another requires. Here again self-awareness, being kind to ourselves, learning when to say no will keep us running at optimal efficiency.

Running Out

Motorcycle:  When a bike runs out of fuel, it sputters and stops, right where it is.  It’s not going to go anywhere until it’s refueled. If we know we’re going to be traveling through an area where fuel is hard to find, we need to plan accordingly, otherwise we’ll be stranded.

Lesson: We too will sputter and stop if we ignore signs warning us that we’re running low.  Unfortunately, the solution is not quite so immediate as filling up your bike and going again.  If we run ourselves to the point of total exhaustion, it can create illness and disease.  Pushing ourselves when fatigued can lead to accidents.  It results in poor judgment and sub-optimal decision making.

Poor mileage

Motorcycle:  There’s an optimum engine speed where our bikes use fuel most efficiently. Excessive speed increases consumption and reduces our range.  So does blasting off, shifting inappropriately, frequent stops and starts.

Lesson: Pushing it too hard will deplete our energy. So can using it sporadically, inappropriately or erratically. Frequent stops and starts drain the tank more quickly. 

In summary, fuel up your tank with the correct grade of gas and get out for a long, comfortable ride at reasonable speeds.  It will be good for bike and biker!

Liz Jansen

Women Riders Speak is an interview series with female motorcyclists. Through their stories, they illustrate the transformative role motorcycling has played in their life.

After a childhood moped crash, Stacey lost interest in riding. Twenty-eight years later, after mustering the courage to ride with her date, she fell in love. With riding. Not even a twenty-six inch inseam could stop her. In this story of women and motorcycles, read how riding has changed her life.

What prompted you to get into motorcycling?  

My path to riding evolved over thirty-two years. My father brought home a Honda CB350 in the mid 1970′s and took us all riding with him. I felt like the coolest kid on the block and immediately fell in love with riding. When I turned fourteen, my parents bought a moped for my brother and me. Initially we loved riding it but after I wiped out on gravel and ended up on crutches, I was too afraid to continue riding.  My  parents sold the moped.

The next twenty-eight years were spent attending college, working in an administrative position for a large corporation and raising an amazing daughter. Riding never crossed my mind. That all changed when my daughter was in high school.

I met a man who owned a motorcycle.  Remembering how much crashing hurt, I was afraid to ride on the back. I was also afraid that if something terrible happened, my daughter would be orphaned.

After finally mustering the courage to ride with him, I once again fell in love.  With riding. When the relationship ended I knew I wanted to learn how to ride for myself. 
 
What was your biggest challenge when you were learning to ride?

Everything. I am short with a twenty-six inch inseam. How was I going handle a motorcycle? I was afraid of looking like a fool in the Basic Rider Safety Course. I found riding to be far more difficult than expected but was determined come hell or high water, I was going to ride a motorcycle!

In June 2007, after riding for only a few months,  I bungeed a duffle bag to the back of my Kawasaki Vulcan 500 and headed east on Interstate I90 fromOhio toLake George,New York.

It was a life changing trip for me. It was my first trip by myself EVER. Americade was my first rally, first ride in the mountains and first time stuck in a torrential thunderstorm on a highway. I was still a novice rider so I was both terrified and thrilled at the same time. I must have smiled from ear to ear for a week after that trip!

I began riding solo after a very challenging year, some of it heart breaking. While I take care of my nearest and dearest, riding provides “me time”. Riding on low traffic roads also offers time for silent conversations with God.

What is your greatest joy from riding?

The company of fellow riders. Those I have had the honor of meeting, seem to have the same “can do” approach to life. So many are involved in charities. What a fantastic community!

My family has been very supportive of my hobby. My father has been a great help, providing mechanical assistance and advice when asked. One of these days my daughter and son-in-law will join me on scooters.

It is amazing how easy it is to meet new people. Just remove your helmet after you park. I have had people walk across parking lots to say hello.

 How do you look back on yourself as a beginner rider now?

At the end of a ride I look at my newest motorcycle parked in the garage and say to myself, “Yeah I rode that big Suzuki Boulevard! Little ol’ me!!!!!!!!”

Liz Jansen

Life Lessons from Motorcycles is a series appearing on Mondays which explores teachings we receive through riding.

Here, we examine the 7 ways our bikes speak to us about vision.  

Goals

Motorcycle: Our eyes steer the bike. This fundamental skill pervades all others. We want to look in the direction we want to go because our eyes will certainly take us there.

Lesson: If we don’t have goals, a purpose, focus and see clearly where we’re going, we tend to drift through life, experiencing only a fraction of what we’re capable of. True fulfillment can evade us.

Vision – Long vs Short Term

Motorcycle: Constantly scanning our environment prepares us to respond to traffic, road signs and the unexpected – like animals and bouncing balls. At the same time, we look well down the road. This not only gets us where we’re going, it also helps maintain balance.

Lesson: Breaking long term goals down into a series of shorter term steps keeps work and personal projects manageable and on track. It enables us to measure progress towards our ultimate goal.

Distractions

Motorcycle: Riding requires our full attention. As per the first point, we go where we look. So if we allow our eyes to focus on something other than the road ahead, that’s where we’ll go

Lesson: We all have many demands on our time and personal resources. They may seem important at the time, but if we take a step back and look at them in the grand scheme of things, they lose their urgency and significance. Over time, directing energy to something that’s off course will drain us, making us less effective for those things we’ve decided are priorities.

Eye Protection

Motorcycle: Even jurisdictions which don’t require riders to wear a helmet require them to wear eye protection. Our eyes are not built to take wind, bugs, dust and stones, even at slow speeds. There are some senses we can lose and still operate a motorcycle. Sight is not one of them.

Lesson: Nurturing our mind, body and spirit keeps us healthy and fit. While this includes a healthy intake, it also means protecting our Self from people and situations that can hurt us. Being mindful of what these are allows us to be proactive. While we won’t avoid everything, we can direct our energy on moving forward rather than damage control.

Line of Sight

Motorcycle: The layers in front of our eyes can build up. Dirt, scratches, bugs or fogging on our windscreen, visor and glasses impede our ability to see. The closer they are to our eyes, the more they interfere. Add in rain, darkness or the combination and visual acuity becomes a challenge!  How quickly they accumulate determines how often we stop and tend to them.

Lesson: An excessive workload, taking on emotional burdens of others or heeding limiting thoughts and beliefs clutter our minds, deplete our energy and distort our vision. We lose sight of where we want to go. If we don’t pay attention, we become ineffective.

Circle of Control

Motorcycle: While curves are exciting, we adjust our speed if we can’t see far enough around the corner. In darkness, riding beyond the area of illumination puts us at risk. We need time to react and if we’re pushing the envelope beyond where we can see, we’re placing ourselves at risk. 

Lesson: Our adventure gene loves to be exercised yet it does need to be tempered by reality. Not only do we forfeit the beauty and enjoyment of the present when we get ahead of ourselves or rush into situations we’re not ready for, we also risk putting ourselves in danger.

Speed

Motorcycle: The faster you go, the further ahead you need to see.

Lesson: The busier we are, the more attention we pay to making sure the activities we’re engaged in are in scope.

Vision is an essential component of riding a motorcycle.  Whether it’s referring to our goals, our line of sight or our physical ability to see, we need it.  Riding teaches us to set goals, focus, prepare – and then enjoy the beauty that is all around us!

Liz Jansen

Women Riders Speak is an interview series with female motorcyclists. Through their stories, they illustrate the transformative role motorcycling has played in their life.

Barely five feet tall, Cheryl, a management and program analyst for the Department of Defense, Navy Branch, knew that by far her most challenging obstacle was going to be her height.  She credits motorcycling with getting her over the vertically challenged phobia which affected just about everything she did.

What prompted you to get into motorcycling?

I have ridden on the back of my husband’s motorcycle for many years and loved it. Until one day when I became aware many women in my HOG club were riders of their own. The idea to ride my own grew. I was turning the “BIG 50″, a woman, and barely five feet tall. By far my most challenging obstacle was going to be my height.

I decided to “Bring It On”! I took the beginner’s course, passed and have been riding for three and a half years. My biggest support has come from the women and men in my AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) bike club family.   

What was your biggest challenge when you were learning to ride?

The first one was turning corners and throttling on my 250 Honda Rebel.

Next was being able to completely touch the ground when I stopped my 833 Sportster Low. This bike was very top heavy and I tipped it many times when parking. After having my riding shoes modified, the seat lowered and a few other modifications, I was getting the hang of it. When HD came out with the Superlow I was thrilled: a 4.5 gallon tank, fatter tires and a motorcycle very much made for people like me. I absolutely LOVED the riding experience and being able to keep up with the bigger bikes.

Motorcycling got me over the vertically challenged phobia which affected just about everything I did — from buying clothing, to reaching kitchen cabinets, to standing at an outing with tall people in front of me and even climbing on the lowest ledge in a grocery store to get a product off of the shelve. Those obstacles haven’t gone away but I now look at them in a different light. There isn’t anything that is an obstacle any longer if you believe in yourself.

Where have you traveled on your motorcycle?

I’ve travelled the Blue Ridge Parkway, lots of New Jersey back roads, Cape Cod, the Catskills,  Adirondacks,  Alex Bay, and Nova Scotia. I’ve ridden down Highway 1 in California, the desert, North and South Dakota, been to Sturgis, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In Montana I’ve stopped at Billings and Cody and I’ve been to Idaho. Each of these trips is another story.

What impresses you most about another women rider?

I adore the fact more women are traditionally stepping up and finding the freedom with riding their own bike. There is something to be said about the independence of being on your own bike.

What is your greatest joy from riding?

Having learned how to ride a motorcycle is such an accomplishment for me. I feel renewed when I am out on a ride. I’m able to take my thoughts to many places and get lost in the moment, while maintaining complete control.

It’s a feeling very different than leaning how to ball room dance or playing golf. Since I began the beautiful hobby of riding, it has allowed me to know that I can do whatever my mind sets out to do. Motorcycling gave me the challenge and the courage to succeed. Just like being a child and falling down when beginning to roller skate, you just get right back up and are determined not to fall down the next time.

How do you look back on yourself as a beginner rider now?

It seems like eons ago that I was just a beginner. I’ve since taken advanced courses and have gained so much confidence through all my experiences.  I may always ride a Superlow because of me being vertically challenged but know that I can ride with sheer confidence as my hair blows in the wind.

Liz Jansen