Jane Clayson Johnson is a renowned journalist, author, public speaker, wife and mother, and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jane uses her platform to advocate for issues like motherhood and mental health by drawing on personal experiences and helping others share their stories.
Jane’s love for storytelling and conveying information began when she was young. She recalls, “In high school, I devoured Time magazine from cover to cover every week. I just got lost in the stories of journalists in faraway places telling sometimes difficult and sometimes heartwarming stories. And I just thought it was such an interesting venue to share storytelling, get facts, tell the truth, and share that in a meaningful and informative way.”
After receiving a violin performance scholarship, Jane began her college career at Brigham Young University. However, she soon realized she wanted to pursue music as a hobby rather than a profession. She then shifted her focus to journalism and gained experience by writing news cut-ins for the campus TV station KBYU.
While leaving the Harris Fine Arts Center, she stumbled upon an internship opportunity at KSL TV. Despite the tight deadline, she drove to Salt Lake City to submit her application and secured the internship. She eventually transitioned from a part-time position at the station to a full-time role upon graduation.
Jane worked with the KSL Nightbeat newscast team, including Dick Nourse, Shelly Thomas, and Bruce Lindsay, who “took her under their wing.” She learned “to work hard and to be the first one in the door and the last one out,” “to be humble,” and to “respect everyone’s job and to learn from everyone because everyone has something to offer and something to teach you.”
Although Jane was happy working at KSL and had no plans to leave, her perspective shifted when an agent from New York contacted her about an interview opportunity with ABC News. Within a couple of months, she had moved to Los Angeles to work as a correspondent for affiliates around the country. She later became a network correspondent on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Her career took her all over the world, including assignments in Kosovo and Macedonia, where she reported on the refugee crisis after the NATO airstrikes. She also covered high-profile cases such as the O.J. Simpson trial and the fall of the Soto government in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Jane prevailed over tough competition when CBS launched a campaign to find Bryant Gumbel’s new morning cohost. Describing the role as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she acknowledges the demanding schedule that required her to be up by 3:30 a.m., arrive at the studio by 4:00 a.m. to read newspapers and meet with producers, then present the news from 7-9:00 a.m. on air before providing updates for the West Coast two hours later. Despite the demands, Jane is grateful for the unforgettable opportunities, including covering major events like 9/11 and interviewing prominent figures such as presidents and First Ladies. She credits this experience for preparing her for the diverse seasons of her life that followed.
When asked how she maintains her composure during difficult broadcasts, like her coverage of 9/11, Jane reveals that she feels deeply and tends to over-empathize with her interview subjects. However, she realizes that a reporter is not the story but a conduit for the story. She adds, “I think in the days of kind of showmanship journalism, where lots of folks are trying to . . . be at the center of it all, I think we have to remember to have humility and to try to understand what another person is going through and to help them describe it.”
Jane relied on her faith to anchor her amidst the shifting responsibilities and challenges of high-profile journalism. In an environment where most people had never met members of the Church, Jane recalls, “I had to . . . stand up for my beliefs, and I always tried to do my best. I always felt like I was a representative for the Church and wanted to be seen as someone who lived the gospel in its purest form, which is to be an example of the Savior.” Jane regards her ability to believe as one of her spiritual gifts, which she attributes to her upbringing. She expresses gratitude for her parents, who taught her gospel principles while allowing her to make her own decisions. Once she developed her own testimony, she says, “I realized how precious it was and I didn’t ever want to do anything that would detract from living a life that would. . . allow me to feel the Spirit.”
Jane chose to transition to a new season of life when she met her future husband. Despite receiving a lucrative offer to return to ABC, Jane, then 36, decided to leave the fast-paced world of network news to start a family. Although this choice was met with skepticism from others, and the transition was difficult, Jane knew the decision was right for her. Reflecting on her journey, she emphasizes that individual circumstances and desires are crucial in life choices. She explains, “After working (at) quite a high level for a lot of years, I knew that I wanted to have a family, and I personally didn’t see how it was going to work to be able to do both. I know a lot of women do, but for me, this was the choice that I made.” She relocated to Boston, and within two and a half years, she and her husband welcomed two children.
While Jane had never planned to be an author, an idea for a book came to her in the early morning hours when she was caring for her newborn. She jotted down her thoughts on a yellow notepad. Before she knew it, a book had taken shape. Of the creative process, Jane says, “Each of us has experiences that we can translate into lessons for others.” Her book I Am a Mother challenges the notion that being a stay-at-home mom is not a meaningful or essential role. Hearing many moms say, “Oh, I’m just a mom,” prompted Jane’s desire to help women recognize the value and significance of their role. Drawing from personal experiences and those shared by other women, she sheds light on the often overlooked but essential role of motherhood.
In her second book, Silent Souls Weeping, Jane delves into her personal experience with debilitating clinical depression. Her struggle to navigate the darkness and isolation of mental illness inspired her to embark on a new journey to catalog stories of over 150 individuals who struggle with depression. As Jane notes, “We all have a weakness. We all have times in our lives where we need help, and we need to acknowledge that we need help.”
Despite initial apprehension about sharing such raw and vulnerable experiences, the overwhelming response from readers reaffirmed Jane’s conviction that openness and understanding are essential in combating the stigma surrounding mental illness. She recalls, “We . . . created a community and a conversation within our faith that hadn’t been had before.”
Jane Clayson Johnson’s remarkable journey can inspire us to have faith in our own creative paths and believe that we are being guided to what we should be doing. She admonishes, “No one should discount the experiences that they’re having, whether they be difficult. Whatever they are, they’re preparing you for the journey ahead.”
This article is based on the Called to Create podcast featured during Season 3, Episode 7. You can listen to the full episode here.