When Jennie Christopher began teaching behavioral science to college students, she never imagined it would lead her beyond the classroom.
Then, a few years ago, one of her students asked a question that changed everything.
“Why don’t you teach this everywhere? Why isn’t this information out there?” Christopher recalled. “I assumed it was — but when I really started looking, I realized nobody was doing it.”
That realization became the foundation for Habit AEffect, a new coaching business based in Ocean Springs on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast that will officially launch this February. What began as coursework has grown into a science-based service designed to help people understand their habits — and change them in ways that actually work.
“I thought, I’m qualified to do this, and I love doing it, so it just kind of stuck,” Christopher said. “It’s funny because I always said I’d never start my own business — and here I am. But when you realize you can take something you’re passionate about and turn it into something that helps people and can also support you financially, those two things come together in a way that takes on a life of its own.”
Habit AEffect will serve clients along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and online, offering evidence-based, judgment-free, and personalized coaching. The business focuses on two groups Christopher believes are often underserved: neurodivergent adults and professionals navigating major life transitions.
That focus reflects Christopher’s own academic path. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology and has spent more than a decade studying and teaching behavioral science. Over the last five years, she has specialized in teaching evidence-based behavior-change skills to college students, with a particular focus on strategies that support neurodivergent adults.
Its primary audience includes neurodivergent adults ages 24 to 45 — individuals with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other neurodevelopmental differences. Its secondary audience includes lifestyle-shifting professionals ages 30 to 45 who are undergoing significant personal or career changes, often in search of greater balance, fulfillment, or a new direction.
Learning to Build a Business
In 2023, Christopher formally began preparing to turn her work into a business. Although she felt confident in her expertise, she quickly realized that launching a business required a completely different skill set.
Once she committed to moving forward, she sought guidance through the Mississippi Small Business Development Center (SBDC), where she connected with business counselor Flint Brent. Having someone walk her through the process step by step, she said, made the path forward far less overwhelming.
Recognizing both her potential and the realities facing early-stage entrepreneurs, Brent later referred her to the Lending Team at Communities Unlimited (CU) to help secure startup capital — believing CU would be a better fit than traditional banks, which often hesitate to support businesses still in their earliest phases.
From Belief to Momentum
Through CU’s Lending Team, Christopher secured a small-dollar startup loan with Economic Development Loan Officer Chris Tillman. Supported by the Sachs Family Foundation, the loan will help cover early startup needs — including marketing, website development, copyright registration, advertising, and equipment.
Because Habit AEffect doesn’t fit neatly into a traditional business category, Tillman spent extra time helping translate Christopher’s vision throughout the process.
“Chris has been fantastic,” she said. “What I’m doing doesn’t really fit into an existing box, so there were a lot of follow-up questions and clarifying conversations. He’s been great.”
Receiving that support, she said, helped quiet the doubts that often come with starting something new.
“Having Communities Unlimited believe in what I’m doing really validated my own belief in myself. It showed me that other people see what I see. I felt understood and supported. I’ve felt cared for — like people really believe in what I’m building. And that gives me confidence that this is the right path for me.”
— Jennie Christopher, Habit AEffect
A New Chapter
Christopher is targeting a February 1 launch. Marketing has ramped up, social media is active, and plans for her first classes are quickly falling into place.
For a behavioral scientist who once imagined her work would remain in lecture halls and academic journals, Habit AEffect represents something bigger — a bridge between science and real life, research and real people.
And on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, that bridge is just beginning to open.
