Thanks for popping in.
Let's get personal.
Hi, I'm Jess!
Heart-centered.
Profit-minded.
Prone to spontaneous dancing.
I help smart people simplify their messages to connect and make a big impact.
And I got in trouble a LOT as a kid for talking too much.
Thankfully, there’s a profession where that works to my advantage. As an executive communication trainer and strategy coach, I get to bring all of my favorite things together…. People, big ideas, and business strategy.
With 15 years in the architecture industry and a total of 25 years working in professional/creative services, I’ve been lucky to learn from some masters.
I also learned that extremely smart and talented people can all use some help getting their message out into the world. Truthfully, the smarter you are, the harder this can be. I’ve mastered the process of helping smart people get to the heart of their work, simplify their ideas, and learn to connect to improve their outcomes.
The official bio:
Jess is an executive communication trainer and coach with 25+ years of marketing experience. She works with individuals and organizations to help them find their authentic voice, amplify it, and use it to make an outrageous impact.
As a multi-passionate, business-driven creative, Jess has spent her career as a serial “intrapeneur” – always reinventing and reinvigorating the companies she works with while building great teams.
She brings a wealth of expertise to consulting clients providing services ranging from sales/marketing to strategic positioning to stage performance. Her fun and empathetic approach helps clients stand out in the market and win big work.
Stuff that makes me happy
— 01
Good PEOPLE
“I like smiling. Smiling is my favorite.” 🙂 – Elf
Life’s too short to spend it with people who don’t bring out the best in you. Thank goodness, I’ve got a big blended family of truly good humans who do just that. And friends that add an extra special sparkle.
Professionally, that’s a must too. If you’re the kind of person who loves what you do and takes pride in working hard doing good in the world, you get past the red velvet rope.
I love discovering people’s unique spark and helping them give it a voice.
— 02
Adventure
I’ve always been one of those people that looks for a different route to work every day just to give my brain new things to see. When you’re a broke young mom (and then a single mom), you have to get creative!
While wandering locally in the woods is still a blast, adventure traveling is something my husband and I have been blessed to do, and it’s a dream come true! We’ve climbed mountains in Greece, jumped off cliffs in Jamaica, snorkeled the waters of Curacao, and danced our way through the streets of New Orleans.
This beautiful planet of ours is full of gorgeous people and places to discover. I love capturing their beauty in photos.
— 03
Music
Some things just get into your heart and never go away.
My poor family listened to an unending torrent of piano practice through adolesence. In high school, my best friend played a CD (remember those?) of The Nylons. Those harmonies!! My first (failed) attempt at college was as a musical theatre major.
These days, our band Structurally Sound, gives me the chance to keep making music and practice being on-stage. Major bonus that my hubs and I get to do it together!
— 04
Water
As a kid, I spent 2 weeks each summer at my grandparents’ small lake cabin in Michigan. It was as close to heaven as you could get in my world.
As a grown-up, the lake is still my favorite place to be. Slalom skiing, wakesurfing, stand-up paddle boarding, cruising our beautiful lake, snorkeling, or simply floating and laughing with the people I love… it’s ALL good.
Amidst the waves is the perfect place to appreciate the present, go with the flow, and to fall down and get back up again.
— 05
Big Juicy Ideas
Whatever business / personal growth book I’m currently reading is my FAVORITE.
Easily excitable? Maybe. Or maybe, it’s because they’re full of big, new, juicy ideas and the stories of people who made them happen.
If we’re not growing, we are dying. Studying how others do so (and helping peeps do the same) is a great way to keep your tank full.
It’s a dream come true to work with other big thinkers to tackle new ideas on a regular basis!
— 06
Making Messes
When you spend as much time as many of us do behind a computer, there’s something especially satisfying about actually MAKING something.
I don’t descriminate in my favorite ways to make a mess in my freetime…. homemade pizza with the fam, digging in the garden, slinging paint around the house. Any medium will work!
I should probably get a clean-up crew.