You’re an ambitious person who wants to feel fulfilled in your career and in your life too.
You want to feel like what you do really means something to you, the larger world and the people most important to you. The trouble is, that’s easier said that done and you are feeling a little stuck. Perhaps you are:
Overwhelmed and out of balance with all that is on your plate. What you used to do to feel meaningfully connected isn’t available to you and you need a new way of sustaining your energy and your mood.
In new role at work and you haven’t quite got your footing for what its like to lead from a place of confidence.
Ready to mix it up and you are craving big, exciting changes in your career or life but you’re having trouble zoning in on exactly what that looks like or how to get started.
Whatever the case, you are looking for a way to feel more you, a way of being that lets who you really are to shine through and a way of living that gives you the energy you need for all the important parts of your life.
Hi, I’m Jessica Smith
I work with professionals who are driven to reach their full potential and live more meaningful and harmonious lives by better aligning what they do with who they are.
I’ll help you put your finger on what makes you feel purposeful, passionate and fulfilled so you can line things up in a way that feels more authentic to you.
I’ll help you detangle your fears and doubts from your hopes and dreams so you can get out of the cycle of planning and pondering, and create a life that feels fantastic.
I’ll help you reign in the overwhelm, gain control of your schedule and your sanity so you can build a sustainable system that gives you the energy for all that you care about without burning out.
My story
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by people. I’ve always been curious about what motivates people - and me. Why do I have so much energy and enthusiasm for one thing, like painting or chatting with friends but absolutely none for other tasks like balancing my accounts?
Following my passion
I decided to study psychology in undergrad and in fact did my undergraduate thesis on the effect of “interest” on memory. It was not surprising to me to learn that people remember things better when they are more interested in them.
I continued on to receive a Masters in Counseling Psychology from Boston College where I did my Masters thesis on gender role socialization and how our life choices are reflective of the gender role messages we received growing up.
Life lessons
After graduation I decided that in order to truly help people I needed more life experience so I set off to join a startup. Fast forward 16 years, 2 startups, 3 large companies and a lot of hard work, I had built a great career in marketing.
By the time I was 35, I was promoted to VP. I was fortunate that the company I worked for invested in me as a leader and gave me many opportunities to learn foundational leadership skills, travel and work with fantastic teams. During this time I also had my son, which was rich and rewarding and challenging in a whole new way!
Soon my husband and I found ourselves both traveling non-stop for work and finding it tricky to balance travel heavy careers with how we wanted to show up as parents. Something needed to change. So we decided to take a new opportunity and move out to the Bay Area which allowed us to cut out the constant travel and be more present for our son. I dove into a whole new challenge - working at a tech startup and launching a new product globally. It was a rich time of growth - learning the ins and out of nimble startup life while adjusting to living on a whole new coast. During this time I also had my daughter.
An itch I couldn’t scratch
It was during these intense years of work and having really young kids that I started to get an itch I just couldn’t scratch. Now that we had two little ones, I realized that any time I spent away from them had better be truly and deeply meaningful. And as time went on, I was repeatedly finding that the truly meaningful part of my job was helping my team members thrive and achieve what they wanted in their careers.
So I started searching for a way back to my psychology roots. How could I find a way to just do work that felt most meaningful to me? How could I marry the leadership skills and experience I had collected with what I was passionate about? Then through a colleague I heard about coaching.
Launching my own business
I launched my coaching business to help people step out from behind their fears and doubts and find the courage and confidence to go after their dreams of living purposeful, passionate meaning filled lives. Lives where they get to be their whole selves wherever they go.
Since launching my business I have had the honor of coaching professionals across the country - at technology companies, consulting firms - and anywhere in between. Pretty soon I started to see a theme with the clients I work with. What, on the surface, were seemingly different challenges over time became clear that what these women and men were all seeking was how to bring more of themselves out into the world - both at work and in their personal lives. They were craving meaning and purpose and looking for a way to live their fullest and most fulfilled lives.
My mission
I believe we all have the capacity to be leaders. I believe that we are all more productive, more satisfied and more energized and happier when we are doing something that we find meaningful and that brings us joy. And I believe that this is possible for each of us.
It is my mission to help as many people as possible find their sweet spot - to reach their full potential and live more meaningful and harmonious lives by better aligning what they do with who they are. I am passionate about helping people:
Lead from an authentic place so they can show up as their unique self
Build a sustainable system that integrates work and life so they can avoid burnout and have energy for all the important parts of their lives
Find your sweet spot within your career - that role that excites, inspires and where you really shine
If this sounds like you, let’s chat!