Reader,
Today marks fourteen years since I officially started my business, and I've been sitting with that for a few days now, trying to find the right words.
When I started in 2012, I didn't start in the traditional sense. I never set out to "build a business." I didn't have a business plan, a well-thought-out brand, or a real strategy.
What I had was an invitation to continue supporting leaders at The Boeing Company, this time on my own terms, and in order to do that, I needed a business.
So, I built one.
What followed was never part of a grand plan, but it has given me some of the most meaningful experiences of my life.
I've had the joy of working inside big corporations and small nonprofits, with seasoned executives and college students just finding their footing, with founders building something from nothing and academics reshaping how the next generation thinks about leadership.
I've worked alone, had a business partnership, and fallen into amazing collaborations I never could have predicted. I've sat in rooms on multiple continents, navigated complexity across cultures and systems, and been changed - genuinely changed - by the people I've had the privilege of working alongside.
Through all of it, the throughline has never been the sector, the title, or the size of the room.
It has always been about creating better leaders, building a kinder, more just, more equitable world, and proving to myself and to anyone watching that you can do business differently. My deepest convictions have never wavered.
Fourteen years in, I find myself less interested in speed or noise or hustle, and more committed than ever to work that actually means something. Which is why I am so energized by what this year is bringing forward.
Some of you have heard me talk about the Built to Last Egypt Retreat for a while now. It's been a long time in the making, something I've dreamed about, researched, planned for, and built partnerships around, and now, it's finally here!
It's designed for leaders who are ready to step out of the day-to-day and experience the ancient world as a backdrop for thinking about what they're truly building, while connecting deeply with women entrepreneurs on the other side of the world. Built around rest, perspective, and the kind of human exchange that genuinely shifts how you see your work and your world... all while floating down the Nile. If that speaks to you, I'd love to share more.
Beyond Egypt, I'm continuing the work I love most: walking alongside women navigating consequential decisions with deep conviction, their Watershed Idea™️, and helping people build things that are designed to create real impact in the world.
I am beyond grateful for every room, every person, and every lesson, especially the painfully hard ones.
And I'm writing to you today because in some way, you're part of this story, too. Thank you for being on this journey with me!
Here's to what's next. 🙏
xo
Jess
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