We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Bader. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Jessica, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Many believe that confidence and self-esteem is something that people are born with. I believe that confidence and self-esteem are more a muscle that needs consistent work to stay strong. Confidence is gained through practice. And, not perfect practice, the kind of practice that puts us in a place where failure is inevitable but the opportunity to rise is readily available. The more reps we get of this the more confident we become in our ability to overcome and square off with challenges that we are faced with.
This “workout” was a part of my life far before I realized. My grandmother and I were very close throughout my life. When I was young, about 10 years old, she would come pick me up to spend a little quality time and take me (what she called) “politicking”. “Politicking”, if you are wondering, meant that we would drive around through our community going door to door requesting votes for our favorite candidate or placing yard signs at designated addresses. The confidence booster comes in to play for me because my grandmother regularly send me up to knock on the door, introduce myself to the resident, explain why we were there, and ask if they would like to speak to my grandmother about the issues on the ballot. At the time, it was VERY challenging and took a lot of courage to lift my fist and knock on those doors but I loved my Gram so it was worth the risk of rejection and weirdness that came with it.
Now, looking back I can see just how much that built in me the confidence muscle I have today!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I like to keep myself busy. I’m very much a people person and whenever I get the chance to be with and work with my friends and colleagues I say YES!
During normal business hours I work for an amazing non-profit organization, Direction Home Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities. We serve older adults in the community who need assistance to live in the place that they want to call home. We have an incredible team who is dedicated to supporting these community members through assistance with resources, referrals, and a slew of personalized services that improve their quality of life. I serve as the Quality Improvement Manager. In this role I get to lead an incredible team that supports the organization by streamlining processes for service delivery, eliminating waste, increasing efficiency and productivity by using the LEAN & Six Sigma methodology.
All the other hours of the day I work on my day-dream! Along side my husband and our business partners we keep our community informed through our media company 330ToGO, “Northeast Ohio’s Hottest & Fastest News and Entertainment Network”! 330ToGO is the leader in delivering up-to-the-minute information as it is happening in Northeast Ohio. We cover traffic, weather, local emergencies, entertainment, events and happenings around town, local sports and sports teams, highlight local businesses, restaurants, breweries and more… We facilitate 5 in network shows and support a team of 15+ who is out in the field reporting on activities and action in their areas. 330ToGO is wrapping up our fall shows and offerings and launching full go into our the last quarter of the year. Up next, our team is preparing for our highly anticipated 330ToGO Holiday Light Loops! This year we have partnered with Spanning the Need out of Youngstown, Ohio to expand the Holiday Light Loops to our friends in the eastern part of the 330. The 330ToGO team is also working hard to bring a dedicated sports show, and a morning show to our audience starting in 2024! I have the great honor to serve as the Chief Operating Officer along side this amazing team! It’s incredibly fun and rewarding!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most critical qualities or skills to my personal success has been the ability to build and maintain great relationships, the confidence to try, fail, and try again, and recognizing that there is SO MUCH to be learned from other people.
Notice, none of those have anything to do with business acumen or being highly skilled in product development. What they all have in common is a level of recognizing that people are the most important factor in achieving and maintaining success. It is the relationship that we have with ourselves and the relationships that we have with others that makes the journey worth taking! If folks can gain one take-away from my experience, it’s THAT!
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I’ve read lots of books, or I should say, I have listened to lots of books (thank you Audible #notsponsored). A few of the most recent ones that have really helped me grow are “Claim Your Confidence” by Lydia Fenet and “The Garden Within” by Anita Phillips.
Specifically, the last book takes a look at our relationship with our selves body, mind, spirit, soul and explains how much our emotions play a role and impact our physical experiences in life. The concepts she uncovers and new thinking she describes have given me pause and redirected much of my understanding about my own relationships with God, myself and others. Remember… it’s all about relationships. I highly recommend reading it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.330ToGO.com
- Instagram: 330ToGO
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/330ToGO
- Linkedin: Jessica Bader
- Youtube: @330ToGO
Image Credits
Racquel Jones Photography
