We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessie Nolan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Hi Jessie, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My dad is one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to resilience, persistence, drive and determination. Growing up in a broken household he witnessed an extremely unhealthy relationship between his parents while living in a very impoverished area of PA. He never went on to college instead went on to find himself in a half way house selling and using drugs. By a very young age he sobered up and started creating a better life for himself, so he thought. When he met my mother he was a recovered alcoholic and was no longer using drugs. Instead he turned to a new addiction, gambling. This almost tore our family apart. But if there was one thing my parents believed in, it was sticking together through the good, the bad, and the ugly. My dad knew he HAD to out ALL addictions aside in order to keep his family together. He fought, he put in the work, and became an even stronger man through it all. He never gave up on himself or his family no matter HOW hard it got. No matter what life has thrown at him he has found a better way and continued to persevere. Smoking cigarettes was all he had left, something he had done for a large majority of his life, until he was diagnosed with COPD. He quite “cold turkey” as they say THAT day and never looked back. He’s been through hell, addiction, prostate cancer, the death of his younger brother, and eventually all of his parents. My dad has always taught me the phrase “so what, who cares” and that tomorrow is a new and better day! My dad….he is where I get my resilience from! Over the past say, 5 years, I have dealt with my own ups, downs and everything in between. Career change, confusion, doubt, divorce, miscarriage, injuries but not once did I ever think I wouldn’t make it through because there was always one person right by my side, my dad, to help see me to!
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?
After many years in corporate sales I decided to take a chance and get my real estate license. I always knew I wanted to work for myself, to be an entrepreneur. It was super scary stepping outside of my comfort zone and going to a full commission base job without any benefits but I was lucky enough to still be teaching at a fitness studio making just enough money to cover my bills while I worked on my new career. I had was very lucky to land on a team with a lead who took me under her wing and taught me everything she kew from her 20 plus years of experience in the industry. While getting my feet wet in real estate, I decided to take on a few personal training clients as well. I had tabled training clients for a while but felt it was a good way to add an additional income stream. Fast forward 2 years and I have sold $26 Million dollars in real estate on Cape Cod and started my very own personal training business called Body By Jessie which has been extremely successful. I am still teaching 7-10 classes at B/Spoke Studios in Mashpee while serving my clients one on one in health, wellness and as a beacon to my others on their real estate journey whether they are looking to buy, sell, or invest in residential/commercial real estate here on Cape Cod.
Keep an eye out for the launch of the Body By Jessie website which will soon be offering nutritional coaching. In the meantime, check out HomesByJessieNolan.com for all of your real estate needs!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Drive. Determination. Persistence.
Nothing in life has every been handed to me nor has it come easy. I failed my drivers license exam the first time, I never graduated college, it took me 4 tries to make it as a New England Patriots Cheerleader, it took me three tries to become a state title holder for Miss USA until I became Miss NH USA 2015, it took me two tries to make it as a spin instructor, I had been engaged to one alcoholic, engaged/married/and divorced to another and NOW am living a life I only ever DREAMED of. I married my high school crush who is my absolute best friend, biggest cheerleader and soulmate, own a beautiful home, and 2 incredible very successful businesses. None of this would have been possible if I did not have the drive, determination and persistence to just KEEP GOING!
To anyone whom may be on their own career or personal growth journey… do not stop! Keep trying and never give up on your dreams!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I start to feel overwhelmed I do a few things….
1. Journal: Get all of your thoughts, the good the bad and everything in between out on paper. It is SO therapeutic.
2. Make a list and organize by priority: What is a NOW problem and what can be taken care of later.
3. Move the body. Emotions are just ENERGIES in motion…there is nothing better for your mental health than movement. Exercise increases levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. It improves and helps regulate neurotransmitter levels, which ultimately helps us feel mentally healthy!
Contact Info:
- Website: HomesByJessieNolan.com
- Instagram: jessienolan
Image Credits
Rachel Lehman, B/Spoke Studios, Courtney Lopez
