Meet Jamessina Hille

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jamessina Hille. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jamessina, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I was raised to be a corporate woman – my father owned a construction business and my mother was a self professed ‘domestic engineer’ raising three children and creating an environment in which one could literally hear the laughter and joy in the walls of our home. She left stints of a hardhat and highway construction as well as advertising to immerse herself in her family, yet throughout her adult life and to this day she consults in construction, and is always learning. My parents are multi-faceted, loving, and are both from a long line of entrepreneurs. And like most parents, they wanted ‘more’ for their children, and gave me space to literally try everything – soccer, art class, business club, drama class, softball, basketball, kickline, weekend competitions, overnight competitions, launching small businesses, funding a lingerie line, and they made sure I finished what I started. I am fortunate, as this foundation provided me with a sense of I deserve what I work hard for. And it was addicting.

There is a sphere of influence consisting of five men that inspired my passion and determination in business. My grandfather – a dashing, charismatic and successful entrepreneur; my godfather – a jovial empath who made his way through the publishing industry and as a consultant who ‘wouldn’t work for less than $1000 a day’; my college professor – former UPS corporate management who taught his students to nail their ‘30-second elevator speech’ in the event of a right place and person at the right time scenario happened; my first boss at the NFL – who taught me to be prepared and concise when asking for what I want/need and led his team in pursuit of a joint outcome; and my high school business teacher – he provided us with a personalized experience that taught us lessons for business and life such as ‘have great posture and eye contact’ and ‘you close, not your prospect.’

I took each of the teachings of these men as guidelines for doing business. Early on in my career, they made me feel that I belonged. I was brought along for the journey, for the business meeting, for the flight to the event, and my ideas were listened to- perhaps not always executed, but heard. I may have been lucky, but I may have also believed myself right into the opportunities I was able to experience.

So much so, that when I achieved the coveted title of ‘Vice President’, I lasted for 11 and a half months with joy, pride and a feeling of belonging. And then, I broke.

Sitting at a dinner table of my closest friends and family, sober, happy and with no care other than to be right where I was, I felt a debilitating, sharp pain in my chest, squeezing my heart and shooting through my left shoulder. Hours later in the ER, the doctor on call said I was in the best of health, and suggested I rest and reduce my stress levels.

Was it me that broke my body and my joy at work? Was it a CEO whose strategy I didn’t agree with, and a flurry of demands and data from leadership without direction? Was it that I wasn’t told the plan as a senior leader, or was I not performing at a level they preferred? For the first time in my career – I felt I didn’t belong. I was overworked, overstressed, perhaps much of it self-induced due to the rapid fire confusion of what information was required.

I resigned. And I dissected that experience, I grounded myself with meditation and yoga, and I ferociously started writing. I penned ‘Burn the Success List: A Love Letter to Overachieving Corporate Women’ and realized:

I am no imposter, we are not imposters. We are powerful women who give everything we’ve got to the team, to the organization, to our families, to our communities. And, if we aren’t giving our all and are overwhelmed, frustrated or feel displace – conquer a mindset shift by checking if we are leveraging all the resources we have available to us OR do we need to clearly define the outcome and rework the strategy, delegate the busy work and lead with that biologically innate power of creation we behold as women. Perhaps, that position, mission, or company no longer serves us and it’s time to start fresh.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I resonate deeply with the endearing title of ‘mom’ as I do ‘high-performing corporate woman.’

My dream at 19 was to pursue the glittering skyscrapers of New York City, striding off a subway in a pencil skirt and white button down with the collar popped. Until a few years ago, I was a happy, shiny, stiletto wearing professional, checking off the boxes on my success list penned in undergrad with feathery flourish. Get the degree, get the job, get married, buy the house, have the babies, get the promotion…

And now in my forties, having checked off everything on the original checklist – be a doting mother, a successful marketing leader, a great team leader, mentor, former board member, a wife – the result is a burnt out, somewhat rigid and less shiny woman who can’t put her finger on why she feels as though she is splitting in two.

And, after three emergency room visits in three years – it was time to make a dramatic change.

I penned my first book, “Burn the Success List” after collecting the decade of handwritten notebooks pages, text in my notes app, and transcribing voice memos from my phone. I had been expressing my pain and questioning my original plan and found that it realized it wasn’t me. I did everything right. I went after what my sphere of influence taught me. I completed the self-fulfilling prophecy of being a corporate woman. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

At this next stage of my life, It’s easier to keep doing and achieving than it is to accept that the original plan and identity no longer serves me.

I am in pursuit of the new list- focused on fulfillment. To fully experience what I have created, with great intention and desire.

“Burn the Success List” is truly a love letter to overachieving, corporate women. It is a reflection and a game plan for those who just can’t put a finger on why they are in pain, and how to bring that breathless, passionate girl back to life.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Creating mutually beneficial outcomes: This doesn’t mean you can’t win. Instead, you ensure that engaged parties achieve value, creating bridges for the future and a reputation of collaboration.

By teaching we learn: I have had the great pleasure of being a guest lecturer and mentor for the College of Charleston Executive MBA program for the past seven years. With each session, conversation and experience I am both sharing and receiving. This reciprocity for a richer, more fulfilled life experience.

Give back: Working in non profit for five years opened my eyes beyond my own personal experience, having the great fortune of seeing the impact and benefits when we extend our time, money, and experience with others. Donate money, join the board, get your hands in the soil. Find your mission and get involved, trust that you will benefit.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

I realized a game changing reason to make a radical shift in how I operate: I could end up a lonely, wealthy old woman who has alienated herself from the ones she loves, who will experience the life she loves without her. These shifts take us from autopilot to accept the gifts we were given and share our natural power with the world around us.

Do something for yourself when you wake up every day that includes only your body and perhaps nature. Meditate, stretch, affirm your love for who you are, make a steaming up of hot matcha with honey, take a brisk walk solo or with the pup, and sit in admiration that you are alive.

Speak to yourself with loud joy – it’s comical at first, but keep it up. ‘I am so gorgeous and having the best day already’, ‘this sweet dog is so cute and needs me, so I WANT to take her for a walk at 5AM’, ‘I am grateful my family has nourished themselves so I will put their plates in the dishwasher’, and ‘I am a powerful leader and know I will achieve greatness in this meeting.’ Playfulness always felt too frivolous to me, yet radical changes requires radical action, and I feel my eyes brighten, my shoulders soften, and this loosens the tightness in my brow.

And, allow yourself to be held by your partner, really held, without any other expectation other than to receive their love for you. Trust this – radical change requires radical action, and it starts with permitting the acknowledgement of your gifts and accepting love and gratitude.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.burnthesuccesslist.com
• Instagram: iamjamessina
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamessinahille

Image Credits

Erin Turner