We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacqueline Tempera a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jacqueline, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?
I am a straight-A girly, a go-getter, and super driven to succeed. So, when I got fired from my job as a magazine writer in 2021, I was shocked. I felt like my boss had just smacked me across the face, and in a verbal sense, he did.
“It seems you are not a good fit, and magazine writing isn’t for you. You should figure out what is going on with you.”
I started to tear up, and he told me he was reassured to see that I cared and that it meant something to see me cry. (Truly, what the hell? Weird behavior!!)
The truth is I was drowning in my personal life. I was severely triggered and experiencing symptoms of PTSD after serving on a Grand Jury in Boston for four months. Not only was the material horrifying, but it was the very same court system my own sexual assault case would’ve been tried through had the District Attorney decided to take my case just a few years earlier.
It felt like a trick mirror; everything was upside down, and I saw myself in every victim. I felt like all the healing and work I had done was for nothing, as I sat trapped watching case after case argued before me. I saw the worst side of a jury, and it upended me. I also had just ended a relationship, and it was the middle of the COVID pandemic, so…things were not great, generally speaking!
While I must say – you haven’t lived until you’ve been fired across a 12-foot-long conference table, through a glass pane, with an N-95 mask on – this was a true low point.
I took this experience of being completely knocked on my behind to rebuild. I upped my therapy game and started developing a spiritual practice. I focused on what made ME happy and what I shined at for the first time in my 27 years on the planet.
I was fortunate enough to receive severance pay that allowed me to start my own business, “figure out what was going on with me,” and truly become an entirely different version of myself. I embraced the mantra of “rejection is direction” and built my own storytelling business in the aftermath.
This took a whole lot of self belief, support, and trust, but it was one of the bravest and best things I have ever done.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I started talking before I could walk and truly have not stopped. I love the power of a good story—how it can keep people on the edge of their seats, change minds, and shift emotions. I heard recently that hundreds of years ago, people who had charisma were considered mystical (or, ya know, witches). And I think in a sense that is true. There is a power in storytelling, on a biological level through our brain chemistry, and through our emotions. AND — it’s one of the most overlooked tools in marketing!
I help business owners put words to their secret sauce so their ideal clients can find them. The more specific you are in your copywriting and storytelling, the more universal it is. It’s the difference between saying:
1) I have 15 years of journalism and storytelling experience.
2) As a news reporter for more than 15 years, I know how to make a story interesting. Trust me, if I can write a front-page piece about an award-winning vegetable, I can make YOUR story something your clients can’t put down.
The second example has PIZAZZ and personality! Your clients don’t want to read a list of facts; they want to know you through your stories, writing, and captivating content. I help my clients tap into these personal stories and details to stand out online through my online course Story Magic Mastery, and my copywriting offers.
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?
1) Gratitude — When you work for yourself, there is no performance review, and you set your own goalposts. So it can be really easy to keep moving them further and further and not give yourself the kudos you deserve! Take time to celebrate your successes and even your failures. Everything is a learning experience, and it’s important you stay dedicated to your path and grateful for all you experience along the way!
2) Self-trust — I looked myself hard in the mirror when I was fired. I was the top-read reporter at every single news outlet I ever worked for. This was not a coincidence. I am a powerful storyteller, and I help people uncover truths about themselves. I had to believe in this on a delusional level to start on my own. Because of that intense and deliberate self-trust and belief, I have my business today. I read a list of my BIG goals as often as I can. Writing a cover story for a major magazine, making $1 million, having a top-ranking podcast (and many more!) – just so I can hear them out loud and BELIEVE I can do it. The first person you need to convince is yourself.
3) Persistence – You are going to get a LOT of nos. And you have to, in order to get yes-es. It is hard to be told no over and over again. I don’t know if it will ever get easier. But you have to keep going, because there are people who want what you are offering!
How would you describe your ideal client?
I am looking for girls who got in trouble for talking too much in class. For the people who always have something to say and aren’t afraid to let it rip. My ideal client is someone who is down to shake sh*t up and step into the largest version of themselves they can imagine.
When you tap into your personal story—all of the bits and pieces of your life that no one else has experienced but you—that’s where the magic is! I created my Story Magic offer to help people feel confident about introducing themselves and really owning their weird. By establishing your founder story, you turn yourself from a business to a person your clients TRUST and want to buy from. And when you tell people all the kooky things about you – like how you started a newspaper called The Puppy Press at age nine that you distributed to your (unwilling!!) neighbors if you’re a freak like me — you stand out. Your stories are a goldmine. Let’s tell them together!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jackietempera.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacktemp/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/jackie-temp
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacktemp/
- Twitter: https://x.com/jacktemp
Image Credits
Jen Oceana (first photo)
Starky Morillo (remaining photos)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
