We recently connected with Jessica White and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?
I grew up in a household that went through periods of low income and emotional abuse, this caused me to develop a habit of day-dreaming to escape my reality. At the time, I wasn’t aware of ways to turn my daydreams into realities and I had accepted my situation for what it was, counting down the days until I turned 18. I used to go to the bookstore and I had come across this book called “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and it was as if a light bulb went off in my head. It was after reading that book I realized that I can work towards building the life that I want based off my decisions and outlook on life. My self discipline started off with smaller things. For example, I always wanted to learn how to play the piano but there wasn’t any money for lessons. I researched free piano lessons online and taught myself to play from a weekly email newsletter. Leveraging this type of activity, my self discipline started to expand into more areas of my life.
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 am the founder of J.Caresse & Company which is an Operations & Digital Consulting firm. I launched my consulting firm in 2021 with the goal of helping other businesses with revenue growth, operational improvements, and finally digitizing where possible. I previously worked for several Fortune 500 companies including McKinsey & Company, Cisco, and Starwood Hotels (now under the Marriott brand) and in my spare time I would work with smaller businesses who could use my skills. While working with smaller businesses, I found that the type of work they needed help with matched my interests and I found I had more opportunities to grow in ways that traditional corporate America couldn’t provide me with. I like wearing many hats, learning new things and launching my own consulting firm has allowed me to do that.
Sometimes I reflect on how far I’ve grown and I am so grateful. I was a girl from Baltimore who knew nothing about business and now I know growth strategies, tech implementation, process improvement, data & analytics, corporate finance, supply chain/procurement. The latest thing I’m becoming more versed in is marketing and I’m excited for this journey!
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?
The three main skill drivers for my journey was intellectual curiosity, yearning for change, and visualization. We’re all on a journey whether you realize it or not and any new information that your brain becomes exposed to inadvertently changes how you process the world. My curiosity and yearning for change allowed me to explore topics and ideas that were not the “norm” in my environment previously. At the time, I didn’t have much friends because I didn’t fit in but it’s what gave me fuel to visualize a new possibility for my life and then actively pursue it because I yearned for change so badly.
Also, I didn’t have a natural “passion” for my pursuits either. I explored different areas and stuck with what sparked some interest in me and then I got good at it in a relatively short amount of time. My advice for others is to be curious and allow yourself to explore concepts you wouldn’t normally explore and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with where it may lead you.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Since I had to overcome a lot of mental and emotional trauma, a book that has been life changing for me is called Letting Go by Dr. David R Hawkins. Since applying the principles listed in the book to my life, I have experienced the most amount of joy and happiness that I never thought would be possible. Becoming truly happy on the inside has provided me with a level of clarity that I didn’t know could be achieved.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jcaresse.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessica_caresse
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-c-white
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/jessica_caresse
Image Credits
Peter O’Hara Photography for the headshot
