We all have multiple versions of our life stories. Here are three snippets to give you a picture of our founder.
THE bio
Jessia is a leadership development trainer and applied improv coach. A Bay Area native, she has delivered workshops for a number of top organizations, from Fortune 500s to tech startups to nonprofits. Jessia is an ensemble coach and guest performer for BATS Improv and a guest lecturer at Stanford University and UC Berkeley. She holds a BA from Stanford and brings 14 years of improv experience to her work with clients.
the ORIGIN STORY (in her words)
At a time when I needed change in my life, I embraced the improv mindset and leaped into a new field: tech. In my five months working as an analyst for a rapidly growing company, I noticed the strangest phenomenon: vibrant, brilliant young people – who could be doing anything in the world – struggling to find meaning in their work. I’ll never forget one moment in particular, when I casually asked an overworked colleague about her passions. “I don’t really have any passions,” she said, and when I pressed her for things she liked, loved, or found exciting…nothing came to her. And yet, there was a reason she gravitated toward her role as a senior analyst at that specific company. I had seen the rigor with which she approached her work: it mattered to her, whether or not she could articulate why. In that instant, I realized that this gifted young woman: 1) did not recognize the immense value she brought to her team, and 2) would struggle to be happy at work, because she herself did not know why she was there.
And then I started to see the vicious cycle: when folks lose sight of the meaning behind their work, they become less engaged. Disengagement leads to decreased effort, lower satisfaction, and attrition. I realized how impactful it would be for my team to have methods of recognizing ourselves and one another for our specific contributions; to develop safe spaces in which to speak freely about challenges, and to remind each other of our values-based purpose; and to develop a playful rapport to infuse levity into our interactions. I left that company to start my own with the goal of buoying all those who need to reconnect with their work, their teammates, and themselves.
the BACKGROUND (still in HER WORDS)
I grew up as a tiny human. I was always small, and as a woman my presence was socialized to be even smaller than my physical body. And what makes you more aware of your physical body than gym class? As it turns out, I was never an asset on any sports team, so I threw myself into academics. I was driven and motivated: anything less than perfect didn’t satisfy me and I was terrified to make mistakes. When I entered high school as a tiny freshman in a huge public school pond, the guidance counselor called me into her office to make sure I was still swimming. She asked how I was doing, and – anxious to please – I gave her a stock answer. “You’re into theater, right?” she asked. “The improv team is having auditions this week – why don’t you try out?” I heard myself blurt out an “okay.” Flash forward to two days later: I was given permission to embody people who were not me, to play characters with humanity. When I was fully immersed, all of my self-consciousness evaporated.
I didn’t know it then, but I had stumbled upon the most powerful tool: play. Trying on different ways of speaking, moving, and acting allowed me to surpass self-imposed limitations and to reimagine what was possible for myself. The improv team became my first real team (we even had jerseys!) It was a team that valued energy, intellect, spontaneity, friendship, and expression over physical ability. Through incredible coaching, ample growing pains, and many self pep-talks, I transformed into an empowered and connected young woman. I’ve been practicing, performing, and teaching improv ever since I discovered its power to surpass limitations: to allow us to reimagine ourselves and to develop capacities we never thought possible. Because in our world, you know what’s impactful? A petite woman owning her space and coaching others to do the same.
