Hi Friend,

It’s been a few weeks full of travel and summer shenanigans since I landed in your inbox but I’m baaaack! If you’re one of the 76 faces new to this newsletter - welcome! I’m Jess 👋 - a (recovering) perfectionist & careerist who has now seen the light and found that it’s possible to do work that fulfills you more than it afflicts you. After building a career as an early-stage operational & product development startup leader, I navigated a job search that culminated in 101 interviews in 2020 after my (now) husband & I moved to NYC the week before the pandemic lockdown.

I’ve felt the intensity of the Sunday Scaries, the loneliness of months-long job search & the emptiness of feeling like I wasn’t doing ‘what I was meant to be doing’ but not knowing where to start to answer that question. So this year I started my coaching business, Reflect Your Light, to build what I wish would have existed for me: coaching that empowers people to dim their fears and shine brightest through career transitions ✨

This newsletter incorporates the same methodology that I use with my clients - advice & exercise for job-seekers and those wondering what’s next for them grounded in three themes: Clarify, Connect & Confidently Communicate, and hopefully makes your Sundays a little brighter and slightly less scary.

TLDR for this week: I found clarity in the great state of Washington in the form of a solo road trip from Seattle to Spokane, career inspiration from renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly and I’m launching a group coaching course next week for those that are job searching.

So let’s get into it…

Clarify 💡

Earlier this month, I spent 5 days in the beautiful state of Washington. Even though I lived in Colorado for close to 4 years, I’d never been to the Pacific Northwest and I’m sad to say it took me this long to see its beauty!

Because I was in Washington primarily to attend the MLB All-Star Game with my husband & his company, I did something that I’ve now made a tradition when attending his work trips: I carve out some time for a solo adventure in nature, my best way to reconnect with my authentic self and what’s most important in life. This trip that solo time took the form of renting a car (a true treat for this New York City girl) and driving ~ 5 hours to see a friend in Spokane for a few days - stopping to take in the sights, like Mt. Ranier, along the way.

As someone who drives a car just a few times a year, I was reminded just how grounding a solo drive on the open road can be. Whether you’re blasting Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) while testing the speed on your brand new Nissan Rogue rental (me 🙋‍♀️) or diving deep into the storyline of an eery true crime podcast (also me 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️), a long drive on an open road has a meditative quality. No matter what you’re doing, your mind wanders without command and without intention - opening your perspective to ideas you haven’t considered or memories you haven’t thought about in some time.

I know, I know - this isn’t a new idea. Lynn Pearce, PhD, author of ‘Drivetime: Literary Excursions in Automative Consciousness’ agrees as she told Porsche, “Since the early days of motoring, psychologists have been interested in the fact that driving - one of the most complex, everyday tasks - is also one that frees up parts of the brain to think productively.”

So whether you’re deep in a longer-than-expected job search, considering a career move or just gearing up to take on the week ahead - jump in the car for a drive to clear your mind. And for my urban dwellers: a long leisurely walk often has a similar effect.

Connect 🤝

When I returned to Seattle from my Spokane road trip, I spent the day before the MLB All-Star Game exploring the city. After facing a wait at the Space Needle that overwhelmed in length at a landmark that underwhelmed in height, I pivoted plans and found myself wandering the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum next door.

For those that aren’t familiar, Dale Chihuly is widely regarded as the world’s greatest living master in glass. Growing up, I knew of him as the artist that created the eccentric and recognizable glass chandeliers that I discovered in the Orlando Museum of Art but in my visit to his hometown museum, I learned so much more about him as both a person and artist.

My biggest takeaway from Chihuly:

You don’t need to be the best - connect with the best people you have access to & ask those connections for help when you need it.

Although I had assumed Dale Chihuly donned his famous eye patch because of a glassblowing accident, he actually lost it in an automobile accident in the late 70s when his face went through the windshield of a car and, a bit ironically, was cut by glass that blinded his left eye. Rather than let that set him back - he drew on the talent of others in his field: inventing new ways to create glass art as a team, so that he could build things otherwise impossible to create by himself with his lack of depth perception.

Chihuly’s power was in his network and rather than let a potentially career-ending accident be his legacy, he pivoted how he existed as an artist and leaned on those he trusted to help execute his vision.

The same can be true in your career - being laid off or passed over for a promotion may seem like the end of the world but, if you begin to spend time building & connecting with your network, trust them in helping you overcome that obstacle. The pivotal thing here is, just like Chihuly, you have to ask directly and specifically for the help you need.

Confidently Communicate 🗣️

So how do you build and cultivate that network? How do you ask for help without sounding desperate? How the hell did I even get asked to interview 101 times in my 2020 search? All those answers are connected to how you show up - both with your personal brand and with your job search strategy.

Chihuly’s greatest legacy will be his influence as a teacher and I’d like to be thought of the same - next week I’ll be launching a small group coaching course, Jumpstart Your Job Search where, over four weeks, I’ll be sharing my exact strategy for getting interviews and optimizing how you find your next aligned role - helping you gain clarity on what you’re looking for, build consistency in how you job search, grow connection in your network and be confident in your communication.

With lifetime access to the course content & four chances throughout August to ask me questions live over Zoom, you’ll graduate this course with a polished resume, optimized LinkedIn, clear role criteria, attuned job search & networking schedule, and confidence in your interviewing skills.

If you’d like $100 off (bringing the total to just $199) simply reply back to this email & tell me why you’re interested!

Deep breaths & conquer the week 💪

Until next Sunday,

Jess Storiale