Recently, I had the joy of being a featured guest in the hot seat for the Mom-preneurs Collective “Seven Questions in Heaven” segment in Florida. This is a live interview series that spotlights women building businesses with heart and purpose.
While they don’t release video of the live conversations, I’m thrilled to share the transcript here because this one truly stuck with me. I went in not knowing what the seven questions would be, which made the conversation spontaneous, honest, and surprisingly thought-provoking.
We touched on everything from boundaries and burnout to movement, mindset, and what it really means to “have it all.” I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed being in the moment.
“So now that you have met Jessica, it’s time to head into our speed questions. Remember, Jessica hasn’t received the questions before right now. There was no prep, right Jess?”
“Right. And I just want you to remember that I am from southwest Georgia, so sometimes I speak Southern-ese.”
“Here we go with question number one. In one funny phrase, how do you describe your work?”
“Give me the mic.”
“Love it, but why?”
“Everything I do has a performative aspect to it and requires a microphone. From teaching my yoga classes to leading keynote speeches. Music bingo night to meeting with clients, I am the most fulfilled with a mic in my hands.”
“And here you are, on the mic. Now, the second question. What is something you are doing right in your career currently?”
“I am getting really good at setting and expressing boundaries. Notice I said getting. I’m not there yet, but I am working on this skill. For years, if my boss texted me at 9pm, I was on my laptop immediately. If my boss emailed me while I was cooking, I was on my laptop and letting the food burn. I was writing emails on the way to the bus stop with my kindergartener. I missed so many opportunities to be with my son because I was dedicated to proving myself to her.
Have you ever taken a HIIT class where you jump most of the time? That’s what multiple years of my life felt like. I was constantly jumping, bouncing, and reacting. After years, I was so tired. Just so tired. And really, that’s on me. I was the one reacting. I was the one jumping. I should have stood tall within my boundaries.
I knew I needed a new way of existing. I needed to put up walls around my personal life so I could protect my time as ‘mom’, as ‘Jessica’ even. While it has taken me many years to find my groove, I am really leaning into turning my phone on silent after my last meeting wraps up. I don’t work on the weekends… if I am not traveling for a speaking engagement.
And because of this, I am pretty firm with my clients. When they ask if I can meet on the weekend, I am a hard no. If they text after hours, I don’t answer. I know that it makes a lot of my clients upset, but I am ok with that. I would rather be in a place where I can be fully engaged with them, 100% focused on their projects, than answering while distracted by other priorities. When I explain that to my clients, they understand. And if they don’t, then they don’t stay my clients for long. I do not work with energy vampires anymore.”
“Wow, really great answer. Energy vampires is a powerful term. And I am sure we all have them. Right? We all thought of that person. Like immediately. Ok, how about the third question: What is something that you are doing wrong in your career right now?”
“Eeek. Shesh. Dirty laundry. While I am practicing the setting of boundaries, I am not great at making sure those boundaries are within an eight-hour time frame. I do work ten-hour days pretty consistently right now. In fact on Wednesdays, it’s a twelve-hour day thanks to my fun music bingo night at Windermere Brewing. I keep telling myself this is a phase due to project timelines, but I’m having a hard time getting out of this phase.
And sometimes on really long weeks, I can get a bit snippy. You know, a little witchy. I can get a little tense with my clients when a week has been extra…extra. As a consultant, as I am sure you are experiencing something similar, but my clients have my phone number and my email. So the pings and the dings on a 10-hour day can be more than aggravating, especially if you have multiple clients.
“Oh yes. It can be exhausting to have 10 meetings a day and still answer text messages and emails and slacks and social media. Ugh. For question four, we want to know how you are going to move into 2026. Since your tagline is that you help businesses go from overwhelmed to organized, do you have a recommendation for our audience in 2026?”
“Since I have been working in my own personal state of overwhelm these past few weeks, I have been putting my own recommendations into practice. Practicing what I preach again, you know. Before 2026, I am transferring all clients to a Google Voice number. I love my boundaries and I hate red icons on my phone. So, I’m moving all of my clients to a Google Voice number. This is going to help me keep my personal number, personal, you know. My personal number will be for friends and family. My Google Voice number is for consulting clients.
So my recommendation for you is to find the system that is going to best support your boundaries. Maybe it is separating your phone lines. Maybe it is having a hard stopping time at night or refusing to work on your computer while you are watching tv with your partner. Whatever it is, set a hard boundary and stick with it.
For one of my clients, I recommended she remove email and slack from her phone. She had the habit of responding to co-workers and customers while in school pick-up line, which resulted in typos, unprofessionalism, and massive customer loss. We tracked her retention rate for three-months, then removed the apps from her phone, and tracked the next three-months. She cut her loss rate by 75%. It’s amazing how important customer service is for businesses, consultants, and entrepreneurs. Customer service is not the best experience when rushed, executed while distracted, or when delivered at a lower priority than number one.
“That’s so true. As a customer, you can really tell when the service provider is uninterested or is AI. And if someone brushes you off, you don’t want to return, right?”
“It’s the kiss of death.”
“Yes! So true. Sometimes, it’s hard for us as consultants to realize that our clients are customers. They have a choice in where they purchase and if we deliver poor customer service, then we aren’t in business anymore, right?”
“Exactly. We are selling a service. Our brains and experiences and connections are the service, but we are still selling a service, which means clients are customers.”
“Ok, so if good customer service is the lifeline of our business. Now, it’s time for the next question. Question number five is: What’s the CPR for when a client relationship flatlines?”
“Look at your professional habits. Are you answering emails and texts while in meetings where you should be paying attention? Are you responding to clients while watching your kids play soccer? Look, multitasking is a farce. It’s not real. It takes almost six-minutes for your brain to leave one task and launch into another task’s level of productivity that’s needed.
So if you are losing clients, it may be because you aren’t fully engaged with your clients. Maybe you are giving them only 60% of your brain when you are responding. Instead, determine when you are going to answer emails and then stick to that calendar appointment you set with yourself. Determine how many client meetings you can balance a day and stick to that number.
Memorize a few key phrases. No is a complete sentence, but you can fill out the rest of the paragraph if you need. No, I cannot meet this week, but I am available next week at these three times. What works best for you?
Another phrase I love to use is that sounds like a 2026 opportunity. I work with a lot of creative people and ideas flow like water. However, if I want my clients to be successful, which I do, then I need to know when to harness their attention and keep them focused on the project at hand.
For the longest time, I thought I was an enneagram two. That’s the helper. The person who puts all others above themselves to help serve others’ goals. No, I am actually a seven, the adventurer lover. I am a collector. I like collecting all the Pokémon. For my business, that means I take on a lot of clients, but it’s not because my interest stops at the collecting part. While I am a seven, my second number is a two. If you don’t know what the enneagram is, it’s your homework for tonight, ok?
So while I love adventure and diving into new projects and new territories to learn new things, I do it because I love to help people. I love having 10 projects because I get to help 10 people achieve their dreams. I love having a semi-full time job as a keynote speaker and event emcee, and also being the Education Director of the Mental Wellbeing Association, while having a successful consulting business, and teaching fitness classes, and running music bingo. It’s all because I like to serve people. I like to know I am making a difference. I really love watching the ripple effect happen and happiness spread from people doing what they love for the people they really want to serve.
“I love the enneagram. I am a one.”
“No way! My husband is too. I really think the enneagram saved my marriage. Learning he was a one was an eye-opener.”
“Oh I haven’t even thought about that. I wonder what my husband is. I am going to make him take the test. Ok question six. If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self just starting in business, what would it be?”
“Stop trying to earn your worth through your work or how other people see you. Your value doesn’t depend on how busy you are or how many people say your name in a staff meeting. I spent years thinking exhaustion was a badge of honor. Now I know peace is the goal.
Look, hobbies and family time are the prize, you know. Yes, your work can be your jam, but you need other jams to make life amazing. You need to like other things like crafts or music or reading. Your jam should not be purposely disconnecting by doom scrolling for hours every night. The real jam is being able to show up with energy, creativity, and joy because you’ve protected your own mental well-being and energy first. Remember who you are. By your first name. Remember your own first name.
“Wow. Know your own first name. That’s a winner. That’s going on my mirror.”
“When I was pregnant, my mother-in-law told me that Jessica was now dead.”
“What?”
“Yes, she told me that I was dead and that ‘mom’ was alive. Mom would be all I was moving forward. And she said this as if it was the best thing in the world.
I thought that was the truth. And I really struggled with perinatal and postpartum depression. I had a really hard pregnancy and I have a miracle baby. Looking back on it now, I realize her statement was toxic. Beyond toxic. Is there something beyond toxic? I remember that I kept trying to kill my first name, to be only one thing. To only be mom.
Boy, was she wrong. Jessica never died. I have always been and will always be Jessica. My professional and personal life have to appreciate who I am as Jessica. The weirdo. The Pisces who is also an enneagram seven. The knitter who loves to diamond paint while listening to fantasy books about magic and dragons. My son loves my humor, my adventurousness, and my interest in his hobbies. My clients love my brain, my connections, my work ethic. And those things are also what make me Jessica. My mother-in-law was dead wrong. You as your first name is not dead. Be a weirdo. Appreciate all of the aspects of you, not just one title. Lean into all of the titles. Let me be plain. You are more than just mom.”
“All of the titles. All of them. Damn. I have loved everything you have said tonight. I wish we had more time. We need to have you back.”
“I would love that. Tell me when. Put a mic in my hand.”
“Deal. Ok last one. Question seven to end our seven questions in heaven. You’ve worked in fitness, mental wellness, and business strategy. You’ve been a Vice President, a group fitness instructor, and an entrepreneur. What’s the common thread that connects it all for you?”
“Connection. That’s the thread that ties it all together for me. Whether I’m teaching a fitness class, coaching a CEO, or leading a keynote presentation, my goal is always to help people feel seen, supported, and capable. I want them to leave happier than when they entered in the room.
In fitness, it starts with connection to your body. Learning to move because you love yourself, not because you’re trying to fix yourself. Movement is not punishment. Movement is celebration.
In mental wellness, it’s a connection to your mind. Understanding that thoughts and emotions are signals, not flaws. Your inner voice should be the loudest and the proudest.
And in business, it’s a connection to purpose. It’s about creating systems that align with who you are, not just what you do. It’s about connecting all of the pieces of your life to make a complete puzzle.
Look, you are not broken; you are simply becoming more. And when we create spaces where we can foster growth for ourselves and for others to grow with compassion, we build communities that thrive in health and happiness.”
