Episode 27: Jessica

Jessica, 39, teaches us about pacing ourselves, staying authentic, and inspires us all to take up pickle ball!

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

So I definitely feel like I've grown wiser and more confident in navigating complexity because it's all around us. So I feel like over the years I've learned that confidence and toughness really aren't optional, especially working in healthcare and any sort of setting like that. But it so it is essential. But it can still be carried with positivity and grace. And so I I feel like that is something that I have changed over the years. I also feel that humor has been a secret weapon of mine for quite some time. I grew up with brothers and older brothers. So sarcasm wasn't just a trait, like it was part of survival.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Good afternoon, good evening, good whatever time it is when you're tuning in. Welcome back to the Niners. I'm Tim Cunningham, and at this moment I have the privilege to learn from my friend and former colleague, Jessica. Jessica, welcome. How are you?

SPEAKER_03 1:02

I'm well. Thanks so much for having me.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

It's a it's a joy to reconnect, and especially in this space, because you have a nine in your age. So to begin, will you share with us how old you are today?

SPEAKER_03 1:11

Today I am 39 years old.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

39. Awesome. On the cusp of 40.

SPEAKER_03 1:17

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Jessica, can you tell us a little bit about where you're from and where you currently live now?

SPEAKER_03 1:21

Yeah. So originally from Houston, Texas. I was born in Houston, actually raised about 50 miles south of Houston, and currently live in Atlanta, Georgia.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Can you tell us some about how you spend your time? What keeps you busy?

SPEAKER_03 1:36

So I stay pretty active outside of work. I've been known to be a gym rat, been pretty active my entire life. I played soccer competitively all growing up and through college. So how do I spend my time currently? I'm finishing up my doctorate. I swim a lot. Uh, but yeah, just kind of hang out whenever I can. Just try to have that separation between work and play and enjoy when I can.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

And and just for clarity's sake, it's a doctorate in public health, right?

SPEAKER_03 2:07

It is a doctorate in public health.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

I remember that was one of the first things we talked about when when we met uh four and a half years ago. That's crazy. Four and a half years. Why are you not done yet? What's what's holding you back?

SPEAKER_03 2:18

I'm done in two weeks.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Two weeks. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

Oh my gosh, I'm finishing up this dissertation and it's been a lot.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

Yeah. Wow. So you finish your dissertation. And is your defense in two weeks?

SPEAKER_03 2:30

November third.

SPEAKER_02 2:31

November third. Great. Well, by the time this airs, you will have defended. You we will then call you Dr. Teraby. What are you gonna do to celebrate when it's all said and done?

SPEAKER_03 2:40

I think travel.

unknown 2:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:42

Travel and figure out what do I do in my spare time? So how do I spend my time? I I told you a little bit about that, but there's also this bit of you know, obligation that I've always felt like, okay, uh, it's after work, I gotta work on my my paper, all of this, and uh that's gonna be something weird to fill this face. But I have some travel plans already set up. Cool. So I'm excited about that.

SPEAKER_02 3:10

Well, you've got also something I hope you're excited about, which is you'll be turning 40. As you think about that, moving into another decade and and being 39. What what excites you as you look into the future?

SPEAKER_03 3:21

Yeah, so I'm excited about stepping into a new milestone and just any sort of new opportunity. So, like I said, in just a few weeks I'll defend my doctorate. And that's really been a long goal in the years making. So I am really looking forward to now starting new hobbies and really just, you know, staying engaged and carving out more intentional time for me.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

Are there any particular hobbies that are top of the list?

SPEAKER_03 3:49

So if my hip can comply, I want to get into pickleball.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

Pickleball.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Okay. It's I mean, it's they they just open a pickleball court down from my house, and the parking lot seems to always be full.

SPEAKER_03 4:02

So much fun. My gym has a court and all that set up, but I've had some hip pain just from some injuries. I don't know if I told you like five years ago. We're just trying to maybe get that settled and then yeah, enjoy. I when I when I do play, it's a lot of fun. There's just a lot of rules.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

There's way too many rules. A lot of really and you like rules? I mean, I know the work you do like professionally is all about rules. Is that a good jam?

SPEAKER_03 4:28

I usually break all the rules, but pickleball has a lot of rules in general, like how you serve, how you call out scores, way too much to keep track of.

SPEAKER_02 4:38

I never realized that. I mean, I've only ever observed it, and it doesn't seem that rule heavy from from the outside.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

It's a lot. It's a lot to keep track of.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

Good to know. Well, I would offer to play pickleball with you sometime, but I'm I'm really, really bad with rules, so I would probably just be yeah, we break all the rules. There you go. All right, I'm in. Do whatever get that doctor done, finish it. Play pickleball.

SPEAKER_03 5:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

Jessica, uh looking back, so if you were to look back a decade, how would you say you've changed since then?

SPEAKER_03 5:06

So I definitely feel like I've grown wiser and more confident in navigating complexity because it's all around us. So I feel like over the years I've learned that confidence and toughness really aren't optional, especially working in healthcare and any sort of setting like that. But it so it is essential, but it can still be carried with positivity and grace. And so I I feel like that is something that I have changed over the years. I also feel that humor has been a secret weapon of mine for quite some time. I grew up with brothers and two older brothers, two older brothers.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

So sarcasm wasn't just a trait, like it was part of survival. So that I think have stuck with me and it's helped me really just navigating that complexity. And then I've also learned to get comfortable being uncomfortable. And that's really where a lot of my own personal professional development has really occurred. And so that mindset really paired with that mental toughness and a willingness to really take more bold moves has opened doors. I've, you know, I've really never expected. And it's also helped me shape to be the leader I am today. And so I am proud of that. I feel like I do a lot of self-reflection, and and that is something that really kind of still speaks true. Cool.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

If you don't mind sharing, how how do you do your self-reflection?

SPEAKER_03 6:30

So I swim a lot and in a pool, nobody can bother you, nobody can text you. It it is almost like a self-meditation, and you're getting a workout in. And so I feel like that's when I do a lot of self-reflection because it's me in the water and just either counting strokes or whatever that is, and it's helped me kind of kind of go back. And then I also I listen to podcasts, I listen to other things, like, okay, how does this relate to me? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

If you could go back a decade and give yourself a piece of advice, something you know now, what would that be? If anything.

SPEAKER_03 7:07

So if I could go back and give myself a piece of advice, I would say pace yourself and really never change who you are. So much we do we do so much comparison in life and just trying to reach that next milestone, and things will happen organically. And really just staying authentic authentic like having authenticity really set up. One of my my team members actually recent told me that they can always count on me to be real. And so having being my authentic self and having that be a foundational to my growth, my leadership journey, I think that still speaks true. I'd also remind myself not to care really compare my path to anybody else's. And my journey is uniquely mine, and I would say that to somebody else. And really others can inspire and influence you, but you're the captain of your own ship.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

You've got a lot to look forward to. A couple weeks, being a doctor, turning 40, upcoming travel. As you look forward, are are there things that concern you maybe in the next decade?

SPEAKER_03 8:14

So full flat out honesty and just being honest and vulnerable. So 39, I always thought by this age I would have had at least a mini-me. Something you know, I think people grow up, you have your big dreams of okay, when I'm this age, I'm gonna have two kids and coach a soccer team and all the things. And sometimes when you lay out your own plans, those don't come true. So I do think that everything happens for a reason. And I've been incredibly blessed with family, friends, parents. And I was actually the oops in my family. So I was born 10 and 12 years after my brothers, and so that's always gonna be grateful for the gift of time that I've had with everybody. But I do still fear that if I ever do become a parent, and I know I'm not unique in this 30 for 40 is a new 30, etc. So I know that I'm not unique, but I don't think people talk about this enough, and that is a fear for for many people, I believe, in going into a new decade, especially when you're 39. Don't have that all laid out. It still worries me, but I'm I'm content with it as well. Would have loved like my parents to be along the way, but my dad's 89, so going back to the Niners, so he's 89. My mom is not too far behind him, and so we'll see. We'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

Do they live near you? Are they back in Texas?

SPEAKER_03 9:46

They're in Houston.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

In Houston, okay. Yeah. Jessica, have you lived in other cities or other places over the last few years?

SPEAKER_03 9:53

I sure have. So I've lived in so big cities, Tulsa, so Houston to Tulsa, back to Houston to Los Angeles to Atlanta.

SPEAKER_02 10:05

All over.

SPEAKER_03 10:07

I was in Los Angeles about three years. It was a little bit too much West Coast for me. I wasn't sustainable, but I learned a lot. It was it was a lot of fun out there. But yeah, I moved to Atlanta in 2019.

SPEAKER_02 10:20

I was just in Portland last weekend, and I forget that there are parts of the West Coast you're like, you feel like you're in a whole different country. Totally. And then I zoomed up to Maine the same weekend, and then I felt like I was in a whole different country again. And um, but I guess that's what's great about this country being so big and so so culturally diverse in a lot of ways. Absolutely. As you think about some of your concerns and worries over the next 10 years, are there things that you feel are within your power to do to alleviate some of those concerns?

SPEAKER_03 10:49

Yes. So working in healthcare, I feel like that reminds us daily that life's fragile. So what we can really do is cherish and reflect on the decades of memories. And um, I really try to do that and just continue creating new ones for as long as I can. So that that does help alleviate that. I don't get stuck in the weeds. So things that are like this kind of worries me, but it is what it is. Um, I can only control what I can control. But you know, a lot of the fears are just fears of the unknown. And while I would say they're regrets, I don't know what I would have done to change it. So it is what it is.

SPEAKER_02 11:29

Yeah. So Jessica, you gave yourself some advice. Okay. You were to go a deck a decade back. Would there be any other advice that you would choose for a niner group? You picked a group, could be 19, 29. It could go forward 59, 69, 79, 89, maybe advice to someone like your dad. If so, what would that group be? And what would that advice be?

SPEAKER_03 11:48

So I'd probably go back a decade younger.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 11:52

And really just reflection on really around perfectionism and that trust trust your own gifts and remember like your worth isn't defined by your outcomes or but really by who you are. And so I'd also just say bring your full self to every room, every day, no exceptions. Just be you. If you're in a new environment or a new job, learn your culture, respect it, and then find your ways to really impact that and shape it. Really, you have the capabilities and mental toughness to adapt and evolve. And I think that part is important because so much do we maybe try to go, we go into something new and not knowing what to expect. And somewhat, sometimes there's an imposter syndrome, and it's hard to really cultivate the the environment or what the strategy you're trying to come off with. And so just being you and just kind of taking a minute and taking a step back. I wish that was something I learned much younger, but it learned it. And so I think that really is important that just just humbly inquire. You don't have to come in with all the answers, just just listen, observe, then find your ways to really impact that.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

You're 39.

SPEAKER_03 13:11

39.

SPEAKER_02 13:11

You've lived in a bunch of cities, you've experienced a bunch. I have followed you on LinkedIn and when we work together, like you've seen a series of promotions, you're you're doing amazing work. At this stage in your life, Jessica, what matters the most to you?

SPEAKER_03 13:25

So I think faith, family, and values, and everything else will follow. Those are really what matters the most. You know, if I had to elaborate on this, I would really say that authentic connection and purpose and really just showing up fully for others and kind of leading with empathy and making that difference, and that will outlast the moment. I really care deeply about creating space where people feel seen, valued, supported to grow. And that integrity, trust, and compassion really guide how I lead and how I live. And so at the end of the day, still the going back to what matters the most is the impact we instill in others and the people we live, the teams we strengthen, um, and just being a positive light, especially when when things are so heavy all the time around us and the world that we live in. And so faith, family, and values are really the core of that. But it it expands into really everything that we do and we we live and kind of lead with our own authentic self.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

Faith, family, and values. As we wrap up, Jessica, is there anything else that you would want to share with the audience? Anything about anything?

SPEAKER_03 14:42

Anything about anything. I swear we need to make up our own pickleball rules.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Yeah, because I want to play pickleball. I like trying new things. I do not like rules at all.

SPEAKER_03 14:55

It takes so much. And you know, they started pickleball during COVID.

SPEAKER_02 14:59

So it's like because people had more time to think about stuff, and so that's why they have the rules because it started during COVID.

SPEAKER_03 15:05

Like I I guess, but even the way that you serve, like it's it's not even like a mixture between volleyball and tennis. It's like things are opposite. I and I can't remember. Like you you if you're the first person to serve, it's like one, you're either one or two, but it doesn't make a lot of sense.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

And why pickle? Do you eat pickles? Do you drink pickle juice?

SPEAKER_03 15:27

Oh my god, I love pickles. So, you know, I I play sports, triathlon, soccer, all yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

You're an athlete.

SPEAKER_03 15:35

Yeah, all the things. That was like probably in long bike rides. My favorite thing in the world is like going to one of the drink stations and it's like lined up of pickle juice. But yes, I like pickles.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

Okay. Well, pickleball is your sport then.

SPEAKER_03 15:51

I guess, I guess I gotta get this hip taken care of.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:55

When I play, it it's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02 15:57

All right. Finish your doctorate, turn 40, get your hip straight, and then pickleball for the next four decades of your life.

SPEAKER_03 16:05

Maybe so.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Maybe so.

SPEAKER_03 16:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:07

Jessica, this has been great. Thank you so, so much.

SPEAKER_03 16:11

Thank you. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Jessica, thanks for sharing your your wisdom and thoughts with us. And after I record this video and drop this podcast today, I will be going to the store to buy my first pickleball set. See you on the court. Folks, thanks for joining us on the Niners podcast. I'm your host, Tim Cunningham. A special thanks to Jen Cornell for her intro and outro music. You can learn more about Jen at jencello.com. Join us for our next episode when you will learn from Nurse Leader and friend of mine, Candace, who is 49 and about to turn 50.