We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Elix a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Life is all about risk! I’m an adrenaline seeker, and I’ve toned it down in recent years. I remember stories that others have shared with me over the years with a common theme of, “I wish I would’ve done that when I had a chance.” I tucked those stories and conversations away within me. I didn’t want to look back and have a similar experience of missing my chance – not taking that risk, as scary as it might have been to take. A year ago, I became aware that I desired MORE out of life – more opportunity, more outdoors, more space to grow and change. It wasn’t that I didn’t have enough, I wanted something different. I needed to take a giant risk to offer that to myself, and my family. So, my husband and I made the crazy-fast decision to put our house on the market and re-root our family. We didn’t have a new place purchased or new jobs landed. Simply this idea that maybe, just maybe, all the pieces would fall into place in some resemblance of an acceptable order. And you know what? They did. We trusted the process, went where led, and said, “Yes” to most of the decisions presented. Within a few weeks time, we sold our house, had an offer accepted on another, and my husband had a job offer. Risk, and the openness to trust the outcome, go hand-in-hand.

It’s still mind-boggling to think about how one decision to take a risk could change the course of life. That risk has grated my family an opportunity to flourish, slow down, and enjoy what life has to offer.

Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been fortunate to be self-employed since my mid-twenties. After a short stent in non-profit out of college, I launched a business helping individuals and businesses be more productive and organized in their daily lives and operations. During that time, I specialized in working with the neuro-divergent population, and individuals with physical disabilities. My career allowed me to direct a regional sport competition for Veterans with a disability. Throughout that decade, I learned first-hand about people of all backgrounds and abilities, and how each person processes information differently. I loved having conversations with individuals – having deep and thoughtful conversations and asking them questions to further their understanding of self. That has been a constant in each of the roles I’ve held in my career be it professional, contractor, or volunteer.

In 2019 I was given the opportunity to enroll in an intensive certified coaching program. This program allowed me to dig deeper into my own work, what drives me, and learn from my peers. After the 6-month intensive, hours of coaching others, and being coached myself, I sat for a certification exam through the International Coaching Federation. I passed all elements of the exam the first time.

Something that sets me apart from others in my field is the different populations that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. I truly love working with individuals in helping professions, such as Veterans, teachers, and first responders. Recently, I’ve enjoyed volunteering in the elementary school setting teachingSocial Emotional Learning lessons and skills to our youth. Watching individuals grow, regardless of their age, is very encouraging.

I’m proud of my personal work in recovery and have 17 years to show for that. Surrounding myself with individuals who are navigating recovery, trying to determine if recovery is for them, and families questioning the addictions of a loved one is a bonus to my career. Creating a space that is free from judgement and meets the person where they are is very important for trust. Trust is a main factor to facilitate growth.

There is an immense amount of value having open and honest conversation with a coach whose sole purpose is to listen, and ask questions to further understanding. Who wouldn’t want a trusted individual with life experience, training, and certification to have conversations with?

My recovery, my 3 children, my spouse, and relationships with those that feed me are the most important aspects of my personal life. I would not be where I am today without those things and the nurturing that those aspects of my life deserve.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the things I like to tell people is that, “You don’t have to speak loud in order to be heard.” At a point in my life and for many years, my voice and speaking up for myself was very soft. But I’d reach a point in conversation, where I’d become frustrated in getting spoken over and I couldn’t stay quiet anymore. So, in order to be heard and insert myself I’d raise my voice to a louder level (some might call it yelling , and the words would then come out without thinking. My guess is that many readers have been there, too.  Yelling and speaking loudly in frustration is alarming and causes most people on the receiving end to set their defensives immediately. The receiver is then only listening to the perceived threat being tossed in their direction. Once I learned the lesson of “speaking to be heard and understood” my life and communication style began to change. Speaking up for oneself is a powerful tool. Speaking up for oneself in a productive and thoughtful way is more easily heard and is a more disarming approach to those who can listen.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I’ve been fortunate to be part of the same networking organization for over 10 years. What I appreciate about the Women’s Networking Alliance is that it’s relationship based first, referral based second. I find value in trusting individuals – who they are, how they think – before referring a client to their services. Since that’s the foundation of this organization, I’m surrounded by like-minded businesswomen who think similarly. Luckily, through that networking group and organic word of mouth, my business continues to grow and attract clients who are ready to dig deeper. You can probably tell that building trust in relationships is important to me!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ignitepossibilities.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaelix/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessicaelix
• Other: https://www.womensnetworkingalliance.com/california/san-jose/chapter-111-san-jose/jessica-elix

Image Credits
Task Force ISO