Getting Unstuck: "Moving Away From My Old Self" – a Transformation Story with Jessica Du Bois
“I was just thinking about money and income. I didn’t really realize about how much making an impact was important to me – happiness just never even crossed my mind.”
Our lives are rarely linear. Most of start out "here" and then make a series of twists and turns. Sometimes we’re the driver. Sometimes fate and opportunity take the wheel. And sometimes someone else says “I’ll drive.”
In this series we’re calling “Transformation Stories,” we depart from the traditional interview podcast format of question and answer. Instead, here we have an individual explain how they came to be where they are today. We’ll focus on a turning point, or catalyst that propelled them from a less than desirable situation in life to one that’s more aligned with who they really are and where they want to be.
In this "Transformation Story," we talk with Jessica Du Bois. Jessica is a consultant and leader in the employee benefit industry who helps organizations by creating people- and purpose-focused benefits programs. Jessica’s transformation story began when she was asked to join a small gathering of influential leaders. Listen to what two of the participants said to her and how that catalyst prompted her to begin a journey of self-discovery.
As you listen
• What was Jessica’s motivation earlier in her career as she sought to distance herself from her Iowa roots?
• How did what the two women said to Jessica at the leadership meeting impact her? What did she realize about her life up to that point – about trying to achieve her particular definition of “safety”?
• How has Jessica begun to step away from her past – her “small wins” – and how she once carried herself?
• How has Jessica’s year-long period of self-reflection positively impacted how she looks at herself and the work she’s doing around humanizing the workplace?
• How does Jessica still struggle to show up differently in her life outside of work?
“Leadership is really about fixing ourselves or getting ourselves to a point to where we’re healthy enough to help other people.”
Think About It
At one point Jessica reflects on how she is becoming more intentional in her words and actions especially around wanting to make people at work to feel a certain way. Being “intentional” in thought and action is the opposite of operating on auto-pilot, which many of us periodically succumb to in the pace of everyday life. How often are you able to stop your auto-pilot behavior and slow down to the point where you can become more intentional in thought and action?
For more information
Jessica Du Bois at LinkedIn
Jessica Du Bois company website