About Jess

Hi! I'm Jess. By day, I'm an executive assistant extraordinaire, but there's a lot more to me than my inbox management skills (though I have to say, my email folders are a thing of beauty).

I'm that rare combination of a people person who also needs her solitude. Give me a day full of meetings and problem-solving with clients, followed by a quiet evening with my ridiculously fluffy Maine Coon cat, Pixel (yes, I'm a bit of a nerd, and yes, I named my cat after a unit of digital measurement). He's my constant companion during my remote work sessions, though he has an unfortunate habit of walking across my keyboard during Zoom calls.

Speaking of being a nerd - while organizing executives' lives is my profession, I've recently fallen down the rabbit hole of web development. There's something satisfying about creating order out of chaos, whether it's in a messy calendar or in lines of code. This website? It's my first real coding project. It's not perfect, but I'm learning, and that's what counts. (And yes, I know about that weird spacing issue in the mobile menu - I'm working on it!)

When I'm not orchestrating schedules or debugging my latest CSS disaster, you'll find me on a climbing wall or hiking trail. There's something about problem-solving your way up a rock face that's not entirely unlike figuring out how to fit three "urgent" meetings into an already-packed executive's schedule. Both require strategy, patience, and the ability to think three moves ahead.

I'm also a bit of a coffee snob (occupational hazard of working in tech), but not in a pretentious way. More in a "I have strong opinions about bean origins and I'm not afraid to share them" kind of way. My current favorite is a small-batch Ethiopian Yirgacheffe that my local roaster keeps setting aside for me. Yes, I organized their inventory system for them in exchange for priority access to their best beans. Networking takes many forms!

Currently single, but I'm approaching that like I approach everything else in my life - with intention and a well-thought-out strategy. Step one: stop spending quite so many Saturday nights reorganizing my Notion workspace. Step two: actually use that fancy climbing gym membership for climbing rather than just early morning yoga sessions. Step three... well, I'm still working on the flowchart.

I currently live in the city (but am considering something a little closer to nature), but thanks to technology (and my borderline obsessive organizational skills), I work with clients all over the world. My apartment is a cozy mix of minimalist organization and adventure gear, with a dedicated office space that's been carefully curated for optimal video call backgrounds. Though sometimes Pixel decides to improve my professional image by showing off his belly in the middle of client meetings.

My philosophy in life is pretty similar to my approach to work: create systems that serve you, not trap you. Be prepared, but be flexible. And always, always have a backup plan (and a backup for your backup).

Want to know more? Let's connect! I'm always up for a coffee chat (virtual or real), a climbing session, or a deep dive into the pros and cons of various project management methodologies. Yes, I have opinions about Kanban versus Scrum, and yes, I can explain why while hanging off a cliff face.