Jess is a fourth generation Kenyan & a descendant of Ukranian Jewish refugees who fled a previous Russian occupation at the turn of the 20th Century. Her grandparents lived a rich and varied life in Kenya, running an import-export business that saw her grandfather having a foray into the film business, working on Hollywood classics such as Born Free & Out of Africa. Her grandmother was a wonderfully esoteric character who danced into Buddhism, publishing books in 35 languages & went on countless adventures, from stints in monastries to enrolling in Psychedelic trials in the 60s. Her parents made their names for themselves in music & film, touring the world with some of the biggest names in the business. Jess often laughs and says her big rebellion was being academic, going into business - what can you rebel against if your family were at the heart of rock and roll ?
Jess has been fascinated by exploring her Jewish routes, the intergenerational trauma she carries, & her own drive & relationship with identity that this history brings. At an early age, Jess felt she had a super power - fixing things by achieving. But things were never really fixed, and this fed a narrative that she was never enough. So the achievements became bigger, straight As, playing 7 instruments, getting into Oxford, becoming a scholar, getting into Oxford again for a Masters. Starting her first business at 23, gaining her first executive position at 25, her first board position at 27. For the better part of a decade, Jess rode the wave of early mornings, late nights and being a member of the weekend email club. London life felt like living on a conveyor-belt; not only did it feel normal; it felt celebrated both professionally and personally. Jess was a ‘high performer’ and proud.
Over the decades Jess spent achieving. she was running and when she was running, she wasn’t processing anything that happened to her. It wasn’t until a serious chronic illness struck her down at 29, that Jess was forced to stop, to examine & to process. Every system in her body collapsed, she couldn’t walk or talk, almost anything gave her an allergic reaction from coffee to temperature changes. She suffered three adverse drug reactions that nearly killed her, and was told to maintain a practically sedentary lifestyle as she was at risk of sudden cardiac death. In order to process the traumas that had happened to her during this period and in her earlier years, Jess journeyed through Eastern & Western practices of the body, mind and spirit. She radically redefined her life & lifestyle, moving across three continents in her search for answers. Whilst she will be on a journey to acquire knowledge and embody wisdom for the rest of her days, Jess defied the doctors’ predictions and is back to exercising and passion-led work, with better mental, physical and spiritual health than she has ever had.
Ultimately Jess is incredibly grateful for this experience. It taught her life lessons many people never learn, at an age where she had the resilience to come back from it. And this wakeup call showed her a new life direction; to help others live a life that is not at its core killing them, and to teach these lessons in a less painful way than she had to learn them.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for your interest; 593 words is merely a milimeter on the tip of the iceberg, so you’ll have to wait for the book to read the rest…
