a letter from Jess
Hi, friend.
I’m Jess. Grab a cup of coffee and stay a while. I’d love to tell you a little about how I got here.
this is me!
my favorite people
Trae + me
keep scrolling, friend ↓
my why
mom life
chapter one
The plan I didn’t want
For more than ten years, I was a stay-at-home mom in a small town in Kentucky, and I loved every minute of it.
When my kids started school, I knew I wanted something more for myself, so I tried a lot of things: blogging, e-commerce, even medical coding. But I kept running into the same feeling. I didn’t want my life to look like the plan I’d always had in my head, where I go into a corporate job, work nine to five and squeeze everything else into the evenings.
I wanted a life I created on purpose, not one that just happened to me.
my favorite season
the little things
chapter two
Joy, on purpose
Of course, life throws good times and hard times your way. And somewhere in the middle of both, I learned that being intentional about how you create your life really matters.
That’s where Joyful With Purpose was born. It started as a blog, built around one simple idea: living from a place of joy (not always happiness, because life isn’t always easy) serves a purpose. It serves a purpose for our own lives, for our families and for our communities, the people we rub elbows with every day. When we live from a place of joy, we’re more open to what life has for us and what we can create.
Sometimes that looks like the little things, like knowing how to really enjoy your cup of coffee in the morning or a walk with your spouse. Sometimes it’s bigger, like realizing that helping someone else and creating happiness for them brings you joy too.
It all wrapped up into one idea: curate your life on purpose. Don’t leave it in the hands of other people, or chance, or coincidence. Create it.
“Joy isn’t always happiness. But living from a place of joy always serves a purpose.”
where the work happens
the cozy office
chapter three
Work I could be proud of
Along the way, I learned that work, and being productive, is a big part of who I am. I wanted to make an impact. I wanted to link arms with people, learn from them and share what I was learning too.
So once my kids were in school, I went looking for work I could be proud of. Work that let me help small business owners and entrepreneurs on their own journeys, but still let me pick my kids up from school every day. Make cookies in the afternoon. Be there for the volleyball game or the basketball game without feeling overwhelming stress sitting in the stands.
That’s how I found virtual assistant work. I started building my own client roster, one client at a time, and I truly loved it.
chapter four
And then came the questions
Then my husband, Trae, left pharmacy to work alongside me. And that’s when all the questions came.
“How are you doing this?”
“What kind of money are you making?”
“I want to do this too.”
“I need extra income.”
“I want to leave my full-time job.”
partners in work + life
a little reminder
Those questions lit a whole new passion in me: showing other people that yes, you can do this too. You can make extra income. You can leave your full-time job. You can earn income after you retire. And you can do it without feeling strapped to a nine to five, without doing something you hate and without the stress of hustle culture.
So I said yes. And here we are, with a virtual assistant agency, the Joyful VA Team, supporting small businesses, and a course, Work With Joy, where we teach other people to do the very same thing.
a few of my happy places
The little things that bring me joy
Some of these I’ve learned to savor in the good moments. Others are what I come back to in the hard ones.
The sound of the ocean
A boat ride on the lake
A pool float with a fun drinkHonestly, anytime you can take me to the water is a win.
Barefoot on hot pavement
Working puzzles, but only at Christmastime
Being anywhere, watching my kids do their thing
A freshly cleaned house with new candles lit
A routine, a rhythm, a scheduleGive me a to-do list and a planner, and I feel like I can conquer the world.
College football on Saturdays, playing in the background with the windows open
A room full of laughter and storytellingI come from a big family, and special occasions full of loud noise, laughter and storytelling bring a kind of joy that just can’t be matched.
remember this
Coming back to the things that make you smile matters. The truth is, you’re going to need it, in business and in life. Sometimes it’s the big things. Sometimes it’s the super small ones.
always in your corner
chapter five
In your corner
One of my very favorite parts of this community is getting to be your biggest cheerleader. Not in the score-a-touchdown kind of way, but in a linking-arms, I’m-in-your-corner kind of way. I want you to know that somebody is really rooting for you.
I love being in a room where everyone is uniquely themselves. The businesswoman. The artsy creative. The sourdough-making mom. Everyone showing up exactly as they are and curating a life that fits them. And honestly? I’m soaking it all up.
That’s what I want this little corner of the internet to feel like: everyone bringing what they’re creating, and all of us building it together.
since you asked
A few of my favorite things
The little things I reach for again and again.
P.S. My coffee order? Iced white mocha, nonfat, no whip.
Some of these are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you.
so glad you’re here
what I want you to know
You can do this.
And by this, I mean putting together the pieces of your life to make something special, and making it your way.
If that looks like running a full-time business that’s wildly successful, with your calendar packed out, then great. If it means slowing down, sitting on the back porch with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, and having slow mornings and slow evenings, then great too. The point is, it’s up to you.
That’s what I want this little corner of the internet to be: a place where you can see all the different puzzle pieces of your life. We’re working and being productive, and that serves a really good purpose. We’re creating financial flexibility and freedom for our families. We’re talking about parenting and that favorite sweatshirt, and we’re learning to enjoy life and live it to its fullest potential, for us. It looks different for all of us.
When we open our minds to the idea that it’s up to us, there’s a lot of power in that. And there’s a lot of joy in that.
I’m so glad you’re here.
xo, Jess
P.S. If you’re ready to turn your skills into income, come see what Work With Joy is all about. And if you’re a business owner who could use a little support, the Joyful VA Team would love to help.
✱ Not sure where to start?
Start with the free guide.
The Skills-to-Income Guide helps you find the skills you already have and see which ones businesses will pay for.
