There seems to be a trend of connecting with fellow California expats here in D.C. and Jessica Grounds is no exception. Moving to D.C. right after graduating from Pepperdine, Jessica is the epitome of the ‘make it happen’ attitude. Don’t let her optimistic outlook fool you, though. She has had a ‘juicy’ career since landing in D.C. which has evolved from couch surfing while looking for her first job to founding Running Start before pursuing a once in a lifetime opportunity on a leap of faith and ultimately founding Project Mine the Gap with Kristin Haffert.

Whew!

No wonder she was name one of America’s 50 Most Influential Women!

We discuss the power of networking and sharing your network, what is really needed to achieve parity for women in leadership and how to know whether to take that leap of faith.

ENJOY!

Pop ahead to hear Jessica share:

3:33 – Doing what it takes to make your dream a reality, even if it means couch surfing
7:43 – How to identify an opportunity that’s worth the leap of faith
8:22 – How the D.C. culture of networking helped in her career growth
9:30 – Beyond just networking, the power of sharing your network
11:25 – Why you need to tell people what you want to do
12:56 – How Jessica’s volunteering as a leader led to a traditional leadership role
17:00 – What will it really take to see more parity for women in leadership
22:40 – How to silence the critics as you step out in visibility (hint: it has nothing to do with them!)
28:00 – How an executive coach helped Jessica (not how you would have thought!)
 36:20 – Why bringing others into the discussion around a big decision can create a better outcome
Watch the video above or have a listen below …

 

 

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