Girl Crush x Jess

GIRL CRUSH X Jess

FROM TECH START UP TO NURSING SCHOOL, a lot has happened in the past year and a half for Jessica Brennan.

We were both in our early 20’s, living in New York City and figuring out what a career even looked like. Somewhere along the way we started to wonder, “what’s next?” We were feeling pressure (mostly from ourselves) as we started to think about where we were in our lives and question if we were doing all that we could to set ourselves up for the future.

It’s a story that I’m sure a lot of you will resonate with and one that I think anyone questioning whether or not they are on the right path needs to hear.

Jess and I met in college at the University of Arizona where we spent 3 years together frolicking around in the desert sun. After graduation (Jess crushed school and graduated in 3 years) we found ourselves approaching the real world and made our way to New York. We eventually moved across the river from each other somewhere between Manhattan and Brooklyn and the rest is history.

Jess and I love to travel together and hoped to take a quick trip somewhere before she started nursing school. One day, Jess called me up and said that the trip she was supposed to take to California got cancelled, was there any way I would be down to go away in a month? Twenty-four hours later we booked flights and confirmed our AirBnb. We were going to West Palm Beach!

Little did we know Hurricane Dorian would make landfall on The Bahamas just days before we were supposed to be in West Palm Beach. The devastation to The Bahamas lead Jess and I to seek out a local organization that was sending boats and supplies to the island. They are still dealing with aftermath months later and if there is anything you wish to donate you can do so here.

When we booked our trip, we decided WPB would be the perfect place to do my third Girl Crush interview. Jess had just finished her long run as part of her marathon training, a not so cool 15 miler, in the sweltering heat of Florida in early September. I opted for a meditation and a work out class at a local barre studio. We met back up at our AirBnb, went for a quick dip in the pool and whipped up some mimosas in preparation for the interview.

FF : Thank you so much for being here with me. It’s crazy to think that just over a year ago we were living in NYC and now you are back in your hometown of Boston. What is going on in your life in comparison to where you were a year ago?

JB : I’m so happy to be here! A year and a half ago I was living in New York City where I had been working at a software company. I had my best friends and a great community, but I wasn’t sure I could see myself longterm in the industry I was in. I ultimately decided I wanted to pursue a career that was more meaningful. So I quit my job, moved home to good old Milton, Massachusetts and started taking prerequisites to go into an accelerated nursing program.

“I wanted success to be bigger than that. And that's the first time I really thought outside the box of my current skill set. I realized if I left this job and went to another company it would be the same exact thing.”

FF : So in New York you had been working in event production and then went to work for a startup. When did you realize that some part of the corporate world wasn’t for you?

JB : So in a lot of the jobs I've had leading up to this point, I kind of got to the same point in all of them. I regard myself as a hardworking, motivated individual that really puts everything into whatever it is I'm doing. My last job was no different. I worked really, really hard. I was the first one in the office, and sometimes the last to leave. I tried to be passionate about what I was doing but finally got to the point where I thought, if I'm going to be putting this much time and effort into my career, I ultimately want it to be benefiting more than just the company that I'm working for.

I managed over $1 million in clients, I traveled all over the country. But success looked like more accounts or being able to up-sell customers to pay more for our software. And while I was happy for the company, on the other hand, I felt like I wanted success to be bigger than that. And that's the first time I really thought outside the box of my current skill set. I realized if I left this job and went to another company it would be the same exact thing.

There was a point when I was about to leave my job to go to another internet technology company and they were going to give me more money. It was all lined up. And that's where I had this aha moment wondering, “am I just going to get to this same point again? And is it going to be enough?”

FF : What is it about nursing that you knew was the next right step for you and what are you looking forward to most about being a nurse?

JB : I'm excited for the people aspect and I know that I want to be doing some type of nursing where I am working closely with patients and helping them get better, teaching them what they need to be doing once they leave the hospital and making sure they understand their care plan. Because at the end of the day, I'm really a people person and that's where I get my energy from. It's the textbook definition of an extrovert, but I love it.

Jess has always been an incredibly hard worker at everything she did. In college she got good grades, she was friends with everyone, she worked a part time job, and more often than not could be found going for a run first thing on a Saturday morning when everyone else was too hungover to even go outside.

She always enjoyed being around people. She would make new friends anywhere we went and loved to put herself out there in a way I always admired. Her energy was contagious. When Jess was around you couldn’t help but laugh and have the best time.

So it’s no surprise to me that she had this aha moment and realized she wasn’t content where she was and decided to do something about it in a really big way. 

FF : So you moved home, you’re taking classes, and working multiple part-time jobs. Were there things that you had to do mentally or physically to prepare yourself to take on all of that?

JB : My biggest fear about moving home was that I wasn't going to be busy enough. I felt like I had this community that I was leaving in NYC and the life I had built for myself there, from my running team, to my coworkers and friends outside of work. So my approach to this sort of change was to make sure my schedule was completely full.

I signed up for all the prerequisites that I needed. I signed up to volunteer at MGH. I took a part time job on weekends working as a hostess at a restaurant in Boston. And I got back in touch with my high school track team and was coaching during the week. So it did end up being a lot of things, but it helped the time go by fast. And for me, I always feel like I'm someone that needs to have a lot of things going on to focus. So for me my schedule was an approach that worked. I also did feel like maybe I overcommitted (laughing) but it all got done.

The prerequisites were the most important thing for Jess to accomplish and do well on because she was applying for scholarship money for nursing school. Told you she was hard working!

It wasn't the easiest adjustment, but it wasn't hard because I had a lot of people helping me along the way. My parents have been great. They've been super supportive throughout the whole process. My friends in Boston have also really helped me to re-acclimate to a place that I hadn't lived in in 10 years.

Honestly, the biggest thing for me was that I just needed to stop caring about what other people thought. In the beginning it was challenging when people asked what I was doing and I felt like I had to tell them my life story and almost justify what I was doing. I really learned to be content with what I was working towards, not where I was. Ultimately I had bigger goals than that, but it’s all part of the journey.

I think a lot of us can relate to this. So many of us want to change jobs or even industries or start a side hustle, but we’re too scared of what that process is to get there. So instead we just stay stagnant, in the same place we were a year ago. Because it's comfortable. The truth is that you really can do whatever it is that you want to do, you might just have to change your game plan once in awhile. The most important thing to do is make a decision and just get started.

One of Jess’ big goals outside of her career is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. She is giving one more big go at it this coming December by running in the California International Marathon in Sacramento. Good luck Jess!!

FF : I know you're a big runner. You’ve already ran three marathons, eight half marathons, and over 30 races in general (Jess has since ran over 1000 miles in the last six months alone!). You even went back to help out your old track team. So it seems like in this transition and in everything that's happened the last few years running has been really important to you. What role do you feel like running has played for you?

JB : Running is one of those really interesting things for me that I have somewhat of a love hate relationship with, but usually love. I really like the feeling of working towards something and it's one of those sports where you can always do better than you've done previously.

And that can mean something different to so many different people. Whether you run further, you run faster, you run longer. You don’t need to be PR’ing (personal record) in a race or running the fastest you've ever run. But there are so many ways that you can challenge yourself to dig deeper and be stronger. That's what's kept me kind of addicted to the sport.

I like to chase that feeling of you can always do better and challenge yourself and I think there's a lot of bigger life lessons that you can get from running. And that's what actually compelled me to go back to my high school and coach the running group. I felt like when I ran in high school, I learned so much from doing it that was applicable to the real world. And I wanted to show the younger kids that running is much more than a physical experience. There are lessons that they can learn and take with them for the rest of their lives.

“Honestly, the biggest thing for me was that I just needed to stop caring about what other people thought. In the beginning it was challenging when people asked what I was doing and I felt like I had to tell them my life story and almost justify what I was doing. I really learned to be content with what I was working towards, not where I was. Ultimately I had bigger goals than that, but it’s all part of the journey.”

FF : Who has been the biggest inspiration for you?

JB : Well I think just in general, a life role model would probably be my grandma Marian. She is someone that has such a positive outlook on everything and she has taught me how to approach life and all of the challenges and sadness that it throws at you in a really positive way. That it's okay to feel the feelings that you have and let it out. Her mindset is absolutely incredible. She's healthy. She's still playing tennis, she's traveling with her friends. She really embodies what a positive mindset can do for you throughout old age. And she doesn't like to call it old age, she likes to call it maturity and experience. She's a special person in my life.

She taught me that as you go through life and face different life stages, they don't have to be scary and if you embrace what life throws at you and surround yourself with good people you'll get really far.

FF : What would tell someone who is working at a job where they don't really see a future for themselves, but also aren't sure what to do next?

JB : I would suggest that they fill their time with things that they enjoy doing outside of work, things that could lead to future jobs and opportunities that are interesting to them.

Everyone has been at a job where they don't feel like they have a purpose or they're not quite sure what the next move is. I think a lot of times the next move can happen organically. For me, when I was in New York, I joined a running team and we spent a lot of time running and talking about careers and what was next for us. I made so many friends that gladly invited me into their companies to interview when I expressed an interest in my career going a certain way.

Use all the resources that are available to you. Network and get yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to talk about your job and express that you're looking or even that you're not sure what you want.

“She taught me that as you go through life and face different life stages, they don't have to be scary and if you embrace what life throws at you and surround yourself with good people you'll get really far.”

Make a bucket list. Make a list of cool things you want to go see. Make a list of people to go explore those things with. Meet as many people as possible. That's my advice because down the line, you begin to realize that those weak ties create connections in places you didn’t expect them to.

Jess and I started a bucket list before she moved out of New York. We tried to base it around non-drinking activities and make it a priority to stick to our plan, even when one of us wasn’t totally feeling up to it at times. Here’s a list of a few of the things we did, that you can do with a friend to make the most of exploring the city or state you are in!

FF : What do you think the last few months or years has really taught you?

JB : I'm really grateful for my parents and for the support I have to do this. It would be really hard for me to have stayed in New York or stayed at my job and take one class at a time until I finished the prerequisites. When I want to make a change, I am someone that wants to move full steam ahead the day I decide to do it. So all of this wouldn’t have been possible without their support.

At one point I had to throw aside the stigma of living at my parent’s house and being my age because no one actually cares and everyone says the same thing, which is usually, “good for you, live with them as long as you can.”

The second thing is stop caring so much about what other people think. I feel like if I'm not out there achieving that I don't have anything to tell people. But it also helped me come to terms with remembering to respect the journey and that good things take time. And it might not happen instantly. This is the most planning I've ever done for anything besides the forced planning of high school and college. And this is the most thought I've ever put into a career path and a five to ten year plan. I want it to work and having this time to think and make sure it's really right is only going to help me be a better nurse.

FF : What are three things that you're grateful for right now?

JB : I mentioned it a couple times throughout the interview, but I'm really grateful for my parents. I love them.

(Jess started to tear up.) I’m really grateful for our safety and not being struck by the hurricane and seeing what other countries are going through, specifically The Bahamas. It's been a big storyline over our trip and being here (we were about 50 miles from The Bahamas) and wherever else was struck, it just goes to show how lucky we are to have shelter and basic things that we take for granted every day. And this trip especially has made me think even more about ways that we can give back to people that are less fortunate than us.

And last but certainly not least, I’m really grateful for our friendship.

FF : I feel so proud of you and so happy for all that you've done and the choices you've made and followed through with. You ran 15 miles this morning (mic drop). You've used that mentality to get to this point and look at where you are because you didn’t take the easy route. You worked so hard and you should be so proud of even just stepping away from a job that was comfortable but that you recognized no longer served you. I love that you felt it wasn’t the right place for you anymore and you listened to that intuition rather than avoid it. You’ve done some really awesome things.

Jess and I don't live in the same place anymore, so we’re both really grateful for our friendship and this time that we spent together.

“Use all the resources that are available to you. Network and get yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to talk about your job and express that you’re looking or even that you’re not sure what you want.”

Since Jess and I sat down, she has had so many exciting things happen. She will be running the California International marathon in Sacramento this December and is hoping to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Jess also accepted an offer from Johns Hopkins and will be attending The School of Nursing there this coming January!

One thing that I learned about Jess in this interview was that down the line she hopes to combine some of her tech background that she has from her early career with her soon to be nursing resume. She would love to explore what she learns in the field to have a broader impact on the future medical technology. Her goal is to be able to help patients on an even larger scale.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, I think Jess’ story is one that resonates with so many of us. We have the job, we’ve built a community and then we get comfortable in our lives and what we know. What Jess did is not easy by any means, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially. But she broke the cycle, picked herself up and changed her entire life for a career that she believes in. She listened to her intuition and stayed true to her authentic self. Something that is much easier said than done.

If there is one thing that you take away from Jess’ story I hope it is that anything is possible. You can be crushing it in a job and still not feel like it is not serving you. You can be scared sh*tless to make the change, but if you know deep down that this is your life and you only have one chance to go for it, then I hope that you make the decision today to go after whatever it is that will lead you to truly living your best life.

One last reminder is if you can and if you feel compelled to, please donate to The Bahamas relief funds that are out there. They still are in need of help to rebuild and just because it isn’t a headline in the papers anymore doesn’t mean it isn’t a need. This is the local organization Jess and I donated to, just be sure to find a safe and trustworthy org.

Thank you Jess for being so inspiring as a friend.

And as always thank you for being you & being here.