Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess Pettitt.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Born in FTW, raised in Midlothian until 4th grade when we moved to the big city – Plano. Fled Texas and have only come back for paid speaking work and a murder trial.
I come back all of the time for clients, good BBQ, and Tex-Mex.
Driving through central Texas – I feel like Mitt Romney because the trees are the right height!
Favorite stop – Koffee Kup in Hico, Texas for pie.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Never!
Went to Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, and back home for a year after my mother died of cancer. I went to Colin County Community College and worked as an assistant at Merrill Lynch (my office was under the E on the south side of the tower) while also waiting tables at El Norte Grill while supporting my younger brother through addiction issues and my father through grief.
Returned determined to “graduate on time” with a double major. Left for Bulgaria to serve in the Peace Corps during the war in Kosovo until medically evacuated for blowing out my knees.
Upon that recovery process, I went on to graduate school with a Master’s in Higher education to do diversity work on college campuses. 5 large research institutions in 7 years showed me that 1) it is a privilege to go get another job when it isn’t your idea to no longer work somewhere and 2) my Texas roots continue to push me towards a scrappy and resourceful sensibility.
I started my own speaking and consulting business, published my book Good Enough Now, and was launching just as COVID hit.
Using what I call a Trojan unicorn method – I bring touch subjects to the forefront so that we can have conversations that matter.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I blend humor, current events, and polarizing topics with actionable diversity skill-building.
My mantra is “doing the best you can with what you have some of the time is better than nothing never.” This is Good Enough Now.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Same answer for both.
Don’t mess with Texas sets us Texans up as outliers and I love this! We culturally question things, authority, and ourselves as a way of life.
What I don’t like is this culture norm also means we “take our ball and go home” more than we stay in curiosity for the benefit of others. We threaten succession instead of lending helping hands.
To be curious means you ask questions you don’t know the answers to and your aren’t threatened by that not knowing – it is in fact the point.
There are a lot of outliers – you/we are not alone, special, or different and without seeing each other’s humanity we aren’t honoring our sense of hospitality and generosity because we seem to no longer value vulnerability and authenticity.
Contact Info:
- Website: JessPettitt.com
- Instagram: @goodenoughnow
- Facebook: @jesspettitt
- Twitter: @jesspettitt
- Youtube: @jesspettitt
- Other: Flamingo.day
Image Credits
John DeMato
