Reworkit with Jess Wass: California Dreams (& Learnings)

Hi Reader,

TLDR:

1. California Dreams: I've finished my month in SoCal and I have lots of learnings and highlights to share around not asking permission, embracing the now, and embracing your strengths.
2. Look Ma, I'm Launching a Podcast!: Yes, you read that correctly. You can now add Podcast host to my list of titles. If you're an ambitious working mom, this is a podcast you're going to want to listen to and share with your friends.

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I just spent the entire month of May in Southern California and wow do I have some incredible experiences and lessons to share.

Lesson 1: You Don't Need Permission to Take Time Off

I want to talk about something that comes up every time I mention I've been in SoCal for an entire month to people: the look.

You know the look. The one that says, must be nice. Or: how do you do that with clients? Or the more honest version, I could never.

Here's the thing. It wasn't effortless. It took months of planning. Not just the logistics of getting a toddler across the country to stay in a house we'd never even been to before (my in-laws bought it a month before we arrived, so we were all figuring it out together). But also the business side of it.

I told clients early. I blocked off most of the month. I purposely didn't take on certain internal projects during that window. Things that were urgent got moved up. Things that weren't got pushed to June. A handful of exceptions came up and I accommodated them. It all worked out.

And I think that's the part people miss. It's not that traveling while running a business is easy. It's not that my husband's company is super flexible. It's that most of the friction we imagine in advance never actually materializes, because we planned for it. Communication and planning don't just make things easier. They make things possible.

The version of you that's waiting for permission to take the trip, work remotely for a week, or actually use your PTO is waiting for something that's never coming. Nobody's going to hand you that. You just make the plan, tell people, and then prove to yourself it wasn't the big deal you were afraid it would be.

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Lesson 2: This Is the Last Moment Your Kid Will Be Exactly This Age

Normally my daughter is in daycare during the week, and I love that for both of us. Baby stage? Not my favorite. I'll be honest. I found it hard and exhausting and a little monotonous. I don't feel bad saying that.

But toddler? Toddler is something else.

Spending this much unstructured time with her over the past few weeks, I got to watch her in a way I don't usually get to. She's curious. She's focused. She talks constantly. She's a total ham. She claps for herself when she does something impressive and actively looks around to make sure everyone witnessed it.

Clearly she got that from me :-p.

But what I kept coming back to was this: I don't regret being a working parent. I don't want to be home with her full-time. And I also know that the time I do have with her, I want to actually be in it. Not half-present. Not scrolling while she plays next to me. Not mentally already on the next task. I want to see and appreciate her growing in front of my eyes.

There's a thing I talk about with clients around transitions, how people are often already in the next place before they've left the current one. And I realized I do that with her sometimes too.

So if you've got a trip coming up, a kid who won't stop growing, a person you keep meaning to call: be there when you're there. It sounds obvious until you realize how rarely we actually do it. And this is the last moment that person, that kid, that version of your life will be exactly this. Put the phone down, turn down the volume on your anxiety, and just enjoy the present.

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Lesson 3: Do the Work Before You Need It

I've been off stage since before my daughter was born. And when I say I prepared for this keynote, I don't mean I ran through my slides a few times the week before. I mean months of work. Structural changes, new stories, new exercises, a tighter arc, a sharper opening. The whole thing.

I wasn't starting from scratch. I know this material. But I wanted to level up, not just show up. And I know myself well enough to know I don't do my best work under pressure. So I do the work early, I do it in layers, and by the time the day comes, I'm not anxious. I'm ready.

Here's what was funny: At one point a month before I started to get anxious about not being anxious. Like something must be wrong if I'm not panicking haha. But that's actually the whole point! I realized, thanks to my Coach Katie, that calm was the result of the prep, not a sign that I wasn't taking it seriously.

In the end, the talk landed! I knew it in real time.

The speaker panel that followed kept referring back to things I said. Attendees came up after to tell me what resonated and how they were already thinking about applying it. People who are 20-plus years into their careers told me there were still reminders and frameworks in there that hit for them. And on the business side, it generated some really promising leads for coaching and future keynote conversations.

But here's the other thing I realized. I'm not the speaker who shares a dramatic personal journey. I'm not the one who's there to fire you up and send you home on a high. I'm the one who gives you something you can actually use on Monday. That's my lane and thats ok. Leaning into this instead of trying to be someone I'm not is what makes it work and what makes me good at what I do.

The lesson here isn't about keynotes. It's about knowing what you're actually good at, doing the work to get even better at it, and trusting that your version of excellent doesn't have to look like anyone else's.

Want to learn more about my keynote speaking? Reply back and let's chat or learn more here.

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Look Ma, I'm Launching a Podcast!

I’ve been sitting on this for a few months and I’m ready to share it...

In a few weeks, I’m launching Rewritten: Real Talk for Working Moms Who Want It All with my co-host Teresa Sweeney.

Teresa and I have been friends for over 20 years. We’ve built very different careers, made very different choices, and spent a lot of time having the conversations that working moms don’t usually get to have out loud.

This show is that conversation, on record. Not balance advice. Not inspiration content. Real talk about ambition, motherhood, and building a life that’s actually yours.

Our first episodes cover our origin story, redefining success, and how to fuel yourself when you’re running on empty.

A few things I know about you from being in this community: you’re driven, you’re probably doing a lot at once, and you’ve wondered more than once whether the life you’re building is the one you actually want.

This show is for you.

Two ways to get involved right now:

1. Get on the waitlist. You’ll be the first to know when Episodes 1 & 2 drop and get early access to each subsequent episode. You may also get priority as we explore other special events for the podcast community. Come join us!

Join the Rewritten Waitlist

2. Forward this to one person. Think of the woman in your life who is ambitious, who is a mother, and who would roll her eyes at “just do less” advice. Send this to her. That’s how we build something worth building.

Until next time!

Best,

Jess