But that’s not what this is about it. It’s about passion, expression and owning what lights you up.

GUSTO* noun
1 a: enthusiastic and vigorous enjoyment or appreciation
described the adventure with great gusto

b: vitality marked by an abundance of vigor and enthusiasm
could not match the gusto of their competitors

UNBRIDLED* adjective
1 formal + literary: UNRESTRAINED
unbridled enthusiasm

I’m a down-for-anything kind of person. Spontaneous backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon? Let’s go. Backpacking through Europe? I’m buying my plane ticket. Silly little walk in the park? Bestie, I am already on my way.

Maybe it’s my wildly active brain or my inability to sit still, but I feel something magical when I’m face-to-face with an opportunity to experience life.

8 hour solo road trip? Down. Visit the new bookstore in town? Down. Letting someone spill their guts to me? I have all day. Making friends with the cashier at the supermarket? It’s my favorite thing, er, one of them.

Truth be told, I have a disgustingly innate love for most all people, places, and things - Even the ones I don’t love.

Because encountering what I don’t like teaches me something about the world and how I fit into it.

• The workplace bully? Love her because it solidifies my desire to be more generous and honest.

• That one questionably-acting family member? Grateful because I gained an opportunity to sit with my negative feelings, extend lovingkindness, and choose emotional regulation.

• That one trip with friends that ended in a way I’m not the most proud of? Resulted in some clarity and self-compassion.

No shame, no blame, no regrets.

I’m a huge fan of the “take what you love and leave the rest” mentality.

Everything isn’t for me, but I can find something for me in everything.

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We’re all complex - taking no less than 10 personality tests in the past 15 years has opened my eyes to that! We can’t be defined by a single letter or metric.

In different seasons we find ourselves passionate about different things.

And for some of us, yes, even coloring inside the lines can be one of many things that lights us up.

In every opportunity I try to cling to my values, my strongly-held beliefs, my support system, and my inner compass. As well as the strength from remembering everything I’ve been through - what I loved and what I didn’t.

Because in a world where I can be anything, it’s really hard not to lose track of myself.

Not only are the opportunities before us vast, but sometimes it seems that every person we encounter is trying to make us into something, mold us with their own ideologies, or force a program or path upon us.

We all need a pause. A quiet moment. A chance to remember who we are, clarify what we want, and decide where we are going.

I’ve finally found myself at a point where I’m not afraid to look someone in the eyes and say, “I don’t need you to like me.” Life is a bit too important to be trying to spend my energy fitting someone else’s narrative for me. And that’s me living unbridled.

Because at the end of the day, in all our yeses, no’s and maybe-later’s we find ourselves - and the love we always needed was here all along.

I take joy in my choices however wild and contradictory they may seem. My unique passions for life and self expressions are honestly my own, in ways that no one else posesses.

And I relish in yours, too.

Our paths don’t have to look at all similar and that’s what I absolutely love about this whole thing.

So, how are you showing up for your one wild and unbridled life?

-Jessica

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Jessica Burkett has a Fine Arts background in Graphic Design and an MBA in Management. This informs her thinking around the intersection of the human experience. She is a Strategist and Photographer with over 15 years of experience seeing what other people don’t always notice.

JEssica enjoys helping brands communicate with their audiences effectively, advocating for ambitious women’s achievements, and moving through life with self-compassion.

Based in the Midwest, she works with clients internationally.

Explore more at jessica-burkett.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Originally published at https://www.jessica-burkett.com on June 19, 2026.

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*source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Among people who have careers, there’s a few approaches to work/life balance: Working 24/7 even while “on PTO”, work-hard/play-hard, frequently dipping into negative PTO balances, and the classic clock-in, clock-out then call it a day.

What all approaches have in common is: Lifestyle preference. We all choose different lifestyles, and have different desired lifestyles.

Money, health, and time to ourselves are major factors. Whether or not you love your job, you can probably relate to the tension between wanting to live your life and needing money to do that.

I’ve always been of the mindset that it’s important to love what you do, find joy in the every day, and suffer as minimally as possible. In essence, HAVE FUN! Life is short! Joie de vivre, carpe diem & c'est la vie ☮️

Yes, I do believe working can be fun, and unfortunately that’s part of why I’ve spent a cumulation of countless months working overtime for little financial reward, pushing myself to the limits to improve internal operational efficiencies and company profits.

Though I have also dipped into negative PTO and seem to have a chronic problem where my time-off never accumulates fast enough.

I enjoy working, and I enjoy living. As an American it feels a rarity, and problematic to want to live solidly in both buckets.

Considering options for a balanced approach to this mindset, while I’m theoretically in favor of a years-long hiatus for all, that seems slightly unrealistic. I think Europe has it right where you take a month holiday at the end of summer. Alas, I live in the Midwest, so I must engineer my own happiness unless I want to move overseas.

The corporate world moves fast. As we’re all aware, AI is rapidly accelerating the way we work and live, and I do believe it’s true that if you’re not involved you risk getting left behind.

I don’t mind admitting that I would prefer to stay up-to-date with corporate trends, and actively contribute. I’m personally not anti-corporation or anti-capitalism.

Yet, I also have a strong desire to “take it easy”, enjoy slow mornings (that bleed into lazy afternoons), and relish in impromptu lingering-lunches with family and friends.

Enter: The mini career break.

Through the past 15 years I’ve managed to incidentally alternate hustling with adventuring, and have enjoyed 4 mini-breaks in addition to having traveled countless places. Places like Ecuador, Canada (2x), Paris, Scotland, and a coast-to-coast USA roadtrip to name a few.

In my upcoming thought pieces I’ll dive into each of my four mini breaks, why I took them, how I approached them, and what I gained from them.

Have you taken a career break, whether forced, planned, or spontaneous? Or know someone who has? Please comment & share, I’d love to hear from you.

Jessica Burkett has a Fine Arts background in Graphic Design and an MBA in Management. This informs her thinking around the intersection of humanity and technology.

Jessica is a Strategist and Photographer with over 15 years of experience seeing what other people don’t always notice.

She enjoys helping brands communicate with their audiences effectively, advocating for ambitious women’s achievements, and moving through life with self-compassion. Based in the Midwest, she works with clients internationally.

Explore more at jessica-burkett.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Originally published at https://www.jessica-burkett.com on June 17, 2026.

Writing without a paywall is important to me, even while I’m still building a small following. But writing does take time. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you consider buying me a coffee! It would make my day <3

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Taking the difficult route was easy for me.

Overthink, overcomplicate, over-plan. Question, question more, and still hesitate before taking action. Or — Take action, make some kind of colossal mess or mistake, then waste time cleaning it all up. This was my modus operandi. I practically had an MBA in Grit & Resilience. But it all made me so tired.

I have always asked WHY!??! Then my brain spawns 101 ideas before I’ve even heard an answer.

“Slow Down, Jessica!” is something I’ve also heard a lot. I like to live with gusto, full steam ahead. In 2017 I moved across the country and subsequently had 3 jobs in 3 years and lived 3 different places in that timespan. After? I crashed in my parents’ basement for 10 months. COVID was the obvious reason but I think the other reason is because I had worn myself out driving a 6-speed manual 3 hours a day in Los Angeles for too long.

The problem with living life at 100% 24/7 is the crash-and-burn part.
You know that meme? With the girl lying down on the beach?

I swear that could have been a picture of me at any given time in my life. Except — I don’t take naps. Of course not! I have too much living to do!

And I never lived the easy way. Every relationship, job negotiation, and career progression opportunity I overcomplicated. Why accept the status quo when I can challenge it? Fight for myself? Believe in something better?

In case you were still wondering, an idealistic approach to ambition is exhausting.

So, where am I going with all of this? As a millennial child of “Hustle Culture” and “You can do anything you set your mind to” I’m happy to report that I’m resigning.

I think there’s a different way. A few months ago I uncovered a concept of a slightly splendid life — a notion that hasn’t left me.

I’m still figuring out what it means but I think it’s something like being an Ambitious Builder while living an Intentional Life I won’t burn out from.

Because I still believe in working hard. Plugging in to communities I believe in. Championing good people who do good work. Believing in a better world. Fighting for what I’m worth and advocating for systems to treat people fairly.

But sometimes I think it’s okay to take an easy path.

If this resonates please leave a comment or share with a friend.

-with lovingkindness,
Jessica

Jessica Burkett has a Fine Arts background in Graphic Design and an MBA in Management. This informs her thinking around the intersection of humanity and technology.
Jessica is a Strategist and Photographer with over 15 years of experience seeing what other people don’t always notice.
She enjoys helping brands communicate with their audiences effectively, advocating for ambitious women’s achievements, and moving through life with self-compassion. Based in the Midwest, she works with clients internationally.

Explore more at jessica-burkett.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Originally published at https://www.jessica-burkett.com on June 16, 2026.

Writing without a paywall is important to me, even while I’m still building a small following. But writing does take time. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you consider buying me a coffee! It would make my day <3

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Photo by Михаил Секацкий on Unsplash

“To err is human, to forgive is divine.”

This is a quote from Alexander Pope’s poem, An Essay on Criticism (which I had to look up because I mistakenly thought it was from Shakespeare). Regardless, I wonder if Pope realized when he penned that, how ubiquitous the phrase would become.

Today more than ever it seems people are saying “oops, I failed - see, proof that I’m human!”

Almost as if we are clamoring to claim our humanity in an increasingly robotic-world.

We like to believe our failures make us human. That we’re loveable despite being fallible. That it’s endearing to mess up and move on.

And while those things may all be true, failure is no longer a humans-only game. Ever have a conversation with ChatGPT? Yeah, it’s known to make mistakes from time to time.

In 2026, I think that to err is operational.

To notice is human.

Because what happens when ChatGPT makes a mistake? It does nothing except sit there, asserting its position. It waits, for you, dear human, to act upon it.

You see, we are the prompters. We have the opportunity, agency, and responsibility to engage in metacognition - observing our failures and being forthcoming with them. We don’t require an outside force to twist our arms into admitting our wrongs.

While uncomfortable to acknowledge, our mis-steps are just part of operating in human form. ChatGPT has them too. But our ability to observe and take independent, unprompted action - that is human.

So, can we all commit to saying the uncomfy part out loud? “I messed up! Here’s how I’m handling that.” Because that is the marker of our humanity.

-Jessica

Jessica Burkett’s background with a BFA in Graphic Design + MBA in Management informs her thoughts on humanity and technology.
She is a Strategist and Photographer with over 15 years of experience seeing what other people don’t notice.
Jessica enjoys helping brands communicate with their audiences effectively, advocating for ambitious women’s achievements, and moving through life with self-compassion. Based in the Midwest, she works with clients internationally.

Explore more at jessica-burkett.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Originally published at https://www.jessica-burkett.com on June 10, 2026.

Writing without a paywall is important to me, even while I’m still building a small following. But writing does take time. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you consider buying me a coffee! It would make my day <3

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I saw something interesting today after I concepted this post. Someone was saying we millennials are the last generation raised to believe a corporate career is the end-all-be-all.

Our parents and prior generations didn’t have the options we have, which is probably a big part of why their careers were more straightforward. But I’m not here to talk about what we all already know: that pensions aren’t a thing anymore, social security is a scam, and companies don’t care about us. It’s also no secret that workers today are highly interested in portfolio careers, fractional work, early retirement, and yes - side hustles are still in vogue.

For too long we were raised to think commitment was the goal. If I commit to the company, I’ll be taken care of. If I switch jobs every couple years then people will think something is wrong with me.

Personally I thought I had to overcome my commitment-phobia in all areas of life. But I am settling in to the idea that, at least in my career, some jobs are like a bad marriage - I love you (for the benefits) but I don’t like you (because you treat me poorly, we don’t “speak the same language” or share the same goals).

So, while open relationships or dating around aren’t something I necessarily advocate for, I think there’s something meaningful about a fluid career. (To be clear, I’m not condoning having multiple W-2 jobs simultaneously or slacking on the clock.)

Every new environment, different team, fabulous boss, and company structure invites us to learn something new about ourselves and the world around us.

We are all students of life who can benefit from being challenged outside our comfort zones. If we let it, every situation we experience shapes us more into the person we’re meant to be and can inform how we choose to show up for the next leg of our journey of life.

I can’t close this article without acknowledging all the incredibly dedicated long-term workers who have invested decades into working for the same company. I admire them with a certain envy and wonder. There is probably so much they have learned from being “in it for the long haul” with the same company and one day when I start my podcast I’d love to dive into that too.

But for me - VC startups, private equity, hollywood, and family-owned businesses have all been part of my 7 companies in 15 years roadmap. I’ve also enjoyed running my own business, booking my own clients, and getting to know the needs of people in my own community.

While the journey isn’t easy, I’d argue it’s worth it. Because for every part of my story I’d rather forget, I have a few amazing memories - and lifelong friends - from along the way.

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It’s easy to get tripped up thinking you have to name your company something super-catchy or memorable.

But the truth is this: it often doesn’t matter as much as you think it does.

What did Tyra Banks call her production company when she produced America’s Next Top Model? Ty Ty Baby Productions. I assume people called her “Ty Ty” or “Ty Ty Baby” as a nickname. She didn’t overthink it.

You don’t have to overthink it either.

A company grows into its name over time.

Off the top of my head I can think of a few unsexy company names, like Brown Shoe Company, U-Haul, Office Depot, Distribution Management. Over decades, these brands have grown into making their company names recognizable.

I scanned the top 300 of the Fortune 500 companies, and noticed some trends — 

Publicly traded companies named after someone’s name: Ford Motor, Walt Disney, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett Packard, Kraft Heinz, Charles Schwab, Sherwin-Williams, Emerson Electric, Stanley Black & Decker

Publicly traded companies named after their thing: General Motors, FedEx, Energy Transfer, Performance Food, General Electric, Dollar General, Applied Materials, Dollar Tree, Tractor Supply

Publicly traded companies named after a region: Bank of America, New York Life Insurance, Nationwide, American Airlines, US Foods, Boston Scientific, Global Partners

So, if you’re starting a business, don’t overthink it. Leaning on general descriptors, your region, or your name is a tried and true method for naming a company. The most important thing is just going for it! Besides, the name can always be changed later.

-Jessica

Jessica Burkett has a unique background with a BFA in Graphic Design + MBA in Management. She is a Strategist and Photographer with over 15 years of experience seeing what other people don’t notice.
Jessica enjoys helping brands communicate with their audiences effectively, advocating for ambitious women’s achievements, and moving through life with self-compassion.
Based in the Midwest, she works with clients internationally.

Explore more at jessica-burkett.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Originally published at https://www.jessica-burkett.com on June 8, 2026.

Writing without a paywall is important to me, even while I’m still building a small following. But writing does take time. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you consider buying me a coffee! It would make my day <3

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A lot of new business owners I’ve been talking to lately are stuck on their image. They think they need better photography, reels, website, LLC filed.

But potential clients are already sitting in their DMs. People already want to work with them. And they’re not converting them to paid clients.

Because they think they’re not ready. They’re caught in the scroll-trap, watching “experts” on their feed tell them they need to invest in a personal branding session, a coaching session, and optimization session.

But they’re ignoring their intuition and their proof — people already want to work with them!

Let me let you in on a secret — those “experts” in your feed won’t make any money from telling you to be yourself. When you already have the proof of concept and a few interested potential clients, you can just be yourself as you move forward confidently.

Investing in education, coaching, branded photo sessions are all great things to do for your business. But you don’t always need them to start.

To start a business you really just need your first client. They don’t even need to pay you, if you just need experience going through your process with them and can afford a trial client. If you’re in this situation my recommendation is always, just start. Especially if people are already coming to you with questions on how you can help them.

What’s holding you back?

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But sometimes life isn’t that easy. Choices and options are something most of us generally have, but it doesn’t always feel that way.

To a lot of people I may seem like someone who jumps into things quickly or jumps out of them even more quickly. But I like to fail fast, iterate, and take lessons to the next place.
And sometimes — ideally- that happens within the same context (a company that I believe in, a supportive marriage, a house that feels like home).
Long-term is alwaysthe goal. But short-term testing helps me get there.

When I was in high school it felt like my world was falling apart (hello, family dysfunction and teenage angst).
I had been taking private piano lessons for 8 years and had another annual recital coming up. I couldn’t get my nervous system to calm down or my mind to focus, but this classical piano business required me to memorize a bunch of pages of sheet music.

I’m okay at memorizing but I’m better at sight reading. And this particular year I just couldn’t memorize the song in time for recital. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it but my mom insisted I get on the stage and play the song from memory.

Well, dear reader I got on the stage. And I walked off the stage. Mid-song.

Yes, in the eyes of many, I failed.

While I let down other people, I felt that my intution had been right.
I wasn’t prepared and maybe it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, but even though I had 7 years prior track record performing memorized piano pieces, I experienced a defining moment where I quit piano for good.

It didn’t fit into my life anymore at that time.

It was embarrassing, humbling, but also reinforcing — that I could trust myself. So why did it take me another 15 years to really get that?

Along my path since that moment I’ve said yes to plenty of opportunities just to see where they lead, and enjoy making the most of them.
From applying to a job (and getting hired) at the Ellen show from LinkedIn, to buying my grandmother’s 1963 house and committing to home renovations as a single woman. I jump in and do the thing and call it an adventure — with gusto.

But I’ve also said yes to a lot of things that I didn’t feel were right in my gut. I don’t regret them because at the time it was the best I knew to do. But when we get on “a stage” where we know we shouldn’t be, that can cause a lot of tension. I’ve experienced this in my career. It’s hard to know when a company or team might not be the right fit until you’re there.

But sometimes the gut feelings are screaming warning signs. When I ignore those and think I can get on the stage and perform anyway, that’s where trouble comes.

In summary, this post is about alignment and thinking before you leap.
Some people have told me I’ve lived too many lives for my age. I’ve explored a lot that life has to offer.

And I’m learning to slow down, move with intention, and get clear upfront.
Because while the world is our oster, it’s important to know how to make a pearl — and stick around long enough to see that through.

-Jessica

Jessica Burkett is a Content Strategist and Photographer with over 15 years of experience seeing what other people don’t notice. She enjoys helping brands communicate with their audiences effectively, advocating for ambitious women’s achievements, and moving through life with self-compassion.
Based in the Midwest, she works with clients internationally.

Explore more at jessica-burkett.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Originally published at https://www.jessica-burkett.com on June 3, 2026.

Writing without a paywall is important to me, even while I’m still building a small following. But writing does take time. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you consider buying me a coffee! It would make my day <3

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In 2015 I was 24 and booking clients, designing contracts, and hiring second shooters all the time. I was being flown across the country to photograph my clients.

And I had imposter syndrome — BIG TIME.

I did this on the side of my full time job of being a Photo Retoucher. So frequently, but so quietly that some of my friends had no idea I was doing all this, to this day.

100% of my business was through organic referrals.

Today, I see new photographers online practically begging to get the same kind of traction.

I thought it was normal.

I didn’t know how to market how we do today, and frankly that wasn’t really possible in the same way.

But these days I feel like I owe it to myself to show that version of myself that I still believe in her more than ever. I want to keep doing what I love — seeing what others miss and connecting the dots to tell a story.

That’s why I’ve also been building a client portfolio for Digital Strategy services. My clients lately have been telling me things like “You put that in words I was struggling to articulate,” and “I didn’t think this was working but you’ve shown me how it is.”

My brain gets bored when I do only strategy, or only creative work. I need both.

And while working silently behind the scenes to analyze and synthesize data points (human or otherwise) is what I enjoy, I’ve been following the pull to lean in to sharing my work a little more loudly than I’m naturally comfortable with.

So this is me feeling awkward -

If you’re curious about how I can help you in either of these capacities, creative or analytical, let’s have a chat. Not because I want to be selling something. But because I want to live a life I’m proud of - sharing my gifts to help people.

-Jessica

Jessica Burkett is a Content Strategist and Photographer with over 15 years of experience seeing what other people don’t notice. She enjoys helping brands communicate with their audiences effectively, advocating for ambitious women’s achievements, and moving through life with self-compassion.
Based in the Midwest, she works with clients internationally.

Explore more at jessica-burkett.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Originally published at https://www.jessica-burkett.com on June 2, 2026.

Writing without a paywall is important to me, even while I’m still building a small following. But writing does take time. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you consider buying me a coffee! It would make my day <3

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“Messy Jessie, that’s what they call me” I’d share all too often throughout my life, echoing the label I was branded with as a hyperactive child.

In life we encounter all kinds of messes.

Some we make for ourselves — like when I’m straining out the pasta water and accidentally dump half the steaming noodles into the sink.

Sometimes we’re cleaning up someone else’s mess — like when I get out of bed in the morning and spot the gooey wet surprise my cat left us on the hallway’s hardwood floors.

Sometimes a mess gets thrust upon us — like the night my husband and I came home from our wedding and found our sewer had backed up that day, flooding our basement and soaking our Brooklinen comforter.

Messes big and small are inevitable. At the end of our lives I’m sure we’ll all have a lot of stories of our messes to reflect on.

Saddleback founder Rick Warren says we have an opportunity to let our mess become our message.

So — whatever messes we encounter ahead, or whatever messes we’re cleaning up, I find hope in remembering that how I handle life’s curveballs is how I develop character (a la Calvin & Hobbes) and build a life I’m proud of looking back on fondly.

Jessica Burkett is a Content Strategist and Photographer with over 15 years of experience helping brands communicate to their audiences effectively, advocating for ambitious women’s achievements, and moving through life’s messes with intention. Based in the Midwest, she works with clients internationally.

This post was written entirely from a human, for humans, without the help of A.I.

Explore more at jessica-burkett.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Originally published at https://www.jessica-burkett.com on May 31, 2026.

Writing without a paywall is important to me, even while I’m still building a small following. But writing does take time. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you consider buying me a coffee! It would make my day <3

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I spent a large part of my corporate career designing and running statistical tests - analyzing user journeys and KPIs - with the intention of improving customer experience and brand outcomes via optimizing something existing or trying something new.

A/B testing is about taking current-state and making one small change. Run with that for a while and then compare outcomes. That’s it.

Good A/B testing requires grit and honesty.

To run successful tests you have to be willing to fail, willing to set aside time at the beginning to really map out what you are going for, and then set aside time after your test has run its course to analyze and assess the insights.

Sometimes a test doesn’t turn out the way you’d hoped. But whether it does or it doesn’t - that’s data. That data helps you move forward more effectively into your next path.

And I think a lot of us would benefit from A/B testing more in our lives, relationships, and business ideas.

Have you tried this? What was the outcome?

Writing without a paywall is important to me, even while I’m still building a small following. But writing does take time. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you consider buying me a coffee! It would make my day <3

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Burnout Coach & Life Design Strategist - For ambitious souls & creatives who have an idea of what they love and don’t love, but need a little help uncovering alignment in how they show up to life.

Here we live authentically, work with heart, and support empowering human connections. Helping each other live lives we love without dimming our sparks.

I also host Passion Propeller, where conversations around life and work design spark meaningful ideas.

Stay if you’re a real human seeking a more human-feeling life ☕️

Happy to have you.