Transcript of Episode

Leah Gervais: Hey visionaries, welcome back to The Your Biggest Vision show. I’m your host, Leah Jervais and I am very excited, honored and grateful to have Jess Anson with us here today just means so much to me and she’s an incredible story. So, hi Jess. Thank you for being here.

Jess Anson: Thanks for having me.

It’s truly my pleasure. So Jess is here to share so much with you guys. She has a S story of entrepreneurship. Um, that was really born out of a challenge, a really difficult thing that she had to overcome in her life. Something that she was kind of unfairly dealt. And I know that so many of us can relate to that in one sense or another. Uh, Jess is now a private yoga instructor here in New York city. She is also a coach for women. So she has a wonderful story. She does really important work. And she’s here to tell us a little bit about both. So Jess, why don’t you start, um, let’s rewind a little bit. What was, what was your childhood like and what about your childhood do you think fed into what you’re doing now?

Jess Anson: So, I grew up, um, pretty normal childhood. I say I grew up on Long Island. I definitely, I’m one of those kids where my mom had me like every possible activity, um, and it was always, you know, an overachiever in school. And so I think that the fact that I was very, very driven, um, really led it into, um, where I am today. And I ended up going to Cornell. Um, and that’s where things shifted a lot for me too, is when I started to have, um, a lot of health issues start to crop up and I felt very, um, angry for a while too. Cause I was like, I am on this path of doing all these things and I can’t have anything holding me back. Um, so I think that’s what, um, really kinda shaped me a lot too is that I had a really no, my childhood, um, went pretty well for the most part. And then I think a lot of these things started to really happen later on that maybe you reevaluate things kind of changed my outlook.

Leah Gervais: So you didn’t really start experiencing any health issues until college.

Jess Anson: Right. So about in high school I had a couple of random things go on and where are we stockers? We’re like, Oh, that’s just so weird. Strange. Like they never put two and two together. I went on a school trip my first time ever traveling to Europe and my legs swelled up and I couldn’t issue that on after the flight. So embarrassing. I was like, I can’t get my secret back on like my leg is just swollen. And then it went down that two weeks later and doctor’s like, Oh well you know what? She’s at that age where she’s probably like, you know, it’s to get her periods. Maybe it’s related to that. Oh my God. And then I had started happening again like a year later and those on a college campus doing college classes before college and um, they’re like, Oh well what are you eating at the campus? Cause maybe you’re eating salty food and that’s what it is.

Leah Gervais: Oh my gosh, Jess. I didn’t know this part of your story. 

Jess Anson: So It was always like told these different things. And then, and then I had my eyes were super itchy all the time. I had, um, this is super weird. I had four [unable to transcribe] of eyelashes growing into my eye, like scratching my eye all the time. Like that’s rare. Super strange. My eye doctor had never seen it. He’s like, this is fascinating. Um, but turns out it’s actually all related to like one condition, but like for so long I had multiple doctors telling me like this, this, this I ever thinking it was like, she joke among my friends, like they literally had like a hashtag on like Twitter when Twitter is a thing and be like, “Jess Hanson” problems. Like just bringing them problems are happening to me. And that’s how I felt though too. It’s like, why is this happening to me? Like me again? I wish it was really frustrating though too. I would laugh it off to people like, ah, yeah, but at the same time I was freaking out internally, like what’s going on?

Leah Gervais: So when did you one, start putting names to what was happening to you and two, did you have to do it or did a doctor finally tell you?

Jess Anson: Oh I had to do it. 

Leah Gervais: You had to do it. So what was that like?

Jess Anson: I had a few doctors proposing different surgeries and procedures, so I had hernia surgery as an athlete and so I had a hernia surgery and then I had the surgery and after they did it, they said yes, she didn’t find them a hernia. You just have a lot, but we don’t know what it is. I’m like, well that’s um, concerning and I still have like a lumps this day. It turns out that those were lymph nodes are right there. So I had swollen lymph nodes and, but like no one was recognizing inside. I was just like, Oh, well you’re an athlete, so must be hernia. Um, and that’s when I started becoming a little bit skeptical. Um, and then I started research and learned about how a vascular surgeon mentioned that I might have with lymphedema. And so I started really like researching the internet. I found that there was a test for it. 

So after I had studied abroad, and this is later on in college, but I had studied abroad in college and I didn’t have a lot of my tools with me, um, when I was studying abroad. So I was backpacking in New Zealand and camping doing high school things and it was really a great experience. But the entire time I didn’t see any of the bones and like my knee or ankle or foot and I was like a skinny person too. So I was like, this is really weird and kind of freaking me out. So that summer I got this, I found this test that you could do. I went to a hospital, I could do it and they confirmed that I did have lymphedema. So I was like, perfect. Like now I know what this is, um, what’s next?

They were like, well, there’s no cure and um, it’s progressive and you just have to deal with it. And I remember I was so stressed out, I didn’t like do anything for the rest of the summer. And she ended up with shingles that week because I was so stressed out that I just like broke down. It’s like, no, I figured it out, but I just was told now I do anything about it. And I was, I was going into my senior year of college and I was thinking like what do I do with the rest of my life. Like I’d find a job with Julie’s things and now I’m being told I had to deal with this shitty thing that’s only going to get worse. And so it sent me into a really, really dark place.

Leah Gervais: Hmm. Hmm. Wow. Uh, thank you for sharing that with us. So it, you know, I know you all now and I know that your, you know, your body more than probably any doctor ever will because of everything you’ve gone through. But when you realize that you had gone to so many different doctors and they all were either telling you the wrong thing or they were just simply not telling you the right thing. And you ended up having to self diagnose a pretty serious condition. It sounds like you at first felt relief because you were like, well now I know I have a name to it. It’s not just a question anymore, but what’s that frustrating? And do you feel like that is something that like more people are having to do then they should be and like just kind of, what’s your stance on this concept of self-diagnosing yourself? Especially when doctors are just straight up wrong and they’re only human. I’m not like trying to, you know, make doctors wrong here, but it’s just an amazing story.

Jess Anson: Yeah. So I think a big part of it just comes down to the way that we train people in our medical system to be focused on one particular thing. That’s just like the nature of how things are. So I think that as we learned that there’s a lot more to the body and like a lot more systems than just, you know, this is your circulation system and like it carries blood and your heart pumps it and you learn like me, there’s things like hormones and like your lymphatic system, all these different things. And how do they tie in play into one another? I think that a lot of, um, as we learn more about different, like autoimmune conditions and like things that other people like PSI does self diagnose and self with or like know that there’s some type of underlying root cause.

I think that that really is something that I think some doctors are paying attention to, but it’s just something that comes down to, I mean the fact that you kinda have to do your own research and be your own best advocate because I mean there’s no one out there is like looking out for you as much as like you could look out for yourself. So it’s a really frustrating process, but I know there’s definitely not just lymphedema, but a lot of other conditions that people have had to do similar things. I think particularly women as well. Um, I think I have to, um, often have to put their foot down or like saying something is actually wrong. Like, this is not just something I’m making up in my head. 

Leah Gervais: Right, right. Yeah. And so how have you, and how would you recommend to other people, mostly women that you do get more in touch with your body? Like are there daily things you do? And we might talk more about this as a bigger philosophy later on, but is there anything that comes to mind?

Jess Anson: Um, they were always journaling and I still do that. And because it’s so easy to, you start to, if you don’t really pay close attention to how you’re feeling, you might kind of forget like, Oh Hey, like you remember like the highlights. And then I do that a lot too is I’ll look back at college or certain times. I enjoyed them like that and I realized like I was actually like I was enjoying myself, I’m doing cool things and you look back at your own social media or like, wow, I’m doing like, I was great. But then you realize like, okay, like I actually was anxious about these things. Like I was really fatigued and I don’t know why. Or, um, you know, I’ve had a bunch of times where I was very, like, I’ve had periods where just getting nauseous and like just not be able to eat for days and things like that.

I’m like, okay, I actually would forget about those things if I didn’t journal them. Um, and so it’s funny now like by doctors who know me now, um, they like, no, I come in with a whole stack of information and like these are like my theories and what I think or it’s going on and it actually helps make the bus those appointments. I had a period where I was super skeptical and like angry about doctors, which is just not productive at all. But then I’m like, all right, now I just need to educate them on like what my condition is, um, where the specialists are, what are some of the types of like treatments and interested in what their thoughts are and gather all those thoughts from different sources and come up with my own kind of plan. And it’s kinda like going for second opinions and it’s just kind of more, more often than I would like. But viewing it as almost like a school project or something, he has to make it a game in your head because if he starts to get very upset, like, Oh my God, this is my body, what’s happening to it? No one can help me. It’s a really bad spiral. So figure this out. Like I’m a good detective and it sounds so silly, but that’s like these like mind games. I always like to play with myself.

Leah Gervais: Yeah, no, I love it. Otherwise they can. You can, you’re, you’re losing sleep because you’re making up like crazy things going on that just feel totally unsolvable. So really amazing advice. Okay, so going back to her story, you get this diagnosis, you’re totally stressed out. You’re you, you get shingles because you’re like, what the hell am I supposed to do with the rest of my life? I literally don’t know what to do. What does it actually look like? What? Like, what, how is this changing your day to day life now that you know you have this or that it’s even just showing up more?

Jess Anson: Yeah. So I started to break down and I need to wear compression garments all the time, like on a flight, I wear one that’s like one that goes from like my toes all it’s my upper thigh. They’re not cute and really uncomfortable. So I started wearing that. Um, all the time. I still do to this day in like 10 years I’ve been wearing that. But I wasn’t wearing it consistently, but it was just, that was very frustrating. But also I started paying a lot more attention to my diet even though my Dr. told me that diet would really have an impact and it definitely has a huge impact. Yeah. I met other people online too with my condition and the same thing is that once he started paying attention to my diet, like limiting alcohol, which took me a few years to do, but that one actually helped a lot as well.

Also just like journaling how different foods affected my body. So it became really obvious when I did certain things that I would have like a flare up or an experience. And then I also was told I shouldn’t work out. So I didn’t work out for a couple of years, which also kind of really impacted my mental health because I was always an athlete. But then, my friend took me to a yoga class and I was so not about it. I was like, I was never a dancer. Like I’m not flexible. Uh, this has like a horrible idea. She’s like too bad. Like I bought you like an intro pack to this local studio. So I went and then Beth was second class. I was like, I feel like my limbs feel a little bit lighter and not so heavy and tight, which was making me really tired cause my limbs were literally heavy, filled with fluid.

And I started, I remember telling my mom like, I think this is helping me, I’m not sure. So I started actually measuring my legs and actually just like taking note of how I felt. And then I became obsessed. And even that actually if I ever, I would stop doing yoga for a little bit. My mom would be like, please go to yoga. You’re so stressed out. It would help me mentally, but also physically I was like first thought it was in my head, but then I was like, wait, this is actually helping me cause I started physical therapy. No, the exercises were exercises that I was doing in yoga. I’d rather do them in yoga class than in a hospital environment.

Leah Gervais: Right. Totally. I love that you share this and I don’t want to sound, um, I dunno how to say this. I’m obviously not a doctor and I don’t want to pretend that I’ve had any medical expertise, but I’ve heard time and time again, similar stories to how things that seem either chronic or uncurable or just like completely out of our control can be not usually cured, but very much improved with things like diet and just exercise. For example, my dad, when he was still alive, he was diagnosed with diabetes type one diabetes very late in life, which is very unusual. It’s usually what happens to kids type. And it was weird because people kind of assumed it was type two diabetes, like it was a result of his diet and it wasn’t his pancreas just failed. It was not his diet at all.

He was, he was actually, I think born with it and it just showed up later in life. But my point is the doctors told him, you just can’t produce insulin, period. That is what it is. You’re always going to have to be inserting the amount of insulin that your pancreas was producing. And he pretty much went paleo after doing some extensive research on his own about that. And I don’t think he ever fully stopped having to use like some insulin, but his need for it dramatically went down by going paleo and no doctor ever told him that. It was through, you know, researching. And I think he talked to some people doing CrossFit and stuff. So anyway, my point is there are so many ways, holistically that we can ease our own conditions. And you know, just, you know, I have terrible scoliosis and I have stopped really eating gluten because it’s inflammatory and I have noticed that my back is just less irritated. So I really love that you kind of just broke that down for us. Okay. So you start falling in love with yoga and this is kind of where you and I start to cross in your journey. So you fall in love with yoga so much you decide that this could actually be something bigger than you. So tell us a little bit more about how that goes now.

Jess Anson: Yeah, so I post college, I started working full time, I think it related to any job. And then during that time period, I was very lonely during that time period, I think going from college to like this, this role. And then I signed like, I’m gonna join a yoga teacher training. So I did that while I was working full time, which was kind of stressful. But, I learned so much and I originally did it to learn more about the practice for myself. I didn’t have this intention of teaching others or creating a business at all. And then I started sharing, um, I was doing and I also didn’t share that I had lymphedema with anyone. It was like a big secret. I worked there for three years and no one knew that had anything wrong with me. Um, which was really bad because I had some of my, like I had like times where like pants, like literally like wide laid slacks, like split open because my leg was so swollen cause I didn’t have the time to take care of myself.

So I was working like 70, 80 hours a week, like a crazy person. That’s when I was like, I had to do something like something’s gotta give. And then I quit my job like with nothing else lined up cause I was just so burned out and was just focusing on yoga and teaching yoga. Which was not much money. I was running around to classes that were like 5:00 AM classes at local studios, so it’s taking whatever I could get. Um, and during that time I started sharing a little bit about having lymphedema and keep, some people started noticing that I had like compression on some of my yoga photos. And then one day I shared a photo on world lymphedema day with myself and like a challenging yoga pose with compression on like very visible, like a black compression stocking.

And like a whole bunch of people started just reaching out to me. They’re like, I know you like do this. Like, did you, when did you start yoga? Like it was before or after you had lifted EMA? Like, just, yeah, I just was like, wait, this is actually like really eye opening and it, there’s a lot of interest and there’s something he likes, helps me. And I said, there’s so many people that could also be helped by it. I spent a long time thinking lymphedema was rare and it’s really, it’s not rare at all. They think that about 10 million Americans happen. And um, it’s more than that. People with MS, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s, AIDS, ALS, like all combined. 

Leah Gervais: Wow. Wow. 

Jess Anson: Such a lack of education. So that’s when I started thinking like, wait, there’s something here. Like I’m angry that people don’t know about this. I have a way that can help it. Like I just feel obligated to share it. 

Leah Gervais: I love that part of your story so much because I vividly can picture that post in my head that you shared on world lymphedemas and how stunning you looked and just how many people probably felt less alone that day just because you, you shared that. And I think it shows so much courage. And so from there you start getting this traction. You also are already a yoga instructor and I know that your, your business really is so interconnected with different ways that you help women be their own advocates. You help people that have chronic illness. You specifically help women that have lymphedema. Tell me a little bit more about where, you know, how you kind of saw this as something and where you’ve taken it since then.

Jess Anson: Yeah, so one of the first things that I started sharing about doing yoga is that I highlighted, people start reaching out to me with lifting with saying like, you know, I went to, they’re like beginner yo yo EAs and like I went to yoga class and the instructor didn’t know about lifting [inaudible] and I felt like I couldn’t keep up. And it’s a lot of yoga classes that you go to and you know the Western world now feels like workout classes.

Leah Gervais: Right, they’re like Soul Cycle for yoga.

Jess Anson: Yeah. And so I can totally, I was like there are so many, not that there’s anything wrong with those classes. Like I love those types of classes, but then you also need to know, I was like, wait, there’s definitely a niche here where people need to know not just with lymphedema or with anything going on with their body. Like, how can they confidently walk into yoga class and find the things that work for them, do those things. And also like, you know, have that confidence to like, I’ve been for a long time, I would just push through whatever post instructor said because that’s just my competitive nature. So it took me a long time to let go of that ego and be like, you know what? Like I’m not going to do that post day and I’m going to sit here and do this, like have my legs up the wall in the corner and that’s totally chill. 

And, but like for someone to that’s your, this is your biggest insecurity. You don’t want to look like you’re like disabled or unable to do it. So I think that’s why I started realizing like, okay, I just think I can do here where I started just sharing like little hacks. Like, all right, if you have a lymphedema in your arm, you know, maybe like a downward dog doesn’t work for you, but you can actually do these poses at home where you lean against the wall. And so less pressure on your arms. Just little things like that, um, that just aren’t, you know, a lot of instructors just don’t, don’t know, just because it’s like impossible to know. [unable to transcribe] like poses ready for everyone’s different thing. Right? And that’s when I started thinking like, okay, there’s something here where there’s people too in a lot of areas where they don’t have access to a bunch of yoga studios.

I live in New York city, so there’s so much access to like every different thing you can imagine. But like what about people who, you know, don’t know anyone else with their condition and feel like they’re unheard and don’t know how to explain it. And then also there’s all one local yoga studio. Like what do they do? So that’s when I started to share more resources online and also work with people online. Um, and at first too, I thought it was kind of strange, like, Oh, teaching yoga online. Like how does that, now, how does that work? Um, but I think also just making people know if there’s someone on the other end who can just keep them like little tips, you know, verbal cues, which a lot of classes are mostly verbal cues like yeah. And how to do those things and how they can take that into their own whole practice and you know, just create those like daily self habits and routines that will help them, you know, manage not even just like conditioned to be like managing your life really.

Leah Gervais: Oh my gosh, Jess here started using butterflies every time. I’m so just moved by everything you’re doing and know that you’re making the world such a better place. So, um, this is a show for entrepreneurs as you know, you know, I’m obsessed with entrepreneurship. So talk to me a little bit about, you know, fears that you went through. I think all entrepreneurs fear putting themselves out there, they fear what people will think. They fear what people are going to stay. Especially like I commonly hear people are afraid of what people from middle school or high school say that they haven’t talked to, which always cracks me up. I felt the same way and it’s like why do I care that we do. Um, and I think that you probably even had that to more of an extreme because you have to be very vulnerable in your business. You have to talk about something that’s a very challenging part of your life, of your life, frequently doing yoga, doing any sort of fitness. You’re also showing your body. So how did you move through any initial fears and do you still move through a few years putting yourself out there?

Jess Anson: Yeah, I definitely, I had to really evaluate who I was spending time with. Um, and I have certain friends like my best friends that I would even say to them like before I’d post something like what do you think about this? Because I was so nervous putting things out there and it was really telling to me by different people’s reactions and then the people, there are certain people in my life who’d be like, why are you doing that? Or why did you put that and just make me really doubt what I was doing. And I mean I had a time to, I literally remember being out with friends and they were like, what are you, what are you doing? Like, why did you just post that? Like when I showed up to take a brunch, I literally deleted the Instagram post.

I was so embarrassed. And then I started to realized I’m like, wait, um, all these keep on… like is this exactly who I want to be spending my time with? Like everyone here is miserable about like their own things and now just bringing me down as well. And so I started to just really, um, spend more time with people that were basically just doing cool things and like we’re more like mission driven and like focused on you know, making themselves better person and not just like kind, especially in New York, you get this like climbing to this like rat race. It’s like getting up the corporate ladder and such. I just felt like I realized, I was like, all right, I’ve been in this very high intensity environment from Cornell to my jobs and I was like, I need to expand my circle a little bit.

Because I definitely felt like, you know, things were lacking for me. So there’s definitely plenty of people like I still stayed friends with. But then there is people that I started to just slowly start to spend less time with. I was just like, Oh, I’m a little bit busy and still visit now. I’ve been busy for like two years. But I think that doesn’t mean you know, people who start to like make you really question like, what be like, well why? Like, I would think that like, well do I have to like uphold this perfect image with you because the doing it and like I’m not perfect and it’s like really impacting me when I’m just trying to go and act like I’m something that I’m not. And so now it’s funny though because there’s a lot of people think it’s like more people think it’s really cool that I shared things and I have more people that come out of the blue and reach out.

I had someone from college. A girl in my sorority I hadn’t talked to in years and she reached out. She’s like, my mom is, I’m a writer and she’s like writing an article about lymphedema and I want like, can you like connect with her and talk to her? I think it’s so cool. Everything you’re doing. I’m like, Oh, like that’s just like things like that. Like just make me like, like happy like okay. It’s like people are like paying attention. They’re not saying things. They think it’s actually pretty cool and not, um, yeah, I guess that’s like you just have to recognize that if people are bringing you down like they had something else going on with themselves.

Leah Gervais: Hmm. Awesome, awesome advice. I mean, you know how strong I feel about that. That’s why my business has structured around groups and community and bringing people together. Do you think that because of what you went through and just having to be your own advocate kind of through for force, do you think that that’s given you more confidence that is now helping you as an entrepreneur?

Jess Anson: Absolutely. Yeah. I mean especially as I connect with people, like just way more confident in like sharing my stories for so long. I was just hiding so much in my life and that was just really stressful overall. Right. When you first started teaching yoga, people didn’t know. I haven’t seen that and I felt very weird, but people do. I taught someone with some type of physical ailment they would look, people will say things like, Oh, like I’m just like, you know I’m not born flexible or I’m not like, no, I’m not just born like you. I remember I was just thinking wait, like I was born with so much stuff and I’m like that, and I would kind of always want to say something but it wouldn’t be at the time place. And so that’s why I started realizing too, I’m like Hey, I should be a little bit more vulnerable of smacking. So perfect that people can’t relate. To me that’s really important. It’s like people think that you’re someone that they can’t relate to. It’s like why are they going to want to work with you as well? Like they can’t see themselves like growing into whatever traits you have that they want to exhibit as well.

Leah Gervais: Right? Yeah. That’s kind of like, I always try to say [inaudible] you have to give like your before. You can’t just show your after because people won’t see how they can get to your after, like if they don’t recognize you before. So that’s a great segue to my next question, which is, what would you say are, you know, one, two or three main benefits that you are able to help clients and people that you work with on?

Jess Anson: I think the biggest thing is I’ll be able to recognize that whatever it is is their thing, right? Everyone has something, whether it’s like a chronic illness or like a mental illness or any hits going on, helping them recognize that that’s actually isn’t something that is a set as a setback, but this isn’t something that takes away from who they are as a person but actually adds to it. I felt like for so long, especially even even like dating, you know, and this is really bad with um, like you know when you go in are like, you know, dating someone, like I would think like, Oh this makes me like less of a person like that I deal with this and I always like felt like that. Actually like later on I started like, well actually like on dates people would be like what do you do in your free time?

I would be like I actually advocate for  this like chronic illness that I have now and he’ll be like, Oh that’s actually pretty cool. And so it was interesting that um, yeah, it’s just like learning that instead of, it’s also how you present it. But I just want, I was like actually makes you are more interesting person but also shows, you know, you have a lot more strength than you think you didn’t have. So that’s one of the biggest things is you know, it’s really a mindset thing comes down to with working with people on that.

Leah Gervais: Oh I love that, Jess. Beautifully, beautifully said. So you are an alum of my program scale, your side hustle. You are also currently in my mastermind. And having experienced that, that type of community, what would you say to someone out there who is feeling like people in their life don’t really get what they’re going through if they’re trying to build a business or they feel lonely? And is there just anything you want to share about the experiences you’ve had in those spaces?

Jess Anson: Yes, I’d say I think it’s some of the best decisions I ever made because I probably sat on the fence, like I sound intense just putting out my first Instagram post about lymphedema for over a year. I almost did it like the year before on world lymphedema day and then I held off on it and waited another year. Um, just because I was so concerned about what people in my life would think. Um, and so once I started connecting with other people like, well online and in person and in the programs and sending people to lean on, especially when I would be like, I have no one to talk to you about this. And a lot of times to people in your life, they’re not going to understand this. Okay. You know, it’s an but you just have to have other people to rely on, um, in those times who understand like what you’re going through.

Um, cause I think that it’s very easy to get stuck and once you start feeling alone, like there’s no one that has your back on things. That’s when everything’s like a downward spiral. I think community is one of the most important things. I recognized community was so important because, before I joined this program, I had started connecting with people in online communities that have my condition. And that was really like life changing for me. Because like some of those people had met up with in person and have like, because some of them hadn’t ever met in person, but like it feels like they’re like good friends because there are people I’ve been able to like talk to and learn from and vice versa. So it’s just like, that’s I think one of the beauties of social media to be able to connect with people that you otherwise may never cross in your life.

Leah Gervais: Yeah. Yeah. Beautifully put. I, you know, I couldn’t agree more and that’s why I created the mastermind because I, I couldn’t have done anything that I’ve done without it. And it’s been amazing to see people lean on each other. And of course you have me who will not let you stay stagnant, even if you wanted to. So we definitely keep you moving. Uh, okay. Well, it has been amazing to hear your story. I’ve heard it and I get chills every time because you are such a good example of how important it is to get out of your own way. Because so often we can make our fears about us. What if I put myself out there? What if people are mean to me? What if no one believes in me? What if no one actually picks up on this? And you know, you are such a good example of how entrepreneurship often is not about you because it’s about the people you’re helping. And I think you’ve really kept that in mind through the struggles, through the things that I know you still go through. I know that your health has not, it’s not like you were diagnosed and then it was done. Um, and you, you’ve really just been so selfless through it all and you’re an amazing role model to your community as well as to the entrepreneurs out there who are, are afraid. So I really am grateful that you shared your story.

Jess Anson: Thank you. I don’t know how to respond to that. That’s so sweet.

Leah Gervais: It’s absolutely true. Okay. I have a few, three kind of quick questions for you. You ready?

Jess Anson: Okay.

Leah Gervais: Okay. What is your go to when you’re having a really bad day?

Jess Anson: Mmm. I let myself have some ice cream. I just have to let myself be sad a little bit and bottling it up never works. So yeah, just let myself have some ice cream needs some red wine and just chill for a few moments and be.

Leah Gervais: Perfect. I love it. Um, what are you most proud of in your business journey so far? In your entrepreneur journey. 

Jess Anson: Okay. I think the thing I’m most proud of is, I guess it just comes down, it’s back down to the, the feedback that I get from people when I get feedback from someone. Like just even people who I haven’t worked with who are like just see you move on every day and like continue to do every day. Like that helps me get out of bed in the morning or on days where I felt super depressed and like I couldn’t do it. Just hearing something like that. That is makes me so happy because I definitely have days that I’m down. And so just is like this positive feedback loop where I’m like, wait, I have to do this because there’s other people who are watching me and who want to see me do well and I want to see them do well. So I guess that’s like the thing I’m most proud of.

Leah Gervais: Yeah, absolutely. That’s incredible. Have you had, a business book or is there a podcast that you listen to that kind of helps you stay in a strong mindset?

Jess Anson: I think the most recent, well one that I always love to go back to is, You’re a Bad Ass. That one. It’s all, it’s just like so many little gold nuggets in there that I’m like that I read it a few times cause I definitely have times where I get super down on myself and like what am I doing? And I read that and like, okay, like I got this. Like I totally can do this ad. I mean it’s just so right. Is that this journey of entrepreneurship is like a roller coaster sometimes. So it really helps me level sets and kind of get back to a happy medium. What I’m starting to get down on anything.

Leah Gervais: Good one. Great. All right, well, final question. Where can people find out more about you?

Jess Anson: My Instagram is one of best places to reach me. It’s @JessRoseAnson, and on there too it’s like I share basically everything I’m doing, but also, any types of fun things I’m sharing. So that’s probably the best place to reach and follow along with me.

Leah Gervais: Love it. And I will just say as someone who has used yoga with pain I’ve had in my life, I love your Instagram for that too. So I really think you’re just a great yoga person to follow or health and wellness in general. It doesn’t have to be specific, it doesn’t have to be about any chronic illness. Um, you’re just a very inspiring person. So thank you again, Jess. I so appreciate it and I hope you guys love this. Visionary’s uh, Jesse’s Instagram and website will be on the show notes, so if you want to go head on over to my website, you can also get to it there. So thanks for sharing with us, Jess, right? Visionaries. Talk to you soon. Okay.

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