Episode 3: Chronicles of the High Powered Female CEO with Jessica Rhodes

#FemaleCEOChronicles

These conversations are crucial in giving women everywhere permission to carve our own sovereign path, release the pressure and compartmentalization, and instead lead with wholeness and heart.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION

Melisa Keenan 00:22

Hi, everyone, and welcome to Chronicles of the High Powered Female CEO, this is episode three, and I am thrilled to bring on my lovely friend and also mentor. And also I'm a client in her big beautiful company, Jessica Rhodes. And DEC is Jessica Rhodes is okay, what's your official title in review connection?

Jessica Rhodes 00:45

You know, I was just saying to one of my team members today, titles are so fluid so I really don't, I'm not the CEO, my business partner is the CEO, I just call myself the founder, if you had to be technical, I fall into the chief operating officer title, but I just say founder, because I go where I need to go.

Melisa Keenan 01:07

I love it. And I'm so excited to have you here with us in this space. You know, the intention of this interview, Jessica is just for you to share a little bit about what is taking your heart in this journey, right? Everybody else wants to hear like the tangible stuff like, give me the strategies or you know, whatever, how do I get to seven figures in my business? and I think you're probably used to getting recognized for that kind of stuff, right? But it's the inner game that we're we're more interested in here.

Jessica Rhodes 01:44

And I'm so happy to be here because I do actually client was just telling me last week, you know, she was like, you have such a linear brain. And I tend to when I create content, it tends to be very strategic and like tactical, you know, like, do this, these are the questions to ask. But I always loved the opportunity to talk about this side of things. Because in order to be in my zone of genius, and to be focusing on the tactical stuff, because that's what comes very naturally to me and easy to me. There's this other piece of making sure that I am, you know, I'm complete and at peace and feeling calm. And that doesn't happen by accident. And, grateful for the opportunity to kind of talk about that stuff today.

Melisa Keenan 02:30

Yeah, that's so great. So what I do with these interviews is I share a few themes, right? that I've heard women sort of talk about, and I share these themes with my interviewees before they come on to do this interview, and the one that resonated most with Jessica was, I never expected the top to feel so that was fascinating the direction she took. So how does the top feel to you?

“When you are pushing at doing something at being in a role that is not in alignment with your natural talents and abilities, it's exhausting.”

Jessica Rhodes 02:58

It feels peaceful. Not every single day all the time. But that's why, you know, there's always a yin and yang in life, but I never expected it to feel peaceful because growing to this place in business, you know, we're we have a multiple seven-figure company, we have over 25 full-time employees. It's a big business for the entrepreneurial space, it's technically a small to medium-sized business, but you know what I mean? So growing here has at times felt incredibly chaotic, incredibly stressful. There have been seasons in my business growth journey where I would, you know, finish working, and by 5:30-6:00 o'clock, I want to go to bed, right? Like it just like totally burnt me out.

But the beautiful thing that happened over the last year and a half, as we really committed to and focused on scaling from seven to eight figures was the mental and the energetic game of business growth and of scaling. And there have been a couple of things that have come right to mind. So I don't know if you just want me to kind of share this.

So to start off, I want to acknowledge first that I said I'm not the CEO, and I really believe that's number one, I am the founder of the business. And I brought Margie and first she was a 1099 contractor. She became the first employee and then co-owner of the business and we really solidified her as the CEO because she is the visionary. And that really is number one. It's for me and her to fully recognize what are our strengths. That's number one because when you are pushing at doing something at being in a role that is not in alignment with your natural talents and abilities, it's exhausting. And so it was Great for us to really recognize that like, I am an implementer, she is a visionary. And so for me to be able to fully focus on being an implementer in the business, I feel more energized for her to fully focus on being the visionary, and the strategist and that type of leader, she's able to feel more, you know, easeful, and calm and peaceful. So that's number one is like, um, you know, really getting honest about what my strengths are and how I can contribute most in business. That's number one, how I'm able to feel peaceful, because if honestly, if it was my job, to like, cast the vision for the business, like, I would feel so stressed and tired, because that just does not come naturally to me, being able to see far in the future is not one of my strengths.

And I think it's really important to talk about this because a lot of entrepreneurs assume, Oh, I have to be a visionary because I'm an entrepreneur, you don't, not everyone is. So that's number one. You know, number two is also being really like incredibly focused on my health. You know, so I've made a few significant decisions for me that have created a really positive impact on my ability to feel peaceful. So I stopped drinking alcohol in August of 2020, which had a huge positive impact on my health and my mental well-being because I was ending every day with a glass of wine or a drink. And on Saturday afternoon, it was day drinking, because now it's Saturday, and it was like, really just unhealthy. And since I've stopped drinking, I've just felt so much more present just had just, you know, incredible, incredible positive impact.

Most recently, I started taking dance classes, which have been also incredible. It has really, you know, allowed me to reconnect with my inner child, my inner teenager because I took dance classes in high school, I was into musical theater. And then you know, I went to college, realize, you know, musical theater wasn't going to be my career path. And you know, you kind of just got into business and all of that. And I finally after, like 10 years of thinking, I’d be nice to do a dance class and not in a city where you know, if you're in like, LA or New York or Austin, like there's probably a million dance classes for adults like ballet, jazz, all that there's not really much around where I am.

But then I found one, actually the studio that my daughter attends dance class out, they announced they were going to do an adult tap class. And I was like, I'm doing it like I'm signing up for it. So I did two sessions of tap. Now I'm in adult jazz. And it's just like, it has brought me so much joy. And I love it so much. So I always… I just love to just share that with people. It's like what is that thing you've just been thinking about doing but you've just haven't done because of whatever crazy reason you have in your head, you don't have time, it's not a priority, you feel silly doing it, you know, you look stupid, any of that stuff when you do it, it has allowed me to feel like so much more feminine, right?

I've connected with my body in a whole new way. So those are just some things off the top of my head that I really felt called to share. Because when I think about and then I'll… Most recently, and then I'll stop talking. So I went and got Reiki on Friday. And it was like the second time I've ever had, I've ever gotten a Reiki treatment and oh my god, I feel amazing. I feel amazing. I just want to Fridays like a few days ago. And it is just like, I'm not even going to begin to try to explain it because clear like I'm not an expert. I've only had it twice, but I'm doing things like that like really embracing energetic healing modalities and methodologies, and learning how to calm my nervous system, all of that has had such a positive impact. I mean, literally just over the weekend, typically, right? You're thinking about your business all the time. You're like, oh, Sunday I'll just get to work because that'll make my life easier on Monday. No, it just means you're going to work more right so I was able to you know because of you know dancing instead you know dancing as a way to exercise on the weekend and like going to Reiki and like really focusing on how present I am and I was just really built to be totally present over the weekend and not be jumping into you know, Monday just work, just beast mode.

“Getting honest about what my strengths are and how I can contribute most in business. That's number one, how I was able to how I'm able to feel peaceful.”

Melisa Keenan 09:38

I’m curious because you have a family too. And you have this amazing booming business which is incredible. Like you've heard me say this before, but being a part of Justice Business has been such a good experience I have little like a teammate checks in with me about this and then this teammate, check about this, I feel so taken care of it's in such a good experience. But how do you? How do you actually, like in your mind, release the pressures that are telling you either, you know, you need to be in your business because you need to hit this revenue mark that you haven't hit yet or whatever. And then if it's not that one, it's the one that says you need to be home with your kids. Like, you need to be spending more time with your kids, like, how have you done that?

Jessica Rhodes 10:31

Yeah, well, I would say the first thing is just like really, you know, having a very clear, predictable schedule. So for me, my kids are in elementary school. So they go, they leave for the school bus at 8 am, they get back at 3:30, I'm pretty much working like nine to five, but my husband is more of the default parent, like, you know, so he is around to, like, greet them when they come home, and like get them doing their homework and stuff like that. So like, we have a clear role there. And it's interesting, I just saw somebody did a TikTok about kind of the role reversal, right? Like we are, you know, if you kind of grew up in like that traditional household where like, mom was like, my mom was mostly a stay at home mom, my dad worked right, there is this sort of like, this assumption that like, Oh, mom is more with the kids. But like, in our household that's different, you know, my husband, he works and has his own business, but doesn't quite as work as many hours as I do, it's a little bit different.

So there's just having really clear communication and roles around like, who's doing what and when, and definitely not perfect about that all the time. There are some times you know, my default is just like, oh, I'm going to go like work a little bit extra here. But if I don't communicate that clearly to Jamie is like, not good. So it's like, you got to really communicate that. And, you know, it's also in our relationship, like, I'm an extrovert. So like, I am talking to think, like, everything is coming out of my mouth. Like, as I'm thinking, I need to get better at that. And I'm working on that. But like, he's an introvert. And so what he is thinking, it takes him a while to process and then communicate it verbally to me. So you have to really, I think, get to know yourself and your partner to learn what is the best ways to communicate, who is doing what, and when, and then just constantly be checking in on how it's going.

But just to kind of go back to your questions, it's like having that clear schedule. And if that schedule is changing, you're communicating it with your partner. So that way, you don't just, you know, because I think when one person is kind of the default parent, it could be easy for the working person to kind of take advantage of that. And they go, I can just worry about the lecture. They're like they're out there with the kids, but they might be expecting you to come help. So really, really clear communication. And then just like having those, you know, those boundaries, right? Like, okay, it's nine to five, pretty much. But then you're not working at night. And you're not checking in like you're being really mindful. One of the best things I've done also is when I go upstairs, the kids at eight o'clock to put them to bed, I leave the phone downstairs, and that's it. Like, I'm not looking at the phone anymore at night, like I leave it downstairs. I don't need an alarm clock, because my kids wake me up every morning, like, hey, got the internal alarm clock. But you know, like putting the phone away at a certain point at night, so that way, you know, you're not going to be looking at it right before you go to bed and right when you get up.

Melisa Keenan 13:25

That's so great. So Jessica, I just want to conclude this and I've loved what you've shared so much with maybe a more personal question, just to get to know you. And I'm curious. You know, there's so many different, like, the fear of success, I think often is what prevents people from like getting to the place that you've gotten. To get there. I know, sometimes there's this like, well, then what? like what's next? you know, so, what really motivates you? Like, what do you feel so lit up about that has you continuing to choose this route every single day?

“It's so important to share and to show that it's possible because when you see somebody who's created wealth, like it feels more possible to you.”

Jessica Rhodes 14:12

Yeah, honestly, like, the word that comes to mind is freedom. And every in every sense of the word, like, freedom to, like, invest in what I want to invest in, like, you know, freedom to go on vacation with my family, freedom to go shopping without being stressed that I don't have enough money, like freedom to hire people to help me with stuff that I'm not good at, like we were working with an interior designer to like redo our bedrooms and stuff like that and like, stuff like that, like staying in your zone of genius, you know? So just that increased like financial, you know, not just ability but like, for I can't think of the word but just like financial abundance, it opens up like so many possibilities. So that's always what I remind myself of, but like when there are those, you know, and I'm not saying that Oh, because like, Oh, I'm so calm and peaceful, like, there are times of stress, like there are stressful and like difficult conversations to be had, there are difficult things to go through, even at the top. But when you do go through those times, you can be reminded of like, this is providing so, so much for me.

Melisa Keenan 15:32

So did you not grow up with having like, a lot of money, options, and possibilities?

Jessica Rhodes 15:38

Yeah, pretty much. You know, my dad, he lost his job when I was 13. So I think he did like, fairly well, you know, like, not my parents have always been like, really frugal, but like, he had a decent, like, very, you know, stable job up until them. But then he lost his job. And I was 13. That was right before 9/11. And he got cancer. So my pretty much my whole adolescence was like, pretty, like, hard times, you know, so for our family, like I was babysitting by the age of 11. And, you know, got a job as soon as I could probably eat 15 So yeah, things were very, very tight financially always had food and a roof over my head, but it was typical food from like the bargain grocery store. And, you know, wasn't, there weren't really big vacations and stuff like that. So things are definitely tight. And that experience definitely contributed to my work ethic. And, you know, some of my ways of being with money.

Melisa Keenan 16:38

That is so amazing. You know, I've done some research, and the percentage of self-made wealthy women is so low. Like, there's a lot of wealthy women out there, but a lot of wealthy women, you know, it was the family trust, or married into or XYZ, right? And I just like, I just want to like hats off to you guys. So it's so great, what you're doing.

Jessica Rhodes 17:02

Yeah, and it's so important also to like, share and to show that it's possible because there like there are studies done there is research, there's research that shows like when you know somebody when you see somebody who's created wealth like it feels more possible to you, I mean, one of my biggest like, motivations for increasing my wealth and like, you know, becoming rich out whatever that means to you was like, I had a rich uncle, just see like how baller his life was, I was like, I want that. It is really important you know, I think some people feel weird about like, showing off or whatever. Like he owns half a plane. He's got multiple boats. A heated basement. I'm like, Yes, like sign me up.

Melisa Keenan 17:50

I love it so much. Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us today on the show.

Jessica Rhodes 18:01

No, I think I said he did the basement I meant heated garage floor so just wanna clarify that important fact.

Melisa Keenan 18:10

I missed it. I missed it.

Jessica Rhodes 18:11

All right. Good that because that's the thing I would have been thinking about for five hours after this interview.

Melisa Keenan 18:16

The thing I love about you Jessica is that you are like a real yourself freaking real. It’s like you can just reach out and like I could picture us like hanging out with our kids together and I'm like, you're a millionaire. So good job, this is fantastic.

Jessica Rhodes 18:32

I told you I talked to think so that's that's very real. That's how I am. Thank you for having me, Melissa. You're joy.

Melisa Keenan 18:40

Thanks, everybody for watching. Bye bye.