CEO and thought leader Jessica Zweig has a new book with an intriguing title: Be. A No Bullsh*t Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Net Worth By Simply Being Yourself.  To read the book is to immerse yourself in an oasis of sanity and optimism. Whether you’re CEO of a global conglomerate or an individual defining your own mission, Jessica offers valuable truths and proven paths to success.  She’ll be the first to say she didn’t get there overnight.

In 2008, Jessica was Chicago’s glamorous see-and-be-seen girl. She was the celebrated co-founder of Cheeky Chicago, a lifestyle magazine and event hub described as “Sex and the City online.” From all outside appearances, her future looked as bright as the galaxy.

But Be pulls back the curtain on a different reality. Behind the Cheeky glitz, Jessica and her business partner struggled to pay the bills as their relationship shattered. Her parents had to step in to pay the phone bill. “I had a breakdown. I hit rock bottom,” Jessica told me. She describes it all with absolute candor in Be. But the book is about so much more.  

In 2014, after a period of profound reflection, Jessica founded the SimplyBe. Agency specializing in brand messaging. Today, her award-winning company counsels clients around the world from Google to Microsoft to creative folks and fledgling entrepreneurs. Crain’s Chicago Business named Jessica a Notable Entrepreneur of 2020. Forbes spotlighted her as a Personal Branding Expert and INC says she is a “Top Digital Marketer to Watch.” Folks travel thousands of miles to attend her workshops and tickets sell out fast.

Jessica’s method is not mainstream and, in fact, is quite unexpected. She helps her clients build unbeatable brands by emphasizing authenticity, a generosity economy, service, and “embracing your shit.” Every person, every entity has a brand, she says.

“But wait”, I said. “I’m an introvert. Maybe even a bit of a misfit. How could I have a personal brand?” Not an obstacle, Jessica reassured me. She once felt that way, too, but no longer. The fact is, your personal brand is an integration of your unique experiences, insights, failures, fears and triumphs. Take this authenticity, make it your story and you’ll have a compelling personal brand ready to show the world. In fact, Jessica says, you’re obligated to show the world. Your authenticity not only empowers you – it empowers everyone you meet. 

Jessica’s book Be offers a detailed, doable plan for creating your own exceptional brand. It’s the roadmap we all need and one of the most honest, energizing and transformational reads I’ve experienced.

Jessica kindly spoke with me by phone about how she rebuilt an extraordinary life and why authenticity is the superpower we all possess.

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HOW TO SHINE!

Teme: Please tell us about your new book Be!

Teme: You have many prestigious business clients. Can individuals reach out for advice, too?

Jessica: Oh, yes. My agency helps all sorts of people. If you have a company or if you want to build your own personal mission and message, please call us. We’d love to talk to you.

AUTHENTICITY AS A SUPERPOWER

Teme: What makes authenticity so powerful?

Jessica: Authenticity is an ever-evolving process. It’s not a destination. It is a journey of knowing who you are and unpacking your truth. The more we lean into that exploration, the more integrated we become and the more compassionate we become towards ourselves and others. That is true medicine for the world. The human experience is a challenging one. We’re here to evolve our souls. The more we recognize the power of that evolution, the more powerful we become.

SimplyBe gives people the tools to articulate their authenticity and to share their truth and to put it out on the internet which is our way of communicating in this day and age. What a gift, that we can connect and create community across the world.

SimplyBe is about being who you are both online and offline. Once you’re empowered with this understanding it creates a ripple effect by giving others permission to be themselves. What a responsibility we all have to be ourselves! When we are ourselves we change lives! That is the essence and net effect of authenticity.

IF AUTHENTICITY FEELS SCARY …

Teme: What stops people from being authentic?

Jessica: Fear. The opposite of love is fear. In my view, authenticity is love over fear. Love shows up as service, community, compassion, kindness. Fear is inauthenticity. It doesn’t make us bad. But when we operate from ego, comparison, jealousy, or fear of rejection and disapproval, these are self-limiting beliefs that we are not worthy of being joyful and successful on our own terms.

We meet our power outside our comfort zone. Confidence is a muscle. You can’t expect to go to the gym, lift a weight one time and become buff, right? The way that we become buff in our confidence is by practicing. By practicing I mean actively putting ourselves in situations that make us uncomfortable. Speaking in front of an audience, sharing a vulnerable Instagram post, having a tough conversation, doing something that we don’t want to do.

When we move through uncomfortable moments we don’t die. The world doesn’t end. We actually realize the power of our own strength. We learn that we are capable of getting through hard things. That understanding of our capability creates confidence. You find yourself in a new version of yourself that is clearer, stronger, more confident and less afraid of what other people think.  

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AUTHENTICITY AND OVERSHARING

Teme: Is it possible to be too authentic? When does authenticity become oversharing?

Jessica: This is a wonderful question. One of my biggest philosophies is that the internet is not a place for you to process. The internet is a place for you to share value.

Let’s say you’re going through a breakup. I’m using this as an example because it happened to me. You can get online and talk about your pain in the eye of the storm. You’re mad, you’re being passive-aggressive. You’re cathartic. You’re sharing this breakup because you’re looking to fill a void because you’re in pain. You’re getting online and you’re processing your pain. That is not a good look. You can’t really see how you’re being seen because you’re so in it.

The second way is hiring a therapist, going through the emotions of healing, talking to your friends, talking to your family, journaling, processing, crying offline; all the ways that you are taking care of you.

When you realize what you learned from that breakup, then you can get online and vulnerably share the pain of that experience. The difference is that you’re now giving the wisdom, the value and the lessons that you learned from that breakup, so that is not just about you.

It’s a fine line, but I always come back to the internet is not a place to process. If you’re in the middle of some sort of vulnerability and you’re still reeling and healing, don’t get on and share the shit. It’s about sharing the value that you’ve learned from the shit. That’s my biggest piece of advice. I’ve seen it so much in my days.

THREE THINGS TO DO NOW

Teme: What are three concrete things we can do to become more authentic?

Jessica: Step one is do the inner work. It’s not an outside projection of what you want the world to know about you. Being authentic requires you to learn who you are. Hire therapists. Work with a life coach. Work with an astrologer. Work with a Reiki master. Work with all sorts of different practitioners. Read books. Journal. Be open to feedback so you can uncover aspects of yourself that you never looked at before.

My journey towards authenticity became non-negotiable because I was in so much pain and so unhappy. I had no choice but to seek help. It was that journey inward with the help of a lot of really amazing people that I started to see who Jessica really was. It is an ever evolving process.

Step two is to look at your circle. Cut out toxic people. What are you feeding your brain? Raise your frequency. We are all energetic beings walking through the world. We vibrate at a frequency. Raise your frequency to a vibration that is joyous, grateful, and positive.  When we do that, we start to magnetize more of our right opportunities and become a light for others.

Authenticity is completely rooted in love. It’s an exploration and expression of love, of service, of community, of connection, of belonging, of truth. People who bring you down lower your vibration. That is going to make you feel small. It is going to make you feel untrue to yourself.

The third thing is to look at what you are doing in your life. Are you in alignment with your purpose and with what lights you up and what makes you, you? Are we doing the things that bring us into our joy and service? That’s when we are attuned to the experience of authenticity.

The final tip is just stop giving a shit about what people think of you. Like really, it’s none of your business.

THE AH-HA MOMENT

Teme: How did your insights about authenticity change your life?

Jessica Zweig

Jessica: I ran a business for seven years. It was my entire identity. Yet after seven years it didn’t feel right anymore. Walking away from something that I had built yet no longer felt in alignment was one of the biggest activation portals of my life. Standing in that truth, as scary as it was, as sad as it was, as confusing as it was … I just knew in my soul, I can’t do this thing anymore. That choice activated my authentic truth.

I ran a magazine. It was an amazing chapter of my life. I learned a lot about business. I learned a lot about digital marketing. I learned a lot about social media. But I wasn’t going to talk about nightlife and fashion parties for the rest of my life. I wanted to do something meaningful. I want to help people. That’s when SimplyBe was born. That’s really the shift, I think.  People who change the world come from that vantage point of “how can I serve?”  That was one of the biggest “ah ha” moments that I’ve had.

GENEROSITY

Teme: What in your life inspired you? It’s so rare that people come at things from a spirit and a core of generosity.

Jessica: I’ve never really been asked that. Where does that come from? I think nature and nurture. I was raised by an amazing mom. She is so generous with her love, her words and her compliments.  I compliment people so much that people think I’m full of shit and I’m like, no! I see in you what makes you amazing and I want you to know it.

I also think that I clicked into an abundance mindset a while ago. I’m not a jealous person. I’m not a competitive person. Of course I have my triggers, but I wasn’t wired to feel like what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours. There’s enough to go around. We can all win.

SIMPLY BE: STORIES OF INSPIRATION AND EMPOWERMENT

Teme: How have your insights helped people, especially this past year? 

Jessica: I have stories every day. A twenty-year-old girl wrote that my book changed her life and gave her the confidence to start her own career. She just graduated from cosmetology school and she invited me to her graduation party. I’m going to go. My best friend had a friend reach out to her and tell her that my book, though it is business-oriented, gave her permission and courage to start the transition to become a transgendered male. I’ve heard everything from “you’ve helped me get clarity in my business” to “you helped me find my true identity” and everything in between.

THE SPACE TO SIMPLY BE

Teme: You have such great energy. Do you keep any objects or photos around you to energize yourself throughout the day?

Jessica: That’s such a beautiful question. Space is everything to me. I call my office my temple. I call my home my sanctuary. I need a lot of nature and green. I have a lot of plants. I love crystals. I love colors, but not bright colors. My office is blush pink and white. My home is all white, beiges, green. I have a very busy life, a very busy mind, so I need serenity in my physical spaces. I love modern art. I love bold photography. I’m a big fan of scents and candles. It is important to have a space where I really feel in alignment.

HOW TO BE AS THE WORLD RE-OPENS

Teme: What is your advice for anyone anxious about interfacing with people again?

Jessica: You know, the human condition is not meant to be isolated. We thrive in community. We thrive in belonging. We need to look into each other’s eyes. We need to clink glasses. We need to be in the vibration of other humans. That is part of the medicine of healing from this pandemic.

There are two viruses; the virus of the coronavirus and the virus of loneliness. The impact on a collective level on our mental health is an epidemic. We need to remember not to be afraid of people. Fear keeps us stuck and keeps us small and isolated in our lowest vibration.

The planet is seeking the medicine of community, of connection, of acceptance, of authenticity. It starts with us. So don’t be afraid of other people. Take care of yourself, have a proactive approach to your health, not a reactive one. Get out in the world. Breath fresh air, feel the sun on your face, see your friends. The way that we heal is with other people.

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Be. A No-Bullsh*t Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Net Worth by Simply Being Yourself is available wherever you find your books.

More about Jessica Zweig and the SimplyBe. Agency at jessicazweig.com.

Listen and subscribe to SimplyBe Podcast here.  This is an especially energizing, uplifting and informative podcast.

In this post today, my Chicago Now colleague The Amused Curmudgeon called for a new Chicago song. I’m always in favor of new music, but I find his critique of “That Toddlin’ Town” incomplete.

“Who else toddles but a waddling baby?” asks the Curmudgeon. Well, it turns out that babies’ toddling was named after a jazz dance popular a bit more than 100 years ago. Here’s an article from daletremont.com in which dance expert Arthur Murray describes how to dance the toddle.

It’s simple and based on what the article calls walking dances. With steps like rocking and shuffling, it sounds like a baby’s walk, so that seems to have been how the term got to be used for young walkers.

As for “things they don’t do on Broadway,” I’m not so sure that means the one in New York. I live in Edgewater, and my local groceries, drugstore and library can all be reached on Broadway. So

“On State Street, that great street, I just wanna say

They do things they don’t do on Broadway”

sounds like home to me.

Granted, the tune is a bit shaky after about a hundred years of use, but I’d say our history is here and should be kept. Rebuttals and new tunes are welcome.