Jessica Giselle Kessel

I attribute my success to curiosity, resilience, and a genuine belief in the power of communication to move a business forward. Throughout my career, I’ve tried to stay deeply curious about how organizations actually work. How decisions get made, where the pressure points are, and how brand and communications can help leaders navigate complexity. That perspective has allowed me to contribute beyond messaging and become a true partner to the business. I’ve also been fortunate to work with incredible mentors, teams, and leaders who believed in me and challenged me to grow. Their guidance shaped how I approach the work and how I show up for others. At the end of the day, success is rarely about one moment or one achievement. It’s about consistently showing up, doing meaningful work, and building trust over time.

The best career advice I’ve ever received came from someone who championed me early in my career. She told me, “You’re a business person first. Then you’re the brand and communications person.” That advice fundamentally shaped how I approach the work. It taught me to look at brand and communications through the lens of the business. The strategy leaders are trying to execute, the pressures they’re navigating, and the outcomes they’re accountable for. Because if you want your work to matter, you have to understand the business on its own terms. You have to speak the language of the CEO. When you do that, brand and communications stop being about messaging. They become part of how the business actually moves forward. It’s advice that has stayed with me throughout my career, because when you start with the business, everything else becomes clearer.

Learn as much as you can and ask a lot of questions. If you’re in the room, it’s because you belong there. Especially right now, when the way we work and the way businesses operate are changing so quickly. Don’t be a one-trick pony. Know your craft and be excellent at it, but don’t stop there. Understand the business around you. Stay curious about how things work, how decisions get made, and how your field connects to the bigger picture. Know your zone of genius, but build enough range that you can see beyond your lane. Because the professionals who thrive over time aren’t just specialists, they’re the ones who understand the system well enough to keep evolving with it.

The biggest challenge in brand and communications right now is that the environment is moving faster than most organizations are built to respond to. Technology is accelerating, expectations from employees and customers are shifting, and trust in institutions is more fragile than it’s been in decades. At the same time, that creates a huge opportunity. Companies that treat brand and communications as strategic leadership functions, not just messaging, have an advantage. When organizations are clear about who they are, what they stand for, and how they communicate during change, they build credibility with the people who matter most. The real opportunity right now is helping organizations cut through the noise and focus on what actually builds trust: clarity, consistency, and communication that reflects the reality of the business, not just the aspiration.

Fearlessness matters. Starting your own business is a big leap, and there’s a myth that being your own boss means working less. In reality, you often work harder but you’re doing it on your own terms, guided by your values and the kind of life you want to build. For me, it’s about being comfortable with imperfection and putting yourself out there anyway. Meeting people who share that same drive to build something meaningful and live with intention. My husband and I are both entrepreneurs, and what we’re really chasing isn’t complexity. It’s a simple life. We recently found some land and are building a home where we can have a small garden, a little orchard, and mornings that start with birds instead of alarms. At the end of the day, success isn’t just about the work you build. It’s about building a life that brings you joy.