Description

Show Notes:

Christine is thrilled to welcome her dream guest and one of the reasons she started this podcast, Jess Ekstrom. Jess is the founder and CEO of Headbands of Hope, where for every item sold, her company donates a headband to a child with an illness. She is a rockstar entrepreneur, an inspirational public speaker, and she has her own Mic Drop Workshop that helps bring more female speakers into the industry. To hear her incredible story and the journey of how she started this Give Back company, pick up her book, Chasing the Bright Side, where she dives deep into her journey and gives you a look of what it takes to grab hold of your passion and just do good. 

Jess tells Christine about her experience working with Disney and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and what inspired her to launch Headbands of Hope. She speaks about the importance of believing in yourself and your idea wholeheartedly, being motivated by other people’s entrepreneurial journeys without comparing yourself to them, and overcoming Imposter Syndrome. Jess explains why she loves the term, “It’s just business,” and encourages entrepreneurs to remove their ego and self-worth from what they’re creating so they can focus on solutions objectively. She shares how a gut wrenching setback early on actually drove her to become more resourceful, resilient, and optimistic. And you’ll hear about the many fun products, partnerships, and fundraisers Jess has underway to help children with illnesses feel confident and beautiful during such a difficult time. You can learn more about Jess, purchase some fantastic headbands, and get involved with her important cause by visiting HeadBandsOfHope.com or JessEkstrom.com.

For more information, and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit www.TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about companies you’ve found that give back. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

• Jess’s Airstream adventures and her passion for traveling 
• Christine’s moving experience of hearing one of Jess’s speeches for the first time
• Jess’s background with Disney and Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the inspiration behind Headbands of Hope
• Her revelation that your career can be more than just clocking in and out - it can build up to something bigger than us
• The importance of believing in yourself and your idea wholeheartedly
• Asking for help and opinions, and using the promise of free food as compensation
• Being inspired by other people’s journey rather than comparing yourself to them
• Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
• Removing your ego and self-worth from the thing you’re creating
• Embracing the expression, “It’s just business”
• Jess’s gut wrenching setback with a manufacturer early on, and how it led her down the path of optimism and resilience rather than giving up
• Learning from mistakes and doing better in the future
• The idea for Headbands of Hope, and giving headbands to children who have lost their hair due to cancer
• The company’s fun products and website
• Jess’s idea for the Worst Fundraiser Ever, a no-money fundraiser that raises gifts of kindness in place of dollars
• Current collaborations with Under Armor and Sharpie, and personally supporting women business owners
• Jess’s touching story of helping a little girl gain the confidence to go back to Kindergarten after losing her hair

Quotes:

“From the moment you started talking,...