Jess Leone

The 2-step reset for any heavy emotion

Reader, You know those moments when an emotion hits hard: grief, anger, anxiety, sadness...and your first instinct is either to shove it down or let it consume you? Neither one really gives us the freedom we’re looking for. Instead of fighting your emotions or getting swallowed by them, try this check-in: Step 1: Ask yourself: Am I willing to accept this?Not “do I like it” or “do I want it here forever,” but simply: Am I willing to allow it to exist right now? This is where we honor what’s...

5 days ago • 1 min read

PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY!

Hey hey, Reader, Our Facebook group turned FIVE YEARS OLD a few months ago and it's honestly wild to me...the amount of love and community that have been shared there is so special, and I am really ready to revitalize this space into what's next for all of you.For some time now, this group has been pretty stagnant. Putting the podcast on hold for the last few months has shown that to be true, but I know there is value in having an online space.As I have gotten clear on who I am and what I...

11 days ago • 2 min read

When the “plan” no longer fits

Reader, we’re taught from a young age that safety comes from sticking to the plan. The map feels comforting: dotted lines, clear markers, a “right” way forward. But here’s the thing, babe: the map was drawn by someone else. Parents. Teachers. Society. And while it might have guided them, it was never meant to chart your unique path. That’s why your body starts to rebel. You wake up with a heaviness in your chest before heading into the job that “should” make you happy. You picture the house,...

19 days ago • 1 min read

Peace at the cost of your truth isn’t peace

Hey Reader, Think back to when you first noticed the rules. Maybe it was at the dinner table, when you were told to lower your voice while your brother was praised for being bold.Maybe it was at school, when speaking up got you labeled “bossy” while silence earned you a gold star.Or maybe it was later, when you dimmed your light in relationships because shining too brightly made someone else uncomfortable. Little by little, you learned the choreography: smile when you’d rather scream, nod...

26 days ago • 1 min read

“Release has never felt this real”

Hey Reader, Here’s what I didn’t see coming the first time we did this ritual last year (click the links throughout this email to see the different pieces of our ritual!): It started off playful. Everyone picked their pumpkin like it was a treasure hunt — big ones, small ones, perfectly round or a little crooked. Some wrote "anxiety" on theirs. Others scribbled "fear", "existential rage", or even a person’s name. We laughed about it. It felt lighthearted. And then the smashing began..... One...

29 days ago • 1 min read

Work, Family, & the Endless “Yes”

Picture this: your boss (or maybe your mom, your partner, your friend) asks you for “just one more thing.” You’re already drowning, but before you even take a breath, the word is out of your mouth: Yes. Later that night, you’re lying awake, replaying it all: Why didn’t I just say no? Here’s the truth: discernment shows up in boundaries. It’s the pause between the ask and the answer. It’s the quick body check—tight chest? heavy sigh?—that tells you your “yes” is really a “no.” But conditioning...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Sometimes rage deserves a bat (not to be bottled-up)

Women have been taught that our anger is dangerous. From the time we were little, we got the message loud and clear.... good girls don’t yell. They don’t slam doors.They don’t get “too emotional.” Anger was painted as ugly, shameful, even unlovable. So we buried it.We swallowed the lump in our throat.We clenched our jaw and forced the smile.We carried it inside until it carved deep grooves of resentment, exhaustion, and disconnect. But here’s the thing no one told us: anger is f**king holy....

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

I saw the red flags. I KNEW better. Why didn’t I listen?

Have you ever looked back on a relationship (romantic or otherwise) and thought: I saw the red flags. I knew better. Why didn’t I listen? That’s the betrayal we don’t talk about. Not the betrayal of someone else breaking your trust, but the ache of realizing you betrayed yourself. You silenced your gut. You hid the parts of you that felt “too much.” You kept showing up as the watered-down version of yourself just to keep the connection alive. When we mute our instincts, we never get to find...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

The difference between what you’re taught and what you choose

Hey boo, If I’ve learned anything, it’s that life has a way of pulling the rug out from under us when we least expect it. People leave. Plans change. Loss cracks us wide open in ways we never thought we’d survive. And in those moments, it’s easy to feel powerless. To slip into the “victim” role—asking why me? or wondering if we’ll ever feel whole again. I’ve been there too. But here’s the shift that changes everything: we don’t have to stay there. We can decide that even in our darkest...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Can you hold heartbreak and healing at the same time?

Hey friend, This week’s reflection comes straight from my Sugg-Jess-tion Box: a place where you get to toss in your burning questions, messy thoughts, or the things you wish someone would just talk about already. The question was this: “Is it really possible to hold both heartbreak and healing at the same time?” Here’s the truth: grief and healing don’t happen in neat, clean stages. You don’t finish heartbreak and then move on to healing. Most days, you’re holding both at once. One hand...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read