We recently had the chance to connect with Jessica McEachern and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jessica, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
Absolutely. My work ethic, commitment, detailed documentation, ability to learn quickly, ability to work individually and as a part of a team, collaboration with others, ability to network, continued growth, and the ability to adapt to change are some of the many reasons I would hire me. I get things done. I don’t require oversight. I meet deadlines. I complete tasks. I do not leave anything incomplete or unfinished. My work experience, education, and natural skill set, separate me from others. My ability to understand, interpret, develop, implement and improve policy. My integrity, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, professionalism, problem solving and ability to build relationships are essential attributes for success. My quality work speaks for itself. I produce favorable outcomes.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jessica McEachern. I am from Lumberton, North Carolina. I graduated from East Carolina University (Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Art in teaching, Master of Social Work). I am an Author, Social Worker, Songwriter and Songstress. I have five songs that are available on all music streaming platforms. The songs are “Lipstick”, “Tonight”, “Naughty”, “Be with me” and “Scared to love”. I have two additional songs that have not been released yet. I am striving to release one of the two unreleased songs before the end of the year. I am the author of “When I Grow Up” children’s book. The book educates about various careers utilizing the alphabet. The alphabet is embedded within the illustrations. The book encourages readers to attain any career they desire. You can achieve your goals and make your dreams a reality. Think it, say it, believe it, take action and receive the desires of your heart.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child I believed that “the world” was a place where everyone accepted each other no matter religion, race, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic status, gender or education. I believed that the good outweighed the bad, there’s more good people than evil, and that everyone could reach a common ground no matter the challenge. Equity, equality, diversity, justice, fairness and inclusion should be embraced. We should treat each other with love, kindness, and respect. We should show compassion, empathy and humility in our interactions. I hold onto the hope that I had as a child regarding humanity and a sense of community. As a child I believed I would become a lawyer, judge, or teacher. I knew I would write songs and books no matter the profession. I wrote songs and short stories all the time. I no longer have any of the songs or stories that I wrote during childhood. I did not consider Social Work as a career until my sophomore year of college. I was undecided about my major and pursuing law school. An advisor asked me about my interests. The advisor asked if I ever completed an assessment to help me declare a major. I completed a career assessment with a graduate advisor and everything on the assessment was “Social Work”. I educated myself about the Social Work Profession, which is a broad profession with options. Everything about me, my goals, my vision, my values, my perspective, my approach, is Social Work. Social Work is a calling, passion and purpose.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When I declared Social Work as my major and graduated with my BSW and MSW degrees, that’s when I decided to use my pain as power. There were barriers trying to prevent me from graduating from the Social Work program, but I overcame. One of my BSW professors challenged me to take my life experiences and work with people who have similar experiences to help them overcome. I was challenged to stop letting life experiences hinder me, instead, use them to help others.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that my faith, family, friends, health, career, lifestyle, advocacy, equity, equality, fairness, financial literacy, financial security, credit, savings, investments, short term goals, long term goals, education, marriage, two parent household, home ownership, being a change agent, making a difference and helping others matter to me.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing?
I regret not traveling more. I regret that all of my children’s books are not available to the public yet. I regret that I haven’t released more music. I want to be so financially secure that I can do whatever I want to do, go wherever I want to go, give back and help others. Time passes too quickly. Though we can’t get time back, there’s still time to do things I want to do such as travel, get married, have children, publish additional children’s books and release music.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjessicamceachern/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJessicaMcEachern/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0oTfStTyag&list=RDL0oTfStTyag&start_radio=1
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-304297090
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorjessicamceachern
Image Credits
Jessica
