Have you ever pursued an idea? One that you couldn’t get out of your mind? Did someone tell you it would never make money? Same. Jessica Alba, creator of the Honest brand, worded it so well…

“People just saw me as this girl in a bikini in movies kicking butt — maybe not the brightest bulb.”

Same. Only I worked my butt off, I didn’t kick any. And my apparel was more of a ‘put-together-don’t-f*ck-with-me-business-casual’ that rarely included the colors pink or purple.

“It took three and a half years of condescending nods and pats on the back of ‘good luck’, or ‘go back to endorsing things or go do a perfume.”

Same. I experienced so much condescending placation in my career. Initially, I didn’t see it, however, as my self confidence grew, so did my awareness and unwillingness to ignore it.

“[I] needed people telling me no. I needed people to not get it and look at me cross-eyed for me to really figure out exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to do it.” — Forbes’s third annual Women’s Summit, June 2015.

Same. I needed a little push. I’m thankful for the push. While I don’t have Jessica’s celebrity or cash, I think I can turn a lemon into lemoncello.

Mic drop,

Janessa

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