The past few weeks were filled with (un)planned moments, such as a weekend roadtrip to see one of the secret wonders of Africa, hosting my girlfriends around our shared love for books and an impromptu 96-hour trip to the United Arab Emirates - my 36th country, youhou! I was about to focus on sharing more about all that and then I finished Running Point's pilot episode.
Created by the bright mind of Mindy Kaling, Running Point is a Netflix show that focuses on a family-run pro basketball team Los Angeles Waves in the US. The dead patriarch, Jack Gordon, ran the company for years and nowadays his four children work for the team, his eldest now being the CEO, his middle son being the General Manager (and former player) and his youngest son being the CFO. And then there was Isla Gordon, his only daughter, who was kept away from the core business. A charity role was given to her after a succession of personal scandals. Isla is played by Kate Hudson and, out of the blue, the older brother goes to rehab and makes her CEO.
Loyal to my Sunday routine, I wanted a light series I could binge watch whilst doing my hair and nails, and albeit very entertaining, the show hit home professionally.
Against all odds, in August 2024, I became a Board Member within my company, going from leading a 20-people team to being the face of almost 2000 employees and contractors. I was not the oldest and most experienced employee. For the past two decades, I had professionally grown in support areas such as marketing and people departments. On my nomination date, I didn't even have a contract as I had terminated a few weeks prior it to focus on my own personal venture (what this blog was originally supposed to be all about). Alas, it all went fast and the solo entrepreneur life I was creating for myself was pushed to the side to give way to a tremendous sense of duty. When I asked the senior board member why was I being picked as I wasn't the obvious choice among other older and more experienced employees. He conveyed that I had a unconventional set of skills he wanted to push towards the company: fresh, dedicated, laser-focused, strategic and people-aware. Just like Isla?
"Do you accept it?" he asked. I replied "I want to talk to my husband first". He smiled and said he does not make a move without talking to his wife first and that was already a great sign on my behalf. After a sleepless night and a long conversation, I said yes.
It was one of the most bittersweet moments of my life. Where people see a title, a public recognition and more money (not that much, but yes, indeed, I was about to get a mandatory raise), I saw my personal goals being pushed to the side, my peaceful nights ending (I had not had Whatsapp on my phone for 8 months at that point! greatest days ever...) and a permanent sense of loneliness that I always had felt yet became more severe.
Quickly, friends started asking for favours and as I was still trying to find my own space and footing, I just did not have the skills to accommodate. Those friends don't exist in my life any longer which pains me to this day.
So where does all this relate to Running Point? From the first minute of her nomination, doubt is cast over Isla. Is she fit for the job? What does she know about the business? Do the sponsors even like her? Do the employees and players respect her? What about her scandals, can we get past them and follow her lead as the CEO?
I have heard it all in the first months as a board member. Doubt was cast over me quickly, with questions similar to the ones that are thrown at Isla Gordon...
... poor advice is given to her to see her fail. I had that.
... her brothers (teammates) plot against her and break her heart. I had that.
... she takes some decisions that weren't that great. I did that.
Furthermore, there is the expectation that after you succeed to a (male) leader, you are immediately compared to him and have to continue his work. It's unfair to be compared to someone else so intently. I will never be like my older male predecessor. It also took me some time to realise I'd have to carve my own path and the goal was not to imitate what he did, his spiel, his management style.
As there were many side of the business I had never dealt with, I asked questions. I asked teammembers "explain it to me from scratch so that I can lead you onto making the best decision for the company or your team" and most, after initial surprise, explained the business and helped me help them.
What I also found interesting about Running Point is that Isla is not portrayed as the stereotypical "secret genius who instantly proves everyone wrong."
Instead, she's often:
- underestimated
- viewed as an outsider
- lacking some of the traditional credentials
- forced to earn credibility repeatedly
Boy. I have been there. I am completely in her shoes on Season 1.
In a couple of months, it will be 2 years since becoming a part of my company's Senior Leadership Team. I can now say that I have made this position my own. I am not like my former colleague, I am Jess. I put people before the business so that they can focus on the business. I do not have to know everything but I reorganised the human capital (by hiring, firing, promoting people) to be surrounded by a great team who knows what they are doing and just need strategic guidance to make the boat float. Overall, I am just glad I said yes.
Beyond this month's reflection, here is what I have been saying yes to lately: to sharing more, to celebrating, to drinking, to watching, to reading, to listening and to gifting lately.
Giving away special clothes that mean a lot
The suit I wore when I was promoted. The suit I wore last year in a major presentation. The dress I wore on one of my first dates with my husband. The jumpsuit I bought for our honeymoon.
A few years ago I gave away my favourite work blazers to Dress to Success and I shared that I wanted a woman to use them when she'd go to her next interview and get a job. I have held onto that thought ever since. Clothes hold meaning but I truly believe they also carry the positive energy and history with them. So I grabbed those and around 10 trousers (some still with the tag!), more blazers, more dresses, shirts, shoes and gave them away.
Reaching 500 clicks on Search Console
A few days ago I woke up with an email from Google Search Console celebrating the fact that thesignaturejess.com had reached, in 28 days, 500 Clicks on Google. It means people clicked through to my content 500 times from Google in less than a month.
As you might have gathered, I have a demanding full-time job and creating content is my creative outlet. I have restarted several times since the early 2000s and lost thousands of followers along the way, especially when I stopped writing in Portuguese and started writing in English. I miss those people but they are a part of a beautiful past. New people, more aligned with the seasoned woman I became and not only the young heartbroken adult I was in Paris have found my content and related to it.
By the way, if you find my content useful, can you help me get more exposure on Google Search? Only one thing to do: click below and tell Google you want to see my website when you are searching something. If I wrote about it, it will appear on top of your searches. I am forever grateful!
STEP 1: Click the button below
STEP 2: Check the box on the next screen to add thesignaturejess.com as a preferred source
STEP 3: It's done! Fast and easy! Thank you so much
Drinking my daily beauty infusion
Routines are vital for me and I long for them every day. After putting down my bag and turning my computer on, it is the first thing I do at work: I head to the kitchen to fill a mug with boiling water to make my morning infusion. I recently finished my stash of Pukka's Three Ginger infusion and recently started Ahmad Tea's Beauty Infusion. And I am not a beautiful woman and this infusion will operate no miracles - this is not Kris Jenner's surgeon! - but I think it's one of the best infusions I have ever tasted. Ingredients: carob, rose petals and peach.
Watching a great miniseries
I just finished this much anticipated 8-episode miniseries produced by Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington. They are also members of the cast, as best friends Mary & Eleanor. On the first episode of Imperfect Women, a psychological thriller, they reunite with Nancy (played by Kate Mara), the third member of their group, just a few hours before she is found murdered under a bridge in Pasadena, California.
From then on, we have to delve into the investigation and the real life of Nancy, who was more than the pristine housewife and mother she appeared to be. As sidekicks, you have Joel Kinnaman and Corey Stroll playing Robert (Nancy's husband) and Howard (Mary's husband). You might remember both actors from the groundbreaking show House of Cards US.
Grabbing a book that makes you think AND laugh
I randomly bought Confessions of a Forty-Something F* Up and ended up loving it. In this book by Alexandra Potter, Nell returns to London after years in LA and has to rebuild everything: friendships, family identity, her career, her views about love at forty.
She revisits all that while creating a podcast which she doesn't expect to have anyone really listening, until... The book is witty, self-deprecating and comforting. The narration on audio is absolutely delicious. It was adapted to TV with the show Not Dead Yet which I had not heard about and I am now want to watch as soon as possible.
Having a Dua Lipa Tropical Winter
Have you heard of a Dua Lipa Summer? It's my first time hearing about it and I am already obsessed. Coined by Lindsey White, this expression symbolises a reframed state of mind. Basically it wants you to live your best life, the Dua Lipa way. And who is Dua Lipa? Not only is she a famous British-Albanian songwriter and singer: I am sure you have at least bobbed your head with "Be The One", "Don't Start Now" or "Levitating" and dozens of other catchy tunes. She also has a bookclub called Service95, with a companion lifestyle blog. How cool is that? She just got married and I loveddddd her wedding look. As Lindsey mentions, it's very Bianca Jagger inspired, which was also an inspiration for my own wedding day.
I am all in to follow Lindsey's lead with a small adaptation: it's winter on my side of the world (yes, not everybody lives in the Northern Hemisphere!) so I will call it a Dua Lipa Tropical Winter, okay? Here is the contract:
1 - Move your body!
I am writing this with the sorest legs after this latest kettlebell workout. Mixing strength training and walking five times a week seems reasonable. Let's go!
2 - Read a book!
I have already finished 21 books in 2026 (I want to read one per week so I am on track). And I have my book club also keeping me accountable. I am 100% on board!
3 - Go to a Museum!
Well, a few days ago I tried going to the Louvre Abu Dhabi... yet it was a Saturday! Of course that wasn't successful. But I am going to broaden this challenge and integrate any cultural event that arises which I am always up to.
4 - Travel!
Hmmm. More. Than. This? Where else should I travel to next? To be honest, all I want in June is staying home, sleeping in my bed every night and re-energising before even thinking about another trip.
5 - Be social!
I enjoy staying in and having a quiet home, so being social is not a priority for me. And pool season is over around here so attracting friends to come to our place for a pool day will only be possible again from November on. In the meantime, I plan to attend my monthly bookclub to be with my girlfriends and watch a few World Cup matches with friends and family. That can be really fun!
6 - Spend time outdoors!
I power walk outdoors every other day, does that count?
7 - Try a new restaurant!
I rarely go to restaurants as my fatigue is real and my husband cooks way better than most places we go to. Nevertheless, we recently went back to this Michelin-starred restaurant in the Algarve and ate the best grilled shrimps and lobster rice of our lives in Abu Dhabi... these were memorable experiences which might make me give restaurants a chance again.
8 - Make a new recipe!
Oh, I love this challenge. I love trying new recipes such as the Downshiftology's Red Lentil Soup and Emily English's Coconut Fish Curry. Let's see what I cook next!
9 - Get Creative!
I mean... more than writing a monthly newsletter? I write about beauty, travels, restaurants, powerful women, books... I think I am creative enough #wink
10 - Enjoy the World Cup!
I love Football World Cups and have attended several games in Germany in 2006, in Brazil in 2014 and I was in Paris when France won in 2018. This year, as there are 48 countries competing, I am going with an open mindset about who I will be cheering for and I will be attending a few local FanZone events around some matches in the upcoming weeks.
Gifting my husband for our decade together
I lived in France from 2001 to 2012, the most formative part of my late teenager years and my young adulthood. It's where I got my education, made friends, broke my heart, graduated, had my first job, my first house and became the corporate woman I am today.
There is a very special yearly sporting event that symbolises life as a student in France: the Roland Garros tournament. The French Open happens at the end of May and early June, when classes finish and exam season start. It is quite usual to only have exams in the morning and being home in the afternoon to study for the days after. And what is on TV when you are studying? A Roland Garros game (or two, if they get it over with quickly or if it is not raining). For that reason and many others around national pride, the universal love for anything French and the symbolism of Tennis altogether that Roland Garros is one of France's greatest temporal markers year after year. Also, in my latter years in France, I went to watch several games and saw all the major players play between 2009 and 2011.
My husband loves the brand FRED and, maybe I was living under a rock, I had never paid attention to it. Created by an Argentinian jeweller, FRED has created exquisite pieces focusing on maritime and sports leisure for almost a century.
In the 1960s, they created the Force 10 Bracelet in 1966. And sixty years later, FRED launched a special edition for Roland Garros. This was the fast-track way to get me immediately excited about this collection too.
As yesterday was our 11th anniversary, my gift for my husband for over a decade together was a gorgeous Force 10 Bracelet with a signature tennis ball motif, engraved on the ball on the side of the buckle, a terracotta-hued garnet and a contrasting two-tone logo of the Roland-Garros tournament. The first option was with the orange bracelet - to remind us of the distinctive clay - but we eventually opted for the stainless steel bracelet, that coordinates with my platinum engagement ring and our wedding bands. And also, his Oura Ring. I love that he was so happy with his gift which will last a lifetime, linked to a tournament that is so meaningful for me.
Next step should be taking him to watch a game live in the future, what do you think?