Unique Leaders: Jessica Stroud

Jessica was born in Missouri, in a town that no one knows. She had some struggles during her childhood. Her parents lived joyless lives. She believes that if you don’t have joy in your heart, you can’t give it to others. Growing up they lived more in poverty compared to others in their area. Even though she had these challenges, she was called to be a leader later in life. She was put on the spot one day, and was told she is going to write a book. She was very reluctant at first to do this and share her story. She worked to write in the voice that she wanted to share with others.Jessica has multiple identities. The first one is a wide. Her and her husband have been married for 17 years. She is a mother of two young boys. She owns a few businesses with her husband and she is best selling author. She tells people that it is important to have different identities so that when one goes away, our whole world doesn’t come crashing down. She believes it’s not a good thing to put everything on one “identity.”She has made the choice to be an example, the good, the bad, and the ugly. She realized that the story people hear doesn’t have to “perfect” and she is happy to share her story with others and be the motivation. She’s not afraid for people to see her failures. It would be a good example for them. Don’t be afraid to fail in front of others.