Love Jessalin Too: Prioritizing Health, Growth, and Fun

11.27.24 | Issue 01 | By Jessalin Lam

At the beginning of this year, I made a promise to myself that I would be in a season of loving me for who I am and who I am becoming. After years of juggling various roles including mother, wife, friend, entrepreneur, mentor, speaker, coach, L&D and DEI leader, I decided to embrace a new chapter called Love Jessalin Too. This does not mean I am abandoning my responsibilities or neglecting people I love; it is about realizing that I deserve to be on my own priority list. It reminds me of Adam Grant 's TED Talk, "Are you a Giver or a Taker?" and I remember my husband telling me he doesn't have to watch the video and already knows I'm a Giver, but we have to remember to give back to ourselves too or else we could burnout and lose ourselves.

This name, Love Jessalin Too, holds a special place in my heart, and I owe its inspiration to the incredible Ronnie Dickerson Stewart . During her empowering Collective Spring Retreat earlier this year, she created a beautiful, custom bracelet for me (pictured below) based on my response to a pre-survey question: “What season are you in?” I had generically written, “Loving Myself.”

But when I held the bracelet in my hands and saw my name on it, it struck me in a way I hadn’t expected. Seeing Love Jessalin Too wasn’t just a phrase—it became a powerful, tangible reminder to truly embrace this season of prioritizing myself. It was as if the words were giving me permission to love myself deeply and unapologetically. That moment changed everything, and the mantra has stayed with me ever since.

This season of my life has been transformative. It’s about putting my well-being, my dreams, and my joy at the center of the story—alongside everything else that matters. And today, I’m thrilled to launch this newsletter, Joy of Jessalin, to share the lessons, challenges, and wins from my journey.

Whether you’re a working parent like me, navigating work life harmony, or just looking to reconnect with yourself, I hope this space inspires you to start your own self-love journey.

My Journey to ‘Love Jessalin Too’

Like many of you, I’ve spent years putting others first. My toddler, my family, my career—there were always people to care for and goals to chase. But somewhere along the way, I realized something was missing. I was running on empty. And while I was showing up for everyone else, I wasn’t showing up for myself.

That’s when I decided to make a change. I declared three priorities for this year: health, growth, and fun. These weren’t just words—they became the pillars of how I approached each day.

• Health is honoring my body, mind, and spirit. I started going to the gym regularly, hired at fitness coach, nourished my body with healthier food, and made time for small acts of self-care like meditation, taking a bath or journaling.
• Growth is about challenging myself to step outside my comfort zone and continue to cultivate a growth mindset. I leaned into therapy to better understand myself, continued sessions with my career coach, and embraced lifelong learning.
• Fun is a reminder to find joy in the everyday—whether that was hosting friends at our house, scheduling playdates with parent friends, trying a new hobby, and organizing solo dates to spend more quality time alone exploring museums, bookstores, or nature walks.

Prioritizing yourself isn’t selfish—it’s essential. This shift wasn’t easy and I had to be very intentional about it. I made sure to share my journey with my friends to celebrate my progress and wins along the way.

The Pillars of Health, Growth, and Fun

Health: Building a Foundation of Self-Care

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live in." -Jim Rohn

When I started prioritizing my health, I realized how interconnected it was to everything else in my life. Since February, I have already lost 22 lbs and it is a huge victory post pregnancy and post pandemic life. I still don't believe it sometimes for what we can be capable of with discipline, commitment, and the proper resources and support around you. Regular workouts didn’t just strengthen my body; they gave me more energy and confidence to increase my capacity in handling everything else going on around me. Eating healthier wasn’t just about nutrition—it was about choosing to nourish myself with more proteins and vegetables. It is also huge thanks to my fitness coach, Gardenia Diaz who has been with me every step of the way to guide me in training my mind around fitness and food.

Try This:

• Schedule one act of self-care this week. It could be a workout, a relaxing bath, or even a 10-minute walk. The key is consistency.

Growth: Unlocking Your Potential

"Love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort and keep on learning." -Carol Dweck

Growth isn’t always comfortable, but it’s where transformation happens. Change is constant and when you learn how to quickly adapt, you open up new possibilities and outcomes. Some examples of growth for me are showing up to therapy to better understand myself, journaling to take intentional time to reflect and create space for self-discovery, clarity, and new insights, and applying for The Female Quotient & ATTN: 's Women in AI Creative Cohort to learn more about AI to leverage it for good. It also meant saying yes to new opportunities that I might not always be ready for—like launching this newsletter.

Try This:

• Identify one area where you want to grow. Is it a skill? A mindset? A goal? Take one small action today, whether that’s signing up for a class, journaling your thoughts, or reaching out to a mentor.

Fun: Finding Joy in the Everyday

"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy." -Rumi

You have the option to choose joy and it doesn't have to be elaborate. It’s about making space for the things that light you up. For instance, I recently spent time with Ariba Jahan and we had so much fun at Mercer Labs | Museum of Art and Technology , I've had a solo date at The Museum of Art & Design after journaling and walking around Central Park, and I did my first Momcation to Charleston in September with badass mama friends Kat K. Richards 劉緯嘉 and Christina Lu . You get to decide what fun look like and the world is your playground of what you'd like to do. Fun is the antidote to burnout—it reminds us why life is worth celebrating.

Try This:

• What’s one activity that brings you joy? Make time for it this week, even if it’s just 30 minutes.

Your Invitation to Prioritize Yourself

Love Jessalin Too isn’t just a mantra for me—it’s an invitation for you to do the same. What would it look like to put yourself on your priority list?

Here’s how to get started:

1. Define Your Priorities: Choose three areas to focus on, like health, growth, and fun
2. Start Small: Pick one action you can take this week for each priority
3. Reflect and Adjust: Give yourself grace. This is a journey, not a race.

What to Expect from Joy of Jessalin

This newsletter is a space to share stories, strategies, and inspiration for creating a life that’s healthy, fulfilling, and joyful. Together, we’ll explore how to:

• Shine your light, show up for yourself, and be a trailblazer
• Cultivate a growth mindset and embrace new challenges
• Infuse more joy and fun into your everyday life

But this isn’t just about me—it’s about us. I want to hear your stories, your wins, and your struggles.

Join the Journey

As we wrap up this first issue, I want to leave you with a question:

What’s one thing you can do this week to prioritize yourself?

Share your answer in the comments, or message me privately—I’d love to hear from you. Let’s build this community together, one step at a time.

And don’t forget to subscribe to Joy of Jessalin to receive future issues. Let’s commit to prioritizing health, growth, and fun—because when we take care of ourselves, we unlock the best version of who we are.

Cheers to loving ourselves, too.