Productivity is what SHE was;

Jessie is the daughter of immigrant parents who worked long hours in their 'survival jobs.' With the parents practically absent, Jessie assumed the role of surrogate parent of her own two younger brothers. Life in Canada for Jessie involved mastering the English language and balancing school with her 'parental' responsibilities. She was also constantly battling a weight problem that has been a lifelong struggle of her. She recognized that her parents' motivation for leaving their homeland was to provide better opportunities for their children and so Jessie worked a double shift as student during the day and big sister/surrogate parent in the evening. In the early eighties, she graduated with a business degree with top honors from York University. Upon landing her first entry-level position as a financial clerk at a commercial bank, she realized that she needed to shed some pounds when she encountered some discrimination from the corporate environment because of her weight. Two years later she married her university sweetheart. Soon afterwards they started a family and were blessed with two healthy boys.

Jessie's traditional husband did not share equally in the division of household labour, but for Jessie working nine to five and then being a mom for the rest of the day was not new given her previous responsibilities as a student and as a 'parent' to two brothers. She realized quickly that her degree did not guarantee promotion at the bank. Moreover, she recognized that motherhood was perceived as a career barrier by her male work mates as was her weight. Jessie took action. She hired a personal fitness trainer and went from size 14 to size 6; she obtained more professional certifications and still maintained her household and childrearing responsibilities.

Despite her responsibilities at home, Jessie studied at night and worked productively during the day.

And productivity is what she was;

her energy level increased significantly with her regular workouts with her trainer. Over a twenty year span, Jessie's career progressed from account administration to client relations and then to stocks and portfolio management.

More important, Jessie survived two recessions in the financial field by making many lateral moves. Jessie says that in the competitive financial field, it is not enough to be a top producer, you have to move to safe zones during hard times and then re-position yourself during good times. When asked what her secret of success is, Jessie's response was,

"If you don't like something, fix it, whether the issue is overweight, glass ceilings or family responsibilities. People have to recognize the difference between an 'excuse' and a 'barrier.' I want to set a good example for my kids. I don't believe in stereotyping and discriminatory practices. I know I can't change the world, but I know how to change a person's misconception of me."