Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Gess.
Hi Lindsay, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am originally from Alexandria, VA, and was brought to Memphis in 2013 when I was offered the opportunity to attend Rhodes College and play on the Women’s Varsity Lacrosse Team. I absolutely loved my 4-year experience at Rhodes through playing lacrosse and serving as team captain, getting involved in Greek life as a Tri Delta and serving on the officer council, and making lifelong friends.
I majored in English, Creative Writing because writing and storytelling is my passion. I find myself extremely lucky to have cherished my college education as I was able to create fiction stories for the majority of my day. When I was little, I would write my own columns, print them out as magazines, and then give them to my family to read, so naturally, it made sense to major in something that combines my skillful writing and endless imagination.
One of my most memorable opportunities in college was when I studied in Rome, Italy for a semester. I was able to visit and experience many different cities within Western Europe and fully immerse myself in their culture. To say that it was the time of my life is an understatement. Not only did I get to live in a beautiful city for 6 months, but I spent my time there writing all about my experiences and adventures through school work and my travel blog, which I started so that my family and friends could follow along on my journey.
While I was there, I took a photography class so I could learn how to produce alluring photos that had the ability to transport you into the captured moment. I learned about lighting, styling, angles, and the basics of operating a camera. This is where I developed a love for producing beautiful things.
During my senior year, I had the pleasure of interning and working for Start Co., a Memphis incubator program for startups across the world. Once I graduated, I began working for a startup company and learned the basics of how to start a business, all about the user’s experience, how to market a product, and create strong client relationships. I was then presented with the opportunity to work at ALSAC/ St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a digital marketing coordinator for national direct marketing campaigns. Coming from startup culture and diving straight into a structured corporate environment made the transition rocky.
I was put in a position that unfortunately I was not qualified for, and one that I soon realized I wasn’t passionate about or interested in. A new path presented itself so I decided to move cross country to the Bay Area in California with my current significant other, which is where I believe my career really began and when I felt secure as a young professional. This came with a leap though as I pivoted to a completely different field. Through my two unique work experiences, I learned that I care about serving people so I decided to step into the staffing services industry.
I started as a recruiter for a large staffing agency and recruited roles within marketing, digital design, and developers before then moving into account management, which is where my experience of curating strong client relationships benefitted me. I then moved into another part of the staffing business and worked for a managed services provider on the Google account. This was where I truly learned to think strategically, solve problems, and truly grind for something I cared about. I stepped into an amazing team and had a remarkable leader from whom I continuously learned.
Once COVID-19 hit and we had to change the way we operated, I was forced to really look at my desires, priorities, and what I wanted in life. I realized that I had left behind my huge passion for writing and photography in order to find a corporate career, so I created a personal website to give myself a creative space, allowing me to write about whatever my heart desired. I also started a food Instagram page (@thevibrantfoodie) because I am a huge foodie at heart, wanted to put my photography skills to use, and needed a way to connect with my family and friends through my passions, especially since I lived across the country from them.
I began to really lean into my creative side again and spent my time on weekends and after work writing blog posts, editing photos, planning content, and preparing posts for the week. My writing first began as a place for my community of like-minded individuals on Instagram to find recipes I was creating in the kitchen, but then it grew into a larger library of content related to health, wellness, and fitness topics. I documented our trips as we explored different cities, restaurants, and hidden gems in California.
I wanted my platforms to be a mix of connecting my family and friends to part of my life, but also for fellow lovers of the health and wellness space to engage and connect. My goal for my blog and Instagram page is to create a space that is constantly vibrant and uplifting for anyone who stumbles upon it.
At the height of the pandemic, we made the tough and bittersweet decision to uplift again and move out of California back to Memphis so we could be closer to the family on both sides. When we moved back I was shocked at how much the city had grown since my time at Rhodes, and I am still impressed with how much it continues to flourish with creatives and innovative efforts. I made a courageous career decision to leave my corporate job and work for a publishing franchise called The Scout Guide, pursuing my dreams of being involved in the publishing industry.
I got to work with franchise owners/editors of the city guides, learn the printing and design process, as well as the business side of producing a published piece of work. It was a fabulous experience that I will always cherish, but being back in Memphis I wanted to return to the amazing organization of ALSAC/ St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is where I work currently as a Digital Enablement Liaison.
I live in East Memphis with my significant other and continue to produce content for my personal brand, blog, and @thevibrantfoodie in my free time, as well as beginning to write my first book. I feel as if I have come full circle now being where I am, but I’m excited for what the next chapter in my life holds!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My father is a very big model figure in my life because he exemplifies what I define as success; he has worked at the same law firm for over 20 years with a community of clients and co-workers who respect him, and he has a family who loves him dearly that he has continuously provided for and supports to no end. He always taught me that nothing is handed to you, and if you can just learn what you don’t know, ask questions, and work hard then you will be successful.
I have always been driven, a hard worker, and had structure and discipline since I’ve been an athlete all my life. I got my first job as a waitress when I was 16 and have been working in some capacity since then. I haven’t had hardships due to the color of my skin, a pre-existing condition, a disability, a language barrier, or others that so many people face every single day, but there have definitely been some confusing struggles in my life that have put me in a position to appreciate my positive outlook on life.
I was turned down from the one college I wanted to go to with all of my heart and I felt so lost when I was presented with that news. If I had gone to that school, my story would look a lot different today and I would not have gone to Rhodes, met my significant other, made the life long friendships that I have now, nor would I have come to Memphis and that’s a story I can’t imagine.
I was fired from a job because of poor leadership that wasn’t transparent, open, or honest with my performance or the responsibilities and expectations of the role I was hired for. It was at a point in my life when I was frustrated with not knowing what direction my career was going or where I was headed. I had to decide if I was going to move cross country, remain in a city that I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in, or go down a completely unknown path.
If I hadn’t gotten fired, I wouldn’t have known that a particular industry isn’t for me and I wouldn’t have had the adventures in California that I did. I also wouldn’t have developed my career the way I have or had the motivation to return to the organization that fired me (I’ll let you put that one together).
While I have passions and interests, I feel that I am still on a journey to find my true purpose and pursue my passions, but I think a lot of people can relate to this same struggle, more so than we want to admit.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider myself a creative, a writer, an ideologist, an innovator, a storyteller, and a strategist. My career has been a wild ride with an eclectic background, which is something I am proud of! I have worked for a startup, a nonprofit, for-profit large tech company, in marketing, staffing, account management, and now I work in digital.
I specialize in writing and developing stories, which I have always led with through any of my work. I am known for developing a really strong working relationship with partners and co-workers. I love to promote collaboration, strategic thinking, and always leading with empathy. In my current job, I am a liaison for digital enablement which is essentially ensuring that any digital transformation in the organization always puts the user’s experience first.
We enable those that are going through the transformation to self-service themselves and be empowered to embrace the change. I don’t think I would have gotten to this point if I had been too afraid to take risks, decided to settle for security, and not taken every opportunity to learn. I’m proud of myself for constantly trying to fight for my passion and incorporate it into what I do every day.
While I love being challenged and surrounded by some of the smartest minds and driven people, my dream has always been to be a writer. I want to write books, tell stories, and transport people into a world of fiction. I am currently in the process of writing my first book.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
I don’t think you get anywhere in life, learn, or change if you don’t take risks. Risk can be scary because we don’t know what the outcome will be or where it will take us, but we don’t know unless we try. Even if we make mistakes, there is always a lesson on the other side and how you deal with it is what defines you and shapes what comes next.
Every time I have switched my career, which is 6 times in 6 years, I have taken a risk. I have risked the traditional, secure lifestyle of being at a company for many years and working my way up the corporate ladder. I have left jobs for both better and unknown opportunities, both less and more money, and I am grateful for all of those experiences.
I took a risk and moved cross country with someone I had only been dating for a year and we’ve now been dating for five and have a house together. My outlook on risk is that if things go wrong, you will learn something about yourself in the process of making it better. You cannot change without getting uncomfortable.
Contact Info:
- Email: lgess8@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.lindsaygess.com/
- Instagram: @lindsaygess, @thevibrantfoodie
