Simone Jackson: Being wildly ambitious with intention

This week, Larissa speaks with Simone Jackson, Global Brand Manager of Spotify and Forbes 30 Under 30 2024, Marketing & Advertising Recipient. Simone Jackson leads global marketing initiatives and brand campaigns for Spotify, including this year's Spotify Wrapped. She was recently awarded Forbes 30 Under 30, 2024 Marketing & Advertising. As a former D1 athlete, Simone has gone on to acquire a roster of Advertising awards from industry heads like ADCOLOR to the American Advertising Federation. Simone spends her free time as a mentor at 4A and Spotify's PULSE Fellowship Program, a 1-year creative development program for Black professionals. Larissa & Simone chat: Simone talks about how she had a “resume at 9” and was born ambitious Simone’s parents encouraged her to try new things How being a motivated “can do” kid can cause perfectionism Being a D1 track athlete and how those were “the best years” of Simone’s life Not being afraid to own ambition and confidence How the question “What do you do for fun?” can be embarrassing if you are solely goal focused and don’t have outside interests Simone shares how she even thought about monetizing her hobby. Then took a step back, and reframed that mindset to leave the business hat off and just do it because she loved it How asking the question: “What did you love you when you were a kid?” is a way to unlock your authenticity Being off IG allows Simone to not justify what she wants and desires through the lens of others The surprise of realizing who is not staying in touch when you're off IG How easy it is to put off building community when you won’t be in a place for long, but how rewarding it can be to find community no matter how short or long your stay there What it is like to receive more public attention for 30 Under 30, and how people suddenly come out of the woodwork to reconnect Simone talks about the duality of being a private person with a public persona Good leadership is knowing you are not alone in decision-making, you need to let people in, and consult people Leadership is encouraging people to show up as themselves The connection between being authentic and having boundaries How assumptions are part of people-pleasing How Simone encourages getting feedback from the people she cares about and wants to have an open dialogue about how people perceive her Letting go of the pressure to do “everything that I thought I was going to do” How Simone is enjoying binging reality TV Follow Simone: Simoneljackson (Linkedin) Learn more about Simone at www.simonelynelle.com Follow Larissa: Sign up for Seriously Authentic Newsletter with resources, tips, insights on how to be your most authentic self to achieve your dream life. @larissavictoria (LinkedIn + IG) Work with me (1:1 Coaching) Original music by Haile Meirow “inside your tears” Talent Advisor Serena Board