Let’s redefine what success looks like for high-performing women

About Jess

Jessica Galica has worked in almost every kind of corporate environment, from Fortune 100 titans to startups to management consulting at prestigious Bain & Company. Today she splits her career between her role as a Director at Siemens and her work executive coaching and writing on how high-performing women can reclaim control, fulfillment, and greater success within their careers.

Jess has researched women and career throughout her education. Her undergraduate thesis at Georgetown University examined depictions of working moms across media. And at MIT Sloan School of Management, where Jess earned her MBA, she pioneered the first research study to compare rates of students’ class participation by gender—proving her hypothesis that men were more likely than women to speak up in quantitative courses.

Jess wants to redefine for high-performing women what a successful career looks like. Reclaim Your Career began as a personal project to redirect Jess’ career, but quickly became something much bigger. Jess discovered that her story—building a career, doing everything “right,” but waking up lost—is not unique. She had struck a larger chord. A personal project turned into dozens of in-depth interviews and valuable research on “the why and how” of reinventing your career. Now Jess is on a mission to share these insights so that all women have the inspiration and tools to build a purposeful, intentional career.

Jess is a present mom to her two kids and lives in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood with her husband Matt and dog Riley.

The mission

I want to redefine for high-performing women what a successful career looks like. By sharing the stories of women who made bold career pivots toward an authentic career, I want to give all women permission to make their own changes. Through seeing what’s possible, you can unlock what you’ve always had the capacity to do: Break free from the traditional narrative of success and start writing your own story.

Women today are the first generation who see that there is much more than putting your head down to get ahead in a corporate world designed for men. We are unwilling to do that anymore. But we are also tentative when it comes to going for what we want. That’s not only because of our culture where we might need a push (research shows women don’t go for jobs when they don’t fulfill all the requirements, while men will), but also because of real barriers and reasons we’re not in a position to (like how VC firms are less likely to invest in women).

Through my Reclaim Your Career work, I want to convince every woman that she can do just that. You feel stuck now, especially because you’ve been head down for so long, but you are also awakening to the idea that maybe there's a way to do things differently. The women I work with have made big changes, each of them from a different background and station. Through these women’s stories, you’ll feel empowered and also learn tactically how to start executing a pivot. You’ll find the voice you may have lost touch with and believe that you are deserving of a career that is authentic, purposeful, and the right path for you. Not anyone else.

Jess’ story

Women and career has been a part of my story since I was little. My mom was a first-generation college graduate and I was raised to take pride in her career. Career achievement became a big part of my identity. When I entered the corporate world, every career choice I made was based on a traditional narrative: put your head down, climb the ladder, and make money as quickly as you can. The problem? I resented my career path. Work is not always easy, but after more than a decade, I questioned if it was normal to feel so disconnected. No matter the change I made to my career, I still felt ambivalent and dissatisfied.

I’ve become a self-learned expert when it comes to women finding their authentic career path. I’ve lived the story. I was stuck in a career I had worked hard for, but when I got to the top I didn’t feel fulfilled. Realizing that the traditional narrative didn’t fit me and I might need to make a major change, I started talking to other women who made big career pivots. In that process, I discovered that my story—building a career, doing everything “right”, but waking up lost—is not unique. A few conversations turned into dozens of interviews and valuable research on why, when, and how to pivot.

Becoming a mom in 2020 gave me the courage to do something with my research and begin writing. When I look at my daughter (and now son too!) and think about what I want for her, above all else I want her to feel comfortable in her own skin, to be who she wants to be. When I looked in the mirror, and it came to my career, I realized I wasn’t who I wanted to be. I don’t claim to be above it all as I am in it too. I live in moments of doubt and grapple with these questions myself. It’s why I went on a journey to learn from other women and want to share that knowledge with others. I want to start a broader conversation to help women unlock the courage to take a risk in doing things differently—the courage I wish I had earlier in my career.