Media & Culture
On the Couch: A Community Leader on What the Block Actually Needs.
A candid conversation about programming, funding, and what people mean when they say 'the community.'
July 16, 2026 · 8 min
Vol. I · Est. 2026Thursday, July 23, 2026JessicaLaShawn.com
The Journal
The Jessica LaShawn Journal
Business · Mentorship · Life · Community · Culture
There's usually a lesson in there somewhere.
Sections
Where to Start Reading
Eight sections. One point of view.
Business Is Personal
Sometimes the best business lesson starts with something that had nothing to do with business.
3 stories →
Let Me Hold Your Hand While I Say This
I'm going to tell you the truth because I want you to win.
2 stories →
Life Lessons
Sometimes life teaches first and explains later.
2 stories →
Testimonies
Look where The Most High brought me from.
2 stories →
Mentorship
Somebody has to show you what you don't know exists.
1 stories →
Business & Branding
Strategy without a story is just a spreadsheet.
2 stories →
Youth & Community
Design experiences, not activities.
1 stories →
Media & Culture
Commentary from a woman who watches, listens, and takes notes.
1 stories →
The Franchise
Business Is Personal.
Sometimes the best business lesson starts with something that had nothing to do with business. A pew. A diner. A driveway conversation. This is where the receipts live.
July 14, 2026 · 6 min
Something Somebody Said at Church Taught Me More About Branding Than a Marketing Textbook Ever Did.
July 7, 2026 · 4 min
The Waitress Remembered My Order. Your Business Should Be Paying Attention.
June 28, 2026 · 5 min
A Closed Mouth Don't Get Fed — and an Unclear Brand Don't Get Booked.
The Advice Column
Let me hold your hand while I say this…
I'm going to tell you the truth because I want you to win.
Life Lessons
Sometimes life teaches first and explains later.
Lesson № 01
Sometimes You Have to Leave It Alone.
Not every fight is yours. Not every table is yours. Not every explanation is owed.
July 2, 2026 · 3 min
Lesson № 02
Distance Will Teach You What Closeness Kept You From Seeing.
You can love people and still need a better view of them. Space is not punishment. Space is perspective.
June 18, 2026 · 4 min
Testimonies
Look where The Most High brought me from.
Personal testimonies. Client transformations. Grief. Growth. Answered prayers and quiet victories. Every story here belongs to somebody who kept going.
- July 4, 2026
Look Where The Most High Brought Me From.
I have receipts I don't talk about often. Not to brag. Just to remind myself.
- May 26, 2026
What Grief Taught Me About Becoming the Person Everybody Else Needed.
Grief is a teacher nobody signs up for. She still shows up. She still hands out the lesson.
Mentorship
Somebody has to show you what you don't know exists.
We ask young people what they want to be, then we act surprised when the list is short. It's not ambition. It's exposure.
"Mentorship is what happens when somebody sees something in you before you know how to see it in yourself."
The Latest
Every Story, All in One Place
Business Is Personal
Something Somebody Said at Church Taught Me More About Branding Than a Marketing Textbook Ever Did.
There was a woman at church who said one thing about somebody's business — and that sentence did more damage than any bad review ever could. That's when I understood: your brand is what people say about you when you leave the room.
July 14, 2026 · 6 min
Let Me Hold Your Hand While I Say This
Baby, Your Gift Isn't the Problem. Your Strategy Might Be.
I need you to hear me. You are talented. That is not what's stopping you. Sit down and let me show you what is.
July 11, 2026 · 5 min
Mentorship
Children Cannot Dream About Worlds They've Never Been Allowed to See.
We ask young people what they want to be, then we act surprised when the list is short. It's not ambition. It's exposure.
July 9, 2026 · 5 min
Business Is Personal
The Waitress Remembered My Order. Your Business Should Be Paying Attention.
There's a woman at a diner who hasn't asked me what I wanted in six years. That's not memory. That's strategy.
July 7, 2026 · 4 min
Testimonies
Look Where The Most High Brought Me From.
I have receipts I don't talk about often. Not to brag. Just to remind myself.
July 4, 2026 · 4 min
Life Lessons
Sometimes You Have to Leave It Alone.
Not every fight is yours. Not every table is yours. Not every explanation is owed.
July 2, 2026 · 3 min
Youth & Community
Don't Plan an Activity. Design an Experience.
Young people can smell filler. Give them something they'll still be thinking about on the bus home.
June 30, 2026 · 4 min
Business Is Personal
A Closed Mouth Don't Get Fed — and an Unclear Brand Don't Get Booked.
If nobody can repeat what you do in one sentence, you don't have a marketing problem. You have a clarity problem.
June 28, 2026 · 5 min
Notebook
Notes from Jessica LaShawn.
Short observations, questions I'm sitting with, and the occasional "now ain't that something" moment.
Noticed
"The best-run businesses I know answer emails in complete sentences. Every time."
— JL
Thinking About
"Whether the phrase 'I'll circle back' has ever produced a single circle."
— JL
Now Ain't That Something
"The same folks who told you to slow down want an update every week."
— JL
Observation
"Your rates are a discipleship program. You are teaching people how to value you."
— JL
Question
"If your favorite client left today, would your business survive her? Should it?"
— JL
Reminder
"Rest if you need to. Just don't quit. Both instructions matter."
— JL
Audio & Video
Sometimes you need to hear me say it.
Short lessons, audio reflections, video commentary, and long-form interviews. When reading isn't enough, press play.
Episode Coming
Episode Coming
Episode Coming
Episode Coming
The Franchise
On the Couch with Jessica LaShawn.
Everybody has a story. Let's talk about what it taught you. Conversations with community leaders, business owners, young people, educators, and everyday folks with something to say.
Latest Conversation
On the Couch: A Community Leader on What the Block Actually Needs.The Next Step
You've been reading my mind.
Now let's talk about what you're building.