Ep. 8: Caring for our community and ourselves with Jessica Green.
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LISTEN:
We’re delighted to have Jessica Green, a dear friend, on the show. We love the story of how she found her purpose by defeating the odds despite pursuing an untrodden path for her—politics.
Jessica is an Attorney, District 1 Councilwoman in Louisville, Kentucky, and Founder of Green House Family Resource Center. In this episode, she chats with us about finding purpose through community politics and non-profits.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
How Jessica unexpectedly found her purpose work [2:01]
How she’s never envisioned going into politics
Suddenly getting fired from her prosecutor job and losing her mom at the same time
Facing depression and feeling lost
“You can either do something, or go under”
How she decided to run for Metro Council in Louisville
How she beat a beloved incumbent, gained the trust of the public, and got reelected
The beginning of her own law practice
The haze of community politics as purpose work [16:19]
The difficulty to say no
Learning to self-preserve in order to serve others
Finding the balance between your purpose and maintaining a portion of yourself
Everybody was put here for a reason [25:33]
What brings you joy?
Is what you do helping people?
What can you offer to the world?
What can you do to contribute to change?
Living a purpose-driven life
There’s no need to rush finding your purpose
Finding your purpose [28:39]
The world doesn’t have to see you
It doesn’t have to be grand; it can be as simple as walking dogs once a week
Deriving little joy in the midst of pandemic, which is a really difficult time
Biggest advice for others [34:10]
Give to others, but leave some for yourself
How to contribute to Jessica’s purpose work [36:56]
As a voter, flex your voice
Make calls, send emails, post on social media
Sending art supplies to support underserved communities
EPISODE QUOTES:
The money will come if it's something that you love. And so if you focus on your passion, you're going to put in the energy, you're gonna put the footwork, you're gonna put the feet to the ground, on the stuff that that really is important to you. And because of that, I really feel like that you can be lucrative, if something that you have a passion for.
- Jessica Green
Go where God wants you to go, even if it's something that you feel uncomfortable about, but God knows best, even when we in our own stubbornness feel like that we know what's going to be best for we don't know what's best for us, God knows what's best for us. And so just be obedient to the path.
- Jessica Green
My biggest piece of advice would just be, give to others, but also maintain a piece of yourself, for yourself.
- Jessica Green
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
Green House Family Resource Center
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ABOUT JESSICA GREEN
Councilwoman Jessica Green began serving as District 1 Councilwoman on January 1, 2015. She is a lifelong resident of the district which covers the areas of Lake Dreamland, Cane Run Road, Campground Road, Bells Lane, south to Lower Hunters Trace, in South West Louisville. The district also covers Chickasaw, Russell, California, Park DuValle and Parkland neighborhoods. In 2019, Jessica was elected Vice Chair of the Majority Caucus. In 2020, she serves as Chair of Metro Council’s Public Safety Committee and as a member of the Community Affairs, Health & Education Committee. During her tenure on the Metro Council, Councilwoman Green has made public safety one of her top priorities. She championed the use of shotspotter technology for Louisville Metro Police as a better way of detecting gunfire in the city which can lead to more arrests and taking guns off the street. The Councilwoman led the way to ensure the Metro Council has an anti-harassment policy for all employees and members to maintain a safe and non hostile work environment.
Jessica graduated from Central high School in 1999 as Class Valedictorian. She graduated from Spelman College in 2003 and was both Freshman and Senior Class President. She graduated from the UK College of Law 2008 and was a Faculty Cup recipient. Today, she is a practicing attorney and is a former Assistant Commonwealth Attorney in Jefferson and Hardin Counties. Among her professional accomplishments in the field of Law, she is past Vice President of the Louisville Black Lawyers Association, former participant in the Louisville Bar Association Leadership Academy, and a former member of the Louisville bar Association’s Community Service Committee. She was honored as a recipient of the “Top 40 Under 40” Award of the National Trial Lawyers.
The Councilwoman is also very active in her community. She is a member of St. Stephen Baptist Church, former Board member of the St. Stephen Family Life Center, a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a volunteer with the American Heart Association and a volunteer and donor with the National Marrow Donor Registry. Jessica also has a strong sense of family, especially when it pertains to the welfare of children. She is the daughter of James and Judy Green of Louisville. She is a former foster mother to young children and pre-teens in our community. She is also an adoptive mother of three children ages, 15, 14 and 9 and a former member of the Childhood Fatality Review Committee.
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