Leading with Gratitude and Impact: The Journey of Jessie Perez
- Nov 14
- 3 min read
Gratitude isn’t just a feeling for Jessie Perez—it is a leadership practice that shapes decisions, deepens relationships, and multiplies impact. As the founder of Joy Empowered Life and a Relational Strategist with a Fortune 100 background, Jessie has spent her career proving that when leaders embrace gratitude as a lifestyle and value people first, results follow. She led phenomenal teams, built huge communities across corporate ecosystems and coached leaders and teams. Her focus on celebrating wins, embracing community, and her unwavering commitment to service reflect a simple truth: gratitude accelerates growth.
In the high-performing world of Fortune 100 organizations, Jessie became known for building teams that excelled and communities that endured. She led with intention—cultivating trust, clarity, and a sense of belonging—while delivering high-impact outcomes. Her approach rested on one central conviction: relationships power results.
She built cross-functional alliances that outlasted campaigns and quarters.
She created spaces where diverse voices—especially women and early-career professionals—felt seen and empowered.
She translated corporate objectives into human-centered initiatives that inspired action.
Over time, the call to serve more directly grew louder. Jessie stepped away from big corporate, not to slow down, but to focus her energy where it mattered most—people. Through Joy Empowered Life, she now equips leaders, teams, and individuals with the relational tools that change how they work and how they live.
Jessie’s core competency is the art and science of relationships. She believes the strength of a team, or even family, depends on how well its members understand each other’s motivations, respect each other’s differences, and practice consistent, candid communication. It’s how teams build resilience before challenges arise.
As the author of four books focused on the human relational aspects of life and work, Jessie writes to bridge insights and action. Her pages center on listening, empathy, boundaries, emotional literacy, and practical frameworks for navigating differences.
Readers and workshop participants often note how she translates complex interpersonal dynamics into everyday habits that teams can use immediately—how to ask better questions, how to repair trust, and how to practice gratitude without making it performative. Her flagship book Color By Design: Why You Do What You Do” is at the heart of most of her work.
Gratitude for the doors opened in her own life inspired Jessie to found two mission-driven organizations with a unified mission: expand opportunity by elevating human connection.
We Speak Color Inc. is a workforce development nonprofit equipping people—especially underrepresented communities and women—with career pathways, confidence, and the relational skills that drive advancement. Explore the mission and programs: We Speak Color Inc.
Joy Empowered Life is her platform for training, coaching, and speaking—designed to help leaders build teams that perform with heart, not just hustle. Learn more: Joy Empowered Life
Through both organizations, the emphasis is clear: when people feel valued and prepared, they create impact far beyond job descriptions or metrics.
Now, with her upcoming TV show, Hearts in Tension, Jessie is bringing these conversations to a wider audience—creating space for honest stories, practical tools, and genuine reconciliation.
After years of listening to complex stories and walking alongside people navigating conflict and tension, Jessie developed a relational framework that combines empathy, practical strategy, and a posture of gratitude to help clients move from reactive cycles to restorative connection.
Hearts in Tension invites viewers to witness the nuance beneath conflict—and the beauty on the other side of hard conversations. Through interviews, stories, and practical strategies, Jessie explores how individuals, families, faith communities, and teams can transform tension into growth.
Gratitude is more than saying “thank you.” It shifts attention from scarcity and blame toward possibility, resilience, and shared humanity.
Connect With Jessie
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