The Dark Room | Part Two: Jesenia
The Gift of Giving
Created by: Melissa Gonzalez
'Tis the season to sprinkle cheer and motivation!
The “Gift of Giving” is certainly redefined as I introduce this remarkable individual. Jesenia Brown, a woman of compassion, dedicates her life to being a positive role model at home, at work, as well as in her adventures of maintaining a consistent and healthy lifestyle.
Working in the pro bono division of Lowenstein Sandler, Jesenia is a driving force towards the rebuilding of less fortunate communities across the country. In addition to helping others, this gladiator has crossed more finish lines than we can count on two hands. Then cools it all down by bringing balance in her life with the power of yoga. If this happily married, lovely mom of two can make it happen, anything is possible.
With great appreciation, I'm so excited to introduce you all to Jesenia.
PRESS PLAY:
Q&A
Tell us a bit about the type of work you do?
I manage the firm’s pro bono and community service department, which means I facilitate opportunities for our attorneys and staff to give back to the community, like helping our attorneys find the pro bono opportunity that really speaks to them and connecting them with a program to do that work. On the community service side I facilitate charitable drives like toy/food drives, and fundraising activities like Cycle for Survival. I also organize groups from the office to go to service events like volunteering at a soup kitchen. It’s an incredible opportunity to spend my working days giving back.
Within the last few years, running and yoga have become an important part of your regimen. How did it all begin and/or what inspired you to change your lifestyle?
It was a combination of things. I’ve had some form of yoga practice since college. After my second son was born I had gained quite a bit of weight, so I started to casually walk. The real push came in 2013, when my mother in law passed away. She had a very quick, hard fight against cancer. We were really close so it was devastating to me when she passed away on December 24th. The following summer/fall I trained and ran my first long distance run, the Perfect 10 Miler, an all-women’s race in her memory. The training really helped me mentally and I loved the challenge of running. Since then I’ve completed over a dozen half marathons, a full marathon, a duathlon, a triathlon, and two Ragnar Relays.
With all of your commitments, how do you maintain the family dynamic?
It’s a balancing act. I also volunteer as a nonprofit board member so I have to balance life, marriage, work, running and volunteering commitments. I try not to overcommit myself and discuss everything with my husband. We talk through all of our family commitments as well as his personal and professional stuff and mine. I keep everything on my calendar so I can see when I’ll be away from home and make adjustments so I’m not all the time. I also wake up really early to get runs in.
What can you say to those who may need that extra nudge towards a more fulfilling lifestyle?
Do the things you love! I love my job, love goofing off and spending time with my kids, love having date nights with my husband and taking vacations, so I prioritize those things. Does that mean sometimes my house is a mess? Yes. You make the time for things that are important to you – my family, my mental and physical health, and my community are important to me. I joke about it but during marathon training there were days I woke at 4 a.m. to run so that I’d be back by 8:30 to make breakfast for my kids, then we’d go and do family things for the day. I’d be exhausted but I made the time because I wasn’t willing to sacrifice any of it.
Please tell us how our visitors can get involved and help out with the pro bono efforts. Additionally, what tips or resources can you provide us with about joining the right “Fit Family”.
The first thing I’d suggest is to seek out the causes that really speak to you. Giving of money and time are very personal things. If it is a cause that you aren’t committed to, you won’t be fully invested but if you find the cause or charity that speaks to you, it will be incredibly rewarding. The second thing I’d say is to do some due diligence, look into the nonprofit or program you are giving to –ask for annual or financial reports, or look at program numbers. Find out if the organization is doing the work that you care about and that they are doing it responsibly. The last thing I’d suggest for getting involved in community is to really think about what value you can and want to add. Maybe you are an accountant or work in a finance department; you might be really valuable to a small nonprofit board that needs someone for their finance committee.
As for finding your fit family, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Try different approaches and the one that will stick is the one you enjoy. You shouldn’t have to invest a lot of money to find that out. If shakes sound like they may help, check out at home recipes on Pinterest, but if you go full force and buy an expensive starter kit, blender and tons of protein powder only to find out you really hate shakes, you’ll be disappointed and defeated.
KEEP THE SUPPORT FLOWING AND FOLLOW
Jesenia's Social handles include:
Facebook.com/www.facebook.com/Jesenia.Brown
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” - Francis of Assisi
