Boss Ladies | Jessie Artigue — The Refined Woman

Jessie Artigue is a style expert, on-air host and entrepreneur with a decade of experience in the fashion, beauty & lifestyle industries. She is the creator of Season Everyday -- An ethically made, 100% silk dress design that can be worn as at least five different garments. As a notable leader in blogging and social media since 2007, she mentors and teaches young women all over the world about how to design their own version of a flavorful life. She is extremely grateful for a vibrant and diverse career, but is currently most proud of the podcast that she produces and co-hosts with her husband called Marriage is Funny.

Growing up I really wanted to be

A news anchor! I used to pull the family dinner table against the wall in our kitchen (instant studio desk!) and angle the lamp toward myself (instant studio lights!) before reading my own broadcast straight from the newspaper while my mom cooked dinner. I still have a major fascination with the media and I follow the careers of network news anchors/reporters the way that my husband follows major league baseball.

My go-to order at a coffee shop

An Americano, black. (I travel with my own packets of monkfruit sweetener to add.) My “fancy” order is at Rose Park Roasters in Long Beach because they make their own homemade coconut milk from scratch so I end up adding a splash of that as well!

I don’t know how I ever lived without

Our little neighborhood here in Long Beach, CA. Belmont Shore is a combination of the best things about every place that we’ve called home, and that’s saying a lot because we’ve lived in some fabulous US cities.

One thing people don’t know about me is

That I have vivid recurring dreams about whales and german shepherds. (Though never at the same time.) Can someone please tell me what this means?

I got started with my current career

Because I was ready to transition out of the full-time blogging industry that I’d been a part of for nearly 8 years. After building a successful business around digital content and consulting for many fashion and lifestyle brands, I felt ready to take on a new challenge.

What I love about my work is

I get to help women feel confident and express themselves by what they wear! Also: playing dress up in real life... A childhood fantasy come true!

My real life hero is

My husband. Our relationship is FAR from perfect (and we’re happily honest about that on our show), but both agree that we are more resilient, more vibrant, and more compassionate people because we have each other.

The dumbest thing I did when I was starting out was

Not taking the time to maximize my site and our images for SEO! I shake my head every time I think about how long it would take me to go back and tag everything correctly. Oy vay.

My typical [week]day looks like

Waking up with the news on TV while I make my breakfast/coffee, and then I spend quiet time journaling and reading my Bible while I eat. I start work around 9am and always try to finish my “big deal” items for Season in the morning, and then I work out around lunch time before coming home to shower and scarf down something simple and fresh. Most afternoons are styling sessions, event meetings, errands or general marketing tasks before heading outside to hang with the neighbors before starting dinner. The exceptions to these “normal days” are typically filled with speaking engagements, photo shoots, TV gigs or podcasting, but it all depends on the time of year and what we’re pursuing at the moment!

I used to think success meant

A fancy title at a creative agency or amazing brand.

My current definition of success is

Working hard in my day-to-day so I can love on my people in the best ways that I can.

I know my work/life balance is out of sync when

I have to open my laptop back up after dinner and work from bed. When this happens, I know it’s time to ask for (and possibly hire) help OR have my husband pep talk me into reorganizing my priorities.

The last time I created something I was proud of was

Earlier this year! My line of ethically made silk dresses has been brewing on my heart for a while (I designed the prototype over seven years ago), and it has been such a delight to see them finally come to fruition. Can’t wait to see where the line takes us next!

I wish I could tell my younger self

All of the crazy random experiences that you encounter will end up teaching you things that will provide a ton of help as you get further down the road!

The legacy I hope to leave is

Something that has turned into a constant prayer: Lord, please continue to use me as a reflection of your generous love!

XO,

Jessie