Jessica Brown is a psychotherapist specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), fully accredited by British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). She comes from a background in Mental Health Nursing and is registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
We sat down with Jessica and asked her a few questions about herself and her career.
Hello Jessica! Thanks for your time. First off, we’d like to know: where is your happy place?
At the beach, ideally Cornwall or Devon with big waves on a stormy day.
Who is your favourite author and why?
Sophie Kinsella offers light-hearted escapism and never fails to make me laugh.
Do you hit the snooze button or wake up immediately?
I get out of bed as soon as my alarm goes off.
What does a typical day look like for you?
No two days are the same and I’m never sure what the day has in store. I look at what I’m going to wear the night before to avoid stress in the morning. I make my bed so that no matter what happens during my day I have a nicely made bed to get into at the end of it. I always eat breakfast and take lunch into work so no matter how busy I am I can always grab something to eat.
Driving to work I Iisten to upbeat music that makes me smile and motivates me for the day ahead. I exercise most days; I try to squeeze a quick high intensity session in at lunch (although I don’t always manage it) and fill my evenings with catching up with friends, wild swimming or taking a walk in the local area. I enjoy group exercise such as yoga and ballet barre which helps me to unwind and switch off after the most stressful days.
Whilst driving home from work I call loved ones, to make sure I keep in touch with friends and family who I can’t see as often as I would like. I rarely watch tv but will read a chapter of a book before bed and write a thought or a song lyric in my journal to reflect on my day.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
You don’t always need to win. Competitiveness is healthy but to develop you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone. This comes with not always coming first or being the best. It is important to learn to be gracious in defeat but also that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t succeed. Just because you aren’t the best at something doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the worst.
What’s your favourite thing about your career?
I like meeting new people, hearing their journeys and what has brought them to where they are today. Sometimes this is sharing the adversity they have overcome or memories about happier times. It is a privilege that people trust me enough to be vulnerable around me and reveal their deepest secrets. Sitting alongside someone in distress so they know they aren’t alone is very powerful.
And finally, can you sum up why you work with MENTOR360 and play such a pivotal role on the app?
MENTOR360 is a great initiative, it’s founded in helping & encouraging people to make small changes to make big differences. Part of the beauty of the app is it’s authenticity, we really want to help make a change, we want you to be the best version of you. It’s genuine and committed to help you work with your problems.
As part of MENTOR360, we aim to make a difference to everybody who access the app, whether they learn something or implement a new strategy.