Editorial & freelance career coaching
As a minority journalist and immigrant who was never naturally confident, my journey navigating the anglophone white and male-dominated media industry was particularly rough. I often felt alone in my struggles, and would not have been able to push through without the support of several amazing mentors, who were exceedingly generous with their expertise and inspired me to reflect deeply on what it is that I truly wanted out of my career.
Now that I’m in a position to pay this forward, I’ve launched initiatives and organisations like New Tide, Britain’s first network supporting East and Southeast Asian journalists in anglophone media, which I wish had been there when I was first starting out. You can subscribe to our free newsletter, where we post job tips and opportunities, here. I’ve also mentored and coached aspiring journalists through organisations like NüVoices and Arts Emergency Now, in addition to my lecturing position at Kingston University (where I teach media employability and journalism).
But I know I have a lot more to give; which is why I’ve decided to offer personalised 1: 1 coaching and mentoring services for those of you interested in a more tailored-approach towards jump-starting your career. Whether you’re a journalist seeking to transition into freelancing, an academic hoping to break into writing for mainstream media, or a student looking for their first editorial or communications role–I’ve got you covered. Session topics include:
How to navigate freelancing
How to report from abroad (for diaspora and exiled journalists)
Career transitions/trajectory planning
Story editing
Pitch workshop
Sensitivity reading
CV/job applications/portfolio website/cover letter editing
Preparing for interviews or broadcast appearances
Breaking into lecturing
Launching and growing digital media platforms
My guidance and feedback draws on my 12+ years of practical media experience, developing workshops for NGOs, and delivering academic modules at Kingston University (Media Employability, Working with Words, and Journalism for a Digital Audience, which is an NCTJ certified course).
Coaching and teaching testimonials
“I would totally recommend Jessie. She has been running a core module on media employability...students really like her and she has so much experience that is so useful to students. She has been absolutely great and I don't know what I would've done without her.”
—Colette Balmain, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications at Kingston University
“I am grateful for Jessie's outstanding support and mentoring…she provided detailed and perspective feedback regarding my (job) application materials. Her guidance provided me with increasing clarity, focus and helped me better exhibit my skills and experience alongside professionalism. Her support was a key factor in my success in securing a highly competitive intern placement. at Autocar magazine, a program known for its selectivity. Beyond journalism, she offered great encouragement and insights, which augmented my confidence throughout the process. I'm profoundly grateful for her expertise and dedication to working with me. I would happily recommend her to those seeking to strengthen their journalistic portfolio.”
— Omar Wane, undergraduate journalism student at Kingston University“Jessie is my journalism fairy godmother. She has been the encouraging smile in what can otherwise seem a faceless and intimidating field. Her expertise and generosity make her a great editor and mentor and she has created wonderful opportunities for aspiring journalists.”
— Heather Irvine, MA English at Cambridge University“Jessie has been an inspiring editor, mentor and role model who has taught me so much. In addition to giving me valuable experiences in the field, she also advised me on applying to J-school and wrote me a letter of recommendation that helped me get accepted into USC, UC Berkeley and Columbia University.”
— Suchita Thepkanjana, undergraduate sociology student at LSEBook an Appointment
If you're interested in working with me, complete the form with a few details about yourself and what you’d like to tackle together. I’ll get back to you within ASAP.
