This morning I listened to a keynote speech from Jessica Matthews, CEO and founder of Uncharted Power, who presented the question “How did I get here?” She made a great point that one does not always know where they are going or where they want to be but that they will eventually find their path. Jessica started on her journey as a teenager visiting family in Nigeria and noticed that there was a problem with power blackouts which led her to creating a soccer ball that can generate three hours of energy for every one hour of play. She further expanded this idea of play to energy by developing a jump rope that converts fifteen minutes of play into one hour of energy. Jessica saw a problem that she described as “masquerading as socio-economic” and came up with an innovative temporary solution to a long term problem. She built her company unexpectedly. It wasn’t where she planned to be or where she thought she was heading but it’s where she is now and, maybe, where she was meant to be all along.
Listening to her speak so passionately about her experience developing her career, a niche she carved out where she can be true to herself, was inspiring.