Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess Von Bank.
Jess, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I met Kim Perry 6 years ago. I sat on the back of a boat next to her and asked for her story. That’s where it all started.
Diverse Daisies is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Minneapolis designed to equip girls ages 11-15 with the skills and confidence that will help them to succeed. We were founded in 2012 by Kim Perry, who has always been driven to show others that life is an opportunity not to be missed. Kim grew up in foster care before moving out on her own at the age of 17, and she has believed in and benefited from the power of mentorship and empowerment since that early age. That’s why Diverse Daisies exists — to show girls what’s possible and to expose them to inspiring women and experiences.
I’ve been devoted to Diverse Daisies since that first meeting when I understood our mission to inspire young girls. I volunteered for the organization for four years before I assumed the volunteer role two years ago as President of the Board of Directors. My calling in life is to raise girls; not just my own three daughters but ALL GIRLS. Raise them up, show them their voice and power, and give them experiences, friendships, and a place to bloom during the critical ages of 11-15 when self-confidence, a sense of belonging, a sense of awareness, meaningful relationships, and positive role models matter most.
Diverse Daisies is a place to belong; a place for girls to grow. We’re a nonprofit youth development organization based in Minneapolis, but to the girls who belong, it’s so much more. In fact, it could be everything to them.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Our nonprofit is local and based on physical experiences, events, community support, and connections, so we had to get creative during a prolonged pandemic to keep the girls connected and engaged and to continue to deliver enriching experiences that could help them navigate the fresh challenges and opportunities of life completely upturned. We built vision boards, made Mother’s Day cards, invited motivational speakers, and participated in a kindness movement. These poor girls were already quite tired of being in video screens all day for distance learning, but Diverse Daisies attempted to be there for them in a way that overcame screen fatigue until we could be together again.
Like any nonprofit, Diverse Daisies relies on the support of volunteers and donors. It’s a challenge we welcome, because our story and mission pave the way for a steady stream of support we’re so grateful to receive.
I’m telling you, these girls will change the world. Want to help? It’s easy to support a nonprofit. Donations, volunteers, activity and programming support, partnerships, amplification and introductions are welcome.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As for me, I’m a 20-year veteran and impassioned evangelist of talent, the future of work, and modern employee experience. I work for Leapgen in the field of HR consulting, specifically providing B2B marketing strategy, content development, thought leadership, coaching and advisory, and industry research for the workforce technology space. I’m also the community organizer and podcast co-host for Now of Work, the world’s largest community for HR, Talent, and workforce experience professionals.
I feel so very lucky that my personal ‘why’ aligns with my professional ‘why’; I’m an avid storyteller of the human experience, whether that improves the way people navigate careers and work, shows my own daughters that girls and women can do anything, or exposes other young girls to the possibilities of a Great Big Life. That is exactly why I’m an active speaker and community emcee, ambassador for women’s organizations and platforms, and President of Diverse Daisies. In fact, WHY I do ANYTHING boils down to the fact that three young girls call me Mom.
I live in Linden Hills, close enough to Lake Harriet to be on paddle boards with my 3 daughters for as much of the summer as we can pull off. And I’m always happy to talk about trail racing, bourbon, or AC/DC.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I have a few favorite words I use a lot, especially when I talk about women, girls, those who require advocacy, or those finding their voice. Permission is one of my favorite words, and I also like to talk about truthtelling, which is at the heart of authentic storytelling.
But when I think about an important quality contributing to my own success, I think about Bravery.
Why isn’t bravery expected of women? Why do we teach girls to be cautious and boys to be gutsy? Bravery is learned. It needs to be practiced, actually ENCOURAGED. So rather than tell our kids to be careful, watch out, DON’T, NO, I encourage mine to skateboard, climb trees, challenge me, negotiate on their own behalf, assess hazards, and pursue risky play. In other words, I teach them to PRACTICE BRAVERY.
I think more women could practice bravery, and maybe it starts with how we raise little people. If we teach our kids, maybe they’ll become people (women) who step out of oh-so-cozy comfort zones, show resilience, and display incredible confidence, and change the world. Just maybe.
Gutsy. I like that word, too. Show some guts. Who cares about surprising others? Surprise your damn self. That’s what happened when I completed the toughest obstacle course on the planet, the Spartan Beast World Championship in Lake Tahoe. I finished in the top 9% of women worldwide (surprised the damn hell out of myself) just to show my girls that anyone can do anything, including and especially their mom.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://diversedaisies.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diversedaisies/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiverseDaisies
