About Me

Jess

a grassy field with mountains in the background

About Me

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At Tree of Life, Disney, 2023

First ride with Secretariat's grandson, first time on a horse, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2012

Quebec City Trip, 2016

My career has been shaped by operating inside some of the world’s most consequential systems. From roles connected to the DoD to AI-related development at Amazon, I have worked at the intersection where technology, power, and human decision-making collide. I’ve spent time inside the “invisible frames” where world-shaping decisions are made, and those experiences shaped the way I think about institutions, systems, and the mechanisms of power that quietly shape human lives. At the same time, my perspective has also been deeply influenced by years of spiritual practice. I think that one of the greatest challenges of our time is not only the systems surrounding us, but the quiet internal surrender that can happen within. I’ve become increasingly interested in how one can preserve one's inner spark and internal sovereignty within complex systems, and how that can sometimes reshape the systems.

My current creative work explores these themes. They are deeply informed both by my own journey of inner healing and by witnessing community trauma, resilience, and the possibility of transformation. My creative background is rooted in visual media, journalism, and film production. I’ve worked with the Sundance Award-winning Part2 Pictures, co-produced independent short films and digital film projects, and appeared in a commercial campaign for a major global tech company.

As a person, I grew up between East Asian and European environments shaped by very different family histories, and have lived across cities in Asia, Europe, and the United States. I’ve long been drawn to themes of identity, and personal reinvention, especially those turning points where a person, place, or unexpected insight changes the course of someone’s life forever. Sometimes, one line from a person, or from a book, is all it takes.

I’ve had a few such moments in my own life. Studying at Columbia University helped me rethink many assumptions I had inherited growing up and gave me a deeper understanding of identity, history, and personal narratives. In particular, it reshaped some of my views surrounding my grandfather’s family history as landowners and the impact the Cultural Revolution had across future generations. Experiences like that deepened my interest in the strange ways stories can intersect with a person’s inner life and alter directions. I remember hearing a family friend speak about publishing the European edition of The Alchemist, and how readers would write to her saying the book gave them the courage to finally make changes they had been afraid to make for years, changing their lives in ways they never expected. I’ve always found something profound in moments like that.

Today, I deeply value the cross-disciplinary foundation I’ve built. I’m currently in a feedback and development phase, and grateful for thoughtful conversations and collaborations along the way.

~ Jess, May 2026

An evening at the British Deputy Ambassador’s Residence, 2026