1 Thing I Know For Sure: Tough Love Thursday

The whistle blows to signal the corners to exit the cage.

Round 3 is about to start.

You lost one of your contacts on a grazing jab in Round 1. Everything over 3 feet away is blurry and your bifocal depth perception is off.

Your nose got broken again for the third or something time (who knows) in Round 2.

Despite the tampon jammed in your right nostril during the round break, your nose continues to drip blood, and the judges take note.

Round 3 against a striking specialist is about to start, and she's eyeballing that vulnerable nose from across the cage with bad intentions.

The Pittsburgh crowd booed you as a Philly-interloper and is firmly behind their hometown Steeltown girl.

Pop quiz: how do you feel?

Absolutely f*#king determined. And ALIVE.

Tell me I can't, and then the hell I won't.

I live to do hard things.

So what happens next?

Ding-ding: the round bell sounds.

Within 25 seconds, you stalk your opponent through her jabs and superman punch attempts. You find your underhooks, then lift and windmill her in a double-leg takedown that shakes the cage floor and thunders out to the arena.

After Round 3, you win the first female MMA fight in Pittsburgh ever, via unanimous decision.

So, why share this story right now, as we're all re-connecting with our missions at the top of the year?

I want to tell you 1 thing I know for sure:

You can reinvent yourself at any time—if you’re willing to burn down old beliefs, endure the pain of change, and do the consistent work to build the life you truly want.

At the time that I decided to start my own sports agency for professional MMA fighters and boxers, and go from a in-gym training boxer only to a competitive MMA fighter myself, I was a 35 year-old, Ivy League-trained woman who had spent the last 10 years as a commercial litigation defense attorney at an historic and conservative Philadelphia law firm.

If I had believed that version of myself was the only one I was entitled to live. I would have never started training. Started a business. Or stepped into that cage to experience one of the greatest tests and triumphs of my life up to that day.

Instead I chose to burn that version down--all the parts that didn't fit not only who I was at my core, but who I most wanted to be. A courageous woman unafraid to blaze her own path and challenge herself mentally, emotionally, and physically to live life as though it was the only one she gets.

Since that fight--and since my competitive fighting career ended-- I've reinvented my career and my life several times and across several industries. What may seem odd bedfellows to some makes perfect sense to me because I know the throughline: I am obsessed by growth, both my own and the growth I can help others, and businesses, achieve.

So, yes, I want to help as many people as possible transform stress into strength and break free from the burnout cycle our legal profession seems to embrace like the last life preserver on the Titanic.

With consistent practice, small changes can take lawyers from struggling to really good in both their legal practice and their life.

That information is what I want to share freely and widely so I can help retire burnout culture from our profession permanently.

Those changes to go from overwhelmed to back in charge are simple, though not easy.

But I don't want to just help lawyers. I want to help everyone.

My real mission is to help people reinvent their lives by finding the clarity, courage and determination to burn down their limiting beliefs, and train their brain so they can become who they want to be.

I want to help you fight the good fight to create your most epic, championship life.

The best time to start is right now.

The whistle has blown. Your next round is about to start. You decide how you want it to unfold.

Forget what you think you know. What do you really want? Are you willing to fight for your one brilliant, precious life?

Ding-ding goes the round bell.

Green light.

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I'm Jess Sargus. With 22+ years in law, business, and high-performance sports, I’ve battled, grown, and thrived in high-stakes environments, and mastered strategies for achieving peak performance just like champion athletes. Now, I bring those insights to help trial lawyers like you take your practice to the next level when it matters most, and feel great doing it. I help you become a Legal Athlete.

If you're ready for some extra clarity, support, and accountability to master your mindset and execute under pressure, or if you need a high-performance speaker for your group to inspire and energize your audience with high-impact, actionable tips they can start using immediately, DM me today on LinkedIn or grab a slot on my calendar to set up a free exploratory call to get started!