It is my honor to welcome Jessi Elder, the newest member of the AME Home Team. AME is thrilled to have Jessi join as the senior marketing specialist. We found a wonderful addition to the team – she not only possesses diverse marketing experience and superb writing skills, but she’s also a degreed mechanical engineer. We are honored Jessi said yes and so excited to see her expertise in action.
I decided to make this week’s letter a little different. This week, I want to share an interview I had with Jessi.
Jessi Elder, senior marketing specialist at AME
Six questions with AME's senior marketing specialist
Tell us a little about Jessi.
Jessi: I am the senior marketing specialist at the Association for Manufacturing Excellence. My career journey is unique and something I’m very proud of! I graduated college with a mechanical engineering degree and clocked three years as an engineer in the energy industry before I harnessed the resources and grew the courage to quit my job and start a content writing business. I spent the past three years writing for the manufacturing, tech, energy, carbon offset, business, health, and retail industries, and my journey led me to AME.
I am a fiction author with my debut romantic thriller novel on its way to publication! I also write authentically about mental health and personal growth on my blog at jessielder.com. I am a very passionate mental health advocate and outdoor adventurer. I spend most of my time outside of work trail running, hiking, skiing, camping, and exploring the mountains.
I see you have an engineering degree. How will this engineering degree help you in the AME marketing role? (And it will.)
Jessi: Thanks to my mechanical engineering degree and professional engineering experience, I understand certain technical aspects of the manufacturing industry, and this knowledge assists my copywriting skills. Additionally, I collaborated with many people across a wide range of technical roles, diversifying my communication skills in the marketing world. While I’m truly creative at heart (hence the necessary career change), the piece of me that decided to major in mechanical engineering is an organized, analytical, spreadsheet-loving problem-solver. Therefore, my spreadsheets detailing AME’s marketing plans and schedule reflect exactly that. I also often use this side of my brain as I dissect analytics and website code in my current role. My engineering background makes me well-rounded and able to see from broader perspectives as I venture along my current creative career path.
Why did you join AME?
Jessi: I started working with AME in the spring of 2023 as a freelance content writer. Within a few months, my services expanded from website content, app production, and email marketing to social media, advertising, and even strategizing marketing efforts. I loved the work and the new challenges and learning opportunities that came with it. I adored the kind, creative, hard-working people on the AME home team. I resonated with AME’s value system and emphasis on continuous improvement and growth. AME quickly became my dream client! But AME was more than a client because I found myself caring about the company, work, and people outside of work hours. I realized I actually wanted to manage AME’s entire marketing program full-time. So, I was ecstatic when AME offered me the senior marketing specialist position! I am so proud of my journey and truly energized by and happy with this role. I am excited to witness how expanding AME’s marketing efforts will increase event attendance and amplify the company’s presence as a partner in the community, a thought leader, and the one place to go for lean and continuous improvement learning.
How would you describe yourself?
Jessi: Well, I am an enneagram 4w3 and an INFJ, if those personality types mean anything to you. At my best, I am energized, adventurous, goofy, and creative. I’m a storyteller and an athlete, and I feel the most “me” when I’m outside, moving my body in the mountains or amongst the trees. I strive to be kind, compassionate, and ethical, and I’m obsessed with personal growth in all areas. I’m an endurance trail runner who craves adventure and chases after challenges and dreams. I wear my heart on my sleeve and tend to pull emotions out of people, encouraging unashamed authenticity, vulnerability, and openness. I'm also a very anxious person – can't leave out that charming trait!
What are your passions? What drives you? I see mountains, outdoors, grounding and connecting with nature. You are a mountain person; for me, it is the ocean.
Jessi: I am very much a mountain person! I love the expansive blue ocean, too – I always feel abundant when looking out over wide, open spaces in nature. I am passionate about mental health, physical health, outdoor adventures, connecting with nature, and preserving our planet. While accomplishing big, shiny goals drives me, I am more fueled by the challenge of the journey. I love the whole adventure of planning, organizing, strategizing, gathering resources, implementing, and refining the process to achieve a goal. This applies to how I market for AME, how I train for ultra trail races, and even how I treat anxiety and chronic illnesses. I am motivated by the adventure! The destination is always just a gateway to the next chapter of the journey.
Additionally, I am motivated by the desire to be unique and do things differently. I believe in taking the path less traveled when you have the capacity to do so. The bumpier, steeper, scarier road in the middle of nowhere often leads to the most beautiful places and outcomes.
Lastly, I must include that my emotions fuel me. I (usually) view this as a strength!
I see you are an advocate for mental and physical self-care. Would you be willing to share some of the strategies from your blog 9 Strategies to Challenge Anxious, Negative Thinking Patterns?
Jessi: Yes, I am a dedicated advocate and would love to share. The strategies I shared in this blog post are a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that focuses on changing the negative thoughts that trigger negative emotions.
I shared, "Our thoughts control our emotions. Automatic thoughts pop up in our brains in response to situations, and we often don’t stop to reflect on these thoughts. In many scenarios, our automatic thoughts are negative or irrational, and this type of thinking can trigger anxiety. The good news is we can learn to identify negative thinking patterns and switch them out for positive thinking."
First, I defined ten common negative thinking patterns. Next, I included a worksheet that helps you identify the negative thinking patterns during uncomfortable situations and how your body and mind respond when these patterns are present. Finally, I defined nine challenges to combat the negative thinking patterns. A second worksheet guides you on how to apply one of the nine challenges of your choice to replace negative, anxious thoughts with positive, rational thoughts.
Again, we are so grateful that Jessi has joined the AME family and shared her story and expertise with us. Please join me in welcoming Jessi.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
