Over the moon

Life coach teaches people to find their power

BY ELLEN GILLETTE

Port St. Lucie native Jessie DaSilva, a business consultant and life coach, was selected as one of Yahoo Finance’s Top 10 Money Coaches in 2020. That same year, a Forbes reporter reached out to her for a Halloween-themed article that dubbed her the Millennial Money Witch.

“I thought, ‘Everybody’s going to Google me and think I’m a whack-a-doodle.’” DaSilva said. “But I just decided to roll with it, have fun with it.” 

DaSilva has influenced thousands through her business, articles, speaking engagements and social media posts. “I talk about mindset: setting intentions, taking self-inventory, treating things as rituals,” DaSilva said.

If that conjures up a vision of standing under the full moon chanting, that’s fine. DaSilva says that even making a cup of coffee in the morning can be a ritual, if you hold it in your hands and imagine infusing it with power. “If you identify with a certain belief, praying as you cook — for the people who will eat the meal to feel your love — is a ritual,” she said. “It goes back to building a mindset that empowers you to take action that you’ve previously felt hesitant to take.”

She encourages the idea that, “It’s not crazy if it works,” — that is, if it gives you confidence and moves you forward toward your goals. “You don’t want to wash your jersey for an entire sports season, or you carry a worry stone? Go ahead! That’s like spell work. Florida Panthers fans throw [plastic] rats on the ice. That’s a collective spell, sending good vibes. It’s hilarious, but it’s a good example.”

WINDING ROAD

DaSilva’s earliest memory is playing in the New York snow, but she grew up in Port St. Lucie, where her father worked with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and her mother is still in the medical field as a nurse practitioner with Cleveland Clinic. 

DaSilva loved to read, dreamed of becoming a famous actress and was always creative. Graduating from John Carroll High School in 2005 with an associate’s degree, she declared journalism as her major at University of Florida. She also had enough credits to major in political science, and became editor-in-chief of The Independent Florida Alligator, a newspaper run by students. 

Eventually she became an intern with Roll Call, a newspaper and website in Washington, DC and with the Tampa Tribune. She also worked in the communications departments for the City of Gainesville and Sen. Bill Nelson. 

When the economy crashed in 2008, she switched to public relations. It wasn’t a good fit. “I didn’t enjoy it. I looked at my skill set and said, ‘What else can I do? I’m great at writing and research. I’m great at oral communication. I’ll go to law school!’”

At law school — which DaSilva loved — she was adopted by a tortoiseshell cat she named Mens Rea, Latin for “a criminal mind,” because, “All cats have guilty minds.” A lawyer for about 10 years, DaSilva did not practice in the traditional sense the entire time, but wrote for various publications as a criminal law journalist.

The job offered unique opportunities, such as attending the 2016 White House Correspondent’s Dinner or covering Supreme Court oral arguments. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg was still alive, Anthony Scalia, Stephen Breyer — incredible legal minds. Invaluable.”

After writing for the nonprofit National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, she sensed she was ready for another change. As much as she loved the organization’s people and mission, she asked herself what she would do if anything was possible. 

The answer? Getting paid to give advice. She hired a business coach and figured out how to create an offer, sell it, and market it. She took on a few pro bono clients, just to make sure she was on the right track. Soon, she knew. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, I love this.’”

INTENTION + ACTION

In less than a year, DaSilva was earning significant money — until the pandemic. “At first I panicked. Then I thought, ‘I just spent all this time teaching myself how to make money online. I started teaching other people how to take what they did — either as a hobby or in their professional lives — and sell that as a service.”

Today, DaSilva helps both small businesses and individuals. Speaking engagements take her all over the country or into peoples’ homes via video conferencing. 

A few years ago, she was putting out a lot of free content online, in addition to direct coaching. “I’d always wanted to write, always wanted a book deal. I took my own advice and looked at that seriously: Why didn’t I have one? Well, I hadn’t written anything. I didn’t have an agent or a following. But I started writing.”

When she saw a HARO (Help A Reporter Out) request looking for resources to address the perks that millennials want in the workplace, DaSilva wrote a passionate response. She
then filmed that response and posted it on TikTok. “Millennials are middle age,” she said. “They want benefits, not pizza parties, right?”

The post went viral, getting thousands of comments overnight. HR Exchange published her piece. A publisher contacted her. In a matter of months, DaSilva had a manuscript, a following, a book deal and an agent for The Witch’s Way to Wealth: The Every Witch’s Guide to Making More Money. 

DaSilva says her success was brought about by “intention plus action. The best strategy in the world isn’t going to work if you don’t believe in it and in yourself.”

SHIFT IN FOCUS

For five years, DaSilva focused on increasing her income. “I had a lot of clients; I was making decent money; I published a book. But I was so unsatisfied. I could only see what I didn’t have, what I hadn’t accomplished.” When she developed physical and mental health issues, she realized a shift was necessary. She began cutting back in some areas, while expanding in others.

“No matter what’s going on, you have to decide what success means to you,” she concluded. So today, her focus is on finding joy: whether that’s mentoring a budding entrepreneur, going to a book signing, acting in community theater, playing with her cat — or, perhaps, chanting at midnight under a full moon, breathing in the magic.

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JESSICA DaSILVA

Age: 38

Lives in: Port St. Lucie native currently in Gainesville, Florida

Occupation: Life coach and small business consultant

Family: Fiancé Iain Grinbergs; parents Joseph and Judy DaSilva of Port St. Lucie; siblings Jillian, Joe and Jack.

Education: Bachelor’s in journalism from University of Florida; juris doctorate degree from Florida Coastal School of Law

Hobbies: “I love to crochet and knit.” Also reading, community theater, logic games, and puzzles. 

Who inspires me: “Freddie Mercury is one of my biggest inspirations, purely based on his own belief in himself. He didn’t take anybody’s feedback seriously that he couldn’t have his dreams. And my mother, who came from nothing, living in the South Bronx before it got gentrified, working her way up to live in a country club community in Florida. That’s wild to me. Both had big, delusional dreams. I think we could all use a little delusion when it comes to our goals and our dreams.”

Something most people don’t know about me: “My first job was at Disney’s Vero Beach resort, playing Max Goof.”