She's known hockey as a player and as a coach. And she's succeeded in both because of her effort, her attitude, and her love of the sport.

For Jessica, "Be U" isn't just a slogan. It's the only way she knows how to play.

Find Your Own Way

Jessica certainly didn't have a clear-cut path to becoming the NHL's first female coach. Even if there was one, she would've forged her own.

"I definitely took a unique path to getting to the NHL," she says. "As a former player, I transitioned into coaching...but the representation and the visibility of being a coach behind an NHL bench was not there. And so I started to chase a dream that might have left some people turning their heads, wondering 'what is she doing?'"

She always loved skating. But more importantly, she worked at it—tirelessly. She pushed herself to learn more and helped others become their best. It was never about the women's game, or the men's game, she says. But about her love of the sport.

So when she retired as an athlete, coaching seemed like a natural next step. A way to keep working. She didn't always see the representation she would have liked in the industry—but she didn't let that hold her back. She didn't start coaching with hopes of joining the NHL. She did it because it's what she loves to do: Skate. Teach. Inspire.

"Running my own business, I was really honing in on my craft and my voice and getting clear of who I was as a coach, and as a leader in the game," she says. "And in that process, I also realized that I was in the driver's seat of every opportunity that potentially would come my way."

Did it come easy? Hell no. Was it worth it? Absolutely. She worked relentlessly as a power skills and skating coach, teaching a roster of pros back in Canada. But when she started to apply for coaching positions with professional men's teams, she kept hearing back: "you seem great, but unfortunately, the team is not going to hire a woman."

But she didn't let up. She kept working. And she finally landed a gig as a skills coach for the Malmö Redhawks in Sweden.

"There were some barriers at first, for sure," she says. "I knew that I was always different, but I again leaned into my strengths, because I felt that's what made me good at coaching. And when I did that, I found my most authentic self coming through."

And her authentic self landed her where she is today—the first female coach in the NHL. That milestone isn't lost on her.

"Part of my job that is extremely special and meaningful to me is getting to stand in a space that no woman has ever stood before, and knowing that it's going to change the game for the better and for young girls to be able to model something that, if they're passionate about it too, they can also chase," she says.

Jessica didn't just chase this dream for herself. But to make the sport more inclusive—and inspire others along the way.

F*ck Self-Limiting Beliefs

She wouldn't have made that happen had she questioned or doubted herself. Not to say that never happened—she's human, after all. But at the end of the day, she knew how to be her own biggest cheerleader.

"I think we often create barriers for ourselves that don't necessarily exist," she says. "It's a choice to focus your energy on what you see. And if you only see the negatives of a situation, if you only see the challenges in front of you, that's when you ultimately create those barriers, or the bridges become bigger."

We all have those beliefs at one point or another. "Can I do this?" "Am I good enough?" "What if I fail?"

Here's the secret Jessica's figured out: failure isn't the end of your journey. It's actually the most important part of the process. Embrace the hard times. Learn from them. Grow from them. Lean into them. It's what makes you better.

"The mindset and the drive for me comes from a place of constant growth, constantly getting better," she says. "When you have that mindset, every day, whether it's 1% better or more, you find yourself taking strides. And sometimes it's small strides, but sometimes there's big breakthroughs."

What Does Be U Mean to Jessica?

She doesn't know how to do it any other way.

"Be You means to me to just be real," she says. "It comes into authenticity and showing up as a proud version of yourself, but also the courage to lead without wanting validation.

Showing up as your authentic self, and for me, in a space where not everybody looks like me, is sometimes easier said than done, but just being you is such a critical piece to allowing others, and giving others permission to be themselves as well."

Encouraging others to be their best selves. Getting 1% better every day. That's how Jessica found her way. And how you can break your own barriers.