Can you be excellent without exhausting yourself? We think so. We’ve built our business on high standards—but not perfection. Here’s how we’re learning to embrace a new perspective on excellence, trusting the process, and having fun along the way.
we thought success meant being flawless and overworking—we were wrong
If you had told us a couple of years ago that we'd be running a business together—let alone one built on balance, wellness, and intentional leadership—we probably would have laughed (or cried, depending on the day). Because the truth is, we’re recovering perfectionists. The kind who said “yes” to everything, pushed through exhaustion, and equated success with overachievement at all costs.
And here’s the thing: that perfectionism has served us well in some ways. It’s the reason we take immense pride in our work. It’s why we obsess over details, why we push ourselves to be excellent, why we refuse to deliver anything less than our best.
But it’s also the reason we’ve had to learn some tough lessons about patience, trust, and surrendering control.
building a business that reflects our values
For Rachel, the shift came in early 2023 when a mystery chronic illness made it impossible to continue in her corporate job. It wasn’t just a career change—it was a forced reckoning with what mattered most. In the months that followed, a series of serendipitous and divinely inspired moments with Jessica led to the creation of Fat Baby Marketing—a way to redefine what success and fulfillment should look like.
For Jessica, the wake-up call was realizing that excellence doesn’t have to come at the cost of well-being and relationships. After decades of corporate life, she was determined to build something that didn’t just talk about work-life balance but actually practiced it. She wanted a company where high standards and healthy boundaries could coexist and be successful—where doing incredible work didn’t require sacrificing everything else.
And that’s why we have Fat Baby Marketing’s mission—to create well-nourished, happy, healthy people, teams, and brands.
lessons we've learned so far
Excellence and Imperfection Can Coexist
Perfectionism tells us that anything less than 100% isn’t good enough. But the truth is, some of the best work comes when we embrace imperfection, iterate, and trust the process. We’re learning that done well is better than never done because it wasn't perfect.
People Over Problems, Always
No deadline or project is more important than the people in our lives. Kindness, empathy, and real connection aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re the foundation of everything we do. It’s easy to say “family and health comes first,” but if your actions don’t reflect that, does it really? We’ve had to make intentional choices to protect our time and energy, and we’re better for it. Life will set its own priorities for you if you don’t set them yourself.
Patience is Part of the Process
We move fast. We care deeply. And sometimes, we want things to be right, right now. But growth—whether in business, leadership, or life—takes time. We’re learning to trust that when we put in the work, the results will come, even if they don’t happen on our timeline.
You Can’t Control Everything (and That’s a Good Thing)
There are days when things don’t go as planned. A project takes a detour. A client shifts direction. A family member gets sick. And instead of gripping tighter, we’ve learned to loosen our hold and trust that sometimes, the unexpected leads to something better. And we don’t have to do it all alone. There are incredible people who want to help. We just have to be willing to ask and accept it.
Boundaries Make Us Better
Historically, we were the ones who answered emails at all hours, said “yes” to everything, and believed rest was a reward, not a requirement. But we’ve learned that protecting our time doesn’t make us less committed—it makes us more effective. When we show up, we show up fully, because we’ve built space to recharge.
Celebrating the Wins is Just as Important as Learning from the Losses
Perfectionists love to analyze their mistakes, but we’re learning that celebrating victories is just as important (if not more). When we land a new client, hit a milestone, or simply get through a tough week, we make time to acknowledge it. Because pausing to celebrate victories—big and small—fuels momentum.
redefining success on our terms
Today, we’re running a company that reflects our values, producing work we’re deeply proud of, and learning every day how to live with compassion.
Are we perfectly recovered perfectionists? Not even close. (In fact, we may or may not be trying a little too hard to be perfect at not being perfectionists—old habits die hard.) But we’re catching ourselves faster. We’re learning to loosen our grip, embrace the process, and trust that great work doesn’t require impossible standards.
Excellence isn’t about control. It’s about effort, adaptability, and the courage to keep going, even when things don’t go exactly as planned. It’s about valuing the journey, not just the destination.
So, if you’re a fellow recovering perfectionist, here’s to building, learning, and embracing the imperfect along the way. ❤️
—Rachel & Jessica
