Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Boone.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
So, how did JessAskin even become a thing? Well… COVID. 😂
During the height of the pandemic, everything changed including the way I interviewed people. I could no longer sit down with someone face-to-face, have a good conversation, ask the questions everybody really wanted to know, and connect with my audience the way I was used to.
But if you know me, you know I was not about to just stop talking to people. 😂
I needed a way to stay connected with my audience, continue interviewing interesting people, and still have those real, unfiltered conversations that I loved. So instead of stopping, I adjusted and JessAskin was born on Instagram.
What started as me simply trying to figure out how to keep interviewing during COVID turned into my own little space where I could ask questions, hear people’s stories, laugh, learn, and talk about the things people were actually interested in.
And honestly, the name says it all: JessAskin. Because that’s literally what I do. I’m Jess… and I’m always asking something. 😂
COVID may have changed how I connected with people, but it actually pushed me to create something that allowed me to connect with even more people.
Sometimes the best ideas really do come from having to figure it out as you go.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not! JessAskin has definitely not always been a smooth road.
One of my biggest struggles has been consistency. Life be LIFE-ING! Between working full-time, being a mom, and just handling everyday responsibilities, there have been times when JessAskin had to take a back seat. I’ve had moments where I was extremely motivated and putting out content consistently, and other times when I simply didn’t have the time or energy to give it the attention I wanted to.
One specific setback came when the world started opening back up after COVID. JessAskin was created because I had to figure out how to interview and connect with people virtually, and during the pandemic, people were HOME! Guests had more availability, audiences were online, and virtual conversations became normal. Once life started moving again, scheduling became harder, people weren’t as available, and I had to figure out what JessAskin looked like outside of the circumstances that originally created it. There was definitely a period where the momentum slowed down, and I had to decide whether I was going to let that be the end of it or find a way to evolve.
Another challenge has been keeping up with how quickly social media changes. People’s attention spans change, platforms change, and what worked when I started doesn’t necessarily work today. I’ve had to learn how to evolve without losing the authenticity that made people connect with JessAskin in the first place.
And then there’s the behind-the-scenes work that people don’t always see. Finding guests, scheduling interviews, researching topics, recording, editing, promoting,I’m the host, producer, marketing department, creative director, AND the person trying to figure out why something isn’t working. 😂
But I think those struggles are also part of what makes JessAskin special to me. It has grown with me. I’ve learned that sometimes you have to stop, regroup, reinvent yourself, and come back when you’re ready. The road hasn’t always been smooth, but JessAskin has always been something I can come back to because connecting with people and asking questions is genuinely a part of who I am.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What do you do?
At JessAskin, I do exactly what the name says, I ask questions! I create conversations with real people about real experiences. Whether I’m interviewing someone about their career, relationships, community, entertainment, personal journey, or something happening in the culture, my goal is always to get beyond the surface-level answers. I want my guests to feel comfortable enough to actually TALK to me, not feel like they’re being interviewed.
What do you specialize in?
I specialize in conversational interviews and storytelling. I’ve always been naturally curious, so I’m usually thinking about the follow-up question while someone is still answering the first one. I love learning the story behind the person how they got where they are, what happened along the way, what people don’t know about them, and what they learned from it.
What are you most known for?
JessAskin is probably most known for the authenticity of the conversations. I’m going to ask what I want to know and probably what the audience is sitting there wondering too. But I’m not interested in embarrassing my guests or creating a “gotcha” moment. I want people to laugh, open up, tell their stories, and sometimes even surprise themselves with what comes out of the conversation.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud that I created JessAskin from scratch during one of the strangest times in our lives. It started during COVID because I needed a way to continue interviewing people and connecting with my audience, and it became something that was completely mine. I’m proud that I took a situation that could have stopped me from creating and found another way to do what I love.
I’m also proud of every person who trusted me enough to sit down and share their story. Every interview may not have had thousands of views or gone viral, but somebody’s story reached somebody who needed to hear it and that means something to me.
What sets JessAskin apart from other podcasts?
ME! 😂
And I don’t mean that in an arrogant way. There are thousands of podcasts, and plenty of people can buy a microphone and ask somebody questions. What they can’t duplicate is my personality, my perspective, my curiosity, and the way I connect with people.
JessAskin doesn’t feel like a traditional interview. It feels like you pulled up a chair in the middle of a really good conversation and now you’re invested. I can be funny, serious, curious, a little nosey , and completely caught off guard all in the same interview.
I also don’t believe every conversation has to fit neatly into one category. People are multidimensional, so the conversations should be too. We can talk about your career, your childhood, relationships, something hilarious that happened last week, and your biggest life lesson all in the same interview.
That’s what JessAskin is about: real people, real stories, real questions, and conversations that actually feel like conversations.
Because at the end of the day, I’m just Jess… askin’. 🎙️
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
If I’m being honest, I really don’t have a favorite childhood memory. And if I’m being really honest, this is the first time I’ve been asked this question.
I’m not going to say I had a horrible childhood but it was far from fun and most of memories were not good. I had my first child as a child so I had to grow up very fast!
However, as a mom I do my best to make sure I create moments for my children so when they are asked this very question they will have an answer!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Jess__askin
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@JessAskinPodcast
