Today’s Featured Uplifter: Jessica Varian Carroll

She started her business with a box of Hefty garbage bags and zero experience. As a single mom of four with spotty child support, Jessica Varian Carroll's motto was stark and simple: "Work or be homeless. Those were the only choices I had."

There was a time when Jessica collected the loose change from her dryer just to feed her children. The water company had shut off service to her small ranch house, forcing her to send her kids to their father's just to shower. Yet even at her lowest moments, something in Jessica resisted accepting help. When friends encouraged her to visit St. Vincent de Paul for assistance, her first reaction was, "I don't deserve this help. This help is needed by others."

It's a paradox many of us recognize - our willingness to help others coupled with our reluctance to ask for it ourselves. Research shows we consistently underestimate others' willingness to help by nearly 50%. We're literally walking around assuming people will say no to our requests at double the rate they actually do.

Today, Jessica's organizing company has rehomed over a million items to charity. She's the author of She Had No Business, co-founder of the SOAR symposium for women, and a community activator who can raise $1,000 in a single day for families in need. Her journey from the shy girl in the corner to someone who confidently extends hundreds of invitations is a testament to what becomes possible when we transform our relationship with asking.

Listen to this episode if:

• You find yourself hesitating to ask for help, even when you really need it
• You've ever felt like an outsider waiting for an invitation
• You want to make bigger impact with limited resources
• You're seeking practical ways to build community around your mission
• You need permission to be braver about inviting others into your life or work

Her Courage Practice: The Radical Art of Invitation

Where most of us wait for permission or suffer silently, Jessica boldly extends invitations that create ripples of positive change.

It started when she was in the corner at a networking event, desperately wanting to belong but too shy to insert herself. A simple "Hey, we're going for drinks at Watermark for my birthday. Do you want to come?" changed everything for her.

That moment became a template for Jessica's approach to community building. For every event, she now invites hundreds – not because she expects everyone to come, but because she remembers how it felt to need that explicit invitation. "I over-invite everything," she explains. "I sent out 750 messages for our first S.O.A.R. event because you don't know who needs that personal invitation. And then guess what? They show up and become your biggest fan."

Jessica continues this invitation practice even when resources are scarce. When she couldn't afford to host a birthday party, she found a public place where people could gather without cost to her. When families needed Christmas gifts, she leveraged her network to raise $1,000 in a day. Her invitations have rehomed over a million items to charity, creating a community-powered pipeline of generosity.

Listen to more Movement Makers here

Let’s keep rising higher together.

💓 Aransas