For Jessica Bakker, balance began the moment she stopped sprinting. After years in the high-pressure world of creative agencies — where “busy” was the default and burnout came in cycles — she hit pause long enough to reimagine how she worked. Now, as a marketing strategist and storyteller consulting across Australia and the US, Jess builds systems that protect her energy as much as her productivity.
She splits her time between client strategy and Her Story, a storytelling platform sharing women’s lived experiences around health and resilience. From time-blocking deep work to mid-week saunas and wellness-focused coworking sessions, Jess has learned that real creativity comes from rhythm, not rush. In our chat, she shares the routines, boundaries, and mindset shifts that helped her turn burnout into balance — and build a work life that finally feels like her own.
You’ve worked in fast-paced creative environments and experienced burnout more than once. What changes did you make to build a healthier, more sustainable way of working?
The biggest shift was slowing down long enough to actually rethink how I work. When I was in agency life, everything was urgent and my identity was completely tied to output. One year I worked with over a hundred clients, so many that I barely had time to understand what they really needed. After burning out a few times, I realised I needed systems that protected my energy just as much as my productivity.
Now I build more structure into my days, say no more often, and choose projects that actually align with my values. Focusing on fewer things that matter has made my work way more creative, and a lot more consistent. I’m also more intentional about tracking my time and knowing where it actually goes.
You’re now consulting for clients across multiple time zones while building your own women’s health platform. How do you structure your days to stay productive and protect your energy?
I plan my weeks around energy rather than hours. I keep deep work blocks in the morning for strategy and creative thinking, and time block calls across the US and Australian time zones (every call fits into a specific google calendar, to ensure I can get routine with when I work and when I am on call). I dedicate a small amount of time per day to responding to clients and emails (not checking it all the time), and Fridays for reflection on how I spent my week and admin.
I’ve also built rituals around rest, morning walks, and weekly coworking days in a wellness-focused space with friends as working remotely doesn’t give you any ability to connect with others (plus, who doesn’t love a mid week sauna). Having that separation between client work, creative work, and rest keeps me grounded and prevents the blur that often happens when you work globally.
You’ve said the biggest shift for you was realising how much energy comes from working on something you genuinely care about. What helped you make that mindset change?
It took a few cycles of burnout to realise that passion isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s fuel. I used to think purpose-driven work had to wait until after I’d “made it.” Until after I had enough “experience” and I had enough money. But the moment I started dedicating time to my own projects, like Her Story, everything changed. The creative energy I got from building something meaningful spilled over into my client work. It made me more happy as I knew that long term I have bigger goals than just working with clients. That shift reframed success for me, it’s not just about productivity or revenue; it’s about alignment, energy, and sustainability.
As someone who’s worked in health tech, you’ve seen firsthand how easy it is to prioritise others’ wellbeing over your own. What boundaries or rituals help you stay centred?
There’s a certain irony in working in healthcare and neglecting your own health. I learned that the hard way over years of assuming that meaningful work = stressful work. Now I treat my own wellbeing like a project, scheduled, tracked, and protected. I book workouts as meetings (if they are in the calendar then I go), take midday breaks even if it feels inconvenient, and unplug fully one day each weekend. My co-working space has been a big part of that, it’s designed around wellness, so things like breathwork, movement, and connection are built into the workday. It’s a constant reminder that being well is part of being effective.
Her Story blends storytelling with women’s health and resilience. What have you learned from the women you’ve spoken to about what true balance and connection look like?
What stood out most is how personal balance really is. Every woman I’ve spoken to has her own version, some find it in slowing down, others in regaining independence or redefining strength. But the common thread is honesty: being real about what’s hard, what hurts, and what helps. Connection doesn’t come from perfection, it comes from being seen. That’s the essence of Her Story: creating spaces where women can share openly and, in doing so, remind each other they’re not alone. Their health challenges are common, and there are others experiencing the same thing.
You’re rethinking consulting as both work and experimentation, using projects to test ideas and shape future products. How has that approach changed how you think about creativity and career growth?
It’s made everything feel lighter and more playful. Consulting used to feel transactional, but now I see it as an experiment lab. Each client project is a chance to test systems, frameworks, and tools that could later evolve into products. That mindset has taken a lot of pressure off. Creativity thrives when you treat work as exploration, not perfection. It’s also blurred the line between career and creation in a good way; I’m not chasing the next role, I’m building toward a bigger vision one iteration at a time. I’m dedicating more time to learning things that are valuable for clients, and I’m sharing everything that I learn. Therefore building way more trust than what I would do from a one off project.
