Meet Jessica Strang | Clinical psychologist, jewelry designer, podcast host, & artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Strang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I have a strong belief that everyone has a purpose for being part of this universe and when I think about my own purpose and legacy, I would like to be remembered as being the woman of my own dreams. I didn’t start out with this idea, though. Throughout my life, I have had many opportunities to be creative and to try new things and although I sometimes did pursue these avenues, more often than not, in my younger years I struggled with self doubts and concerns about what others thought of me. these self imposed barriers often stopped me from pushing beyond what was expected of me. One day, I started focusing on what I can do and that simple self mantra became a major turning point for me. I started running as a form of stress relief and exercise and within a few years, I ran two marathons, a handful of half marathons and 5ks. Training for these races and then crossing the finish line helped me get through my aversion to risk taking and eventually, I began thinking of who I wanted to be as I got older. I decided that instead of looking at others for inspiration, I wanted to inspire myself to become the woman of my own dreams- the kind of woman who ran marathons, used her creativity and set goals and smashed them. I decided to start my jewelry brand just to see if I could do it, just like marathon training. In a short time, my jewelry brand became a sponsor for a Chicago based nationally syndicated talk show, appeared in dozens of publications including Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Marie Claire and was featured in fashion shows including LA Fashion Week and displayed on a billboard in Times Square during NY Fashion Week. I began painting and within months, I was a featured artist on the Saatchi art website, the world’s largest art gallery, and was represented by a Chicago based fine art gallery. My psychology private practice continues to thrive after I launched it in 2010 as well as a therapy podcast that I co-host and discuss psychology topics for those new to therapy.

When I think of all the things I have accomplished, I am thrilled to have been able to cross the finish line on these goals and make my own luck. The old phrase “looking for the man of your dreams” has permanently been changed to me becoming the “woman of my own dreams” and that is the legacy I hope to be remembered by.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to say that by day, I am a psychologist and by night, I design for my own jewelry brand, coco + peach jewelry. What began as a small idea and motivated by the belief that I could try something just for fun became so much more in the span of a few years. I am so proud that my “little brand that could” developed from a leap of faith into what it is now- a well recognized jewelry brand that has been sold all over the United States.

Learning how to market and create a brand took a great deal of time and effort and there was a big learning curve but despite the challenges, I always felt that my jewelry brand could be successful because I believed it could. I often looked around and read about other founder’s stories and felt that I too could create a successful brand if I worked hard enough because if they could do it, I could too. The most difficult part about starting my jewelry brand was defining my vision- I needed to know what I wanted my business to be about and how I wanted it to look from the logo to the website to the kinds of models I needed in my photo shoots. I worked through this challenge by using my intuition and making decisions on what felt right for the brand. I designed every aspect of my website, worked with a graphic designer on the logo until it was perfected to what it is now and have worked with the same glam team (aka Team coco + peach) on every shoot for the website and social media accounts. I work with my global manufacturers to make sure that my designs are all lightweight and well crafted and it took time to find the right manufacturers that understood what I wanted to do.

coco + peach jewelry is about dichotomies: its jewelry that can be worn day to night, dressed up or down and can be the “quiet” part of an outfit or make a bold statement. My jewelry is meant to be worn to the office or grocery run and seamlessly to an evening gala or black tie affair. My first generation Latina background is an influence in every part of my brand and I strive to create images for my social media accounts and website that are aspirational to my Latinx community by featuring mainly Latinx people in my campaigns as well as BIPOC representation. This is important to me because I believe that I have created a platform and have a responsibility to show the world the beauty in my Latinx culture as well as the diversity in my classic Chicago brand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my most favorite things to do is show off the amazing city of Chicago to newcomers. Starting with the Chicago skyline and architecture, I truly believe that the best way to see the city is through the amazing archiecture boat tour, which takes people along the Chicago river. The knowledgable guides point out the architecture and skyline buildings that Chicago is known for. Walking along the impeccablly paved lakefront paths is another way to see this gorgeous city.

Chicago is known for its culture and city is bursting at the seems with things to see, hear and experience. For art, I love visiting the Art Institute and small local galleries in Pilsen and Wicker Park neighborhoods. I love going to the Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry to learn about our past and present. When out of town guests want to listen to music, venues such as Thalia Hall in Pilsen, the Salt Shed and small clubs like the Beat Kitchen and Schubas are great places to listen to live music and emerging bands. Real Chicagoans only root for one baseball team and as a north sider, my team is the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley Field is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or evening and gorgeous Gallagher Way provides places to eat and drink and spend time with friends right outside the stadium.

You cannot leave Chicago without sampling some of the best food in the world. My picks (get ready for a long list) are tavern style pizza from the Candlelite Chicago in Rogers Park, dim sum from Triple Crown in Chinatown, sushi to go from Lawrence Fish Market in Albany Park, a burger from Small Cheval in Wicker Park, Mexican food from Trapasada Chicago in Avondale, Italian from Piccolo Sogno in the Near West Side, bbq from Smoque Daddy in Wrigleyville, hot dogs from the Wieners Circle in Lincoln Park, Thai from Penny’s Noodle shop in Wrigleyville, seafood from Shaw’s, Colombian food from Las Tablas, ramen and more from Ramen San and steak from Bavette’s. Chicago is also known for amazing brunch options and my top picks are Lula Cafe and the Bongo Room.

Chicago is a shopper’s heaven so I’d recommend to skip the usual suspects and shop small and local. Niczka is an upscale, cutting edge and wearable brand by Chicagoan Tania Mackey. Love, Charlie is an adorable female owned boutique featuring the latest styles and gifts. Roscoe Books is an independently owned book store located in the adorable Roscoe Village neighborhood. Black Luxe candles is a black owned luxury candle shop where you can also make your own candles.

This list only covers a small fraction of what Chicago has to offer so I’d strongly recommend making more than one visit to my hometown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate my success to my family- my parents, husband and children push me to strive for more, help guide me through the hard times and celebrate my successes and inspire me to work hard every day.

Website: www.cocopeachjewelry.com

Instagram: coco_and_peach_jewelry

Facebook: cocopeachjewelry

Image Credits
Team credits: Models: Sofia Strang, Katherine Alvarado Photographer: Luis Arevalo HMUA: Briana and Stephanie Jarrin