Earlier this week, I traveled into Manhattan to spend a little time with Jessica Seinfeld. You have probably heard of her. The wife of Jerry Seinfeld, Jessica has carved out her own success in the charitable and cooking arenas over the last decade. As we spoke, three things in particular stood out to me about Mrs. Seinfeld.
1. She is very compassionate. When I asked Jessica about her motivation for starting her Baby Buggy charity, she mentioned that it began after she gave birth to her first child. She quickly realized that raising a child in New York was an expensive endeavor. Realizing how fortunate she was to be able to give her kids the best compelled her to do a weekend charitable drive…which eventually blossomed into Baby Buggy. Living in a city with such financial extremes (many have so much while others have so little) caused her to want to “marry” the two – in that those with excess could help provide for those who lacked basic necessities for their young children. She really believes that New York City is comprised of the most generous people in the world. (I’m biased because I live here, but I tend to agree!)
2. She is very purposeful. The charity and various business ventures that she has started are all very strategic. She saw that raising a child in NYC was expensive so she started the Baby Buggy charity. Now, Baby Buggy has developed a year-long partnership (featuring three different collections) with Target that meets several needs. Proceeds go back to Baby Buggy to help needy families. I had the opportunity to see and touch the current collection, Petit Trésor for Target, and I was impressed that the designer quality pieces were being offered at such affordable prices. Jessica was very clear that her desire is to try to choose the best corporate and charitable partnerships. Due to this Target partnership, Baby Buggy is also able to give product donations to Head Start and Nurse Family Partnership charities in five cities plus New York.
Petit Tresor for Target
On the business sides, she has written two cookbooks based on her personal recipes with the goal of helping families to eat healthier foods. The second book came about as a result of fans of her first book telling her husband that they wanted more recipes. She also recently started a new website, “do it Delicious”. On this website, she shares videos and recipes of simple meals. It started as a way to help a personal friend cook easy, healthy meals…which resulted in that friend feeling like a more competent mom. What I like about the site is that it is obvious that Jessica actually cooks for her family…unlike some other recent “celebrity” lifestyle sites. It’s refreshing!
3. She has very clear boundaries. I noticed this during several different points in our interview. It was clear regarding the areas that she focused on business-wise. For example, I asked her how involved she was in the product line picks for the Baby Buggy/Target partnership. She honestly answered that she isn’t. She chooses the companies that Baby Buggy partners with and she lets the designers do what they do – design. Smart woman. The thing that made her strong boundaries the most obvious was when I asked for her response about the debate surrounding the “deceptive cooking” approach which she teaches in her two cook books. Jessica chose not to listen to the criticisms. She did not want to hear them and she chose not to respond. Her response (or lack thereof) didn’t make for a great interview, but it was a great life lesson. Sometimes when you believe strongly in what you are doing (which she honestly does – she really wants families to eat healthier foods), there comes a point when you have to tune out the negativity so that you can focus on the good that you are trying to accomplish. That is a truth that my husband is constantly trying to help “I just want them to understand – not necessarily agree, but understand where I’m coming from” me to grasp. In any event, I’ll take that as my “inside scoop” from my time together with Jessica Seinfeld.