I love being a part of my friends lives and their unique journey through it. Jess is someone who I can definitely say is very unique, her path and the life she continues to live is very inspiring. She takes chances and puts herself out there.

I suppose thats what gives her the ‘it’ factor. Through her life experiences, Jess has really come to know herself and practise what it means in following her truth.

I believe she is one great role model for women in general and women that are already in or looking to join the fashion and modelling industry, she stands up for what she believes and won’t back down. This shows Jess’s strength and also vulnerability, in an industry that can sometimes take away the best in woman.

Jess has risen above it all though, to become one of Australia’s top super models and is well known to the worlds fashion audiences.

I really value the time I share with my friends, family and the people I love, so when we do spend time together there is always great connection. Catching up with Jess for this interview was no exception to that. She had been in LA recently and I’d mentioned I would love to interview her for the Limit Breakers Series, straight away she said that she was in!

We didn’t plan when or how, I just knew like always, we’d catch each other at the perfect time and place. Then one Sunday morning, fresh of a plane from LA we made contact again and headed to one of our favourite cafes in sunny Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Porch & Parlour.

I was really looking forward to this interview with Jess, because I’ve not only seen her ups and downs in life as her friend, but also been part of her support network. She has been incredible to watch because she has learn’t to bring it all back to herself rather than giving credit or blame to her story. She knows where her true power is at and she uses it.

At this point in her life she is flying, she’s really going for it and the skies the limit. She knows her self worth and with that comes more to offer than ever before in who she is being right now.  Lets just say, she is smashing through any of her once perceived limitations! Cue Beyonce’s, Run The World (Girls)

Jessica’s Story

Hailing from Perth, Australia, Jessica Gomes is quickly becoming one of modeling’s biggest international faces. Working extensively in Australia and Asia, Gomes has strong followings in Korea, Australia, North America and in the East Coast hip hop community. Gomes has appeared in the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 editions of the Swimsuit Issue of the American Publication Sports Illustrated and will be in the magazine again in 2014.  In 2008, Gomes had surpassed all models of Asian heritage appearing in the Swimsuit Issue.

In March 2013, Gomes was announced as the fashion ambassador for Australian retail giant David Jones Limited, replacing Miranda Kerr.  In July 2013, she debuted for Jones on the runway.

Gomes has also been a spokesperson for the Korean conglomerates LG Electronics and Hyundai. Gomes also serves as the face of the Estee Lauder/Sean John fragrance “Unforgivable”. She has been revealed as the voice of Rick Ross‘ label Maybach Music Group and was recently featured in a Beats by Dre commercial directed by Jonas Akerlund.

Gomes has appeared on the covers of Australian Vogue, Madison, as well as featured in Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Elle, In Style,  Teen Vogue, Glamour, American Glamour and the coveted  Victoria’s Secret catalogue, has modeled for DKNY Jeans, Garnier, Levi’s, Motorola, Urban Outfitters and Victoria’s Secret.  She was also the Maxim Cover girl for November 2011. She has been featured in ads for Jay-Z’s Rocawear. In 2009, she was in a Cass Beer ad campaign with Lee Min Ho.

Gomes’ career started when her mother sent her to modelling classes at Linda-Ann Model Academy in Perth at the age of 13 where a modeling contest led to the start of her career. In 2004, she signed with an international modeling agency after moving to New York City. She has done extensive work in most of Asia’s major markets — including Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. Before Gomes began modeling in Midland, she appeared as an extra at age 10 on the Australian miniseries Bush Patrol.

While living in New York City, Gomes studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. In 2009, her reality TV-show My Name Is Jessica Gomes was launched on the English language Korean television network On Style owned by On-Media. In the shows second season it chronicled her time in New York.   Gomes is also a choreographer and made her dancing debut in the Korean version of Dancing with the Stars on June 10, 2011.

Gomes currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Sydney. She is represented by Women-Direct management in NYC and Chic Management is Australia.

Jessica’s Interview

Jamie:   What does limitless living mean for you?

Jess:   Doing what you want, and not caring what anyone thinks. Totally following your gut and reaching for the stars. It also means creating and living your dream. You are in control of your life and you know where it is going.

Jamie:  What has been your biggest challenge in life where you were faced with limitation in some way? What supported you to move through it?

Jess:   My biggest limitation has been me. I have been my toughest critic. My mind has been my devil. 4 years ago I made the decision to move back to Sydney after living out of New York for 6 years since I was a teenager. I just wanted to be home and be with nature and re connect with my homeland. I really sorted myself out in that time of being home. I think sometimes everyone needs a break and needs time out to reflect and re asses of where they are at in there lives. And that’s what I needed to do, as I didn’t feel 100 percent happy with my lifestyle in New York.

It was a time to reconnect with myself and understand what I truly wanted and what I wanted to give. I reconnected by nourishing myself. I ate clean and lived clean so I could feel pure. I dived into meditation and a healthy lifestyle of swimming every morning running on the beach! It was amazing to just really love that Bondi lifestyle.  This was the most supportive way for me to heal and reconnect with myself was through nature and being home!

Jamie:   How often do you follow your intuition/gut feel in life?

Jess:  A lot more now than I used to. I have to remind myself to trust what I feel. Every time I trust what I feel, I always find happiness. When I don’t trust my gut, it really affects me. It also helps that I am really clear about what I want now.

Jamie:   Have you always imagined the life you live or has it been a lot of luck?

Jess:   No, I never imagined my life would be this way! I just knew what I wanted and worked hard towards my dream of being successful in my career. The rest then came with it. There has been some luck. But, it’s mixed with hard work.

Jamie:   How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

Jess:   I feel like I’ve lived for a hundred years. But, I also feel like I’m only ten years old. I’ve lived and done so much already. However, there is so much more to come. I feel like there are so many more lives for me to live in this lifetime.

Jamie:   What’s the biggest lie you once believed was true?

Jess:   That money makes you happy

Jamie:   What do you love most about yourself?

Jess:   I think that I’m a pretty easy going person. I’m quite relaxed and simple. But, mostly, I love my honesty. I can’t lie. Although it sometimes gets me in trouble, it’s a trait that I love.

Jamie:  What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

Jess:   So much! I feel like my freedom of speech would be different. I would share my thoughts more freely. I would save a lot of time not hesitating in what I truly felt to say and do. I wouldn’t second guess myself so much. I would love myself so much more. I would care for myself more instead of wasting time caring about what everyone else thought of me.

Jamie:   How important has knowing yourself been for you in working on yourself? Did you or do you have a mentor?

Jess:   It has been so important! I felt like in my twenties I really had to establish the type of woman I wanted to become. If I hadn’t gotten to know me, I don’t know where I would be. I also want to be the best person I can be for my children when I have kids. My sisters have been mentors for me, along with my closest friends who can tell me straight. Although specifically, my main mentors have been yourself, my meditation teacher Garry Gorrow and Saimaa Miller from the last resort in Bondi.

Jamie:   So, let’s say in this moment you are totally limitless, free and happy. What would you love to do next?

Jess:   I feel very content with where I am at in my life at this very moment. For me it’s about having a clear mind and doing what I love and surrounding myself with the people I love. I’m so excited for what’s to come next and I’m just trusting that everything is going to be fine, I have trust that’s it’s going to be exactly what I desire. I feel very awake and present and I feel like every moment is a sacred time. We all leave one day so I  just want to exit knowing I made a difference and I left something beautiful behind.

If you would love to follow Jess’s journey then you can connect with her below;
Blog – www.jessoffduty.com
Instagram – www.instagram.com/iamjessicagomes
Facebook – www.facebook.com/iamjessicagomes
Twitter – www.twitter.com/iamjessicagomes

Now that you have enjoyed this interview with Jess, then make sure you jump on my newsletter list here so not to miss other inspiring people I have coming up in my Limit Breakers Series.

Would also love to hear what you thought of Jess and her interview, so get commenting and sharing away below. Lots of love!

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Tags: authentic, belief, Empowerment, limitbreaker, limitlessliving, popular, purpose

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