Professional revitalization on Wall Street + creative fulfillment on the stage

Situation overview: Jess had worked in equity sales for some of the top banks in the U.S. and Europe. Over the course of his 20-year career, he built a reputation as a versatile high achiever with strong relationships in the hedge fund community he covered. After an alluring job offer led him to take a position in an organization that turned out to be a poor fit, Jess considered his next moves while trying to make the best of a bad situation. He was feeling increasingly burned out, but walking away from Wall Street wasn’t an option.

When we met, Jess was questioning whether it was possible for him to continue building on his success in the financial markets and, at the same time, achieve a sense of personal well-being that was less closely linked to that success.

Working together, we tackled these questions. Today, Jess is performing at the top of his game professionally . . . and also at some of New York City’s top comedy clubs.

To get the full story, in Jess’s own words, read on below.

Jess's story: When I first began working with Eden, I was approaching the 20-year mark in my Wall Street career. I had left a premier U.S. investment bank to pursue a compelling opportunity at a European firm specializing in my product. However, the company culture and dynamic were not a good fit, and it’s fair to say I was going through some personal adversity because of it. At this point in my career, following the move I’d made, the stakes felt higher than ever before. I had just turned 40. I was doing a lot of soul searching.

On the surface, most would have looked at me and seen a strong type-A personality and corresponding career record, accompanied by the financial and material gains that come with success. But I felt personally unfulfilled. In addition, now I was struggling to find direction and personal peace in my livelihood.

To say I am grateful that I met Eden when I did would be an understatement.

Eden’s work and analysis helped me begin to explore what complete fulfillment from my endeavors might look and feel like for me personally. In the course of considering this question, I discovered that I felt significant regret for not having pursued, or even explored, a creative path or undertaking in my life. I also defined, for the first time, the kind of work environment I wanted to be in going forward.

Armed with this knowledge and Eden’s ongoing support, I found I had the tools I needed to successfully navigate myself out of my bad work situation and apply the hard-learned lessons from that experience to find the right job for me. In fact, I ended up with three job offers – the first time I’d ever been presented with multiple attractive options at once. Making my decision was tough, but, two years later, I am pleased to report I definitely chose the right one for me.

Perhaps most inspiring though, was the work Eden and I did together to identify which creative endeavor might be the one for me. We pinpointed what was missing for me in my career, which turned out to be the challenge of performing and being judged solely on the strength of my own achievements. Working for a big investment bank, I knew that just putting up the numbers was not enough. There were always other factors at play; company-wide results, internal politics and market gyrations that could neutralize or discount an otherwise phenomenal year. The stars had to align. It wasn’t all up to me.

Enter stand-up comedy. It fit our bill to a T: it was up to me alone to make the most of my five minutes in the spotlight and it gave me a chance to flex the muscles on the other side of my brain for a change. (Full disclosure – I was also known for having a good sense of humor, which is a helpful starting point). I began to pursue formal training in stand up comedy to learn the ropes, and it felt amazing. I found the outlet I’d been missing. No extraneous factors can trump individual merit (what works) or talent (writing and performing one’s own material) in what’s been called the most naked or vulnerable of performance arts. It’s the comic, with only a microphone, performing his or her own written material. Quite simply, it’s do-or-die. High personal stakes, terrifying to some, but absolutely the right challenge for me, at the right time. Without Eden’s help, I might never have identified this outlet or pushed through my reservations to go after it.

I have gone on to perform at some of Manhattan’s premier comedy clubs, and continue with stand up comedy today, including at invitation-only events. And, although it seems counterintuitive to me, but not to Eden, I am also doing better than ever on Wall Street. Professionally and creatively, I have never felt happier, or more fulfilled. I credit this reality to having met and engaged the best hired-gun to help me make it happen: Eden Abrahams. I am proud to call her my great friend and ally. I enthusiastically recommend her to others, and have seen similarly inspiring outcomes.

A million times: Thank you Eden!

Jess Gaitan
Institutional Equity Salesman / Stand-up Comic / Writer
New York, NY
April 2009