Lighting the Way with Purpose Driven Leadership with Jessica Hutson
Wed Jan 21 2026
Purpose doesn’t start with a massive career leap — it starts with paying closer attention. If you’re feeling successful on paper but disconnected in your day-to-day work, begin here: for one week, track when you feel energized and when you feel depleted. Don’t judge it or try to fix it yet. Simply collect the data. This simple awareness practice is often the first step leaders need to move from achievement mode into intentional leadership.
Another place to start is learning how to pause. Whether that looks like a few minutes of reflection between meetings, a brief grounding exercise before difficult conversations, or opening a team session with a moment of stillness, the pause creates space for clarity. Leaders who build this muscle make better decisions, communicate more effectively, and lead with greater presence — not urgency.
Jessica Hutson knows this shift firsthand. After years in high-performing corporate environments, including leadership roles at Facebook and TikTok, she began to recognize that promotions and accolades weren’t what truly fueled her. Instead of chasing the next milestone, she slowed down and started noticing patterns — what lit her up, what drained her, and where she felt most alive. That awareness eventually became the foundation for her work today as the founder of Little Torch Leadership.
One of the most powerful leadership practices Jessica shares is values work. When leaders feel misaligned or “off,” it’s often because their daily actions aren’t matching what they actually value. To uncover this, ask yourself three questions regularly: What gives me energy? What feels important right now? What consistently drains me? Over time, patterns emerge — and those patterns reveal your values. From there, purpose becomes less abstract and far more actionable.
As a final step, don’t wait for clarity before taking action. Purpose is refined through movement, not overthinking. Choose one small decision this week — a meeting, a conversation, or a boundary — and intentionally align it with one of your values. Reflect afterward on how it felt. That feedback loop is what turns purpose into a practical leadership compass.
Follow Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicahutson/
Visit Jessica’s Website: https://littletorchleadership.com/
Links & Resources:
Follow Suken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukenjain/
Email Suken at: suken@synergysyncsolutions.com
Synergy Sync Solutions Website: https://www.synergysyncsolutions.com/
This episode was brought to you by Pivot Ball Change.
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Purpose doesn’t start with a massive career leap — it starts with paying closer attention. If you’re feeling successful on paper but disconnected in your day-to-day work, begin here: for one week, track when you feel energized and when you feel depleted. Don’t judge it or try to fix it yet. Simply collect the data. This simple awareness practice is often the first step leaders need to move from achievement mode into intentional leadership. Another place to start is learning how to pause. Whether that looks like a few minutes of reflection between meetings, a brief grounding exercise before difficult conversations, or opening a team session with a moment of stillness, the pause creates space for clarity. Leaders who build this muscle make better decisions, communicate more effectively, and lead with greater presence — not urgency. Jessica Hutson knows this shift firsthand. After years in high-performing corporate environments, including leadership roles at Facebook and TikTok, she began to recognize that promotions and accolades weren’t what truly fueled her. Instead of chasing the next milestone, she slowed down and started noticing patterns — what lit her up, what drained her, and where she felt most alive. That awareness eventually became the foundation for her work today as the founder of Little Torch Leadership. One of the most powerful leadership practices Jessica shares is values work. When leaders feel misaligned or “off,” it’s often because their daily actions aren’t matching what they actually value. To uncover this, ask yourself three questions regularly: What gives me energy? What feels important right now? What consistently drains me? Over time, patterns emerge — and those patterns reveal your values. From there, purpose becomes less abstract and far more actionable. As a final step, don’t wait for clarity before taking action. Purpose is refined through movement, not overthinking. Choose one small decision this week — a meeting, a conversation, or a boundary — and intentionally align it with one of your values. Reflect afterward on how it felt. That feedback loop is what turns purpose into a practical leadership compass. Follow Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicahutson/ Visit Jessica’s Website: https://littletorchleadership.com/ Links & Resources: Follow Suken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukenjain/ Email Suken at: suken@synergysyncsolutions.com Synergy Sync Solutions Website: https://www.synergysyncsolutions.com/ This episode was brought to you by Pivot Ball Change.