Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Priestly.
Hi Jacqueline, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story really started in the middle of real life. I spent 15 years in a corporate career while also building a life with my husband and raising our three wonderfully wild kids. On paper, I had so much of what I had worked for. But behind the scenes, I was burning out. I was trying to give my career everything it required while desperately wanting to be more present for my kids, and eventually, I had to acknowledge that the way I was juggling it all simply wasn’t sustainable.
I think we hear a lot that women can “have it all,” and I do believe that. I just don’t necessarily believe we can have it all, all at once. Life moves in seasons, and as those seasons change, different parts of our lives have to take the front seat while others move to the back. That prioritization looks different for every woman and every family, but I think it’s important to acknowledge that the constant juggle so many of us find ourselves in isn’t always a healthy reality.
For me, burnout forced me to take a closer look at what I wanted my own life to feel like. I didn’t want to spend these years with my kids feeling like I was always rushing to the next thing or physically present while my mind was somewhere else. I wanted more room to actually experience my life with them. That meant making some big changes and eventually following a longtime dream of becoming a children’s book author.
My kids became some of my greatest inspiration. Instead of trying to make family life look polished or perfect, I wanted to write stories that celebrated what it actually feels like: funny, exhausting, loud, chaotic, beautiful, and completely worth it.
That became the heart behind The Wild-Life Keepers series. My first book, Life with a Tasmanian Devil, takes all that whirlwind energy and messiness and turns it into an adventure. At its heart, the story is about shifting our perspective and finding the magic in the everyday mayhem rather than trying to control or eliminate it. Life with a Parrot continues that idea in a different way, taking the constant noise and chatter that can feel overwhelming and reframing it through connection, kindness, and understanding.
As I’ve grown as an author, I’ve realized that my work is about more than writing books for children. I care deeply about the moms reading alongside them, too. My own experience with burnout showed me how important it is for mothers to have space to care for themselves, reassess their priorities, and recognize when the way they’re doing life is no longer working for them. I want moms to feel seen in the mayhem, not judged for struggling with it.
Today, I’m building a brand that brings all of those pieces together: children’s books, honest storytelling, motherhood, humor, wellness, and connection. I hope my work gives families permission to embrace the season they’re in, laugh at some of the chaos, and remember that our kids don’t need a perfectly balanced mother. They need a mother who has enough left in her own cup to actually be there for the life she’s worked so hard to build.
And with three kids at home, I’m still very much living the material every day, so I don’t think I’ll be running out of stories anytime soon!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not, but I also think the struggles have shaped so much of where I am today.
One of my biggest challenges once I reached complete burnout in my corporate career was getting to a place where I felt comfortable and confident enough to actually leave behind a career I had spent 15 years building, along with the security of a steady paycheck. There’s a big difference between dreaming about doing something different and actually taking the leap. It took time for me to trust that it was okay to choose a different path and prioritize what I needed in that season of my life.
Jumping into my dream of becoming an author certainly wasn’t easy either. I quickly learned that writing the story is only one small piece of publishing a book. Suddenly, I wasn’t just the creative mind behind the stories. I was also an editor, visionary, marketer, businesswoman, salesperson, and about ten other things I had never expected to be! There was a huge learning curve and plenty of trial and error along the way. I made mistakes, learned from them, and approached things differently with my second and third books. I’m sure I’ll do the same with any more that may follow.
Motherhood itself has also been one of my greatest challenges, while simultaneously being one of my greatest sources of inspiration. Raising three kids has a way of constantly reminding you that just when you think you’ve figured something out, a new phase begins. That real-life chaos is ultimately what inspired so much of my work and the stories I tell.
I’m still figuring out what balance looks like as my kids grow and as I build this next chapter of my career. I don’t think there’s a finish line where suddenly everything fits perfectly. For me, the biggest lesson has been learning to pay attention when something isn’t working, giving myself permission to reprioritize, and remembering that being present for my family also requires taking care of the person at the center of all that juggling: me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Right now, I’m a mom and a children’s book author, and those two roles are very intertwined. So much of my inspiration comes directly from raising my three kids and finding the humor, heart, and sometimes complete absurdity in everyday family life.
I currently have two published children’s books, along with accompanying coloring books and some smaller merchandise connected to the series, and book three is already in the works. The stories take the kinds of behaviors that can sometimes drive us a little crazy as parents and reimagine them through wild animals. Life with a Tasmanian Devil celebrates the whirlwind of energy, movement, and mess that some kids bring into a home, while Life with a Parrot takes on the nonstop talking, repeating, and noise that comes with another type of personality.
What I love most is that the books aren’t really about “fixing” those traits. They’re about shifting our perspective and finding ways to appreciate and work with the qualities that make our kids who they are. There’s a lot of humor and chaos, but underneath it is a message about connection, acceptance, and finding the magic in the mess.
That’s probably what I’m most proud of. I set out to write books that kids would think were funny, but I also wanted the parent sitting beside them to feel like the story was giving them a little wink, too. My books are written for children, but they’re very much inspired by the shared experience of family life.
I think that perspective is also what sets my work apart. I’m not writing from a place of having motherhood figured out. I’m right in the middle of it. I’m raising three kids while building this author career, and I’m pulling inspiration from the messy, funny, exhausting, wonderful moments happening in my own home. My hope is that families can laugh together while reading my books and maybe walk away seeing a little more magic in the very things that felt overwhelming five minutes earlier.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My biggest advice would be to go all in.
If there’s something on your heart that you can’t stop thinking about, and you have the opportunity to pursue something you love, spend more time with the people you love, and maybe even make a difference in someone’s life along the way, I think it’s worth pursuing. But at some point, you have to jump.
I also think it’s important to figure out what helps you get out of your own way. For me, that might mean walking, meditating, listening to music, or staying away from doom scrolling and comparison. Find whatever helps quiet the noise enough for you to actually hear yourself, because hesitation and imposter syndrome can talk you out of just about anything if you let them.
Honestly, I wish I had understood sooner that you don’t have to feel completely confident or have everything figured out before you start. There will be learning curves. You’ll make mistakes. You’ll spend time and money on things you might do completely differently the next time around. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing it wrong. Sometimes that’s simply the cost of learning something new.
At the same time, I think there’s a balance between following a dream and being realistic about what it takes to build one. Stay authentic, be practical, learn the business side, and be willing to adjust when something isn’t working. But give it your all.
Most importantly, believe in what you’re creating. Imposter syndrome gets the best of all of us at some point, but if you don’t believe in yourself and your work, it’s going to be very difficult to convince anyone else to believe in it. You don’t need to know exactly where the leap will take you. You just have to believe enough in where you’re going to take the first step.
Pricing:
- Hardcover Books $20
- Coloring Books $10
- Paperback Books $20
- Bundle pricing available
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jacquelinepriestly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byjacquelinepriestly/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573882297019
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinepriestly/
