Meet Jessica Cagatay | Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Cagatay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
For me, it comes down to what’s actually driving the doubt. When you’re in it, you’re never going to feel 100% certain either way. So I stopped waiting for clarity and started paying attention to the source of the uncertainty.
The moments I wanted to quit were almost never about the work itself. They were about comparison, slow months, or feeling like I was behind some invisible timeline I’d invented. That’s noise. The signal is whether the thing you’re building still feels like yours — whether you still care about it on the days nobody’s watching.
I left a corporate role to do this full-time, and there were absolutely moments where I questioned it. But when I got quiet and honest, I wasn’t doubting the direction. I was just tired or scared. Those are very different problems. Tired and scared are survivable. Fundamentally wrong is a different conversation.
My rule of thumb: if you’re asking “should I give up?” because you’re exhausted, keep going but rest first. If you’re asking because something has genuinely stopped feeling aligned with who you are, that’s worth listening to.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business is me, which sounds simple but took a long time to fully lean into. I create content across fashion, lifestyle, food, and beauty, but the through-line is really just a specific point of view. Everything I put out reflects how I actually live and what I genuinely care about, and I think that’s what resonates with my audience.
I spent years in a corporate content strategy role before going full-time as a creator, and honestly that background shapes everything. I understand how brands think, how content performs, and how to build something with intention rather than just chasing trends. But the turning point was deciding to stop building someone else’s brand and start building my own.
It wasn’t easy. Leaving a stable career to bet on yourself is scary in a very practical way. There were slow months, moments of self-doubt, and a learning curve around the business side of being a creator that nobody really prepares you for. What got me through it was staying focused on quality and consistency over noise.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We’d start mornings with matcha at Verve, my go-to. From there, depending on the day, we’re either walking around the Grove just to move and people-watch, or heading to Larchmont Village, which has this rare neighborhood feel that I love about it.
For drinks, Bar Secco is a fun vibe. There’s nothing better than a good glass of wine outside on a nice evening, and the food is also really good. If we want to sit down somewhere and have my favorite martini in the city — The Benjamin is my go-to. Ima big fan of Korean food and LOVE Jeong Yuk Jeom. The meat quality is SO good.
We’d spend at least one afternoon on Rodeo Drive, to window shop, shoot some content, and grab some food.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The people who get the most credit in my story are my husband and my circle of fellow creators. My husband has been my constant, the kind of support that makes it possible to take risks and keep going even when things feel uncertain. And my creator friends have been invaluable in a way I didn’t fully anticipate. There’s something really specific about being around people who are doing the same thing you are. You stop feeling like you’re figuring it out alone. We share what’s working, talk through what isn’t, and honestly just remind each other that it’s normal to find this hard sometimes. Both have made me a better, more grounded version of what I’m trying to build.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessiekayy