Meet Jess Weihe

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

Hi Jess, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think risk-taking is important, but needs to be done so, strategically. You know the sayings … “If you don’t ask, the answer is always ‘no.'” “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” We’ve all heard them.

I think there’s a real merit and importance to stretching beyond our comfort zones and not boxing ourselves into the roles we are expected to play, professionally and personally. That doesn’t mean I recommend putting everything on the line, every time, for the sake of “you only live once,” but I certainly believe in taking a leap of faith here and there, especially when the impact can be measurable.

One of my biggest risks has been tied to the trajectory of the 100% volunteer-run nonprofit I cofounded in 2015, Conejo Community Outreach. By 2018, we were seeking to determine what support we could provide to our community on a day-to-day basis that would be manageable to sustain and operate, while offering a solution to a real need. We leaned in on launching a community diaper bank — an initiative that would entail lots of logistics and financial support to successfully operate. Just two years into operation, COVID-19 impacted our community and the surge in requests for support was immediate. We went from supporting about 50 families each month to more than 250 families … in the span of about 60 days. To add to the complexity of navigating a global health pandemic, our operations also had to drastically shift, as the studio we used for diaper bank order pickup had to close doors during the shutdown.

We temporarily shifted operations to my house (using my garage) for what we thought would be a couple of weeks. Fast forward to today, we never relocated back. Instead, we turned to the community to support us in the investment of an 8×20 storage shed we now use for on-site diaper storage in my side yard, and we transformed my front courtyard into our client pickup location. Now, we support 375 kids each month with fresh diapers and wipes, packaging up approximately 25,000 diapers each month, thanks to some amazing volunteers and community members.

Transitioning to this style of operating was a huge risk. Could we sustain this level of support enough to justify the investment of a unit and the setup work it would entail? How could we operate in such a way to support families in a self-serve pickup process? What if I had to “return to the office” after remote work during the peak of the pandemic? How could we ensure that we could provide this support while respecting neighbors? We’ve learned so many lessons along the way, but that’s a privilege. Even more importantly, we could not have grown to meet the community need had we continued operating in the setup we had pre-COVID. Scaling up, so drastically, and so quickly, was a huge risk, but I’m proud to share that as of May 2025, we’ve distributed 1.5 million diapers to families in Ventura County, and our diaper bank remains a thriving community nonprofit. That’s in large part to a generous community of diaper bank supporters, local businesses and grant support.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work as a marketing professional in Ventura County, supporting businesses, municipalities and nonprofits with strategic marketing plans, crisis communications and community outreach plans. What might surprise most folks is that I don’t have any traditional education in marketing, and prior to transitioning to this career, I spent about a decade as a reality TV casting producer for various studios and networks.

What I feel sets me apart is that I’m a solutions-driven person. I know that sounds jargony, but I am often the person folks turn to when they need to figure something out. I’m up for a good challenge. I’m constantly researching what I don’t know. I’m not afraid to experiment until I get it right. I don’t say: “I don’t know how,” rather, I say, “I’m going to figure out how to get it done.” And then I go and do just that. It may look polished (hopefully!), but behind the scenes, it’s often a scrappy, in-the-weeds approach. I’m not afraid to mess up, because I’ll clean it up. I’d rather keep exploring, trying new things and pushing the envelope, instead of having any of my clients settling for “just ok,” or the status quo. I think through every decision and its impact and I really genuinely care very deeply about the work I do and how it impacts those who rely on me for support.

I want folks to know that they are often far stronger than they know, and more capable than they believe, and that no one fits in a one-size-all box. If you are passionate about something, there are a thousand of different pathways to get to that end point, and you can do it. Don’t settle for being told you can’t because you don’t have a check mark next to a certain degree, or a certain number of years in a specific “lane.” Think more holistically about the person you are and what you bring to the table. Your lived experience counts. Your resilience and work ethic counts. Your scrappiness can be your biggest asset. It’s never too late to pivot, and if you missed your “fork in the road,” create it yourself. You’re going to hear the word “no” a lot … but you can be the person that says YES to you and what you care about. We sometimes get so caught up on the idea of how we “look” on paper, we miss the real, authentic value we bring that isn’t always captured in a bullet point.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I was raised in Ventura County, where I’m privileged enough to be now raising a family of my own. We prioritize our beautiful open space, hiking trails and parks, and access to the beach regularly.

Some days, that looks like heading to Sycamore Canyon for a hike, followed by grabbing some lunch at Tarantula Hill Brewing Co.

Other nights, we’re catching a show at the Civic Arts Plaza and grabbing either apps and wine from West Tasting Room beforehand or cocktails at Oak and Iron afterward. All this, accessible on Thousand Oaks Boulevard (our “downtown.”) You also can’t go wrong with a margarita from Cliffdiver, a chocolate caramel apple from Newberry Candy, or some amazing pasta at Basta. Yes, all on the boulevard!

A night out with the girls? I love the vibe at Selvin’s at the Palm Garden Hotel.

Absolutely some of our favorite days as a family are spent at the Ventura Harbor, where we start the day at the beach, and then head to the harbor for ice cream from Coastal Cone and wine tasting at Deep Sea Wine Tasting Room.

There’s no shortage for us in Ventura County!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes to the other ladies of our nonprofit leadership board: Andrea Yusim, Kinsie Flame, Leanne Tapper, Sara Bartos, Rena Robles and Hannah Urbach. A nonprofit, especially a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit is an all-hands-on-deck “job,” and it’s not done alone. We are also supported by amazing weekly volunteers. And without a doubt, I could not contribute nearly the amount of time I could to this nonprofit if I did not have the full support I do from an incredibly active husband who takes on the heavy parenting lift more often than not, and helps out behind the scenes in many ways! Plus, we wouldn’t have been able to transition to this sort of long-term setup with my boss allowing the flexibility to do so. We always say, it takes a village!!

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaweihe/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/a.anonymous.mommy/