What happens when a recovering attorney becomes a tech founder…and builds a business around celebration? 🥂

In this Friday Bubbly Convo, I’m joined by Jessica Lerner Halperin, founder of Swankey, a party-planning app designed to bring more ease, joy, and calm back to life’s celebrations.

Jessica shares her journey from a lifelong legal career into entrepreneurship after navigating deep grief, the loss of her mother, the pandemic, and a major life pivot she never saw coming. What started as a frustration with how chaotic party planning had become turned into a bigger mission: helping people celebrate the small things, the big things, and everything in between. ❤️

We talk about resilience, building a business later in life, stepping outside your comfort zone, why founders today have to show up online, and how social media and marketing have changed so much in just the last few years. We also get into the emotional side of celebration, why perfection is overrated, and how people remember how you made them feel far more than the napkin color.

Jessica is thoughtful, funny, wildly smart, and yes… she also gave us some unexpectedly helpful “party therapist” legal wisdom along the way.

In this episode, we cover:

Jessica’s pivot from corporate attorney to tech founder
How grief and the pandemic reshaped her path
The story behind Swankey and why she built it
What founders need to know about marketing today
Why people want to connect with the face behind the brand
How to celebrate meaningfully without the pressure of perfection
A few smart things to keep in mind when working with vendors

This one is for the entrepreneurs, the hosts, the pivots-in-progress, and anyone who could use a reminder to celebrate life while we’re living it.

Connect with Jessica + Swankey here: www.swankey.com