Why a $400 niche perfume fixed how I help clients land jobs

You know those influencers who make everything look effortless? The ones who have you absolutely convinced that if you just buy this bottle, or try this amazing new serum, or follow this 5-9 7341 step morning routine, your entire life will smell like glowy success?

Yeah. I fell for it, too, babe, don’t even worry.

Except in my case, it was literal. Like $400 worth of reality. Lemme explain.

The Field Trip That Started It All

La Jetée in Orlando literally feels like a secret you weren’t supposed to find out about. It’s nestled on a quiet street behind a prep school facing the river. With a cream overhang, stepping into it feels like encroaching into an old-timey speakeasy for scent lovers.

Dark green walls, two perfectly weathered leather couches, and the kind of jazzy soundtrack that makes you feel like your life might just have a plot twist laced with bad decisions dressed in a leather jacket and a fougere cologne wafting off his day-old shave.

Then, as soon as you walk in, your eyes are immediately drawn to the most luxurious chaos imaginable: hundreds of niche perfumes blending into one confusingly expensive waft.

Another person might have felt overwhelmed. Me? I felt completely in control.

This was the finale of my self-made September Perfume Curriculum — a month-long deep dive into the history of designer and niche scents. I had my list, curated from the best of Perfumetok. The ones everyone swore would change my life.

Now granted I am a perfume girlie but I was currently being influenced so I influencially influenced myself into trying something new.

I was ready. Until I sprayed the first one.

Immediate regret. Like no no no no.

Sprayed the second — somehow worse. By the third, I was laughing so hard I almost cried.

My mom (cause of course I brought her on this olfactory field trip), standing next to me (she’s the reason I love perfume in the first place), just smiled and said softly:

“Oh, Ofundem, those aren’t you at all. Why did you pick them?”

Why It Felt Like a Cluster Fuck — and Then Clicked

My mom has always been that woman: elegant, composed, smelling like White Diamonds or Magi Noire, and surrounded by roses from her own garden.

For years, I ran from those “old-lady” perfumes, convinced sophistication had to come in newer, glossier packaging.

But standing there, surrounded by overpriced beige scents, I realized: those classics were timeless for a reason.

Even the salesperson smirked and said, “I thought you’d feel that way,” when I told her what I usually love: citrus, tea, tropical notes, things that smell like fresh air and sunshine.

So I ditched my list and asked about something off-menu: a quiet new Korean brand with zero buzz and no influencer codes.

When she handed me Le Persona’s Peacock Feather, I sprayed it once and froze.

The lime hit first — crisp, bright, grounding — followed by the soft sweetness of coconut.
It was simple. Honest. Me.

I turned to my mom and said: “It’s clear I know what I want. It’s not an it girlie and I don’t care. Sorry not sorry but this right here is IT. ”

What Perfume Taught Me About Career Coaching

Driving home through the September rain, it hit me that this whole thing wasn’t about perfume at all. I mean it was ($300 later after buying Peacock Feathers and La Danza de Delle Libellule).

It was about discernment. About ignoring the noise. About trusting what consistently works for you even when everyone else is chasing the next shiny thing.

Because quiet as it’s kept girlie: the same thing happens in career coaching. Every week, a prospective client in my Career Clarity Call says: “I can just use AI to write my résumé. I’ve heard it’s what everyone is doing and honestly, it does what you do, just faster.”

And I always laugh and tell them, “Cool cool cool. But when AI can explain why you keep ending up in jobs you hate, I’ll retire.”

Because AI can’t teach you strategy. It can’t capture your story. It can’t help you reconnect to who you are under the burnout.

It’s new and shiny AND it’s a tool, not a transformation!

What actually works — the lemon + coconut of my business — are the “boring” foundations: reflection, clarity, HUMAN storytelling, and my RESET Method™.

The same ones that have helped dozens of women land flexible, higher-paying, values-aligned roles without burning out.

One of my clients, for example, went from sending one or two generic chatgpt generated applications a week and “cold networking on LinkedIn” — because a podcast told her it was the time-saving hack of 2025 (it’s not) — to sending five targeted, human applications we built together.

No AI. No gimmicks.

Within three weeks, she had seven interviews lined up.

Unflashy? Sure.
Unstoppable? Every single damn time.

The Real Lesson

You don’t need the trendiest fragrance to smell good or even the newest hack to build a meaningful career.

The best results come from knowing what resonates with you and having the confidence to stick with it, even when everyone else is chasing the next big thing.

Because hype fades fast.
Alignment lingers.

If You’re Ready to Stop Chasing Hype and Start Building What Works…

You’ve probably noticed it too…every week there’s a new “must-do” formula for landing a raise or finding a more flexible job.

And yet, you’re still tired of trying to do all the things while feeling like none of them actually work.

Let’s change that.

In your Career Clarity Call, we’ll map out your next clear step — no bullshit, no hype, just the strategy that gets results.

This is the same process my clients use to land flexible, higher-paying roles that actually fit their lives. Because I help working moms do work that feels aligned, respected, and real: not rushed.

👉🏾 Book your Career Clarity Call HERE

Out of Office (ish) Extras

💼 Kick Ass Career Crush of the Week:
Julie — who turned down interviews that didn’t feel aligned and landed one that pays $20K more and lets her still get in her amazing gym life! Baby, that right there is proof that clarity always beats chaos!

🌴 Out of Office Moment:
Currently writing this at Joffrey’s Café in Midtown Tampa — sipping a whole milk latte and a Pellegrino, wearing my new dark maroon athleisure set while my husband and mom have the boys. I gave myself this day to get my life and business in order before the week starts, and honestly? 10/10 recommend.

🧠 Work Snack:

“I said no to the Super Bowl. You need me, I don’t need you.” -THE Beyoncé

Here’s to doing work that actually fits your life and smells absolutely deliciously fantastical.

— Jane