Welcome to

The Recollective

A year-long guided cohort for memoirists who are ready to draft or revise their book with structure, feedback, and the support to see it through.

When it comes to writing a memoir, I believe there’s a kind of magic formula that actually works:

✨ Clarity + Commitment + Community ✨

If you’re looking for feedback, accountability and a cohort of memoirists who get it…keep scrolling

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Struggling to make real progress on your memoir?

You’re not alone. Writing a memoir is deeply rewarding—but also emotionally taxing, logistically overwhelming, and easy to abandon when life gets in the way.

Maybe you've:

  • Taken memoir classes but still feel unclear on your story

  • Started drafts, then second‑guessed every sentence

  • Tried to write in isolation, but lost momentum

  • Craved a community that understands the emotional weight of telling truth to the page

If so, I designed The Recollective for you.

”

The isolated imagination is easily corrupted by theory, but the writer inside his community seldom has such a problem.”

~Flannery O'Connor

Writing doesn’t have to be a solitary adventure.

Imagine this instead:

  • You have a clear map of your memoir. You know the heart of your story, the structure, scope, and story arc that resonate.

  • You’re writing regularly, at a pace that works for your life

  • You have a safe space to brainstorm and problem solve as you write so you're never going at it alone

  • You know how to ask for feedback—and apply it

  • You’re surrounded by a small, trusted group of memoirists who get what you’re doing and want to help you stick to your goal

  • You finally feel like a writer with a plan—not just a dream

What You Can Expect:

Clarity

  • Live 8–week Map Your Memoir course, taught by Jessica

  • Personalized feedback on your Memoir Map

  • A 90‑minute clarity call to review structure and story

  • Big‑picture feedback from your coach and peers

Commitment

  • A full year of dedicated memoir support

  • Monthly sessions for coaching, accountability, and workshop feedback

  • Realistic writing routines tailored to your life

  • Two additional 1:1 coaching calls whenever you need a reset

Community

  • A tight-knit cohort of 6–10 serious memoirists

  • Access to the Memoir Book Club

  • Private community space for sharing, connection, & accountability check-ins

  • End-of-year celebration and live reading to mark your progress

I’m ready to write my memoir!

What Makes This Different

Most workshops ask you to submit 10–20 pages for critique — without knowing how those pages fit into your book. That means you get feedback on an excerpt, not your actual story. And that can send you in the wrong direction.

We’re doing it differently.

By mapping your memoir first, everyone in the group will understand the big picture — so when it’s time to workshop, the feedback you receive will actually help you move forward.

Who It’s For

This is for you if:

→ You’re ready to draft or revise your memoir in a meaningful way

→ You want clarity, not more confusion

→ You value deep, big-picture feedback

→ You need structure that respects your life

→ You’re tired of doing this alone


This is not for you if:

🚫 You are not writing a memoir

🚫 You are not open to feedback or emotional honesty

🚫 You expect fast results without the work

🚫 You are not interested in the group nature of the program

Meet Your Coach

Hi, I’m Jessica! I’m a memoir coach who’s passionate about helping writers turn their experiences into stories.

I started The Recollective because I know what it’s like to try and write a memoir without a community. While in school for my master’s in creative nonfiction, I was surrounded by writers. I had ample guidance and support. I was held accountable to my deadlines. I was encouraged to continue learning from books, instructors and my peers.

But when I graduated, all of that went away. The friends I stayed in touch with stopped writing and, no longer having a community to lean on, I stopped writing, too.

It took me years to realize what I was missing, exactly. I’d always thought I was self-motivated. I always believed writing was a solitary endeavor. Wow, was I wrong!

After recreating a writing community for myself, I knew it was the key to my continued success as a writer. In less than a year, I finished drafting the book I’d started ten years before. I also discovered the many unique benefits that come from being a part of a group of other memoirists. As a genre that often lies in the gray area between fiction and nonfiction, it’s incredibly valuable to seek and share insights with those who get it.

I can’t wait to meet you and cheer you on as we embark on this truly incredible journey together!

What My 1:1 Coaching Clients Are Saying

  • "Jessica's heart-centered approach was amplified in the way she delicately held the hard parts in a nonjudgemental and beautifully objective way while I sifted through the pain points. She has given me the gift of believing in myself as a writer, again. There is something undeniably healing in that.”

    Laurie Payton

  • "Jessica has the compassion to not overwhelm, the tenacity to go the distance, and the bandwidth to hold your vision with you, and for you when needed.”

    Jamie Kokot

  • "If you’re thinking about writing a memoir, you want someone like Jessica by your side. I swear my memoir would not exist without her.”

    Lindsey Beumer

  • “Jessica is a master at this process. Working with her helped to untangle the yarn in my head and pull the threads 🧵 into a methodical order that I can knit into a cohesive narrative."

    Keith Finley