Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Peterson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been both structured and expressive. By day, I’m an HR leader, strategic, analytical, grounded in people and processes. But beneath that, I’ve always been a storyteller. A thinker. A woman with layers.
As a Black woman in corporate spaces, you learn early how to be excellent. How to be composed. How to be measured. And while that excellence built my career, it also made me realize how important it was to have a space where I didn’t have to edit myself.
That’s how the I’m Not In The Mood Podcast came to life, through real, unfiltered conversations about adulthood, relationships, mental health, identity, and the things we don’t always say out loud. It started as a creative outlet with my best friend, but it became something deeper: a reclamation of my voice.
Now, I’m building my solo brand, Adulthood Is Ghetto. It hasn’t officially launched yet, but it’s already becoming a reflection of who I am in this season: bold, reflective, evolving. It’s about telling the truth about growth. About outgrowing roles. About refusing to shrink in marriage, in motherhood, in leadership, in life.
I’m still balancing corporate leadership and creative expansion, but I no longer see them as separate worlds. My structure gives my creativity discipline. My creativity gives my leadership depth.
My story isn’t about choosing one lane. It’s about owning all of them and giving myself permission to take up space in every room I enter.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road hasn’t been smooth at all, but honestly, that is what makes it so meaningful. They say anything worth having is worth fighting for, right?
Building something creative while maintaining stability isn’t glamorous. There were moments when I questioned whether investing time, energy, and money into something that wasn’t yet profitable was responsible. When you’re a wife, a mother, and a provider, creativity can feel like a luxury instead of a calling. I had to shift that mindset and see it as an investment in alignment, not a distraction from stability.
Imposter syndrome has also been loud. In corporate spaces, I know how to win. There are metrics. Titles. Structure. Creativity doesn’t offer that same validation. There’s no immediate promotion for sharing your voice. I had to unlearn the belief that I needed permission or credentials to claim the word “creative.”
Balancing my roles has been another challenge. Leadership. Marriage. Motherhood. Personal growth. And somewhere in there, making room for myself to just be. Stepping into creativity required me to confront the ways I was shrinking to keep everyone else comfortable. It forced me out of the safety of being “the responsible one” and into the discomfort of being seen fully.
It required unlearning patterns — perfectionism, over-explaining, waiting until something felt flawless before sharing it. Creativity has taught me to move before I feel ready.
And that stretch? That discomfort? That’s where the growth has been.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a creative, I specialize in storytelling rooted in real life. The kind that feels like you’re sitting in the room with us.
I co-host the “I’m Not In The Mood Podcast” with my best friend of nearly two decades, and the heart of the show is intimacy. It’s meant to feel like you’re having a conversation with your closest friends; the ones who laugh loudly, tell the truth, and don’t let you hide. We talk about what’s happening in pop culture, in the world, and in our own lives. We unpack growth, mental health, healing, unlearning, shedding old versions of ourselves, and becoming who we’re meant to be. Sometimes we laugh hysterically. Sometimes we cry. But it’s all real.
I’m drawn to nuance. I’m not interested in surface-level inspiration. I create from the middle of the journey while I’m still evolving. My solo brand, “Adulthood Is Ghetto”, which I’m currently building, expands that even further. It will center bold self-expression, emotional honesty, and the truth that adulthood is beautiful — but it can also be heavy, confusing, and transformative.
What I’m most proud of is my willingness to expand publicly. To be seen while I’m still becoming. To build something that doesn’t require me to shrink my voice or edit my complexity.
What sets me apart is that I hold space for both depth and laughter. I can dissect a hard truth and still make you feel warm. I don’t separate intellect from softness. I don’t separate professionalism from personality. As a Black woman, I know what it means to be expected to carry strength at all times — and my art gently challenges that. It makes room for vulnerability, sensuality, reflection, and joy.
I create for people who are accomplished and capable — but still craving authenticity, connection, and permission to take up space fully.
My work isn’t about performance. It’s about presence.
How do you define success?
Success, for me, is alignment first and sustainability second.
For a long time, success looked like achievement: degrees, titles, stability, being exceptional in rooms that weren’t always designed for me. And I’m proud of that version of myself. But I’ve learned that accomplishment without alignment can feel heavy.
Today, success means being fully expressed. It means building a life and a brand where my voice doesn’t shift depending on the room. It means creating work that feels honest, conversations that move people, content that resonates, and platforms that feel like home.
As a Black woman, I was taught that success required constant proving. Being twice as prepared. Twice as composed. Twice as strong. Now, success also includes softness. It includes rest. It includes sensuality. It includes the courage to expand publicly without shrinking privately.
Entrepreneurially, I do want sustainability. I want the work I create to grow, to collaborate, to generate income, and to open doors. But I never want monetization to come at the expense of authenticity. For me, success is building something that can thrive financially and still feel like me.
It’s integrity between who I am and what I produce.
It’s choosing growth over comfort.
And it’s having the courage to bet on myself not just creatively, but strategically.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/imnotinthemoodpodcast_24
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pooh_1991
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JadePeteyCoker
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@adulthood_is_ghetto
