“Jessica taught me how to translate my passion into strategy — there is nothing more valuable! Her media training has transformed me from a chef who would rather hide in the kitchen to an almost-extrovert who is comfortable in front of any camera. On top of all that, she cares deeply for her clients and instinctively understands hospitality and relationships.”

— Chef Irene Shiang Li, Prepshift

“There is legitimately no one I know who is more driven to help people and companies achieve their goals and graced with the strategic thinking, tenacity, grit, fearlessness and panache to make magic happen than Jessica Coughlin. She is a sales queen, always staying on top of and often far exceeding her goals while winning friends and building strong, longterm partnerships along the way. And she is passionate about the brands she works with at Onward and Upward Media, making every effort to understand all the nuts and bolts of the machine before she launches them into the stratosphere. This year at WBUR, she has been instrumental in building awareness for new projects and helping grow listeners (including our hit podcast Beyond All Repair). She’s also secured new business from local partners to support the station and has helped drive audience to CitySpace through strategic, targeted outreach.

Simply put: if Jessica is in your corner you are destined for greatness.”

- Candice Springer,
WBUR CitySpace Assistant Director

“Without Onward & Upward’s training, our $188,000 NuMarket campaign would not have succeeded. Jessica knew exactly how to leverage our community and existing brand to bring in much-needed funds. She taught us how and why to communicate our identity and values to our guests.”

— Annie Campbell & Alyssa Lee, Mei Mei Dumplings

“It was an absolute pleasure working with Jessica as our PR Manager on our crowdfunding campaign.  She was organized, efficient, and always supportive.  As a group with long established roots in the region, we were impressed by her extended reach and ability to tactfully get our message through to many different groups that we may not have connected to on our own.  Overall, we were thrilled with the care and ownership Jessica put into our project and look forward to working together again in the future. 

— Rachel Miller-Munzer, Big Dipper Hospitality Group

  • "She brings the same level of passion to all projects she works on, is always direct and honest while at the same time kind and respectful, and has a great ability to see through the weeds and understand the big picture importance of any task."

    — Mary Dooe, Dooe Diligence Media

  • "Jessica is a force of nature. She is focused, passionate, driven, engaged, and self-aware. She loves a challenge and is always happy to explore solutions--either on her own or in collaboration with others. It's a special person that can project complete self-confidence but at the same time know when to ask questions."

    — Jessica Alpert, Rococo Punch

  • "When it comes to marketing and PR, Jessica is both a cheerleader and champion! She works hard to help others tell their story. No task is too small or too big. She's a delight to work with."

    — Naomi Westwater, Beats By Girlz