Hello
Hi, I'm Jessica du Rand. As the Founder of the I Was Here movement, my work is dedicated to a single, powerful premise: we get one life, so let's make it count. I am an author, speaker, and advocate for a written bucketlist. My mission spans two distinct worlds with one shared goal: writing children's books that protect young imaginations, and leading workshops that help adults dust off their forgotten dreams. Whether you are looking to inspire a classroom of kids or reignite a corporate team, my goal is to give you the blueprint to live boldly.
The Origin of I Was Here
The Catalyst: 18 at 18
I have always been an adventure seeker, but for a long time, my adventures were limited to the small world I knew around me. It wasn't until I went to university that my perspective shattered. Surrounded by people who had travelled widely and achieved things I hadn't even considered, I felt a sudden, urgent need to catch up. I realized there was a vast amount of life waiting to be experienced.
So, at 18 years old, I wrote my very first bucket list: 18 things I wanted to do in my 18th year. Incredibly, before the year was over, I had crossed off every single one. I became living proof that all the clichés about "writing it down," "being intentional," and "booking the ticket" were actually true. My biggest questions became: Who else needs to know that this is possible too?
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The Epiphany: A Mountain in New Zealand
Years later, while living abroad in New Zealand, the true vision for this movement took shape. I had run to the top of a mountain, pulled a notepad from my backpack, and started to journal. As I wrote, the mud from my hands left a distinct fingerprint on the page.
It stopped me in my tracks. I stared at it and realised: This is my unique fingerprint. My unique mark on the world. I only get one life, and I want to live it to the absolute fullest. Before I headed back down the mountain, I left a mark in the mud at the summit: I Was Here.
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The Reality Check
From that day on, I couldn’t get the philosophy out of my head. But I am also human. As motivational as I wanted to be, life got loud, hard, and uncertain. The daily grind took over, and my dream grew quieter. I was hit with the exact same challenges the people around me were experiencing—adulthood has a habit of burying our biggest ambitions under routine.
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The Movement Today
In the last few years, I decided to start listening to that voice again.
I realised that to build a true "legacy" mindset, you have to tackle it from both ends. You have to protect a child's imagination before the world sets limits on it, and you have to rescue the adult's ambition when life gets too loud.
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That is why I Was Here exists. Whether I am writing children's books to spark early self-belief, or leading adult workshops to turn "one day" into day one, my mission is the same. I am here. I have a message, and I cannot wait to share it with you.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.