Meet Adrian Jessen, a physical therapist turned outdoor product reviewer and content creator. In 2020, Adrian started the popular YouTube channel, Review This Thing. “My plan was to review a wide variety of things – from air fryers and frozen pizza to books and the Virginia Creeper Trail,” she writes. “Then, by nature of what my husband and I enjoy doing, we niched down to where it just became a lot of fun reviewing guns and hunting gear.” Six years later, Adrian and her husband, Robbie, founded the Jessen Outdoor Group LLC, where they focus on various forms of outdoor content creation, including outlets for hunting, fishing, camping and more.
When asked about her passions outside of work, Adrian wrote, “We have basically turned our hobbies into our work now, so they [her passions] all fell into place: hunting, hiking, traveling, and adventuring.” Now boasting more than 35,000 YouTube subscribers and over 850 videos, clearly Adrian’s love for the outdoors is being put to good use. Through a strong dose of dedication, she was able to transition to working part-time as a physical therapist to spend more time doing what she loves most.
Last year, Adrian began her stint as one of four hosts of the Ducks Unlimited podcast, “Ascend.” It is obvious that Adrian is comfortable in front of a camera, as well as behind it, as she conducts in-depth and yet, conversational, interviews with women in the outdoor industry.
At home, Adrian writes that Robbie, her husband of 22 years, also is her best friend. He introduced her to hunting 19 years ago, and is her “biggest cheerleader and encourager.” Read on for this diligent woman’s answers to our six Gal Gab questions, including her fantastic advice for other ladies.
What does a typical day in your work life look like?
Well, until last November, I was still working full-time as a physical therapist. I still do that part-time, so those days look very different. As for the days working with Jessen Outdoor Group, LLC, those days vary quite a bit as well.
We are constantly testing products. We may spend a day at the range shooting guns or bows. We may have to set up a blind or tree stand and plan the best way to test out all the features. The day may involve taking photos or videos for a brand or an agency to help with content creation. But, many days are less glamorous. I spend a lot of time sitting at a computer downloading footage, editing photos, editing YouTube videos or social media reels, writing articles and answering a lot of emails.
What is the #1 piece of advice you would give other females who want to break into the industry?
Be genuinely who you are and build relationships. Things may or may not move as quickly as you’d like, but you’ll never regret getting to know some of the most awesome people you’ll meet. And you never want to lose yourself along the way. People can smell fake a mile away.
What motivates you?
My main motivation is to follow God’s path for my life. I may get off track a lot because I think I know the way better than He does, but thankfully, He’s always ready with a “recalculating” to get me headed in the right direction again.
I’m also generally motivated to strive for excellence. One of my favorite quotes is, “Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.”
And another motivation is the long-term goal of building our business so that we don’t need a vacation from our “jobs.”
What is the most unexpected thing you’ve learned while working in this industry?
I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be as relational as it is. Sure, in all businesses, the adage “It’s not what you know, but who you know” holds true, but the outdoor industry feels different. People seem to genuinely want to help you and build a relationship for the sake of relationship.
What is your favorite product in the outdoor or shooting market right now?
This is really a tough question because we test so many things. If I wanted to give some shameless plugs, I’d talk about products we have reviews up on the YouTube channel right now, but I just really like shooting. I’m very interested in testing out the Federal +Peak loads next, though. We haven’t done that yet.
Let’s have some fun … what weapon would you use to battle a giant?
Well, some might say the best weapon for giant-killing is a sling and stone, but the truth of the story is that it’s really faith in God and following His will that lay them down every time.
Follow Review This Thing on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, as well as sister channel Outdoor Gear 411 on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Madeleine Golob was our intern for more than two years, and is now pursuing a college degree. You'll still see her pop in with a feature when she has time. Madeleine loves to write, read, study her family’s genealogy and play any musical instrument she can get her hands on. She also enjoys working Action Pistol matches while her parents compete and dreams of becoming a historian and writer. View all posts by Madeleine Golob
