Story & Lesson Highlights with Jaci Gonzales of Oklahoma.

Jaci Gonzales shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Jaci, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
I believe integrity is the most important for me..While intelligence and energy are undoubtedly valuable assets, having a strong moral compass is super important in our day-to-day lives. I choose integrity because it ensures trustworthiness, honesty, and ethical behavior, which are essential for building lasting connections and achieving genuine success. Without integrity, even the best ideas will crumble eventually.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jaci and I am 22 Years old. I am a full-time UGC and Amazon Video creator. My job consists of many roles, such as marketing, editing, research, and creating the actual content. Currently, I am working with multiple different brands to create Amazon product videos, as well as a couple of UGC social posts.

My journey to get where I am was not easy. There were many bumps in the road and lots of learning curves along the way. However, I was able to push through this because of my dedication and love for what I do. I have always enjoyed creating content online, and I feel very blessed to be in the position I am today.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Growing up, I was always shy and had a lot of self-doubt. I never thought I would have the confidence to do what I do today. I remember posting my first YouTube video at 11 years old. It was something silly with friends, and that was the moment my joy for content creation started.
I realized quickly that putting yourself on camera for the world to see opens you up to the opinions of others, whether positive or negative. You have to have some sort of confidence to be able to get into this world of content creation. There are always going to be people who don’t like what you do, rejection, or experiences that make you doubt yourself. But on the flip side, there are going to be lots of yeses, compliments, and experiences that make whatever you are doing in life worth it.
So while being a shy kid full of self-doubt was me for many years, I am no longer that kid. I had to release that version of me to get where I am today. I am not immune to moments of self-doubt or letting the hate bother me. We all will have our not-so-great moments. But it’s about standing back up and not letting ourselves succumb to it.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I believe that sometimes, struggles are necessary. I know we all want everything in life to be ” unicorns and roses” all the time, but that’s not realistic.

Growing up, my life has been anything but easy. I was faced with a lot of uncertain situations, trials, and hit rock bottom way too many times. Dealing with and going through these struggles has taught me resilience. It taught me that not everything in life is black and white, and to have an open mind. I also met some of the best people during these times that I would have never met if I had not gone through those hard times.

I believe that my struggles have built my character. The hard times taught me to always be kind to everyone because you never know what someone else is going through. I am also grateful for my struggles, as they have allowed me to reach and help people going through some of the same situations I have gone through. I have knowledge that can only be obtained by living it myself.

Success and an “easy life” could never have taught me these things. Obtaining the success I have today, I always strive to stay humble. To never forget where I came from or the people I met along the way. Everything in my life has led me exactly where I am today. While I still have my struggles, I learned to lean on God and to trust the process. I know that he has been there for me through everything so far, and He will continue to get me through whatever lies ahead.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I would say it’s a little bit 50/50. While I always aim to be authentic with the content I post online, part of social media is playing a “character.” Everything I preach about or say online reflects my true experiences or thoughts. But I do amplify parts of my personality a bit when I am on camera or “hide” the not-so-glamorous things going on behind the scenes.

I come across as very talkative online, but in my day-to-day life, I am a bit more reserved. I did shock some people at first with my videos, as they are not used to seeing that side of me. But I do believe over time, the online version of me and the everyday version of me have somewhat mixed together.

I never want to come across as inauthentic online. But there is a balance that must be learned. Everything doesn’t need to be shared online. You need to create boundaries. While my videos online do reflect the real me, it’s not everything you would get if you knew me in real life.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I believe I am doing what I was born to do. With this career, I had MANY people tell me that this would never work out, to have a backup plan, and lots of people doubted me along the way. Despite all this, I carried on because I knew in my heart and in my gut that this is what I was meant to do.

I have always loved performing from a young age. I did dance recitals, sang on stage, plays, gave speeches, and did cheerleading in school. Wherever there was an opportunity for a stage or audience, I was there. Doing social media it’s like a huge stage.

Saying all this, performing or having an audience has never truly been about just gathering attention, like it may seem. My desire has always come from a place of wanting to inspire and help people. Even without a huge audience, I always wanted to help people, share my thoughts and insights, and give back. I have done this in smaller ways, but I always wanted to do it in a bigger way. Creating videos online has given me a platform to share my thoughts and insights to help people and give back to people in a larger scale.

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