Meet Jazmin Ocampo

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jazmin Ocampo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jazmin below.

Jazmin, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I develop my confidence and self esteem through taking action – learning by doing, even when I feel nervous, doubtful, or scared of the unknown.

As a child I used to be very timid, shy, scared of speaking up. I think part of that was my personality, and part of it was that I didn’t feel safe speaking up or being seen. Getting involved in school, whether it was wanting to do well in my classes, making friends, and participating in extracurricular activities helped me get out of my comfort zone. I don’t think I realized it then, but I started seeing these as opportunities to have fun, challenge myself towards new skills, and express myself indirectly through my interests, which I hadn’t done before. The more I tried new things in ways that also felt safe, the more curious I got and the easier it became to step out of my comfort zone because I started seeing the benefits: feeling more connected to myself and to others.

I carried over this belief throughout high school and college, and as an adult, I continued to lean into what I care about, what I’m passionate about, knowing that there will always be new skills, practices, experiences, and interests that I haven’t yet explored. There are definitely still times when not knowing can freak me out, but I remind myself that no one has everything all figured out. It’s okay to not know, and still take action or try things out because it’s through the process of trial and error that we gain clarity.

Connection is so important to me, and to my confidence and self esteem. Connecting with others, building a community based on my values and my interests, continues to drive me and helps build my sense of self. Surrounding myself with people who are inspiring, who model the values that I work towards, who challenge me in healthy ways, are compassionate, driven, and who also spark joy is so crucial to my own confidence because they mirror what is possible for me and reflect what I’m growing within me. My spiritual practices have also helped me feel connected to something larger than myself. They remind me that I come from a long line of ancestors who lived life, learned, and are now supporting me on my journey.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a proud daughter of Mexican immigrant parents and am committed to centering Black and Brown joy. As a wellness coach, I mobilize others to embrace their holistic selves and take meaningful action towards living a full and thriving life by prioritizing their wellness so that they can show up authentically better for themselves and those around them. I am one month away from becoming a certified yoga instructor and overall am passionate about combining movement, mindset, and energy to support community-rooted healing and joy.

I have a deep commitment to racial equity, social justice, and sustainable investment in BIPOC communities, and am a nonprofit leader with 15+ years of experience in community engagement, program management, and social impact. Currently, I manage our Data & Evaluations work at AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits, which prioritizes small Black and Latine -led nonprofits on Chicago’s South and West sides to support in strengthening their organizational health and sustainability through capacity building. I also serve as Board Secretary on the Board of Directors for Fields of Dreams Chicago, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating Chicago’s Black and Latinx middle school youth’s innate genius, holistic wellness practices and community engagement, as they make transformative changes in their neighborhoods and beyond.

As a digital content creator, I get to share about my wellness journey, which includes these different areas of my life, as well as other interests, such as salsa dancing, plant care, healthy food recipes that are still culturally relevant, fitness, community-based events, community organizing/mobilizations, and social events across Chicago. My social media platform also enables me to highlight others’ work around wellness and social change, which creates a stronger web of collective power.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
<b>Curiosity</b> There is always more that we don’t know than what we do know, and while that may feel overwhelming at times, it’s important to ground in what we do know so that we can more confidently and intentionally grow. Staying curious, asking questions and accepting that we don’t have all the answers has helped me build courage to take action and enjoy the process.

<b>Discipline</b>
There’s a difference between being hard on yourself and believing in yourself so much that you’re committed to seeing things through. Oftentimes, we correlate discipline with negative experiences we may have had with authority or punishment. But discipline doesn’t have to be punitive. Discipline can be a way to show your commitment to yourself and others. It can mean doing hard things, but still showing up consistently and doing your best. The more you take action on the things that you promise yourself, the more trust you build with yourself, and the more you show yourself what is possible. Like everything else, discipline should not exist in a vacuum and should be coupled up with compassion.

<b>Compassion + Gratitude + Patience
</b>While curiosity supports exploring the possibilities, and discipline supports commitment, it’s so grounding for me to center compassion, gratitude, and patience. I believe that we are spiritual beings living a human experience, which means that we will make mistakes and life will present challenges that may be outside of our control. Practicing self-compassion helps regulate our nervous system. Practicing gratitude helps ground in what matters and find clarity. Practicing patience helps build humility and peace of mind. When I’m able to practice these qualities within myself, I am better able to share that with others.

My advice on how to best develop your skillset is to first do a values assessment. These are some of the skills/values that have supported my journey, but they may not necessarily be what speak to you. Through a values assessment you can determine what feels right for you at this time. Create a list of as many values as possible (you can find a list online). Then, pick the top 10 values that speak to you, principles that your highest self would live by and model. Narrow down from 10 to 5 to your top 3. Once you have your top 3 values, ground in them. Any time you’re questioning what you’re doing or what you want to do or how you should show up, remind yourself of your values and let them guide you.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents immigrated to another country where they didn’t know the culture or speak the language. While this was before I was born, I see this as an act of love towards themselves, their future, and their descendants so that we can have more opportunities than they were afforded. My parents worked so hard for me to have a secure and stable home, good food, and a quality education. They worked hard so that I can go to a tuition-based private school from preschool to 8th grade. They taught me the value of education, even though they didn’t get to finish school themselves, and inspired me to do my best, which led to me being awarded a tuition-based scholarship for college. They let me go to a college that was across the country, not knowing what the experience would be like but trusting me and my abilities and trusting in something bigger and better for me that they never got to experience.

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