We recently connected with Mahalia Jae and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mahalia, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I found my purpose by content creating! When my life came to a full circle is when I realized I found my purpose. I’ve always been creative from a young age and loved trying different things. I was such a positivity advocate and a sucker for quotes as well. As I got to my teenage years, I dreamed of starting a business centered around my interests, such as beauty and fashion, and letting my creativity shine throughout my business. I began my content creation journey when I was 20 years old. What I love the most about content creation is obviously the creating! However, I also really enjoy the business, behind-the-scenes aspect of it. Answering and sending out brand emails, planning content and proper marketing are activities that I can do all day just because it makes me happy. Eventually causing me to change my major from pre-med to business and accounting. About 2 years later, I founded Mahalia Jae Co. A platform for all content creators and entrepreneurs, aspiring or established, to gain knowledge and encouragement about their work. Being a business student, I’m able to take the information I learn in my courses and apply them to my business, Mahalia Jae Co and content creation. I’m able to inspire and positively uplift other creators and business owners through my business, which is something I’ve loved doing since I was young. When I realized everything I was passion about connected, is when I found my purpose. Psalm 37: 23 says man’s steps are ordered. I believe everything I was interested and took part in at a young age led me to my purpose and where I am today.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hi, I’m Mahalia Jae! 22 years young and a Houston native. I am an entrepreneur, content creator, influencer, trendsetter, tastemaker, curator… the list goes on! I started out creating content related to all things beauty, fashion and lifestyle. I was a hair influencer for a while, then I wanted to get into the world of fashion and put more effort into my outfits… so I did. I realized It’s a different kind of joy and love I possess for fashion and putting pieces together. I love being able to walk into a room and showcase my personality without saying a word. I constantly get asked questions about how to achieve certain things content creation wise and decided to curate Mahalia Jae Co. This platform is all about sharing knowledge with other influencers and entrepreneurs about certain topics they want to master. I recently launched a new ebook on the platform called “The IT GIRL Influencer Guide”, discussing topics on how to market yourself as a brand, 4 ways to earn income online and so much more. I am also currently working on an upcoming project, but you’ll have to stay tuned for that.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities that impacted my journey were confidence, ambition and perseverance. I believe confidence is a no-brainer, simply because you have to be confident in anything you decide to embark on. It’s either all in or nothing at all. In the beginning of my journey, I was still working on my confidence in my work despite the lack of support but I remained consistent. Faking it until I made it is what got me through. Ambition is highly important. Without ambition, there’s no heart in it. The strong desire to achieve my goals is honestly what helped me achieve them. The late nights working, the fun nights I’ve sacrificed, the determination to keep trying until it’s perfect is what got me here. Nothing good will ever come easy! Know that the hard work must be put in and once you accomplish your dreams, you’ll have a remarkable story to tell. Perseverance was a lesson I had to learn and a quality I had to work on because there were so many times I’ve wanted to give up and walk away. But then I constantly get reminded that no matter what, this is what I love to do and no one can take that away from me. You have be stubborn when it comes to what you want, never take no for an answer. If you fail 100 times, try again 101.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
My biggest area of growth would have to be my social anxiety. I’ve been on this particular growth journey since last year September, and I can confidently say that my social anxiety is a thing of the past. I absolutely love going out and meeting new people but I’ve had the toughest time doing so my entire life. I didn’t realize it was an issue until it was expressed to me about my demeanor in public. I’ve been told I looked unfriendly and was perceived as “stuck-up” because I didn’t communicate with others. When in my reality, I wasn’t communicating with others because I was too anxious to. I was afraid of saying the wrong thing, making the wrong move or just being judged or misunderstood. It was one thing to realize it was a problem that was affecting my life, but another to take the time and effort to grow. Over time, I made it a mission of mine to make a new friend, be unapologetically myself and talk to anyone who is willing to listen every time I step out with friends. Eventually, I noticed that I no longer felt anxious around others in public. I had to tell myself that people’s perception of me is not reality and didn’t matter. I had to force myself to believe that it’s my world, and everyone else is just living in it- as crazy as it sounds! This is what helped me overcome my social anxiety.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mahaliajae.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/themahaliajae
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/MahaliaJae
- Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@themahaliajae
