Today we’d like to introduce you to Josephine Jackson.
Hi Josephine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Los Angeles but was originally born in Las Vegas, Nevada. I grew up with my mother who was a single parent of six children. At the age of 14, my mother passed away after a three years battle with cancer. This rattling situation left me with only two options: #1- Go into the foster system and MAYBE find a good home, or #2- hustle and survive. I chose the latter. Although becoming an orphan challenged me to grow up faster than I would have liked, I made it! I worked 2-3 jobs at a time, slept on friend’s floors and couches, provided for my sister, and eventually studied my butt off and got my G.E.D. I went on to become the first in my family to graduate university. I’ve worked in South Korea, China, England, Honduras, and France. I’ve also modeled for brands all over the world. I currently work an influencer on social media and help to inspire people to live their dreams. One of the ways I’m doing this is through my new docu-series on YouTube called Excursion Girl. This show is a real and raw look into my journey as I strive to check off items from my ridiculous bucket list.
This bucket list is for me, my mother, and for the many other women who’ve ever had to put their lives and dreams on hold in order to survive.
I’m super grateful to have an audience of women who are inspired by my story. 🙂
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggle I’ve faced in my journey thus far has been the MINDSET I grew up in. Anyone who has been through trauma will likely be able to relate. Being an orphan, I settled into survival mode throughout my life. This way of life and thinking kept me from fully going after my goals or pushing myself forward. When you live in survival mode, (beyond the time you need to,) you almost learn to run from discomfort and pain. That’s what I did for YEARS.
Sure, I was making moves in my life and accomplishing the goals I perceived to be attainable, but I would often avoid things that were uncertain, scary, or too painful. I had limited myself and couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to push past a seemingly invisible barrier. This is why my new project is so vital. It’s literally pushing out of my comfort zone and helping me to move past survival mode and into my FULL potential. I once heard a quote that said, “Fail as fast and frequently as possible.” It blew me away and changed the way I began to attack my life and goals.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a travel and lifestyle content creator and I LOVE it. It’s funny because I had always wanted to be involved in social media, but, it just wasn’t the right time. My greatest audience is currently on TikTok and I’ve been able to gain a following through inspiring women of all ages.
I’m currently working on a docu-series to help inspire and bring hope to my audience. During the last year, I noticed that a lot of my audience was shaken by the pandemic and felt discouraged and hopeless. Noticing that need, I began to change my content in order to encourage them and my docu-series was born. Now, I’ve been able to inspire others and encourage them based on their needs. As a content creator, it is my job to read between the lines of my audience’s engagement and address their needs and wants. This is one of the things that sets me apart within my field. People are drawn to the authenticity of my story and struggle because I share it all in hopes of inspiring others. It has been the BEST.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I LOVE reading and listening to audiobooks. My biggest love right now is biographies because they help me to remember that EVERYBODY has a story and has had a struggle of some sort. It’s the main way I encourage myself. Some of the books I’m reading right now are:
Finding me by Viola Davis
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
Finding Freedom by Harry & Meghan
I also love some of the classics like, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.
I love books that inspire me and help me to ask myself hard questions so that I can grow. It doesn’t always feel good, but it’s such a beautiful journey! I also love the app called Headway (which pretty much condenses some of the best personal development books in the world into 15-minute audio summaries.) It’s been a game-changer for me for sure! 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.excursiongirl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excursiongirls/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/jozaworld1
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jozaworld?source=h5_m&_r=1
