Life and Work with Jessica Castaneda

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Castaneda.

Jessica, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 21 years old, I moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. As I reflect back to that time, I was completely fearless in moving across the United States in pursuit of my dream of being a fashion designer. I moved with $1000 in my bank account and there was never any doubt that this wouldn’t work out for me. I loved the energy of the city and I somehow managed to work two part-time jobs, an intern for Michael Kors all while being a full-time student. After I graduated, I moved back home to Los Angeles and landed my first job in the industry working for Guess Jeans. From there, I bounced around from True Religion to licensing and branding, I designed small capsule collections for Marvel, Disney, and Star Wars. I worked close to ten years in the industry and at my last job, I was designing Ugly Christmas Sweaters for every major retailer. After the birth of my second child, my priorities shifted and I began to feel burnt out. I had loved fashion so much but it had now morphed into something I dreaded doing.

With the support of my husband, I made the transition from a full time working mother to now a stay at home mom. If you’ve ever done that, you realize it can get a little lonely spending so much time home with a baby. I wanted a way to still have those adult conversations with women, the daily interaction I took for granted in a professional work environment. I created a podcast called Hey Girlfriend as a way to connect with other women, I admit at first I really wanted to have a reason to girl talk. As I started having these conversations with these powerful and creative women, it really sparked the desire to create something of my own. I heard about their businesses and passion projects they brought to life and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. I knew I wanted to create something that empowered other women to support each other, own their strength and live happy fulfilled lives. I also knew I wasn’t done with fashion, it had always been my form of self-expression and so I decided to create Babe With A Dream. I wanted a way for women to wear their heart on their tee and celebrate sisterhood while pursuing their passions.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The moment you decide to become an entrepreneur, Murphy’s Law goes into full effect. Anything that can go wrong, will or at least you should expect it to. I am still trying to navigate through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, riding the wave while trying to stay sane. It’s like riding a roller coaster in the dark, you are unsure of what’s coming next. Regardless of what hurdles this journey brings you, you have to continue to push forward and do your best.

Please tell us about Babe With A Dream.
Babe With A Dream is built on collaboration, that is a core part of our brand DNA. A huge part of growing my business is relationship building and creating authentic connections. I get so excited when I meet someone who really relates to the message on my t-shirt. There is an undeniable force behind women supporting each other and I truly believe when we do, the strength in sisterhood is unparalleled. There are so many awesome t-shirt brands out there and I believe we can all co-exist and be successful because we each have our own unique voice. I am most proud of seeing women come together and wear my tees to celebrate their friendships and support each other’s endeavors. I recently designed two children’s t-shirts one of them has a graphic that says “Strong Like Mama” on the chest. I received so many photos of my girlfriend’s kids wearing my tee, and It made me so happy to see them wearing a strong message especially one acknowledging their mother’s strength.

Every time I receive a tag notification on social media, I get so giddy to see how a babe styled my tee, or where they have traveled with it and how empowered they feel by the message. I plan to expand and include maternity and infant onesies and my ultimate goal would be to partner with non-profits and charities whose mission aligns with mine and contribute a portion of every sale to their cause. I want the women wearing my tee to feel empowered but I also want to empower the women in the community as well. I helped organize an event called You Glow Girl last November and all proceeds of ticket sales were donated to a local non-profit that empowers young women who have aged out of the foster care system. It was my first time organizing an event of that scale and the fact that so many women came together to celebrate womanhood and help give back was the most amazing feeling! I want to continue to build a supportive community of babes!

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
The most important piece of advice would be to START, I know not very groundbreaking but you would be surprised how many conversations I’ve had with girlfriends who tell me about a passion project or business idea that they are considering bringing to life and don’t. Sometimes, we need to get out of our own way and push through the fear and do it anyway. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and create something of your own, but to truly live your purpose is one of the most rewarding feelings. Be organized, research, have structure, plan and execute. You can totally do it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.babewithadream.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/babewithadream_
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/babewithadream/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/babewithadream
• Other: http://heygirlfriend.libsyn.com/rss

Image Credit:
Nancy Cortez, Tara Elizabeth, Taniya Ahmed, Kommon Thread, Kinsey Dulaney

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