Today we’d like to introduce you to Johanna Mendoza.
Johanna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
“Inspired by Jo” began with a text, a dream, a God-given vision. I remember my cousin and I would have very in-depth conversations via text at the time she was living in the bay and I was in LA working many jobs for different marketing companies. I remember saying to her “I want to Represent God, God’s love and hope for our future. I want to inspire young girls and women.
To show them that when they stumble and feel they’ve failed, it’s not over. To remind them of their calling and that if they persevere their dreams would come true” I still have that text and I look it over amazed and the vision God put in my heart and how little by little he’s brought it to pass. First of all, I didn’t go to school for business, I am not a logo designer, I don’t come from a wealthy family. I am a Latina woman that was a teen mom at the age of 16. I grew up without my father but what I did have was a God-fearing woman by my side my mother and a God that is oh so faithful and his love is far deeper than the see. I often hear “Jo, I am so inspired by you” “Jo, thank you for what you posted it really helped me” stuff like that always made my heart full but also in awe that God would use my life to bless others. I then decided to work with a designer in India to help me build a website.
My website is a platform for women of all ages, at-risk teens, mothers, really anyone now. If you want to feel inspired if you want to learn from what I’ve been through. If you want to be able to cope with certain life struggles, you can most likely find something on my site that will lift you up. I launched my website on my birthday Dec 29, 2019, and it was truly a beautiful day! To see my vision come to life and to put in all the work that I did for months. It’s something that I am truly proud of. There was only so much the web designer could do for me via Skype so I had to teach myself how to post and navigate the website on my own. There are things you don’t really hear about. People see the results but they don’t understand how much work really went into that. I truly appreciate all of the small victories even the ones in silence. I decided to add a mech store to my website because I wanted my site to be a place where you could shop all inspired by Jo merch. I wanted to sell merch that made people feel something that made people feel happy, inspired, and fed their spirit. I told myself I would launch my very first product in six months and I did.
I launched my “Rise up” T-shirt on my website on June 18, 2020, with a second color dropping June 30th. This shirt was a vision. I am truly proud of it. People were excited and loved my design. It was based on quarantine 2020 and it’s relatable but of course, still, faith-based everything will always be. Again, my business is a baby that I am watering every day but it’s blooming, and it’s no longer a dream but now a living testimony that if you can see it in your mind and God placed in your heart, you can bring it to fruition. Every day I learn something new about managing my website, posting a blog, shipping more effectively the first shipping label I printed for my first sale took about nine prints because I didn’t know what I was doing LOL!! Am I proud of myself every time I see a beautifully printed label? Every time I send a handwritten “Thank you” letter. Hecks yea! This is my baby!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I had to overcome the fears of “What if this is too much? what if this is too honest.” I asked God to make me comfortable being uncomfortable. I had to invest a lot of money and believe that if God graced me for it, he would walk me through any obstacle. I had to get permits I’d never heard of lol! I had to research a lot, and YouTube helped me many nights I felt confused. I am still learning. But more than anything, I continue to work at it. I continue to believe that maybe what I am promoting isn’t popular but that there are souls are feeling empty and people that need someone like me to pray for them, believe in them, and speak life over them.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am the founder of “Inspired by Jo” A faith-based platform for women and at-risk teenagers. I focus on Inspiring, being a voice, and a leader. I’ve hosted events such as “The power in your declaration” where women came together to declare a positive word over their lives and what It means to them as well as Host “Soulful Sundays” which is a series on my IG live where I invite someone in the community with a powerful story to share with the world. We’ve touched on stories such as Sobriety, Foster care, and Mental health. I am known for shedding light, being transparent, and empowering women.
What were you like growing up?
As a child, I was timid and very quiet. I was a lonely child always to myself, I didn’t love me. I thought I was so ugly and I was very insecure. But one thing I knew for sure is that I was different. I couldn’t relate to any of my siblings because we didn’t look alike, sound alike, or like the same things. In my mind, I was Matilda. At 11, I was walking to the library after school and checking books out. I knew that there was a fire within me and I wanted so much out of life. I had a dream of working in the Fashion industry and moving to New York City. I was independent. I cooked for my mother at a very young age and brought her food to the bed on a tray because I saw it done in novels. Lol, was I an adult in a child’s body? Sometimes I question if I was ever a kid. But fast forward to now, it all makes sense. Learning to love me, know my worth, and the woman I’ve now become has led me to want to help young girls and women that feel as if they’re not enough. I love me very deeply, I love everything about me even my flaws, I have hopes that we can raise up a generation that finds value in what God says of them. That they are beautifully and wonderfully made.
Pricing:
- Inspired by Jo “Rise up” T-Shirt $30.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.inspiredbyjo.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: dose.of.jo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredbyJO/
- Other: Instagram inspired.by.jo
Image Credit:
– Lucius James IV, RuinedVisualz, Brandy Raudales
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