Finding Your Voice: Embracing Authenticity with Jama Pantel

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The importance of finding and embracing your authentic voice as an entrepreneur, brand, or individual.

1. Introduction:
   • Jama shares her journey as a luxury portrait photographer turned educator, author, and influencer.
   • The episode explores how to discover and stay true to your authentic voice while juggling multiple roles and expectations.
2. The Struggles of "Doing It All":
   • Jama reflects on the challenges of balancing personal and professional life, especially during her mother’s illness and her time as an influencer.
   • She emphasizes how trying to meet external expectations can lead to exhaustion and a loss of authenticity.
3. Reconnecting with Your "Why":
   • Authenticity begins with understanding your purpose. Jama revisits her motivation for starting her photography business: preserving memories and making people feel seen and celebrated.
   • This foundational "why" helps maintain perspective during challenging times.
4. Finding Your Unique Voice:
   • Avoid the temptation to mimic others, as authenticity is what sets you apart.
   • Your experiences and perspective are unique; they give you a voice that resonates with the right audience.
5. Strategies for Staying True to Yourself:
   • Set Boundaries: Protect your time and energy by saying no to opportunities that don’t align with your current priorities.
   • Audit Your Content: Regularly evaluate whether your output reflects your vision and values. Don’t be afraid to pivot or rebrand.
   • Create with Authenticity: Ensure your work, from social media to products, aligns with your values and the message you want to convey.
6. Personal Insights:
   • Jama shares her experience of being an introverted influencer and how staying true to her roots helped her connect authentically with her audience.
   • She emphasizes that you’re not meant to please everyone; focus on your "tribe" who values your authenticity.
7. Call to Action:
   • Reflect on your "why" and let it guide your journey.
   • Stay consistent, embrace your story, and pivot when necessary to remain aligned with your authentic self.

https://www.jamapantel.com

Episode Transcript

Jama (00:08):
Hey y'all, welcome back to Living the Whole Picture, the
podcast where photography,business and inspiration collide
.
I'm Jama Pantel, your host, aluxury portrait photographer,
turned educator, author,influencer and dream chaser.
Each week, we'll dive intotopics that help you shine in
front of the camera, buildconfidence in your brand and
take bold steps towards yourbiggest goals.

(00:30):
Whether you're here to improveyour photography skills, grow
your business or find thecourage to show up authentically
in life, you're in the rightplace.
Let's get started as we work onliving the whole picture
together.
Today we're diving into a topicthat's really close to my heart
finding your voice.
Trust me when I say that it'sone of the most important things

(00:50):
that you can do, whether you'rebuilding a business, creating a
brand or just trying to show upauthentically online.
I know firsthand how hard itcan be to juggle all the
different hats we wear, not onlyas women, but as business
owners, brands or just trying toshow up, especially as an
introvert who keeps her circlesmall.
And don't worry, after sayingthat out loud the first time, I

(01:11):
now have an upcoming podcastepisode dedicated to the whole
introvert and putting yourselfout there thing.
Stay tuned for that, but fornow, it's so easy to get caught
up in the idea that we need tobe doing all the things all the
time.
So today I want to share withyou why finding your voice is
essential and how to do it whilestaying true to yourself.

(01:33):
Let's talk about the struggle ofdoing all the things.
Let me start by saying I get it.
I've been there as aphotographer, educator,
entrepreneur, former influencer.
As a photographer, educator,entrepreneur, former influencer,

(02:01):
author, podcaster, location forthem, meeting them in their
homes and in their closets toget the perfect outfits, or
while designing wall art andalbums, then switching over to
creating slideshows for teachingopportunities, while also
working on writing my ebook andother educational content, all
while answering emails, postingon social media and trying to

(02:23):
show up with a smile.
And oh yeah, don't forgettrying to have a life.
Doing it all is exhausting.
I still remember the whirlwindof balancing my photography
business, or more like refundingso many clients because I
didn't have the mental capacityto produce what I promised them
as my mom was fighting cancer,while at the same time

(02:43):
attempting to maintain myinfluencer obligations, which,
like many other high-performingwomen, I put way too much
pressure on myself to show upperfectly when we all know
perfect doesn't even exist.
It was also during this timethat I was in front of the
camera a lot more still, smiling, representing a brand bigger
than myself, all while trying tokeep my own business alive, be

(03:07):
there for my mom and simply showup somehow.
It was fun at times, but it wasalso exhausting and confusing.
How do I stay authentic tomyself and my business when I'm
now expected to share certainthings, sometimes things I
didn't agree with?
I felt torn between what Ineeded to do to keep up with the
competition in the influencerworld of clickbait and what I

(03:28):
felt was true to me.
So not clickbait.
I blocked more new followersthan I let in during this time
of being totally open to theworld.
Why do we want so many randomfollowers who aren't invested in
our well-being anyway?
That was always really weird tome All the comments on our
bodies and how we looked as runinfluencers.
It got downright exhausting andit's important to talk about

(03:50):
all of this, especially when itcomes to finding your voice
amidst the chaos, amidst theexpectations.
Being authentic is the only wayyou can genuinely connect with
the audience, and the truth is,when you're doing everything,
it's easy to forget who you areat your core and when that
happens, you and your brand loseall the magic.

(04:10):
This is why connecting withyour why is so important.
One of the most powerful waysI've found to reconnect with my
voice is going back to why.
Why did I start my business inthe first place?
What inspired me to pick up thecamera and see if I could make
a living out of capturingpeople's lives?
Why did I decide to put myselfout there for the world to judge

(04:30):
?
It's not easy.
Sharing is not easy, but whenyou go back to your why, it
always puts things inperspective.
For me, it all began with a deeppassion for photography and,
more importantly, the feelingthat photos evoke.
My grandma's passing during mysenior year of high school
changed everything for me.
I'll never forget the moment ather funeral seeing my family's

(04:52):
photograph in her hands.
It was as if she was taking apiece of us with her.
That's when I knew photographywasn't just about taking
pictures.
It was about preserving alegacy, capturing love and
freezing time in a way thatwords simply can't.
When I started my portraitbusiness, that love translated
into my work with people.
I wanted others to feel the joyof being truly seen, of seeing

(05:16):
themselves, not as the worldcriticizes them, but as they are
beautiful, authentic and worthcelebrating.
When I became a run influencer,I had to dig even deeper.
Suddenly, I wasn't just behindthe camera anymore.
I had to get comfortable infront of it too.
Well, I technically didn't haveto.
I chose to show my face.

(05:36):
But that's a different storyfor a different day.
I had to learn how to share mystory with authenticity, not
just from behind the scenesanymore, and that's where the
idea of living the whole picturecame in.
It's not just about the perfectphoto.
It's about showing up as yourwhole self in business, in life
and in everything between.
It's a whole lot easier playingsmall, pushing a brand that

(05:59):
doesn't have your name attachedto it, or simply hiding behind
the camera.
The more I thought about it,the more I realized that was
exactly what I was doing.
I'm sure hiding for you mightlook a little different than
hiding behind the camera for me,but it's the same story, just
told a different way.
This is why finding your uniquevoice is so important, once

(06:20):
you've reconnected with your,why it's time to find your
unique voice.
When I first got on social media, and again when I became a run
influencer, it was so temptingto mimic what others were doing.
I mean, these were people withthousands, sometimes millions,
of followers.
It's natural to think well, ifit works for them, maybe it'll
work for me too.
But that mindset can be sodangerous it makes you a copy,

(06:42):
not an original.
The key to standing out isrecognizing that no one and I
repeat, no one has your voice.
No one has lived yourexperiences, your struggle
through your setbacks orachieved your wins.
And that's the beauty of it all.
Whether you're running yourbusiness or sharing your passion
for running marathons like me,you have something valuable to

(07:03):
offer simply because you are theone doing it.
There were many times when Iquestioned my place as an
influencer.
I didn't have this great runstory and I never really
struggled or doubted my title asbeing a runner.
I simply got bored in my smalltown and started running.
In junior high to avoid all themini sprinters out there in the
world, my coach actuallysuggested I get away from the

(07:25):
crowds by becoming a distancerunner.
Of course, those crowds for mewas going from a really small
class of five people to a classof 20.
I thought that was hugePerspective, right.
So here I was, all these yearslater, still just a runner from
a really small town, Ieventually moved to the big city
to chase my dreams andentrepreneurial goals and,

(07:46):
surprisingly, that's exactly whypeople connected with me,
because I stayed true to thelone runner that I am, the
introvert that I am, and sharedthe struggles of trying to put
myself out there, and itresonated with people who knew.
That's why strategies forstaying true to yourself are so
important.
So how do we stay true toourselves while growing our

(08:07):
business or brands?
The first thing I want to sayand it may sound cliche, but
there really is only one you.
You are important and yourvoice matters.
Your story matters, no matterhow trivial you think it is.
You will find someone whoresonates with what you have to
say.
This is your tribe.
You're not meant for everyone.

(08:28):
No one is meant for everyone.
We're only meant for our people.
So let's stop the need toplease everyone and work on
being true to ourselves.
Let's have the courage to bejudged for the possibility of
putting something out there thathas value to someone, while
also having the courage to bedisliked by others.
Trust me, I know I'm not foreveryone, but it is their loss,

(08:49):
just kidding.
I want to share three strategiesthat have helped me over the
years.
Don't be afraid to setboundaries.
Boundaries are everything.
I learned this lesson the hardway when my dad got sick and
again when my mom did.
Life doesn't stop just becausewe're trying to build a business
.
I had to put a pause on my work, stop marketing and give myself

(09:10):
the grace to focus on whatmattered my family and my health
.
Boundaries mean saying no evento opportunities that might seem
too good to pass up if theydon't align with where you're at
in life.
Number two regularly audit yourcontent.
Every now and then, take a stepback.
Look at what you're putting outthere, whether it's social
media posts, your website oreven the way you're interacting

(09:33):
with clients and people ingeneral.
Is it still true to your vision?
Does it still represent yourwhy?
When I started my business, Iwas all about creating authentic
, powerful portraits.
Over time, I had to make surethat, even as I expanded into
education, writing, influencing,that, the core of what I was
doing remained the same.
Don't be afraid to refocus,reset and rebrand as often as

(09:56):
needed.
There is no one-size-fits-all.
We can all start over at anytime to realign what our
authentic is to where we are atthat time and moment.
Number three create withauthenticity in mind.
Whether you're creating abusiness or brand, a social
media reel or post a new productor even a podcast episode like

(10:17):
this one, always ask yourself ifit aligns with who you are and
what you want to share.
I created my ebook Picture thisQuick Tips for Social Media
Portraits that you can find onmy website, jamapantel.
com, under photo resources,because I wanted to help people
see themselves in the best light, literally and figuratively.
If something doesn't feel trueto you, don't be afraid to pivot

(10:41):
.
Pivot often if you must.
Don't be afraid to reinventyourself.
If what you're putting outthere doesn't align with where
you're at at this moment, let goof who you think you're
supposed to be and embrace justbeing you.
That is more than enough.
Finding your voice as anentrepreneur or brand isn't
about trying to be the loudest,most visible or most popular

(11:04):
person online.
It's about showing upconsistently as yourself.
It's about sharing the storiesthat matter to you, connecting
with the people who need to hearwhat only you can say, and
doing it all while staying trueto your heart.
So take a moment today to thinkabout your why.
Reflect on the journey that'sled you here, whether it's the
late nights, the setbacks, themoments of triumph or the quiet

(11:27):
moments that defined your path.
Write down what matters to youand let that guide how you show
up and how you continue to showup.
Thanks for tuning in to Livingthe Whole Picture today.
I hope this episode left youinspired, empowered and ready to
take the next step towards yourgoals, whether that's behind
the camera, in your business orin life in general.

(11:53):
If you loved what you heard, besure to follow and subscribe so
you never miss an episode, andleave me a review so that I know
what resonated most with you.
If you want to connect, headover to my website, jamapantel.
com, and scroll to the bottomand hit subscribe so I can show
up in your inbox with anyresources or updates on anything
that's coming up.
Until next time, keep chasingyour dreams and living the whole
picture.