Why You Don’t Need to Be Perfect to Show Up

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In this episode of Living the Whole Picture, Jama Pantel shares a heartfelt reminder: perfectionism isn’t real—and waiting to feel “perfect” only keeps you stuck. If life has been heavy, messy, or just overwhelming lately, this conversation will give you permission to show up as you are.

No perfect lighting. No perfect energy. Just real connection. Because that’s what people are really looking for.

00:00 – Opening Reminder: Perfection Isn’t the Standard

Why we keep waiting for “perfect” moments that don’t exist—and how real life matters more.

00:46 – Life Update: Dealing with Health and Burnout

Jama shares her own season of slowing down and showing up imperfectly.

01:23 – How We Were Taught to Hide Struggles

Growing up with the mindset to “push through” and how that can hurt more than help.

02:18 – The Truth About Perfectionism

Why perfectionism is a myth and how it steals your ability to connect.

03:09 – Final Encouragement: Show Up Anyway

Why sharing your in-between moments creates stronger bonds with your audience.

Key Takeaways:

• You don’t need perfect conditions to be valuable.
• Perfectionism is a myth that keeps you from connecting authentically.
• Showing up during hard seasons builds real trust and loyalty.
• Your audience is looking for you, not a polished version of you.
• Consistency doesn’t mean perfection—it means presence.

If this episode spoke to you, pass it on to another high-achieving woman who needs a reminder that it’s okay to show up as she is. Leave me a 5-star review. I promise it helps. 

Subscribe, leave a review, and tag Jama on social media if you share.
Visit jamapantel.com for more resources to help you build your brand presence with confidence or you want your own incredible brand images.

https://www.jamapantel.com

Episode Transcript

Jama Pantel (00:00):
Perfection isn't the standard, real life is, so
why do we keep waiting until wefeel perfect to show up?
Hey y'all, welcome back toLiving the Whole Picture, the
podcast for ambitious womenready to elevate their
visibility, build authenticconfidence and become the face
of their brand.
I'm your host, Jama Pantel, aluxury portrait photographer,
author, educator, influencer anddream chaser, here to help you

(00:23):
master your brand presence andshow up authentically with
confidence.
Each week we'll dive intotopics to help you shine in
business and in life, so you canstop hesitating and start
showing up like the leader youwere meant to be.
If you've ever struggled withconfidence on camera or
hesitated to put yourself outthere, this podcast is for you.
Let's get started on living thewhole picture together.

(00:46):
Hey y'all, it's Jama, yourpodcast bestie again, and if
you've been following alonglately, you know I've just been
winging it the last couple ofweeks.
Truthfully, I've been dealingwith some health stuff.
Nothing life-threatening, Idon't think, but real enough
that it slowed me way down.
Real enough that I've had totake a step back and ask myself

(01:06):
why do I feel like I have tokeep showing up perfectly when
I'm not okay?
Because I haven't been okay?
I've been feeling really downlately, and I know I'm not the
only one who does this.
So here I am, unscripted andwinging it again, just to show
up for you guys.
We've often been taught thatshowing up means looking
polished and being put togetherand smiling through it all.

(01:28):
And if you were raised like Iwas, that's just what you did.
You pick yourself up by yourbootstraps.
I'm a Texan, after all and ifwe can't do that, we shouldn't
show up at all.
Right.
But the truth is, perfectionismdoesn't even exist.
It really is a made-up standardthat we keep trying to hit, but
in honesty, we're never goingto hit it because it just isn't

(01:51):
a thing, even when life is doingits life thing, whether that's
an illness, stress, grief orjust plain burnout.
I have done this so much in mybusiness, where I just push
through, push through, pushthrough, and if you know
anything about me, you know I'vepushed through to where I had
shingles and had to stopeverything and shut down.
I've pushed through again andhad to stop everything when

(02:12):
another parent was going throughillness, and I'm tired of
pushing through sometimes.
So this is your reminder, andit's mine too, you don't have to
wait until things are perfectto show up.
You're allowed to show up inthe middle of it.
You're allowed to let peoplesee the in-between moments, the
when you don't have high energyor you're not perfectly polished

(02:33):
because that is what I havebeen the last month or so
Because that's where the realconnection happens.
Your people aren't looking forperfection, they're looking for
you, the human behind thebusiness, the heart behind the
brand, the woman who's stillshowing up, even if it's just a
quiet voice, with a little bitof honesty.
So if you've been going throughsomething too big or small, and

(02:57):
you've been feeling thatpressure to present a version of
yourself that's just false orfeels false, just know you're
not alone, you're not behind andyou're definitely not doing it
wrong.
This was a short one, but again,it's from the heart.
So thanks for letting me showup as I am today and if this
resonated with you, feel free toshare or pass along.

(03:18):
Thanks y'all, until next time.
Thank you so much for tuning into Living the Whole Picture.
If this episode resonated withyou, I'd love for you to
subscribe, leave me a review andshare it with another
high-achieving woman who needsto hear this message.
Or, better yet, share it andtag me on social media.
Visit my website, jamapantel.
com, for more resources, updatesand ways we can work together.

(03:41):
Be sure to subscribe whileyou're on the website so you
never miss anything.
You've worked hard to get whereyou are Now.
It's time to show upconfidently and own your
presence.
Until next time, keep showingup and living the whole picture.