Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmin Swinton.
Hi Jasmin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a mother, healer, student of life, multipreneur, health and wellness enthusiast and mentor. Born in Queens, NY I was always an active and outgoing person, looking to explore and enjoy the adventures of life.
Growing up, I was afforded the opportunity to move around and experience different people, locations, and cultures. I didn’t always see this as a positive thing. Actually, I still have a little residue of the belief that moving frequently contributed to my personal lack of fully connecting to people and places. Now, I’m able to see that the relationships built over the years have overall turned into lifelong bonds and community. My parents, married 37 years, were always hard workers and community contributors whether in church or any other organization they may have been a part of. Seeing them in action taught me how to serve and have a heart for people. They also explored entrepreneurship, this allowed me to see success and failures. It also gave me the insight to know when to persevere and when to walk away, which is vital in entrepreneurship and in life in general.
Life changed for me at the age of nine when I was molested and then again at 11 when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. The molestation I experienced had a profound effect on my life. Once fun, outgoing, and trusting, turned into fearful, sad, and angry. The trauma of molestation affected so many areas of my life most of which I didn’t address. Recognizing in my 30’s that this event contributed negatively to my relationships I began my journey of healing. The Crohn’s diagnosis once again delivered a blow taking me from extremely active, running track, and dancing, to now spending time in hospitals, experiencing pain, and being prescribed medication which I thought I’d take for the rest of my life. As a teen I was pretty rebellious, my family wanted me in Sunday school, and like any other teenager I wanted to be at the party and with my friends. I had dreams of traveling the world, creating choreography, and dancing in concerts for some of the greats. My mother wasn’t having it; however, she became the leader of a dance ministry at church. We traveled as a team, and I personally was hired and “flewed out” to create choreography and dance at events, conventions, and services. However, I was still unfulfilled. My go to cope became promiscuity. Sex became my favorite distraction, my favorite pastime.
After one year of college, I left school and relocated with my family to Delaware. While in Delaware, I became the choreographer and a leader within the dance ministry at church. Being the baby of the family, I didn’t often take on leadership roles. I was very comfortable being led. This position required me to become a leader which I learned to embrace. We were a team ranging from the ages of 4 to 40, I loved the opportunity to work in this capacity. After a few years of serving, I became pregnant and was forced to sit down from ministry. During my 5th month of pregnancy, my water broke. I had to have an emergency c-section, and experienced my first pregnancy loss which devastated me. Thirteen years later I have experienced 9 pregnancies, 5 pregnancy losses, 2 abortions, and 2 live births. The first loss was literally the hardest and took me10 years to mourn.
In 2019, I was experiencing anxiety and depression while in a toxic relationship. I had just experienced a horrible miscarriage and I was honestly an emotional wreck. I began looking for ways to pick myself up, not wanting to turn to promiscuity again. I found Pearl School of Modeling, now ALNP Leadership Academy. While enrolled, I was an apprentice, and a part of the first adult class. The course focused on modeling, leadership, and entrepreneurship. At the end of the class, we had an entrepreneurship project that required us to start a business. Not knowing what I wanted to do, I spent hours and days researching ways to utilize my current skills. And in a light bulb moment I came up with Essential Associates. While presenting my entrepreneurship project, I literally had an anxiety attack, I could barely get through the presentation. I was so broken and terrified to use my voice, share my thoughts and business concepts. I felt my message was lost and that I blew the opportunity. However that wasn’t the case, I walked away from the presentation with 2 prospective clients, one becoming my first paying client. In 2022, we are now Essential Associates Virtual Assistant, Staffing, and Project Management Solutions where it is our business to help our clients manage and scale their business.
With all that I’ve been through I’ve learned that I am a healer, I was able to transmute all of the negativity and create Essential Associates and Msjazzifit LLC which is my passion project to help women who are also on a healing, health and wellness journey. I believe by sharing my story I will inspire someone to heal past traumas, recommit to self, self-love, self-care and self-esteem so that they can become their best version for themselves and their community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, I spent years sad, depressed, and unfulfilled. I had to go through the process of healing while working, while in relationships while raising children. I spent years procrastinating and fearful. I’ve had financial woes, housing instability, and I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go within my career.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Essential Associates and Msjazzifit LLC?
Both of my businesses are in existence to serve the community.
There are millions of new businesses starting around the world, and we can only last as solopreneurs for so long. As our clients’ book of business grows they find that they need to delegate specific tasks in their businesses and an Essential Associate is there to help with Virtual Assistance. When they are ready to hire a full-time employee our recruiters will search for qualified candidates so that the client can focus on their core business operations. As the clients are ready to scale and have departments such as customer service or human resources, our project management team will help clients with structure, meeting deadlines and staying within budget.
I’m really proud of Essential Associates because it was birthed during a time when I was at my lowest and it’s now helping not only the clients but the Essential Associates team members enhance their skill set and pursue their dreams.
The Msjazzifit brand started as my Instagram name and then I joined Total Life Changes and used the platform to promote my health and wellness journey, now it’s a mission. I ended third quarter launching Eat • Sleep • Manifest, a Facebook community and safe space for women to journey back to self. My mission is to achieve self-mastery by digging to the root cause and doing the work to heal so that we become our best version. Before the world got a hold of us, some earlier than others, we were pure light beings. We will explore why we are who we are and work to love and heal her so that we can serve from an overflowing cup as mothers, partners in love and business. We will become accountability partners who begin to thrive on our health and wellness journey so that we live long and set a great example for those around us. We will embrace our sensuality, fully indulge in our bliss and feminine energy. We will set intentions and take action towards our goals and CELEBRATE as we see our dreams manifest into reality.
I’m proud of the Msjazzifit brand because helping women on their journey has been on my heart as an assignment FOR YEARRRSSSSSS and I’m finally taking action. I just completed the Eat • Sleep • Manifest planner and I’m just about done with the eBook.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Fulfilling my purpose/mission. The things that I’ve gone through weren’t just for me, I had to put in work and overcome myself to get to where I am today, and I want to shout from the rooftop to anyone who may resonate to let them know that they can take massive action and create massive change by taking one step at a time. The single moms like me, the stay-at-home moms who may feel lost in housework and the women caring for everyone but herself, I am her. As mothers coming together to heal ourselves so that we can give from an overflowing loving cup is my mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://
linktr.ee/jasminswinton (www. msjazzifit.com & www. essentialassociates.org) - Instagram: instagram.
com/essentialassociates & inst agram.com/eat.sleep.manifest - Facebook: https://
www.facebook.com/ EssentialAssociates & https:// www.facebook.com/jasminswinton
Image Credits
Third Eye Vision Media Deidra Ivery
