While Jasmine Sweet lives up to her last name in many ways, this lifestyle blogger and digital marketing guru isn’t afraid to raise her voice a little. When she isn’t lending her expertise as the Marketing Manager for iHeart Radio, she is sharing her wisdom in fashion, education, business, and travel on her blog- ready to help make all of our lives a little sweeter.
WORK & LIFE
TNE: What does an “influential woman” mean to you?
JS: It means that you are a living testimony of your actions and words. I believe the phrase social media influencer has skewed the narrative of what it is to be an influential woman because of the added variables of exchanging money, products, and services. However, if you get back to the core of what a prominent woman is, you can recognize the power of someone living their authentic lives through how they treat themselves and others, as well as the visionary lifestyles they proclaim for themselves. It’s an energy that can’t be matched
TNE: Where did you find the love for what you do?
JS: I’ve always found joy in finding a community. That real-life connection spawned me into blogging and covering a multitude of topics that we’re all contending with. As someone who has been blogging for over ten years, I find it exhilarating to spark conversations, share perspectives, and educate myself and others on notions we are typically aware of. That is where I fostered this immense love for what I do on and off of social media. I am an extrovert by nature so building social capital in whatever arena is where I thrive.
TNE: What excites you to get out of bed every morning?
JS: I am most excited to get out of bed each day to live through all of the unexpected things. You honestly never know what’s going to come your way, but you know that as long as you’re breathing there will be a solution and an outcome! I love navigating this life and sharing my testimonies and that is what makes me JUMP out of bed each day. I wake up stronger and wiser and ready to try again. I look forward to the mornings.
TNE: What’s a life lesson you wish you had learned sooner?
JS: I wish I had learned how to relax a little more. I am a type-A personality. I’ve learned that I don’t have to check off every box to feel fulfilled. Quality is better than quantity any day, and that is how I can relax. I take my time with projects and plan so that I satisfy my Type-A disposition, as well as my husband’s unmatched, go with the flow personality. He’s been my best teacher for tranquility.
TNE: Quote, mantra, or saying that has meaning in your life…
JS: “Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” – Oprah Winfrey
TNE: Who in your life has made a major impact?
JS: My immediate family has made the largest impact on my life. I can’t name just one person of my immaculate group of seven (mom, dad, 5 siblings) because they’ve all made substantial contributions to who I am as the youngest of the group. They’re a group of creatives, entrepreneurs, and hustlers that have won triumphs in their lanes of the construction business, music business, medical device, and more. As the youngest, I haven’t been coddled. I’ve been asked: “So, what are you going to do? Who are you going to become?” That has shaped me into the multifaceted, driven woman that I am today. After the loss of my father, we all started living a little livelier towards our dreams and aspirations. He paved the way as a minority, independent contractor in West Tennessee. He was legendary. We’re just the results of that.
TNE: Vacation spot or place you love to stay/escape…
JS: Anywhere in the Caribbean. When I’m near the calm, crystal clear water, I feel a little closer to God!
TNE: Favorite outlets to read for inspiration?
JS: Pinterest Quotes, Instagram Quotes, The Bible App, Oprah Magazine, Forbes Magazine, XONecole Blog, the book The Prayer of Jabez, Essence Magazine, and Oprah’s book What I Know for Sure.
TNE: How do you balance blogging with your work in digital marketing?
JS: This skillset comes naturally for me. I went to school for broadcast journalism and did an internship in every possible area of interest, from radio to television to product marketing to politics and more. In my 10 year professional career, I’ve had training in the most stringent industries: healthcare, health insurance, higher education, and the financial sector. I’ve been disciplined in my craft corporately. Moreover, enthused through my entrepreneurial ventures of working with clients and blogging. It is a rewarding industry to work on a multitude of campaigns that all end with results that I can utilize to transcend any brand. That’s how I balance it all, mostly because it all coincides.
TNE: Why is representation important to you?
JS: If you don’t see people of a diverse background, you do not know the possibilities that exist. You become accustomed to what you know. Representation on all fronts allows us to be inclusionary of each other’s thoughts, objectives, and more. Representation provides for communities to be empowered and stimulated to participate in the conversations adequately and efficiently. A lack of representation is a lack of prosperity for all. Businesses are missing out on the markets that innately support them by being exclusionary. In my own right, I am often encountering these situations and educating them on how they need to diversify. As a 30-year-old African American woman in 2020, I am awed by the confrontation of it, but I stand boldly in my right to represent. It is a substantial duty that other racial counterparts in the blogging and digital media industry don’t have to combat as they create and comply with their entrepreneurial ventures. Representation matters.
TNE: What’s something you’d like people who look up to you to know?
JS: I’d like for them to know that I love life. I am 100% about my business, but I love to explore and collect memories. I want them to scroll back on Instagram ten years ago to see that I was the girl competing in Miss Memphis 3 times in a row only to get 3rd runner up three times in a row. I want them to know that persistence and perseverance are the only way. I didn’t start this venture yesterday. I’m on a life journey here, and I am sharing it through open profiles.
TNE: How do you maintain a strong relationship with a busy schedule?
JS: Mr. Sweet and I have always been busy since we met ten years ago. He was a D1 athlete running track in college, and I was on a full leadership scholarship. We’ve always been goal-oriented people who keep each other accountable. We knew very early that we wanted to do life together and understood what that looked like in the long run. It meant dating long distance between Memphis, DC, Clarksville, and Louisville over seven years before getting married. We have a strong foundation and a connection that transcended time, career changes, and more. We check-in with each other constantly for encouragement and prayers. He’s my soulmate, and no busy schedule can ever break that.
TNE: What’s been your favorite blog post to work on?
JS: My favorite blog post to work on was titled “Nashville Black Girl Bloggers are Laying the Tracks for Digital Media Mavens to Come.” I chose black women whom I know have been leading lives of influence through their educational paths, careers, and entrepreneurial ventures as bloggers. I’ve sat at many tables as the only woman of color blogger, and I wanted to showcase a group of women here in Nashville that are also building their brands while being champions of their trades in dentistry, pharmacy, legal, financial and more. It was an honor to stand with them and tell their stories to the world. They, too, are representatives of possible on many forefronts. One of the questions that I asked them was, “If you could say one thing to your Great, great, great grandmother, what would it be?” Their answers were telling in their own right, for we know that our ancestors did not even remotely have the opportunities that we do or the platforms to amplify them. This blog post was compelling to me.
TNE: How do you handle negativity?
JS: I make less time for it, and I always spin it to find the silver lining. I refuse to allow negativity to control my narrative. I allow myself to vent, and then I go in the direction of my prosperity at all costs. I surround myself with people, things, places, and opportunities that make me feel good and remind me of a positive life.
TNE: What meaningful lesson have you learned through quarantine and how do you plan to incorporate that mindset or lesson into your life moving forward?
JS: Now is the time to build resilience. We’re all facing a myriad of emotions and feats, directly and indirectly, every day. I know that I have to be fluid in all interactions with myself and the many known and unknown happenings. Resilience is a muscle we have to work in order to cope and move forward.
TNE: Due to the pandemic, many people are now working from home. What are your best tips, tricks, and advice for a productive at-home workspace?
JS: I start each day with verbal affirmations, prayer, and gratitude. I usually accompany this with Yoga. Then, I pick a place in my house to designate as my workspace. I’d been begging to work from home and cultivate and create in my own space and I’m doing just that. I work on my porch, at the bar in the kitchen, on my closet floor, on my beautifully decorated patio (quarantine project.) It gives me comfort and motivates me to work hard.
MY ROUTINE
TNE: What’s the ideal way to start your day?
JS: Meditation, prayer, journaling, and a devotional. I always start my day with God at the center. I say “Thank you God for another day” every morning.
TNE: Products you count on for energy and health…
JS: I love Yogi Vanilla Spice Energy Tea and Suja Juice Shots.
TNE: Your favorite way to wind down…
JS: Warrior sculpt at Lifetime Fitness. I leave it all on the floor in this place every Tuesday and it makes me a better person for days to come.
TNE: What do you never leave home without?
JS: I never leave home without my phone and a bottle of water. I can leave everything else at home, but these are my lifelines.
TNE: The most random thing we might find in your bag…
JS: A granola bar.
TNE: Is there a foolproof product (beauty/skincare/wellness) you can’t live without?
JS: I cannot live without Mary Kay Deep Cleaning Charcoal Facemask. My mom sold Mary Kay so I’ve always been more into beauty regimens than I am specific products. She taught me so much. Many products have the same ingredients so it is more about what routines you implement.
TNE: What’s your go-to power outfit?
JS: A tailored suit dress! I love MM LaFleur.
TNE: Go-to hair/makeup look?
JS: I love a neutral look with high glam appeal. I love to look natural with a bit of shine.
MY CITY
TNE: How long have you lived in Nashville?
JS: In 2016, I moved from Memphis. I am originally from Jackson, TN.
TNE: Your neighborhood…
JS: East Nashville.
TNE: Coolest neighborhood treasure/place…
JS: Walden Bar.
TNE: Top choice for date night…
JS: Stateside Kitchen at the Dream Hotel! The food is amazing, and Mr.Sweet and I love the vibe of the place.
TNE: Meeting friends for coffee or wine…
JS: For coffee, Retrograde Coffee and for wine, Giest.
TNE: Shop you can always find the perfect outfit…
JS: Asos.com
TNE: Places you get exercise (gym, parks, wherever):
JS: Lifetime Fitness, Burn Bootcamp, and Downtown YMCA.
TNE: Favorite spots to get glam…
JS: My makeup artist @MakeupHailee is amazing.
TNE: One thing you love most about living in Music City…
JS: I love that every genre of music and type of event exists here! I never long for what I need in the entertainment department. It’s beautiful and what connects the natives and the tourist here.
TNE: The thing that you don’t love so much…
JS: Of course, the traffic! I drive an hour to the gym.
TNE: The perfect day off in town looks like…
JS: I always start or end my day with a gym date. I enjoy a latte in the morning at a new coffee shop and then venture out to a park to get some fresh air. I love going to brunch or lunch around 11 – this is my sweet-spot time with restaurants as they are not as busy. Next, you may catch me at Green Hills mall-people watching or shopping! After this, I’ll make my way to the Gulch Nail Bar for a pedicure and polish change. Then, you’ll catch me at happy hour at Cabana.
TNE: Community and charity involvements close to your heart…
JS: American Heart Association. Each year I am on the committee to plan the largest Women of Color brunch in the city dedicated heart health awareness. We educate over 400 women and raise thousands of dollars. It’s near and dear to me because my father died of congestive heart failure.
TNE: Favorite local event, club, or involvement…
JS: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated.
