JOCELYN BISHOP shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
JOCELYN, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I find myself and my creativity truly come alive when I step out of my routine and into spaces that let me breathe. Whether it’s a hike with my dog, wandering through the mall and observing people and visuals, or simply sitting outside and taking in fresh air, those moments help me reset and reconnect. Being away from constant notifications and screens quiets the mental noise and gives my ideas room to unfold naturally. That’s often where my clearest insights and strongest creative sparks show up.
From there, I slip into creative mode. I lose track of time when I’m building something from the ground up, designing campaigns, shaping visual direction, and mapping out content strategies that tell a story with intention. Once I’m in that space, I naturally hyperfocus. Hours can pass without me realizing it because I’m fully immersed in connecting strategy with creativity and turning ideas into something tangible and meaningful for a brand.
That rhythm, grounding myself first and then diving deep into creative work, is what fuels me. It allows me to approach every campaign with both clarity and curiosity, blending strategy with heart to create work that feels thoughtful, inspired, and impactful.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jocelyn Bishop, a social media manager and strategist with over 13 years of experience helping brands show up online with intention, creativity, and confidence. I’m the founder of Boss Up and Build, a social media management agency where I work primarily with Black and urban business owners, service-based brands, and creatives who are ready to grow beyond just posting and start building real community and results.
What makes my work special is the balance between strategy and storytelling. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all marketing. I take the time to understand the heart of a brand, then translate that into thoughtful campaigns, visual direction, and content systems that feel authentic and sustainable. I’m deeply hands-on and creative, from concept development and campaign planning to content execution and analytics, and I naturally hyperfocus when I’m building something meaningful.
Beyond client work, I’m expanding Boss Up and Build into education and coaching, helping aspiring social media managers learn how to build skills, confidence, and profitable careers in this space. I’m also actively working on in-person events and workshops that bring community, strategy, and real-world connection together. At the core of everything I do is a commitment to creating marketing that feels human, aligned, and impactful, not just trendy.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that has served its purpose is the version of myself that believed rest had to be earned and that carrying everything alone was a sign of strength. She was necessary for a season. She helped me survive, build, and prove to myself what I was capable of.
For a long time, the hustle mindset helped me build resilience, skill, and experience, especially as I grew my career and my brand. It taught me how to be resourceful and dependable.
Now, I’m learning that growth also requires trust, boundaries, and collaboration. Releasing the pressure to overextend myself allows me to create from a place of clarity instead of urgency. We hustle smarter now, not harder.
Now I give myself the space to focus on the work that truly aligns with my values and strengths, and to lead with intention rather than obligation. Letting go of that version of myself makes room for deeper creativity, sustainability, and impact.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Honestly,
not all at once.
Not in some cinematic breakthrough moment with dramatic lighting and a perfect soundtrack.
I hid it for a long time.
I grew up in and out of foster care.
An only child of a single mother who battled drug addiction.
Which is a sentence I can write now without my chest tightening, but that took years.
For a long time, I treated my upbringing like a rough draft.
Something to edit.
Something to gloss over.
Something I hoped no one would ask too many follow-up questions about.
I learned early how to read a room and say just enough.
How to sound “normal.”
How to succeed quietly.
How to let people assume I came from something easier than I did.
Because let’s be real,
nobody wants to be the fun fact that kills the vibe at the table.
I was embarrassed by my family’s past choices.
Embarrassed by the instability.
Embarrassed by the gaps in my story that did not fit into neat little boxes.
So I hid it.
I smiled.
I worked harder.
I kept moving.
Then one day, I was asked to write a personal statement.
And for once, I did not try to be impressive.
I did not try to sound polished or palatable.
I did not try to turn pain into a motivational poster.
I just told the truth.
I wrote about foster homes.
About being an only child learning independence early.
About loving a mother who was fighting demons bigger than both of us.
About growing up fast, not because I wanted to, but because I had to.
That essay won me the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship.
But more than that, it rewired something in me.
It taught me that my story was not a weakness. It was context.
That my past was not something to overcome in silence. It was something that shaped my empathy, my work ethic, my leadership.
I realized I was not behind.
I was building from a different starting line.
Now, I speak about my upbringing differently.
With honesty.
With compassion.
With a little humor, because if you do not laugh sometimes, you will cry in the Target parking lot, and we have all been there.
I use my story to connect with like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs.
People who did not inherit ease, but built momentum.
People who understand that resilience is a skill set.
That grit is learned.
That survival teaches you how to build.
I stopped hiding my pain when I realized it did not make me less credible. It made me more human.
More relatable.
More real.
I did not turn my wounds into power because they magically healed.
I turned them into power because I finally stopped pretending they were not there.
And somewhere along the way, my story stopped feeling like something I had to explain,
and started feeling like something I could stand on, help and inspire others with.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The Social Media Marketing industry loves to blame the algorithm and romanticize virality, but neither one is the problem. The algorithm is not working against you, it is reflecting how people respond to your content in real time. Virality is not a strategy, it is a temporary spike. What actually keeps brands visible and on track is social listening. Social media managers like myself pay attention to what audiences engage with, ignore, question, and complain about, then adjust messaging and content accordingly. That feedback loop is what drives relevance and growth. The algorithm is simply the signal. Social listening is how you use it instead of fighting it.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
If I laid down my name, my role, and everything I own, what would remain is faith in God, my spirit, and grit. What would remain is the part of me that keeps going when no one is watching, that knows how to rebuild from nothing, and that trusts there is purpose even when the path is unclear. It would be my values, my resilience, my curiosity, my compassion, and my willingness to show up again and again. Titles can be taken. Possessions can be lost. What stays is who I am when all of that is gone, the belief I stand on, the strength I carry, and the work ethic that does not disappear when the applause does.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://BossUpAndBuild.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/BossUpAndBuild
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jocelynbishop
