Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Medvetz.
Hi Jackie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
For as far back as I can remember I’ve always had grit and tenacity. I’ve had two jobs pretty much all my life since I was 14 years old. My first job was a bagger at Winn Dixie and because I called them every other day to check in on my application they hired me without an interview. As silly as it sounds that showed me when you really want something, if you go after with all your might it’s achievable. Starting at 14 I began working a job in tabling promotions in shopping malls, and let me tell you that hustle is REAL. I had to get people to give me their information which in turn was a lead for the company I worked for. By 17 I was flying all over the US staying in hotels every Friday through Sunday and making great money for a 17 years old. Everyone told me how lucky I was but I hated it. I just wanted to live a normal 17 year old life. I did this until I turned 27!!! Talk about feeling stuck! I worked my way up in the position to manage teams all over the US and flew to NYC and Hawaii but it still was soul crushing work. I always worked side jobs to keep my head on my shoulders, trying to tirelessly figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I got my real estate license, got my personal training certification and began teaching boxing classes, I worked as a wedding and event coordinator. Finally COVID hit and promotional events were non existent, they cut my salary 50%, since I didn’t need to travel anymore for work I asked my boss if I could work from Mexico for a month. That turned into being in Mexico for 4 months, Colombia for a month, Puerto Rico for a month. During this time I did barista training in Medellin, Colombia (best experience ever). Once I got back to the states I finally quit that god forsaken job that I was dying to quit. I had no job and applied to every coffee shop in San Diego before being hired at Bird Rock, at about 5 months in I went from a cashier to store manager. I did this for 2 years and loved every second of it, it showed me a new side of life, that you can actually make a living loving what you do (although it was a small living, I survived). I finally found my calling!! I was going to open a coffee shop. I helped a woman open a coffee shop in north Park and helped her run it and I saw first hand how much money goes in and how little you get out. I needed a better idea with faster return on my investment and less upfront investment. In that time of me figuring it out I became a waitress for the first time in my life at 30 years old and a coach for a kids after school program. I was doing everything backwards, my life felt crazy but I was also, so happy and everything felt so right. Then a month into working my double shifts and trying to figure out my next move, my old company that I did promotions with called me and asked me to come back, I said no. I always swore to myself no matter what I would never go back to a job that brought me so much unhappiness. Then they called again and said they would give me whatever I wanted, I gave them what I thought was a crazy salary and they agreed. So there I was, back to that old god forsaken job that I swore I would never be in but this time they wanted me to travel to New york for two weeks out of every month. It was just a matter of time before I slipped into depression and was miserable again, but I was making more money than I ever made in my life. Fast forward, I lasted a year and a half and that’s finally what go me to where I am today. I quit with no back up plan and felt it was finally time to start my entrepreneurship journey. I have more business ideas in my phone than you can imagine, I’ve looked tirelessly all my life for what that special thing is that I can finally take a risk on myself and go for it. I took so many risks in so many ways but never on starting a business, somewhere deep down I didn’t believe in myself or I was scared I would fail or find a new hobby like I always do. This time I wasn’t going to doubt myself, I got to it. I started my pilates teacher training journey and started attending wellness and pilates events and I thought this is it! It’s never been about what the business is, for me I finally learned it’s about my interaction with people and what I do for them. Pilates helps the body so much and I love it, and events help bring people together and help build a community which is something I always searched for in my 20’s. I finally found two things that bring my passions to others and help them in so many ways. So here I am hosting pilates wellness events and building a following before opening my own pilates studio, with a matcha cafe in the front of course! Right before becoming an entrepreneur and venturing on my own, which I’m still even getting used to saying, I was absolutely miserable, sometimes we need those times to catapult us into what our calling is or what our next step in life is. Now, there are new types of stress but it’s the type of stress I love and have always yearned for. I’m so happy and grateful to be where I am today, sharing my passions with so many other amazing wellness businesses and community members.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I spent so much money on pilates teacher training and so much money on hosting my first event. It all falls on me to recoup those investments. I have to do all the marketing and social media and outreach. I still work a side job in events which isn’t a ton of hours, but it’s still something I have to commit my time to. There’s a constant feeling of will I succeed, I can do more, I should always be doing something. I put a lot of pressure on myself, I think most entrepreneurs do. Entreprenuership is a full time hustle, I reached out to so many local businesses, media outlets, influencers, etc. to collaborate with them. For the first few weeks of my event coming up, I only had two ticket sales which was the scariest feeling. All of those doubts start to creep into your mind that held you back in the first place and you have to constantly keep the negative internal talk at bay. Social media allows you to compare yourself to everyone. There’s a lot of people doing pilates events right now, so I try to stay off of social media unless I’m posting on mine because I start comparing myself to people that have been doing this for months. Financially, of course is the biggest risk as an entrepreneur, you leave that pretty bi-weekly salary behind. I have a good savings but I try to pretend I don’t have it so after spending everything on hosting my event, I’m left with hardly anything until the event happens. You definitely have to budget like no other as an entrepreneur and just because this month is great, doesn’t mean next month will be as well. Something that helps me though is that I always remind myself there are safe jobs out there a dime a dozen, so worst case I can always fall back into a comfortable position and continue to work on my own business. It’s weird but for me I needed to have the fire under me. I needed to feel the pressure of no job and not knowing how I’ll pay my bills next month, I needed to feel uncomfortable in order to make these moves.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart from others is my journey and all the things I practiced leading up to this point. I needed to go into entrepreneurship insanely confident in my knowledge, so I learned so many skills before this journey. Right now I host Pilates wellness events. I work with local businesses to help connect them to the community and generate brand awareness, and I offer the community an event that promotes self-care, fitness, and community. I firmly believe that if you have a strong community, a peaceful mind, and a healthy body you truly have it all in life and that’s what I try to bring to the San Diego community. My plan is to open a physical Pilates studio with a matcha cafe in front and host periodic events at the space and still in the community as well. I’m most proud of my authenticity and care for others. Like I said, I tried so hard to look for a business I would stick with, but it turns out it never mattered what the business was, it was what the business did for others and what I could do for others. I hope to form the strongest community that is supportive, uplifting, and encouraging.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love self help books. My current read, which I am very late to the game on, is You are a Badass. This book is so uplifting. Any time I find myself doubting myself or unsure of myself or having a challenging day I take this book a out and read it. Afterwards I always feel confident and renewed. I also listen to a “Unconditional Self Love, Acceptance, and Assurance: A Guided Meditation” by A Zen Mind on Spotify. It helps slow down your mind at the end of the day, reset, and be grateful for the tiniest things in life that we easily take for granted. It talks about how natural it is for humans to compare but that each of us are unique, it glorifies your uniqueness and then it ends with envisioning yourself in a boat in the middle of the ocean with no one around and it’s a metaphor to live life like that and make decisions in that type of environment. Make decisions without outside noise or pressure or fear of judgement. It’s a great reset at the end of each busy day.
Pricing:
- $55/ticket
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildcardpilates.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildcardpilates/ and https://www.instagram.com/sandiegowellness/
- Other: https://www.sweatpals.com/event/wildcard-summer-wellness-social-db
