Ep 4. Follow Your Fear ft. yoga instructor & creative entrepreneur Jazmin Tejada

Jazmin Tejada is a yoga instructor, creative entrepreneur, and all around wellness extraordinaire. Prior to deepening her yoga practice, she was a professional salsa dancer. She traveled nationally and internationally as a performer and has been renowned as an incredible instructor in both dance and yoga. She also created a course geared toward fellow instructors called “Find yo’ feet” and has partnered with brands like Athleta.

Find Jazmin on Instagram at @jazmintejada_yoga or follow her new design project @muthatufter .

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Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):

Welcome to the Millennial PhD, a podcast about creative survival and beyond. My name is Dr. Carmella Munio Domani, and I'm a sociologist, dancer and creative consultant from New York. In these episodes, you'll find inspiration, ideas, and actionable tips for building new pathways forward in work and life. You'll hear from artists, activists, creative entrepreneurs, PhDs, and professional pivoters. We talk about radical humanity and practical steps to follow your dreams, even in the context of challenging social conditions. Before we jump into today's episode, a quick reminder to follow the millennial PhD on Instagram. And to please take a minute to rate and a review the millennial PhD on Apple podcasts. Your rating really helps the show reach as many listeners as possible. You can learn more about me and get access to free creative resources on the millennial PhD Instagram page, or@themillennialphd.com. I hope you enjoyed the episode. 

(01:13)
Welcome back to the millennial PhD, where we've been talking art, creativity, and radical humanity in motion. Today we're talking with Jasmine Tejada, who is a yoga instructor and all around wellness extraordinaire. Prior to her journey, deepening her yoga practice, she was a professional salsa dancer for a number of years, which is where we met. She traveled nationally and internationally as a performer and has been particularly renowned as an incredible instructor in both dance and yoga. She also created a course, uh, geared toward fellow instructors called Find Your Feet and has partnered with brands like Athleta. Um, so jazz, thank you so much for being here. I can't wait to talk with you about your story. Thanks for having me. Um, so this podcast is brand new, as you know. Uh, but as I filmed these early interviews, I've been talking with people about the power of stepping into our creativity and our health. 

(02:08)
Um, the older I get, the more I feel like it's been really difficult, um, or it is really difficult to try and build a more liberated society without also fighting for our personal liberation and, and joy. Um, which I, I know a lot of us find through creativity and art and expressing ourselves. Um, and so that's a super simple idea and it's not a new one at all, but it still kind of stuns me every time I think about it. Um, probably cuz I'm trained as a sociologist, so I, I'm often thinking about the collective. Um, but I've been focusing more on kind of our creative and artistic selves. So I wanted to have you on to talk, uh, because I've been consistently in awe of what you've done with dance and yoga and your other unfolding creative projects. Um, I've had the opportunity to be around for some of your journey, um, and which has been really amazing. And in that time I've also seen you be kind of really clear eye about when maybe it's time to pivot or channel your energy into something new, which I think a lot of people struggle with. Um, so I guess we can jump in and start with, uh, how would you describe what you do? I just read off kind of a bio and some accolades, but if you meet somebody on the street, how do you describe what you do with yourself? 

Speaker 2 (03:26):

Um, simple. I'm a yoga teacher. Like that's my quote unquote. Nine to five is not a nine to five, but that's, that's how I make my living. Right. So that's usually what I say. But there's so much more to that. And it's really interesting too because hearing my own bio, it's like, Oh, huh, Yeah, I guess. But the reality is that I've been practicing yoga longer than I have been a dancer, which is wild because I started doing both of 'em super late. But I've been practicing yoga for 

(04:03)
Over 15 years. I wanna say I started, yeah, I can't do math, but I started practicing yoga when I was about 22, 23. So that was a few years before I actually started dancing. Um, but it's, it is really interesting too when you say like, finding your moment of pivot and no lie, every time I get to that it's time to like do something different. It's out of two things. The first thing is out of boredom cuz like, I feel like I've done everything that I need to do in this like little part of my life and I need to venture into something else and it's out of fear. 

Speaker 1 (04:42):

Mm. Wow. 

Speaker 2 (04:43):

Of fear. Yeah. Like I do it because I'm terrified of doing it. 

Speaker 1 (04:48):

Yeah. 

Speaker 2 (04:48):

Not because I'm not afraid of doing it. It's like I'm sh you know, shaking in my boots and maybe that feeling is the reason why I should do it. And I think that also reason why people don't do things is out of fear, you know? 

Speaker 1 (05:02):

Yeah. That's amazing cuz when you just said, oh, out of fear at first, it's uh, but it's not fear of what you're currently doing that's pushing you out to do something else. It's fear of what you're stepping into, what you're jumping into. 

Speaker 2 (05:15):

Yeah. Yeah. For 

Speaker 1 (05:16):

Sure. That's dope. That's amazing. Um, so why don't you tell me how did you get there? Like how did you get to the point you're at now where you're, where your yoga instructor, um, what was that journey like over the last 15, 15 plus years? 

Speaker 2 (05:31):

So it started before then, like, you know, I feel like, and this is my own personal belief and it might sound like whatever, but it is what it is because it's my belief. Um, I feel like this all stems from high school. Like you're, you're supposed to decide what you wanna do with the rest of your life when you're about 17, 18 years old. Which is a wild concept cuz you have no idea of who you are at that age. You don't get to step into like who you truly are till you're about in your early to mid twenties that you start to figure out your true likes and dislikes. Um, so I come from a family of tailors and dress makers and seamstresses. Like that's what my great grandmother did. My grandmother, my dad is a tailor and I went to school for fashion because I had no clue what I wanted to do with myself. 

(06:17)
And I was like, well, let's go with the what I know. Like, I'm not gonna jump into the unknown, Right. Because that's scary, right. I'm gonna go with what I know. So I went to school and I got into the fashion industry super young and I worked in fashion for well over 10 years. And it just got to the point where I was miserable. I was like, I would literally, I say this all, like, I say this all the time when I have these conversations is I would literally open my eyes in the morning and be mad at the world. 

(06:46)
Hmm. Like, who wants to live life like that? Like, we're here for, you know, a short period of time, why would you wanna live like that? And it just got to the point where I was doing everything I could possibly do to get fired and they would not fire me. Like I would show up late, I would show up, like I would tell my boss like, Don't talk to me until I have my food. Like, who does that? And that's what I was doing because I was trying to get fired, but they wouldn't fire me. Um, and then one day, like the universe just like put these things together for me where I decided that I was moving to Dominican Republic. I think that was around the time that I met you. 

Speaker 1 (07:19):

Yeah, yeah. Right around then. 

Speaker 2 (07:21):

Yeah. Um, like these things, I'm not gonna tell you the whole story, it was a long story, but these things kind of fell into place and I was like, if this comes through, I made myself a promise. Like if this comes through, cuz it was so far fetched, I really didn't think it was gonna happen. I was like, I'm gonna move to Dr. And everything fell into Blaze and I was like, Oh, now I have to keep the promise that I made to myself. I guess I'm moving to Dr. Amazing. And so I moved to Dr and um, that was when I left the fashion industry. I was just like, you know, I love to be creative. I love to, you know, get these thoughts from my head onto paper and into real life, but I don't like the industry. Like the industry is just not a healthy place for me. Um, 

Speaker 1 (08:02):

Yeah. So 

Speaker 2 (08:03):

Yeah. Yeah. It's just like, 

Speaker 1 (08:05):

Which I think is, is a lot of people's experience when they go into these industries that they chose really early on. They sound good for a number of reasons, really 

Speaker 2 (08:14):

Keep on paper, but not in real life 

Speaker 1 (08:15):

Architecture. <laugh> in case of, uh, of my fiance Andrew Academia. Uh, but I, I think even dance, um, to a certain extent. But, um, before you, you go on, I just wanna, uh, focus in on something you said about how, um, the idea of like choosing a job, like what do you wanna be when you grow up is pushed on us really pretty young. Right? And it's also, it becomes this thing that like, that's going, that's gonna be your core identity. Like what you do for labor, um, what you do for capitalism is going to, is gonna be it. Um, and that's so, so pervasive in like our early training. Um, I wonder if it's, it's changing maybe a little bit now. I don't think it's changing that much, but it may be for, for some younger people. But definitely I feel like when we were younger it was like, what are you gonna be, what are you gonna be? Yeah. 

Speaker 2 (09:03):

You need translate. Figure it out. 

Speaker 1 (09:04):

Are you gonna be 

Speaker 2 (09:05):

Right? Right. I think it's a little different now because of um, the social networks that are out. Yeah. And they create like different avenues for you to like, explore different parts of yourself. Um, and hopefully that's what's happening for, for the younger generation. 

Speaker 1 (09:21):

So yeah, 

Speaker 2 (09:22):

Definitely. I like pushed into fields that they don't necessarily wanna work in for the rest of their lives. Um, but yeah. Um, so I ended up just leaving the fashion industry and of course being first generation American, I got a lot of flack from my parents, more from my mom than my dad. My dad is like also a creative, so he was like, I get it, but you know, you can't do this for too long cuz you're an adult. <laugh>. Yeah. I also got the lecture, but it was like, how could you leave a good job? How could you leave a great salary? You know? Yeah. Nothing with your life. Like, it's like, I'm not doing nothing with my life. Like I'm gonna go out and explore myself. I'm gonna go out and figure out what I truly wanna do, what I, who I truly wanna be. 

(10:03)
And I took about a year, I took a year in Dr to do that. And then I came back to New York and I gave myself the permission to just dance for a year. Like, I didn't come back and was like, I need to find a job or anything like that. I was like, I'll sleep on my parents' couch and I'll figure it out. You know, I'll give myself that year. And all I did was teach dance and perform and whatever. And that's when we were dancing together. Um, that's, we were, yeah. And in that time I was like, all right, so I know I don't wanna go back to having a, a quote unquote nine to five. I don't wanna sit in an office all day. Um, that's not for me. Like it's for many people, it's just not for me. Um, and I was like, Well, what do I wanna do? 

(10:45)
Like how can I figure out, how can I create a lifestyle that I wanna live and not have to like, give up what I wanna be doing? And I decided to become a yoga teacher. That's when I was like, Well I have a yoga practice. I'm a, I think I'm a good dance teacher. They're not that different. Maybe I'll do that. So I went to yoga school, I got certified and then I started auditioning for gigs the same way you would audition for a dance gig, you audition for a yoga gig. They're not that different. 

Speaker 1 (11:14):

Yeah. That's fascinating to me. <laugh> it gives me stress just thinking about it. I hate 

Speaker 2 (11:19):

Audition. No, it's stressful though. It's all stressful. 

Speaker 1 (11:24):

My biggest like, weak point I feel like as a, as a dancer is like, I'm just, I hate auditions so much. Um, but that's, that's amazing. Um, so, uh, gone, we, we, so that's kind of how you got into 

Speaker 2 (11:39):

Yeah. That, that's pretty much how I got into it. And it was, it was really interesting cause I walked in, like, I jumped around from studio to studio, just like trying to find the spot. Cuz if you've practiced yoga, it's like a dance studio. Like you have to like find where you fit in and where like your energy is kind of received well. And being a person of color, a woman of color, it's not always received well in, in the yoga world. Um, so I hopped around from different places to different places until I found the spot that I was like, Oh, this feels better than the other place. It didn't feel great, but I was like, this feels better than the other places and I enjoy taking class here, so maybe, you know, I'll stay here for a bit. And, um, I did that and I was like one of like three people of color in my teacher training. 

(12:27)
Right. And there was about 50 of us. Wow. So that's a whole conversation for a different day. But, um, so then I just, I I got this mentor and he kind of like guided me and like, all right, you should do this. You should teach this, you should try this while you're teaching. Gave me a lot of feedback, which helped. And then I just took that on the road with me, like, all right, this is what I'm gonna do when I get a gig and see what it turns into. And it's evolved a lot. That was six years ago. It's evolved a lot, but here I am still teaching. 

Speaker 1 (13:01):

Yeah. Um, uh, That's amazing. And you teach, like most days of the week, you have like a fully developed kind of school. 

Speaker 2 (13:09):

Yeah. Right now I'm on a teaching break. I'm, I gave myself like a, like a minute to just like, cuz I was teaching throughout the whole quarantine, throughout the whole pandemic. And I was just going, going, going and holding space for people, but I wasn't doing a great job of holding space for myself. So I hit burnout and now I'm like, you know what? I'm letting everything go and then I'll just start again when it's time to start again. And let me tell you something, there's, that was wrapped up in fear too because it was like, Damn, I've worked so hard to build up my classes to build up my clients and now I'm letting everyone go. Will I be able to get them back? But, you know, I'll get them back or I'll get new ones. I'll figure it out when it's time to figure it out. 

Speaker 1 (13:48):

Yeah. Yeah. Um, so let's talk for a minute though about the wellness industry. If you don't mind what you were kind of talking about being a woman of color in this space. Um, from the outside, when I look at the wellness industry, I see kind of two currents when I'm poking around social media. I don't even know, I'm, I'm calling it wellness industry. I don't even know if that's where, where you would position it. But, um, I see one that's like, um, super white, uh, and also overlapping with that. There's, I feel like a good amount of kind of what I would call like toxic positivity, maybe like quite a bit individualism that can be, um, also kind of, you know, toxic individualism. Um, so you see that a lot in the wellness industry. And I think on the other hand, I see, um, at least from what I can tell, kind of a wave of, um, I don't know if I would say newer is probably not the word, but a wave of people who, um, are more progressive. Um, more people of color kind of moving into this industry and, and really changing the whole thing, um, in refocusing the priorities of what wellness means, Right. To go beyond like self 

Speaker 2 (15:05):

Care. Yeah. The branding, the branding of yoga and wellness became really white. And if you, like, a few years ago if I said, Oh, I'm a yoga teacher, people would look at me and be like, Well really are you, You know, Um, because we usually think of like tall, skinny, white women in really fancy workout gear that are hyper mobile and you know Right. Be agile. And it's like, it gives you this idea that unless you look like that and you know, can move like that, then you can't practice yoga. But the reality is that the yoga that we all know, the yoga that we all see on Instagram and all of that is just one aspect of yoga. Yoga's eight limbs and poses. Asana is just one of them. And it's not even the first one. It's not that important, you know. So whether or not you can do a handstand doesn't really matter. 

(16:01)
And that's kind of like what I bring into my classes. It's like, I don't care if you can't do a warrior too, I'm gonna make sure you don't get injured. But how are you speaking to yourself when you're trying to get into this warrior too? Are you beating yourself up over it or are you like breathing through it and just like staying in the moment and it is what it is. And that's two very different feelings if you, we've all been there where we're like, ah, you could do better. Or like, ah, I'm here and I won't be here that long because something else is gonna happen, which is reflective of real life. 

Speaker 1 (16:32):

Yeah, definitely. Um, and it, it does seem like in many spaces where like whiteness is centered, the aspects of whiteness that come in are also things like control and, uh, competitiveness or perfectionism. Um, and it did seem like those were, became really pervasive in i, I guess hegemonic or like lots of yoga spaces. And I guess like the, I don't know when, cause I don't know the history, but like the 2000, Well, 

Speaker 2 (17:02):

No, Yeah, for sure, for sure. When I became like, I 

Speaker 1 (17:05):

Was like, 

Speaker 2 (17:05):

Yeah, anywhere that you saw yoga was like some white chick, you know, doing some really, like what they would call quote unquote advanced polls, you know, where you have to like dislocate your shoulder to like do certain things, you know, if you're in a normal body, but whatever a normal body is. But like, let's say someone who, who can't walk or someone who, um, isn't hyper mobile or someone who is getting over illness or whatever, they should still have the same, um, ability to practice, you know, whether it's Asana or any of the other eight limbs of the practice. 

Speaker 1 (17:45):

Yeah. And this is what something I've seen you posting about over the last couple of years, um, and it's been, it's been great to just kind of co kind of witness your knowledge, um, about that and how you engage with people and people's bodies and what it means to practice yoga. Um, how has, so do you feel like in recent years you, you were kind of saying this, um, so maybe it's a redundant question, but do you feel like in recent years the industry has shifted and has your experience and it shifted over the years, uh, that you've been a part of it over the last five or six years? 

Speaker 2 (18:16):

Um, I feel like there's a wave of it happening trying to happen where there's people that are out there in bigger bodies that are teaching, There are people out there that won't teach inversions. You know, anything where you're on your hands or upside down or anything like that. I'm one of those, I don't teach that. Um, there, there's definitely a shift happening and there's this, because of social media, there's this calling people out and holding people accountable, um, especially studio spaces. And these quote unquote woo rules, these teachers, these like, you know, higher ups, right? I mean, they're just humans, but whatever, um, that are being called out for their stuff. And I think that, that hopefully will have this change happen. Um, is it gonna happen overnight? No. But, you know, it'll keep showing up in doing a little Warrior twos and holding out and see what happens 

Speaker 1 (19:11):

<laugh>. Nice. Um, so I'm gonna pivot a little bit because I want people listening to this also to feel like if this is something they were interested in pursuing for themselves, um, that they could have, not a roadmap, but like a little bit, uh, a little more info, um, about how to get to that place. Um, what'd you say? 

Speaker 2 (19:31):

Little how to, 

Speaker 1 (19:32):

Little how to, Um, but first of all, I guess first of all, what does a typical day look like for you? Um, because I feel like when I see people, you know, especially social media, it's got its positives and then it's got its negatives where you just see people and you're like, Wow. Like they look like they're <laugh>, they're doing so great. Yeah. Um, it can be burning hard sometimes to figure out, well what is it really like in the same way that we were saying, Oh, you learn about these industries and you get into them and they're not what you thought they were. Right. Um, what is a day in, in your life typically look 

Speaker 2 (20:03):

Like? Um, a day in my life now because the, the world changed a year in, in the half adult. Um, it's, so all of my, all of my teaching has been at home, which is both good and bad because, you know, I can roll out of bed, brush my teeth and jump on my mat and teach and ta I'm here. But, um, I kind of like the idea of like having to get up, get dressed and go to a studio because it allowed, it allowed me to interact with people. So it has this plus and his minuses. But a typical day would be, I don't teach super early in the morning cuz I'm just not a morning person. You don't wanna take a yoga class with me at six o'clock in the morning. It's not gonna go well like that 

Speaker 1 (20:45):

<laugh>. I don't wanna take a yoga of class <laugh>. 

Speaker 2 (20:49):

Some teachers like to teach super early, it's not my thing. Uhhuh. Um, so I would get up, I would, you know, feed my cat cuz I have a little cat. Um, probably work out midday. I might have a class. So I would teach my class at home. Um, then I would maybe like have something to eat mid-afternoon. I would probably have another class and then I would teach that. And then evening I might have another class. It depends. Um, some days I would have maybe three to four classes stacked throughout the day. Some days I would have one class. So it just, it depends. Um, if I have clients it would be the same thing. So it would be like via zoom, let's do this one on one. Which also looks very different from teaching a group class. 

Speaker 1 (21:36):

Right. 

Speaker 2 (21:36):

I have to physically do as much. So it's more like I'm watching you and I'm telling you exactly what to do. Um, but a life, a day in the life is, it's very, it's like a rollercoaster. It's like, it varies day to day. Um, but especially now it's really physical. 

Speaker 1 (21:54):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, 

Speaker 2 (21:55):

Because I have to do every single class that I'm teaching. Normally if I'm teaching in a studio space, I'm not doing the class, I'm just talking you through it. 

Speaker 1 (22:03):

Right. 

Speaker 2 (22:04):

So the amount of energy that it, that goes into teaching is very different. 

Speaker 1 (22:08):

Right. Yeah. And I took, I took one of your classes virtually. Um, and you see as a student it's a little bit different as well because you're, look, I'm looking at the computer screen trying to figure out what exactly there is to do. Um, and afterwards we talked about how much more physical it can be for you as opposed to kind of having the opportunity. Maybe you show a few things in a live class here and there, but you also get to just walk among students talk, do 

Speaker 2 (22:36):

Some pointers and adjustments or whatever. But now it's kind of like, Hey, hey blue shirt, I see you from like, <laugh> my computer, I'm pretty tall, so my computer has to be far from me. I can't see the name. And it's like, hey, blue shirt, we Matt, lift your arms. Other leg, other leg. Like you. It's more like that. But um, yeah, it is what it is you gotta make do with what's happening. Right. So you just have to like roll with it. 

Speaker 1 (23:01):

What would you say is a rose and a thorn? Um, so something you love about what you do and something that you love less or dislike or can be challenging? 

Speaker 2 (23:12):

The roles is working with clients and seeing their progression, not so much physically, but like them coming to me and saying like, Yo, I'm not stressing as much. Or my anxiety is, is has been at bay lately, or like, I'm speaking to myself differently. And the way that I'm, I'm thinking about things, my perspective has changed cuz of something you said in class. Like that's always like, ah, I'm doing like I'm on the right path, You know, And then the thorn is the hustle behind it to be a yoga teacher. Like, it sounds cute and it sounds like, Oh yeah, I get to work out for a living and, you know, but the reality is that you have to hustle because 95% of the places where you work, unless you're working with private clients only, um, don't pay that well. And that's just the reality. Like, you're not making a ton of money unless you're working for one of like the chain places. Unless you, I don't wanna say names, but unless you're working for like, you know, these places that are like nationwide, then they pay a little bit better because there's so many studios. But usually the pay is not that great. You have to like really love it. 

Speaker 1 (24:24):

Yeah. Um, that's definitely a challenge. Um, and it's tough in art, the arts, creative spaces. I think in wellness we could put that in there. Um, there are industries that people often get into because they love, they love it so much, Right? Like, you, you, you love the process or you love the, the art, um, so much. And unfortunately, like we have this idea of like, Oh, if you love it enough, like you can out hustle it. Um, but I, you know, I know it's also really exhausting to kind of continue to be in that space. Yeah. Um, which actually, so we, if you'd be open to it, we could talk a little bit. I think you're considering some new creative projects. Would you wanna mention those or talk about them a little bit? Uh, 

Speaker 2 (25:13):

Yeah, sure. Um, so I mentioned before that I have a design background and recently that's kind of come back. I mean, honestly I never really stopped because even when I wasn't working in fashion of still designing like a lot of dance costumes 

Speaker 1 (25:29):

Yeah. <laugh>, 

Speaker 2 (25:31):

It was like, it never really went away. It was just a different, it looked different and the process was different. But, um, recently what's fallen on my lap is home decor. So I've been, um, I don't know how this happened, but I've been like painting murals in people's apartments, kind of like creating like unique wallpapers kind of, but they're not papers. They're just going straight onto your wall. Um, and just helping people create a space where it's reflective of their personality. So especially now that we're spending so much time at home, it's important to have a space that you like. Yes. And that, um, you wanna be in because guess what? You're gonna be in it whether you wanna be in it or not. So it's important that we have a space that reflects our personality and reflects, you know, um, all different aspects of ourselves because we're never just one thing. So our apartments should reflect that. And, um, so I've been working on that. 

Speaker 1 (26:26):

Yeah, That's a, that's amazing. And it, it does make so much sense for many of us, not everybody, um, but for a lot of people our relationship with home has shifted, um, a lot of people who were able to be in quarantined for, for some <laugh> many months at least. Yeah. Again, not everybody was able to do that, but, um, and then I think we're looking toward a future where working from home or hybrid work or in, in wellness and, and dance and other industries like that, doing online workshops is gonna continue for quite some time. So that's, um, that idea of cultivating space and making it reflect you and be comfortable for you, um, is dope. Um, going back for a minute, sorry, this is a little bit out of order, but, um, I wanted to ask if you had for, for anyone who would be interested in, um, getting into I guess the wellness industry, um, do you have any kind of general advice that you'd like to give and any particular advice for people of color or for people who have been kind of traditionally marginalized from those spaces? 

Speaker 2 (27:43):

Um, I would say, and this is gonna sound super cliche and like corny or whatever, but you have to be yourself. Like you can, you can be inspired by other people because let's be real, like nobody's reinventing the wheel. Like we are all just re um, recycling stuff that we've experienced, stuff that we like, stuff that works for us or whatever. But you have to be able to package it in a way that's authentic to you. Because if you're trying to, you know, if I go out there and I'm trying to be like, Carmella, it's, it's not gonna work for me because I'm not you, you know, like it is just, 

Speaker 1 (28:19):

It'd be 

Speaker 2 (28:20):

Me. I can't be you. You know? So it's, you have to be authentic to yourself and regardless of whether it's something that you're comfortable with or not, that's what's gonna get you to the next step. That's what's gonna get you to the next level for sure. And it's hard, It's hard <laugh>, it's not the easiest thing. Putting yourself out there is not an easy thing. 

Speaker 1 (28:42):

Yeah, no, for sure. It definitely is not. Um, and then there's also, for me, uh, and this has been kind of a theme as we've been talking, but, um, checking back in about who I am as time goes on, right. Um, because I do feel like for me, and I, I don't know if you've had this experience, but, um, there's been times where I feel like I'm, I'm attached to who I was six or seven years ago. And so I'm like holding on to her for dear life, <laugh>. And meanwhile it's like, you know, it, it becomes clear that it's time to move on or move in a different direction. 

Speaker 2 (29:16):

And that's usually like, I get it because I think we all go through that because we're ever evolving, right? We're never, we're, I'm not, we're gonna be the same jasmine again. Right? Like, I might change later, I might change tomorrow, I might change in 10 years. But, um, we're ever evolving and that part of us that we're holding so tightly to is the part of us that we need to like, let go so that we can get to the next part. And that's that. Remember I said that I move, like, I usually pivot when I'm scared, when it's like when I'm shaking in my boots. It's usually there when I'm like holding onto a version of me that's no longer there that I'm like, all right, ah, you'll always be with me, but it's time for me to see what's next. 

Speaker 1 (29:56):

Yeah. Which brings us back nicely looped around to your, your newer endeavors. Um, first of all I wanna know is like, is this something that's giving you a new type of excitement or something you're feeling, um, I guess particularly energized about? Um, and, um, I guess are you hope, do you, do you see yourself kind of leaning more fully into that design work? Um, or maybe, or, you know, creating a hybrid where you get to continue in the wellness space and and also do some of that? 

Speaker 2 (30:33):

Um, I think it'll be more of a hybrid because I love to teach, honestly, I feel like I was put on the planet to teach. I don't think that it matters teaching, whether it's teaching like dance or yoga or, you know, kids to read in dr. Like, I love teaching. It makes my soul happy. So I'll probably always teach in some aspect. Um, but I love the, the new home decor thing because it allows me to be creative in a different way, in a way that I have, I don't think I've tapped into yet. Nice. Um, I've been playing with power tools who would've thought like, here I am breaking down, you know, pieces of furniture and upcycling them and turning them into different things. Um, 

Speaker 1 (31:13):

I love that. 

Speaker 2 (31:14):

I didn't know that I could do that. And it's funny because I was having a conversation with a friend the other day and he was like, How do you know how to do that? And I was like, I don't know. I don't know how I know how to do this. I just do and I'm flowing with it. I'm not asking questions, I'm just keep playing with it. Um, but I like that I get to be creative in a different way and I get to use my brain in a different way. And it's almost like discovering a different part of myself that I hadn't met yet that's kind of familiar, but like older and more advanced than like different 

Speaker 1 (31:48):

Yeah. That nature <laugh>. Uh, so exciting. Um, I'm having like a big back to the land moment right now. Not really. Like, I haven't been near, near any land, but what I mean is like you're talking about kind of fit, doing some almost like, kinda like physical creative work. Um, and I'm definitely like feeling, feeling that energy too. Just like, okay, well how can I like physically create my space? And, um, yeah. So I wanted to ask you though, um, can we talk about age? 

Speaker 2 (32:20):

Yeah. 

Speaker 1 (32:21):

Cool. Yeah. I, I figured by my age, um, cause I wanted, Yeah. Um, I wanted to touch base. I meant to ask you earlier when we were talking about being in, uh, being a yoga instructor in the wellness industry, um, there's also the idea that as women, like as we get older, um, also 

Speaker 2 (32:40):

Like go into a cave and like stay there. 

Speaker 1 (32:43):

Just 

Speaker 2 (32:43):

Like, ooh, you're past 25, you can't be here anymore. You know? Um, but I mean, I don't, I don't care. Like I'm gonna be around, like I'm gonna still show up and do the work and I'm gonna still go out there and audition with all these young girls. I'm 39, I'll be 40 in January. But, um, you know what, It is what it is. You can't, it's something you can't avoid. We're all gonna get older at some point, you know, So 

Speaker 1 (33:11):

Yeah. And I think, but as much as it's like, okay, that's it, it is common zones, but it's something that like, I feel like it's comforting to hear and it's comforting to continue to talk about because I do feel like literally, like you said, like after 25, it's just like, don't, like don't try to do anything new. 

Speaker 2 (33:30):

Like all your things don't have any new dreams. Just like stay as you are now forever. 

Speaker 1 (33:37):

Right. And with physical things that are physical, especially with dance, uh, and, and yoga or other activities, I think that that's exacerbated cuz especially with dance, there was this idea for a long time that I think has sh is shifting now as well. Um, that you, like you, you, you couldn't do that and you couldn't be in that space past a pretty young age. Right. 

Speaker 2 (34:00):

Which is wild. Cuz I didn't take my first dance class until I was 25. Right. So I I was like ancient by the time, from, from the beginning <laugh> 

Speaker 1 (34:08):

Yeah. That and that's great. But I, and I think it's helpful for people to hear too, because you can, I mean, I'm, I moved to LA for a year at, I was 23, um, to dance and I was like, I'm too old to be here. Um, you know, I really think we get that hammered into our heads a lot. Um, and I don't think, um, you know, not that it's just about gender because I, I know, um, men go through this to a certain extent as well, but at the same time I think we see a lot more images of men in their late thirties and in their forties and even into their fifties, um, being allowed to kind of be in those spaces and, and seen as at their like physical prime. Yeah. Um, whereas women have like, kind of had traditionally kind of a short run <laugh>. 

Speaker 2 (34:52):

Yeah. Because we're supposed to expire. Right? Right. We're supposed to have like an expiration date. We're supposed to like, have kids and do all of these things. But like, what if that's not what you wanna do? You're just supposed to like sit in a gate for the rest of your life. Um, and and who's to say that you can't do both? Who's to say that you can't have children and still continue to explore yourself and discover different realms of you? You know? Um, but I think that's just an old, an old way of thinking that is slowly changing. Yeah. Especially now that we're getting more vocal about different things thanks to like social media. Like everybody's out there with the voice. It has its pros and its cons like everything else, but it's at least giving us the, uh, the window to be like, Yo, wait a minute. If Jasmine is 40 years old and she's over there doing another like, creative venture, like why can't I, you know? Right. 

Speaker 1 (35:40):

Yeah. 

Speaker 2 (35:41):

Why not? 

Speaker 1 (35:42):

And that I, Yeah, definitely. And then there's also that it goes back to the, the kind of outdated ideas about industry and about getting into certain types of work because I think that, um, the reality is that like our economic systems have changed. Um, but there was also this idea that like you can't, regardless of identity and kind of who you are, like you can't just be jumping into different things and spend, you know, five years in this industry and then shift over here. But I think that's exactly what a lot of people are doing now, but I've done, 

Speaker 2 (36:12):

Cause 

Speaker 1 (36:12):

Life is long, hopefully. Um, and there's no real reason to stay in something that's sucking, sucking that life outta you if you, if you, you know, if you can get out of it. 

Speaker 2 (36:24):

Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of us make decisions and it's fair because a lot of us make decisions based on like income and like Right. Making sure that you can pay your bills and have a roof over your head and it's fair because these are things that are necessary. Like you need these things, but how can you find a space between both? Like how can you find a space between like, this is what I wanna do, whether it's a creative realm or whatever it is that you wanna do and still make a decent living and there is a space to do that, but you have to get out there and find it. It's not gonna come and find you at your house or at your job <laugh>. You know, you have to get out there and find it. 

Speaker 1 (37:02):

Yeah, for sure. So is there anything that I didn't ask you about that you would have liked to talk about or would like to say? 

Speaker 2 (37:11):

Um, let's think, Let's think, let's think. Um, no, I think we covered everything. The many lives that I've lived, I feel like I've lived many lives and I'm still, I feel like there's many more to live. Like, I feel like I like discover and keep finding out and playing with. I mean, we should play. Like why do we stop playing? All of this is like playing to me. It's like, let me, you know, upcycle this desk because this is my playtime. You know, I'm not playing with dolls, but I'm playing with furniture now. So just play. Get out there and play whatever that means to you. 

Speaker 1 (37:44):

Yeah. Beautiful. Thank you so much for coming to touch to me. Um, we appreciate having you. Can you tell people a little bit about where they can find you if they want to connect or hire you? 

Speaker 2 (37:57):

Um, you can find me on Instagram, Jasmine tejada underscore yoga Jasmine with a z no E. Um, yeah, that's pretty much my home base. You can find me there. 

Speaker 1 (38:08):

Great. Thank you so much Ja. 

Speaker 3 (38:11):

That's it for this week's episode of the Millennial PhD. You can find more content, resources and information on Instagram at the millennial PhD and@themillennialphd.com in this collective moment of reevaluating our relationships with work and exploitation. I look forward to connecting with you and building stronger bonds of community and collaboration. I would love to hear, hear from you via email at the millennial phd@gmail.com with any feedback, comments, questions, or concerns, or if you're interested in coming on the show as a guest. That's all for now. It's been real. See you next time.