We were lucky to catch up with Jersey Doll recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jersey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

There are three things that come to mind right away. First, I have to say that my work ethic came from my parents. My father worked hard to provide for our family and while also going to school, earning several degrees. Over the years, there were times he worked multiple jobs and made smart money decisions and investments to create opportunities for our family. My mother had retired early from working to stay at home and care for me after sustaining a work related injury. This didn’t slow her down, as she always remained active with home projects, crafting, cooking for our family and others, helping at my school and our church. I began working in the family business when I was seven years old, answering the phone and setting appointments and learned at a very early age, how to behave professionally and work with the public. Working hard also taught me how good it feels to do a job well done, and to see a task through to completion. It is easy to give up when faced with opposition and walk away from something that may not come easy, but it is far more rewarding to stick it out and fight to the end, looking back on tasks and goals you were able to accomplish. Never give up and never surrender!

Secondly, learning and education was very important in our household. Growing up in the era before the Internet was even an option, information had to be sought after and researched in books or verbally from teachers and professors. I was also home-schooled between fifth grade through my senior year in high school, and being an independent learner became second nature. Whenever I asked about anything, my parents would direct me to “go look it up in the dictionary”. Reading became my friend at a very early age and fueled my hunger for knowledge and natural born curiosity. As a teenager, I volunteered at the local library and started to become familiar with certain authors and many topics, often coming home with an armful of books, each week. To this day, I can always be found with one to several books on my bedside table. Reading also inspired my love of writing, which would later become the essence of living out my life’s dreams and purpose.

Third, my parents taught and demonstrated compassion for others, my mother especially. Whether it was a stray animal or stray person needing food, shelter, clothing or assistance, I learned to pay attention to the signs that aren’t always obvious when someone is in need. Simply put, if you have extra and can offer help to someone, do it. Showing compassion also has driven my work as an activist for both human and animal rights. Being a voice and supporter for positive change has led me to meeting some amazing people and opened the door to even more amazing opportunities, spending a majority of my career actively engaged with non-profit organizations in different capacities, from volunteering to administration. It is our responsibility to take care of our home planet and all the living things within it. Compassion is the key element.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Every story has a beginning and mine begins in New Jersey, where I was born. My journey with music and entertainment started when I was kicked out of dance class. Since I was a child, I have always been very independent, self reliant and had the ability to focus on what I wanted. I was about four years old when my parents had the grand idea to put me into tap and ballet classes, like so many other little girls my age. I had other ideas and decided that I should teach the class, believing that my dances were better than my teacher’s. While my fellow classmates danced in line, tapping and twirling carefully practiced steps, I was the one placed on the end, where I was content to dance to my own set of moves! My teacher told my parents that I would not conform and that she couldn’t work with me, so I was out, which didn’t really phase me much. That Christmas, I received a toy baby grand piano from “Toys ‘R Us”, complete with a Geoffrey the Giraffe decal and plastic wood grain. I felt like Schroeder from Peanuts and it was my favorite thing in the world. My mother, who was a concert classical pianist, would place my toy piano in front of the TV, so I could watch performers like Liberace, Victor Borge and Roger Williams whenever they came on. I would emulate them and pick out my favorite songs. Of course, listening to my mother play was my biggest inspiration for loving the piano. Some of my earliest memories in life, are lying awake in bed, listening to my mother play her piano in the middle of the night, memorizing every part of her repertoire in my head. It was memories like these, that solidified my love for music and became the driving force behind what I would pursue for the rest of my life.

When I was six years old, my parents picked up and moved to sunny Southern California for the sunshine, the beach and opportunities! I had formal piano lessons for about two years, before my teacher became ill and had to move away. I will take the time to thank her now. Mrs. Phyllis Gober, albeit my only private teacher, was the most influential one who taught me the most valuable tools that would prepare me for a career in music. She taught me how to sing and play at the same time, to be able to talk while playing my instrument, to memorize, to improvise and how to write. Looking back, I am so very grateful, because I began performing at an early age and with little inhibition. When you do something you love, it isn’t scary. I learned that the jitters that seemed like stage fright, were simply excitement and energy that were released through this wonderful way of expressing myself. Let me say also, that mastery of an instrument comes only with time and dedication to practice and learning. Decades later, I am still learning to master my instrument and have had the joy of learning other instruments, such as the accordion, ukulele, trumpet, and zither. My music career started by playing in church when I was seven years old and then I began playing shows in nursing homes and private parties as a teen. Writing and performing have been my mainstay, and in the midst of that I discovered the joy of teaching others. I have taught for the better part of twenty five years, and it has been a pure joy to share the gift of music with students of all ages. This all prepared me for what would come next.

I mentioned that my mother was a concert classical pianist. Well, her father, my PopPop, was a drummer and I grew up listening to some of the best music ever written and performed by the best entertainers of our time. Fast forward some ten years, I moved to Las Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the world with dreams like any other performer to be able to work at my craft at a higher professional level. And boy, did I ever. I am so very grateful for the many wonderful opportunities that the music scene in Las Vegas has presented and it helped shape me into the performer that I am today. I had the joy of working at the Liberace Museum & Foundation for the Performing Arts, performed weekly in restaurants, piano bars, off-Broadway productions, tribute shows, studio work and so much more, all the while teaching to also supplement the music. And yes, I had a day job too! Most performers do and I spent close to thirty years in business management until the moment I was ready to jump into what I loved to do, full time, with both feet. It came after years of working hard, and building someone else’s dream, but I knew that there was more in store and I wanted more. After all, I knew that I was born to create music. Now, through all of my work in the corporate world, I not only gained valuable experience, I also always worked helping people in some kind of way. It was the joy of this that steered me towards what I am doing now, but first I met my business partner who I would embark on this journey with into uncharted territory.

Seven years ago, I met Slykat, an amazing, aspiring hip hop artist, who had a rich legacy already in Las Vegas, performing and hosting parties in various venues, and was the first independent hip hop artist to host a weekly showcase for artists in a major casino. This was big for the genre, and when I met him, we first collaborated on a show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, called “Funktabulous”, merging Classic Rock, Funk, Blues and Hip Hop with an amazing lineup of local Las Vegas artists. We started writing and working on a project together and shared mutual inspiration for helping artists and telling our truths through our music. During the pandemic, Slykat was working on a new album called, “Champagne It Iz” and completed a collaboration with Liz Lamere, artist and widow of famed punk rock icon, Alan Vega. I began writing my new album called, “Dirty Doll Leg”. The project is a truth telling collection of challenges and bits of my life expressed through music, with a celebration of my own transformation as a woman, emerging from adversity, hardship and trauma, while offering hope and healing through honest lyrics. While completing our projects, we wanted to take our music and art to the next level, and to help fellow artists and entrepreneurs and so the “Mental Margarita Show” was born.

In 2022, the “Mental Margarita Show” began airing on the CW Network Las Vegas. This idea was born out of necessity to create a platform where artists and entrepreneurs could promote their art and brand. It is difficult for an emerging artist or new business to be seen and heard when they are starting out. It’s easy to get lost on the Internet and among the thousands who are competing for an audience. When Slykat and I were inspired to begin producing the show, we had no idea the powerful impact it would have upon our own community of Las Vegas, the United States and ultimately, the world. The TV show, which airs weekly, features different guests each week and tells their stories, their journey and introduces the audience to new music, educates on various topics that experts on the show speak on and we have also been blessed to have celebrities join us to share their journey and experiences as well! We have seen guests from dozens of states in the U.S., various countries around the World and nearly every industry has been presented on the show. This platform has given so many the opportunity to appear on public television and offer inspiration and hope to those who may have given up. The mission of the “Mental Margarita Show” is to stop gun violence, to promote peace and positivity by showing our youth a better way of life. To date, after recently celebrating our two year anniversary, we have placed over two hundred artists and entrepreneurs on the show. We are proud that each guest receives a visual business card and video snapshot of their business and vision, after sharing it on television. Many wonderful and beautiful connections have been made as a result of this show and we look forward to our continued growth and evolution into future projects and productions. This television show has also resulted in the creation of a local concert series which began in 2023, a travel series which begins airing in 2025 and more on the way.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

It matters what people think of you.

Nope.

It matters what YOU think of you and doing what’s best for YOU, your happiness and after all, it’s your life. For some years, I struggled with self confidence and self esteem, always seeking validation and approval from others. What happened as a result of this false belief? I ended up denying myself the right to completely follow my dreams and be who I was born to be. I tried to conform to what others suggested, but it did not lead to happiness or contentment. Only following my heart and passion for my life’s purpose brings peace and happiness. When we truly allow ourselves to be who we are, we are free and only then we can evolve to our higher selves and discover the real person inside. Since I learned and allowed myself to be, I have become more empowered, more confident and so much more comfortable with who I am as a person and as a businesswoman. Just be yourself, and it’s okay if you’re not quite sure who that is, at the moment. Life is a learning process and all part of our growth as human beings. Go easy on yourself. You’ll get there.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Since a very early age, I have loved to read and have also had a hunger for knowledge and learning. There are three books which I have read over the years that have had a positive and profound impact upon both my personal and business life. The first one that has been a great reference book is “How To Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. This book is a helpful reminder to us of the small things which make big differences when working with people. We all, at some point, have to interact with others and we wish to have positive experiences. This book was quite practical and easy to apply in everyday life. I recommend it for anyone, especially those working in service or sales positions.

The second book which offers a simple way to live happily and maintain good relationships with people was “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. Worth keeping on your shelf for reference! The book is an exploration of very simple Mayan wisdom which shows the way to personal freedom by practicing four things when in any situation. If you keep and follow these four agreements with yourself, then you can be sure to have a more favorable outcome in most any situation. Believe me, I’ve seen it firsthand and here they are, plain and simple, and my brief paraphrase. One-Be Impeccable With Your Word (say what you mean and mean what you say), Two-Don’t Take Anything Personally, Three-Don’t Make Assumptions and Four-Always Do Your Best. When you live by these four rules, things just go better. Take my word for it!

The third book and the most fascinating is “The Power Of The Subconscious Mind” by Dr. Joseph Murphy. When you’ve heard about the power of positive thinking, it is your very own power inside of you, and you can access it at any time. This book helped me understand how to tap into the subconscious and how to dispel some false beliefs that we sometimes get hung up on, imposed on us by others. This is a great read and I have read it several times, especially the sections where Dr. Murphy goes into depth about health and financial prosperity. There is something for everyone in this book.

All three of these texts contain wisdom that I employ on a daily basis and all have some valuable concepts to be explored.

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