Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jamie Lee Zeno. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jamie Lee , appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I always knew that I was meant to bring about change to people in some way or form. Helping others was something I knew I wanted to take part in but I never really knew how. I went through the jobs that I was able to help others but it didn’t spark the light in me. Until the pandemic came about. It was the downtime the entire world had and during this time we all took the time to get to know ourselves more and to also communicate with others (friends, family, and loved ones), since we were forced to be indoors. During this time, I spent more time trying to find what I was passionate about and so I spent a lot of time online and on social media. I started to take notice of what people were posting and what their message was in their content. I realized that a lot of people were losing hope and were losing confidence. Their mental health was going through something it hadn’t gone through before and they were finding it hard to cope with it. I started to think what makes people feel better about themselves and for me, I know that when I look good, I feel good. I started to dive into the beauty realm and “Beauty With Jaylee” was born. Beauty With Jaylee is my cosmetic and skincare line that I created to help those that wanted and needed the boost to look good and feel good. I created a YouTube channel to help those who struggled with beauty and skincare as a guide for them. It went hand in hand with the products I made accessible to them. But of course I knew it didn’t end there…. Beauty is not just a physical thing, Beauty is a mental, emotional, and physical state of being. This was when I knew what I wanted to do was help others achieve their greater selves. This was when I knew what my passion was and is. I knew that I wanted to create the outlet that people needed so I decided to dive into body contouring. I’m a strong believer that you have to be happy with yourself. You can’t worry about what others think and say, that’s irrelevant. Look in the mirror and ask yourself are you happy with what you see looking back at you? If not, what are you going to do about it? Body contouring now had me meeting a new clientele and I was able to dig deeper with them. These are clients that trust me and bare it all to me. They strip themselves mentally and emotionally in front of me and share their flaws with me, so how was it that I was going to help them see what I saw in them? This is when “Pathways To Beauty” was born…. My friend and now business partner, Rachel reached out to me because she had seen what I was doing with the beauty businesses and said she wanted to pitch an idea to me. We met and she wanted to merge our businesses and create something that no one has yet to create. Rachel owns several successful mental health therapy practices and so she wanted us to open a wellness med spa where we offered everything! Literally, EVERYTHING to people. Something that’s going to help them shed their old selves and emerge as new individuals drenched in self love. Pathways To Beauty covers the spiritual, emotional, and physical wellness of ourselves. We do reiki, IET (integrated energy therapy), vitamin IV’s, body contouring, facials, meditation, and so much more to bring about a good balance from within. Beauty means having a beautiful mind, a beautiful spirit, a beautiful soul, and a beautiful shell to house it all! So for me, that defining moment that lit the fire in me for what I do now, was covid.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m a licensed esthetician and owner of two businesses, Beauty With Jaylee and Pathways To Beauty. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY by my parents and loving grandparents who instilled hard work and hustle in me from a very early age. Their teachings paid off and because of them, I am able to build a brand that I am passionate about. I was taught discipline from young by my strict mama (she didn’t play) and by my dad who served in the U.S. Marines. That discipline is something I have been grateful for because it molded me into the headstrong woman I am today which makes for great business! I always had a passion for beauty and so I decided to share it with the world. My businesses were created during the pandemic to help those who were depressed and lacked confidence and self-love. Through these businesses, I am able to shed my light and help them achieve their goals. Beauty With Jaylee covers the skin and cosmetics, while Pathways To Beauty covers the mind, body, and spirit. I’ve had clients with severe acne who I was able to provide natural skincare products for and saw the smile on their faces when they made the investment in themselves to allow me to help them on their journey. I have helped those with hyperpigmentation via laser treatments and skincare products. I had clients come and tell me, “thank you for making me love myself when I look in the mirror now!”. Words can’t express the feeling those things give me. The satisfaction I gain from helping my clients is surreal. When a client shares with me that their husband is now taking notice of them and I see how elated my client is because of it, my heart is happy! I know what I’ve created is for the greater good and with every 5 star review, every “thank you”, every “you’re a miracle worker”, that I receive from them makes me realize that this is where I’m supposed to be. I’m doing what I love, helping others, and they’re trusting me in their journeys. I believe what sets us apart from the rest is that we have built a brand and wellness med spa that incorporates the mental state, the emotional state, the spiritual state, and the physical. NO ONE is doing that or has done that. People think “beauty” is only the physical aspect of things. Have you ever met someone with a beautiful mind? Beautiful soul? Beautiful spirit?? These things ARE beautiful and sometimes we lose that, so my job is to bring it back to people and help them heal and shed their old skin so they can blossom and bloom like the beautiful souls we are. I am proud at how dedicated I have been to my clients during some of their most trying times. I am proud of the relationships and trust we have built with one another. We become family and I love it. Again, they’re trusting me with everything and it’s my job to make sure I deliver. I just want people to know that this brand was built with LOVE…. What we do is for YOU! You don’t ever have to question our sincerity because we are straightforward with our clients. We tell you what works and wouldn’t work but we are here every step of the way making sure you guys are happy through it all.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Rachel and I met one another during the time we both worked at a mental health clinic in Far Rockaway, Queens. I was the receptionist at the time and she was a licensed social worker. I was not a happy person most of the times and she was going through her personal trials and tribulations. We both became cool and we would have lunch together at times. I ended up promoting to another clinic and she left the agency overall. We remained in contact with one another via social media and yearssssssss later, here we are. Building the foundation of an empire together.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A pivotal moment for me was during the pandemic. Starting my businesses because I love to help others and wanted to make a change was one reason I started them. The other reason was because it was a moment of clarity for me. It made me realize what I want out of life. It made me become one with what my purpose actually is. I realized that I don’t want to work for someone else for the rest of my life. I want to work for myself and do what I love so that it doesn’t feel like work. I want to be able to live life on my own terms and have no regrets. All of this came to light during the pandemic and so I would say that was a pivotal moment for me. I was getting to know me again and I was able to realize my passion and purpose. All this time I believed my passion and love was in law enforcement and a reality check hit me and brought to light, what truly is. I’m grateful for that moment because now I can put my heart and soul into my purpose, while changing lives. It’s an amazing feeling.

Contact Info:

• Website: Beautywithjaylee.com and pathwaystobeauty.com
• Instagram: Beauty_with_jaylee and pathways_to_beauty
• Facebook: Beauty With Jaylee & Pathways To Beauty
• Twitter: Jaylee_Zee
• Youtube: Beauty with Jaylee
• Yelp: Pathways To Beauty

Image Credits
Vagaro