We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasmin Danae. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasmin below.
Jasmin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?
I would say my hero is found in the women who have raised me. My mother, of course, raised me and I am her only child. Our relationship is close and unique. She gave me space to respectfully share my opinions growing up and never made me feel small or like what I thought didn’t matter. She spoke to me in honesty and in love. I have so many aunts who I would love to also credit as my heroes – but my mother’s older sister supported her childcare needs with me growing up. My aunt was the first person to hold me when I was born and until I was about 5 I didn’t understand that I didn’t actually have two mothers – but an aunt who loved me as deeply as she loved her own children. They have always had my back and gave me the real in life and for that I am forever grateful to them both. They both only took risks they felt would impact them – never any of us. Neither myself or my cousins were made to feel like we were disrespectful for disagreeing or for not understanding. I credit them with teaching me how to create an environment of stability and a safe place to foster love.
I have and always will consider myself grandmas girl. Both my mothers mother and my fathers mother are no longer living but I feel like I could live to be 200 years old and never forget how loved they always made me feel. They poured so much of their ancestrial knowledge onto me – sharing even the most uncomfortable parts of their lives for my benefit. They cleared paths for their legacy well before they ever knew what they were building. I am able to think highly of myself because of who they told me I was created to be even before I believed it.Mostly just by telling me that I “could” whenever I said I “couldn’t”.
I was I credit them with teaching me to care even when it it super difficult to understand why you should.
These women and many others were bred of creativity and wonder. We all experience low vibrations and stress factors, but the way they sparked and encouraged my creative thoughts has helped me on my journey more than any of them could imagine!
Jasmin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I got pregnant for the first time at 19. While trying to find support networks for young black mothers, I realized quickly that many didn’t fit my needs. I realized that as smart as I thought I was – providers and organizations did not feel the same. I needed to find something I could connect to quickly while being sick, young, and pregnant.
I spent the first 5 years parenting and volunteering in breastfeeding communities and advocating for moms. I spent the following 5 years building the foundation for my business by educating myself (I have a degree in Health and Wellness and another in Healthcare Administration – specializing in health insurance. I am a Certified Doula and I have a few other birth worker related certifications), humbling myself (I’ve continued to volunteer my time with families experiencing homelessness, incarcerated families, autism advocacy, school choice, and other family-based supports. ), and living through my own learned experiences (I now have three children of my own and many cousins, nieces and nephews who let me love on them).
The Total Mothering Chronicles LLC is a small but mighty mission to show up for women in the community. Inspired by black and brown mothers – we show up with all families in mind for support. We have been able to build and continue to build connections with those who need a shoulder to lean on. Doing community work for families, especially mothers – calls for a level of emotional intelligence and a heart for others. TTMC meets people where they are and offers support for them to be the healthiest versions of themselves.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Everything I did initially was with nothing but desire and the support of my spouse. He funded my dream and he did that by purchasing not only my doula certification but by helping to source products I could make to sell in order to get my business licensed. It was up from there. At the end of each quarter – I was able to do a little bit more until another birth worker told me about a program called South Phoenix Healthy Start. As a community doula with this program, it allows me to work with the demographic I was once a part of in a different way while also offering families who may want to work with me so many other public health services offered by the program – free of charge if they choose to participate. South Phoenix Healthy Start is – ‘a federally funded, community-based infant mortality reduction program. [their] mission is to increase the number of infants that live and remain healthy past one year of age’. I’ve met some amazing birth and community workers through this network who also just so happen to be small business owners and supporters as well.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
As a small business owner – I do manufacture my own products. My maternal grandmother was extremely talented in crafts. She was a nurse but before going into that profession she and my other ancestors were medicine women and worked with herbs and natural remedies for healing. This is the balance that my mother grew up with and how my grandmother raised us – with a respect for body and mind healing and an understanding of medical and communal interventions. One early memory I have is glass herbs lined up and watching her make things for others. Spending time with my paternal grandmother taught me a lot about caretaking and the power of lasting impact. She was the eldest daughter – so growing up during the time she did, she spent a lot of time dealing with early responsibilities and learning about herself through the care she offered others.
I have learned that just because I like making something does not make it profitable. That it needs to be credible and I can do that by studying and practicing safety measures. TTMC has its own set of clean standards for sourcing products and creating, while anyone who makes with me has food handlers training and other education that benefits consumers. Manufacturing as a small creator makes it so that research can be paired with actual results. Attention to detail is what makes or breaks formulas or packaging. The most exciting part is experimenting and creating with other like-minded artists – because that is what we are!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheTotalMotheringChronicles.com
- Instagram: @TheTotalMotheringChronicles
- Facebook: @TTMCLLC