We recently connected with Jatayvia Whitaker and have shared our conversation below.
Jatayvia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear a story from back when you were an intern or apprentice. What’s a memorable story you can share with us?
In November, I came across the opportunity to become an intern through my college at a non-profit I thought very highly of. I have been following them for quite some time now and when I saw the post that they were partnering with UNT Dallas to provide paid internships, I jumped at the opportunity. After applying and doing a zoom interview I was selected as one of there interns. I started In February as an Operations Intern and is currently still on as an intern to this day. I have learned a lot at my time at For Oak Cliff. I am from Oak Cliff, so to see the work being done in the place I grew up in is inspiring. Also, I am surrounding around people that look like me. I have always had dreams of starting my own non-profit. I also am in school to become an operations manager, with one year left with my bachelors in business. For Oak Cliff’s motto is to liberate Oak Cliff from systemic oppression, and I find that encouraging as so many of Oak Cliff’s people are held to a lower standard than the rest of Dallas. All the staff there have encouraged me to be my true self and pursue all of my dreams. They are the reason I decided to go ahead and start my own podcast and clothing line. Limits only exists in my mind.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I have multiple brands under my name. My model, dancer and choreographer brand is “Jay The Diamond.” This is the core to all my other brands. My motto is “Diamonds are made when pressure is applied..” My motto is meant to encourage and let people know no matter the circumstance you can come up on top. Although this brand has come with a lot of challenges, It has also, made me a stronger and more optimistic person. I have had the honor to work with a lot of great people as my brand focuses a lot of music videos. I have worked with greats like Ludacris, BeatKing and Tye Harris. Under the “Jay The Diamond” umbrella, there is “No Pressure”. No Pressure TV is a podcast aiming to tackle tough topics in today’s society from depression, sneaky links, double standards, suicide amongst the black community and heartbreak.
Another brand I have is my clothing line, “No Pressure Clothing”. My motto for both is .. where we may bend, but we never break.” It’s still the same motto like Jay The Diamond focuses on getting through tough times. I created this brand because I often feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, and to overcome it I had to shine bright like a Diamond. I just want to help others and let them know it will be okay even if it seems like the end is near.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I learned the hard way was that not everyone will support you. Strangers or associates will support you more than close friends and family. That was a hard pill to swallow, being that I am a big supporter of everything people do. I had to unlearn that people will reciprocate energy. I couldn’t let that discourage me because their are people out there that will support just because of who you are and what you stand for. As, a teen I was on a dance team, which I worked two jobs and paid for myself. at 17. I had not one family member show up to any of my competitions. To this day, I haven’t had one family member support a gig, dance competition, fundraiser or show i’ve had. I had to realize to not rely on blood for support. As i’ve gotten older, i’ve worked very hard working 3-5 jobs at once to pursue my dreams. I have gained lots of supporters along the way and i’m content with the clientele i have now.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I was 17, 19, 21 and 22, I attempted suicide. Also, near my birthday or my mom’s death date, who passed away on April 27, 2018 when I was pregnant with my daughter at 19. I have battled with suicidal thoughts and self harm since I was about 11 years old. As I got older, and learned to hide it better, it’s gotten worse. I used the saying “I’ve learned if I insists that everything is alright. they’ll mind their own business and I can hide in plain sight.” That saying had me smiling in people’s faces and dying on the inside. Recently in 2021, I attempted suicide by taking a lot of my depression and anxiety medication. This landed me in the mental hospital right before by 23rd birthday. It was well needed because I wouldn’t have stopped until I succeeded. I bounced back and had a great 23rd birthday, Also, In November I suffered a great loss that nobody knows about. I suffered a miscarriage alone. I told nobody about it. I cried a lone in the car after the doctor’s explained to me what happened. I was rejected by the father of the kid shortly after and spiraled out of control once again, leading to another suicide attempt. After that, I thought I was pretty much hopeless. I relapsed and starting self harming again, and that was it… or so I thought. I went to a Podcast class and rediscovered my purpose. I started my clothing brand and the first drops are out now available for pre-order. I prevailed when it seemed like everybody was against. I felt lost mentally, physically and emotionally. I couldn’t win in my love life, in my school life or in my work life. That has changed and I am moving on for the better.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @jay_thediamondd
- Twitter: @jay_thediamondd
- Youtube: No Pressure Tv
Image Credits
@eyecatchingphotography_ @elijahxikstudios