Brand Building: Living The Whole Picture with Jama Pantel
Brand Building: Living the Whole Picture is the go-to podcast for ambitious women ready to elevate their visibility, build authentic confidence, and become the face of their brand.
Hosted by luxury portrait photographer, author, educator, and former influencer Jama Pantel, this podcast delivers actionable strategies on personal branding, photography, and business growth—so you can step into the spotlight with clarity and purpose.
If you've ever felt unseen in your industry, struggled with confidence on camera, or hesitated to show up boldly, this is your roadmap to build a powerful presence that gets you noticed and respected.
Join Jama as she helps you build a brand that stands out, master your presence in photos and video, and turn your expertise into a magnetic business.
It’s time to stop playing small and start showing up like the leader you were meant to be.
Brand Building: Living The Whole Picture with Jama Pantel
The Story Behind the Hustle
What does it really take to build a life on your own terms? In this deeply personal episode of Living the Whole Picture, I’m sharing the unfiltered story of my hustle—the challenges, setbacks, and moments that defined my journey. From growing up in a small Texas town with big dreams to navigating the traumas of losing everything in college, working multiple jobs, and building my photography business, I’ll take you through the experiences that shaped my grit, determination, and perspective on life.
This episode dives into the raw realities of hustle culture, what it means to thrive despite adversity, and the power of authenticity and resilience. Whether you’re starting from nothing, chasing a dream, or looking for inspiration to keep going, this episode will remind you that your story matters and that the journey—not just the destination—is where the magic lies.
Join me for an honest conversation about the hustle, healing, and building the life you’ve always dreamed of.
Hey y'all, welcome back to Living the Whole Picture, the podcast where photography, business and inspiration collide. I'm your host, Jama Pantel, a luxury portrait photographer turned educator, author, influencer and dream chaser. Each week, we tackle topics that help you shine in front of the camera, build confidence in your brand and take bold steps towards your biggest goals. Whether you're here to refine your photography skills, grow your business or simply find inspiration to keep going, you're in the right place. They say most podcasts don't make it past seven episodes, so I challenged myself to put out seven solo episodes before sharing stories of others. So for episode seven, I wanted to share my own story. This isn't an easy story to tell, but it's one I think many of you can relate to, especially those of you that have felt like you're starting from nothing with the odds stacked against you. In this week's episode of Living the Whole Picture odds stacked against you In this week's episode of Living the Whole Picture, I'm getting personal. I'm sharing the raw, unfiltered story of my hustle From growing up in a small Texas town to losing everything in college, losing every safety net I ever thought I had and starting over Hustling to get out of credit card and college tuition debt and building a life and business on my terms. This episode is packed with the challenges tuition, debt and building a life and business on my terms. This episode is packed with the challenges, triumphs and lessons that shaped me. Whether you're chasing big dreams or just need a reminder of why your story matters, this is the episode for you. Let's dive into my story, the story behind the hustle. I can't promise that tears won't be shed Now, before we get into my story, I wanted to share a few core beliefs that have shaped me.
Jama Pantel:Some of these are values I learned growing up. Others are things I've developed through life's challenges. So my grandmother's had a way of saying things that stuck with me - In her sweet Texas Southern drawl "a proper lady should or my other grandmother all you need is God and a good pair of heels. I can still hear their voices in my head. While I don't think I'm the epitome of a proper lady, those sayings instill values that guide me to this day.
Jama Pantel:So one thing I don't believe in is the idea of manifesting without action. Goals without plans are just dreams. If someone tells you to just manifest it and it'll come, they're leaving out the most important part the work. I'm not some woo-woo girl. I believe in taking the tangible steps to make things happen even when the odds are stacked against you. I've struggled with ways to get my own voice heard, but I also know that what I say has worth. I resonate with those of you who are willing to put in the work and get to the core of the issues. Plan and put in the work to make things happen.
Jama Pantel:I've been put down by plenty of men, but the words and wounds inflicted by women sting more. Those experiences taught me to judge people by how they treat others, not by their status or achievements. Being an empath, I've always been sensitive to the emotions of those around me, which has shaped how I connect with people and run my business, and most of the time I feel like an outsider. But every now and then I meet someone who feels like my people, and those connections remind me that I'm not alone. If you take one thing away from this episode, let it be this find your people. They do exist. You're not for everyone.
Jama Pantel:So, as I mentioned, I grew up in a small Texas town, on a ranch shout out Chapman Ranch surrounded by my family. Life was simple we celebrated holidays, participated in school events and spent most of our time with family. My class from kindergarten to fifth grade only had five people in it. I really mean small - no stoplights. I think we had one stop sign. We grew up playing outside, getting dirty in the fields and that was all we knew. Wasn't much TV where I grew up, we got our knowledge from reading books, magazines and encyclopedias. Anybody remember those? Ah the good old days.
Jama Pantel:But even as a kid I was very well aware of adult struggles. My mom worked tirelessly to provide for us, juggling a full-time job and all the traditional roles expected of her as a woman. My dad was present and I knew he loved us, but he wasn't the provider. My mom carried that load and responsibility. Watching my mom juggle so much taught me the value of hard work. I started helping out early cooking, cleaning, packing lunges, laundry all the things and helping take care of my younger sisters. Growing up fast was just a part of life. I joked that I could easily take care of a full family of seven by the time I started elementary school. So when we moved to a slightly bigger town for junior high and high school shout out Rivera, texas my parents bought their first house. It was a huge milestone, but it also brought financial strain. By the time I graduated high school, things were so tight that my mom gave me an IOU for my graduation gift. That piece of paper meant the world to me because it showed me how much she cared, even when there wasn't anything tangible to give.
Jama Pantel:During high school, my dad was arrested and placed on probation, a detail I don't often share. There were plenty of ups, obviously, in high school and growing up in a small town and all the stories that I could share with all my people, and these experiences shaped a lot of how I handle challenges. I had my close group of friends, but it also taught me to keep things to myself and just push through, even when life felt overwhelming. My grandmother wrote the best letter to the judge for my dad and ultimately I think that's what kept him out of jail originally. And then my grandmother passed away and my world slowly started to change.
Jama Pantel:When I left for college, I brought a set of twin bedsheets, a few pieces of clothes and not much else, as I didn't have much else. I had no car I had. I mean, that was all I had. I remember talking to my future roommate prior to heading to college and realizing I had nothing to contribute to our dorm room. It was embarrassing, but I made do. College was my first taste of independence and I thought life was about to get much easier. Boy was I wrong. I worked multiple jobs just to survive, while surrounded by students who seemed to have it all Cars, clothes, parents paying tuition and even in the day when computers weren't really a thing, people had computers.
Jama Pantel:During college, my dad was arrested again for violating his probation. I happened to be visiting home when it happened, and seeing him handcuffed and taken to jail is a memory I'll never forget and something I don't wish on anyone. I spent a whole year in college looking for space to be left alone so I could write letters to my dad in prison, something I doubt most college kids had to deal with or can even relate to, and not something I've really shared openly ever. So shortly after my dad's arrest, my mom filed for divorce and we lost the house I had called home during junior high and high school. Now, I would never try to tell my sister's stories those are their stories to tell but I felt like my younger sisters were left to fend for themselves and I felt torn between wanting to drop everything to help them and knowing that staying in school was the only way to build a better future for all of us. I still vividly remember the phone calls of them calling me and crying, worrying about not having a home, living in a car and I'm not talking a nice car and having no money for food or gas. It was a lot, and a lot of tears were shed and to this day I will protect my sisters with my life.
Jama Pantel:But then, as if life hadn't thrown enough my way, my college apartment burned down and I lost everything, literally everything -my clothes, my belongings and even the furniture from my grandparents. For someone who already had so little, it felt like rock bottom. I thought I took it pretty well, but I remember getting the call telling me it happened. I remember sifting through all the rubble and ashes and finding the three ring binder to my picture portfolio. We had negatives back then and that's when it really hit me and I really lost it and started to cry - I had nothing. I already didn't have a car or savings, so I started to rely on credit cards just to get by.
Jama Pantel:Have you ever experienced homelessness and the hopelessness of that? It's a hard concept for so many of us to wrap our heads around. Yet here I am saying it out loud, probably for the first time in forever. But remember when I said I was from a small town, you'll never convince me that small towns don't produce the best of friends, the kind of people that will be ride or die for life. Thankfully, I had those friends. I had incredible people who picked me up when I got the call about the fire. Remember I was at work and I had no car. I walked and ran everywhere I needed to be. Running was my savior back then and it still is today. Anyway, those friends let me crash on couches gave me clothes to wear boy clothes, but still clothes. There was no such thing as GoFundMe back in my day and honestly, I was also the kind of person who probably never would have asked a stranger for help. It was hard enough for me to let my friends, the people who'd known me my whole life in, but to this day their kindness reminded me that I wasn't completely alone in the things they did for me. I won't talk about them on here, but they know who they are and they know that they have my friendship for life.
Jama Pantel:Shifting gears a bit so I can calm down a little bit. I worked with a client a few years back for her 50th birthday portrait session and she needed a headshot for a book she was writing. Needless to say, her portraits were beautiful, her album was amazing and she picked out the best picture for her book cover. She gave me a copy of that book and told me it was probably one of the best ways for her to process everything she'd gone through. And it hit me. It's actually why I started writing my own book about my life.
Jama Pantel:Who knows if it'll ever see the light of day, but that and talking about my struggles more recently has honestly been the start of a healing journey for me, something that I'd put off for a very long time. Trust me y'all, I am the queen of internalizing and just doing the hard work to move on and get by. So something I've only started digging into recently is the trauma of growing up with a parent who struggled with addiction. There's a whole wealth of knowledge out there about how addiction affects children, and it's eye-opening to realize how much it shaped who I am today. I think back to those moments of secrecy, the need to keep my dad's struggles hidden from all my friends in the outside world. But looking back, I think a few of them my ride or dies probably knew what was going on and they still had my back. That secrecy created a deep sense of shame that I carried with me for a long time. It's only now, as I begin to process those experiences, that I see how much they influenced my work ethic, my independence and my drive to never rely on anyone else financially or emotionally.
Jama Pantel:I'm a work in progress y'all. The more I learn about the ripple effects of growing up with a parent with addiction, the more I realize how much of myself has been shaped by that experience. It's something I'm still unpacking, but it's a huge factor in why I approach life the way I do, with grit, determination and a fierce sense of self-reliance. Now, just like with everything, there are two sides of this whole sharing thing story. One is the side to do the work in silence so nobody judges you, and the other is to share authentically. I'll get more into this on another podcast episode soon. See how just doing the work and this podcast thing has helped me formulate my thoughts and get them down out there in a way that feels authentic to me.
Jama Pantel:I absolutely believe that not everyone should have access to you or your journey and, fortunately for me, for now not many people listen to my podcast, so it's a safe place and no one will probably ever know. Anyway, moving on, let's get back on track, after talking a little bit about hitting rock bottom and literally having nothing or no one to fall back on but that gold credit card and sheer determination, so I want to share a little bit about the hustle culture. Until you have literally lost everything, it's hard for others to understand why we hustle. The hustle culture gets such a bad rap these days, and I'm here to tell you it's not a bad thing. For many of us, myself included, it's pure survival. Hustle isn't about overworking yourself for no reason. It's about doing what you must do to make it through when the odds are stacked against you. Just saying that out loud makes me actually think I should do a whole podcast episode on hustle culture, because there's so much nuance to it. See, the ideas just keep presenting themselves to me as I move along this journey, and this one feels especially important, so I think I'll do one on that soon.
Jama Pantel:There are far too many people who've never had to rely solely on themselves or who've had the safety net of outside help and don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing. But when you haven't experienced that kind of pressure, it's easy to dismiss the hustle as unnecessarily toxic. Many times people are so focused on their own experiences that they fail to see the perspectives of others who grew up differently or had differently than they have. As an empath, I often find myself seeing every side of an argument or situation. Even if I don't necessarily agree, I can see other people's points. That's a blessing and a curse, because it means I'm constantly weighing the nuances of life and the choices people make.
Jama Pantel:I am an observer by nature and I tend constantly weighing the nuances of life and the choices people make. I am an observer by nature and I tend to observe the room and don't say much until I really have something to say. I feel like I'm the queen of unpopular opinions sometimes and honestly I'm okay with that. I don't shy away from saying what I believe. Trust me, the people who know that know that's true, even if it goes against the grain. And at the end of the day, hustle isn't one size fits all, and neither is life. Some people hustle because they're chasing dreams, others hustle because they have no choice. Both are valid and if there's one thing I've learned, it's this Everyone's journey is different, so we just need to make space for those differences without judgment.
Jama Pantel:So, moving on to the working world and starting at the bottom up in my job, after graduating with degrees in both political science and photography, and a whole lot of debt, I landed a job at the Texas Senate. If I thought college was intimidating, this was a whole new level. Everyone seemed to have connections and I was often asked the question who do you know? How do you get this job? My answer was always the same no one, even with a degree. The pay was minimal and I was shocked by how this job you need a degree for this small amount of money, and that started making me see the world in a whole different way. A degree didn't mean much and it wasn't worth much. I worked a second job at a clothing store in the mall to afford the professional wardrobe required of me for my Senate job.
Jama Pantel:I remember marveling at how easy life seemed for my peers while I was barely scraping by. Trust me, there were plenty of bright spots along the way. I had my share of fun, but I also moved into my first apartment without a roommate and bought my first truck, had my first vehicle of my life. For the first time I had central heat and air and being able to control that thermostat for myself felt like pure luxury, a luxury I only dreamed about as a child and something that I thought if I had this one day, I knew I'd make I had made it in life. Another luxury for me not having to share a room with anyone for the first time in my life. As a 22 year old Y'all, I grew up sharing beds with my siblings growing up. As I got older, I did have my own bed, but I'd never had my own room until I was 22. Again, all of this just is condensed and definitely doesn't go deep into so much of my mindset during this time. But this isn't easy to share, so I'll keep chugging right along.
Jama Pantel:Despite working two jobs, most of my adult working career, I knew I'd never really get ahead unless I built something of my own. I knew I'd never really get ahead unless I built something of my own. Growing up, I'd promised myself I would never rely on anyone else financially and that promise fueled my decision to start my photography business. At the time, I was still working full-time, but I poured every ounce of energy I had into building my own dream. Photography wasn't just a skill for me, it was a calling. I'd fallen in love with the power of capturing moments, the way a single photo could preserve a memory, a legacy or a feeling.
Jama Pantel:When I started taking portraits, my goal was simple to help people see their beauty and worth the way I saw it through the lens of my camera. Plus, I was working a job at the time that did not respect me. I didn't get my paycheck after returning from vacation one time, even though the owner had paid himself, and he said to me don't you have a man at home who can pay your bills? Talk about eye-opening y'all. No one and I repeat, no one at work cares about you. It's just a job and you are replaceable there.
Jama Pantel:So I walked and I never looked back back and I started pouring myself and every ounce of my heart into my business. My business is where my heart will always be, not a job working to make somebody else look good, and I can't stress that enough. Your job will replace you Life and your family. Those are the people who will never replace you. So I was chugging along with this little business of mine, building that up pretty successfully by all the boxes one would hope to check off, and then, as life does, it throws you more curveballs. My curveballs, this time, came in the form of first my dad getting cancer and beating cancer, and then, five years later, my mom having the same battle. And here we are today two parents who fought like heck and are still here again, very condensed but moving right along.
Jama Pantel:Through the encouragement of a photographer friend who knew I loved a certain brand and was always running, I unexpectedly found myself as a run influencer for a billion dollar brand. This was a whole new challenge, y'all Learning to share my story authentically while navigating the pressures of being visible online. As an introvert, it wasn't easy, but it taught me the importance of finding and owning my voice. I'd always struggled to put my own business and my own name out there into the world via social media, but somehow it felt safer doing it for a well-established brand that the world already knew, liked and trusted. I was determined to learn everything I could and somehow apply it in my own way to my own business, again where my heart ultimately lies.
Jama Pantel:Being an influencer, though, also showed me the darker side of social media and people and the clickbait culture and the constant judgment and the constant pressure to show up and look perfect, but it also reinforced my belief in staying true to yourself. I've learned that authenticity resonates far more than perfection or pushing something you don't believe in ever could, and I vowed to stay true to myself and only share what felt authentic to me. Of course, I danced on camera a few times and laughed at myself a lot for it, things I swore I'd never do. Yet here I was learning to put myself out of my comfort zone, never take life or anything too seriously. It. It should always be fun or at least a learning experience. That's how I approach everything. So, looking back, every challenge I faced whether it was growing up with limited resources, working multiple jobs or navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship it shaped me into the person I am today.
Jama Pantel:I learned that success isn't about having an easy path or having certain things or crossing things off a list. It's about having the courage to keep going, no matter how hard it gets, to keep showing up and keep putting in the work. It's learning to fall in love with the journey, not the destination. The destination hardly ever changes you, but the journey along the way. That's where the magic lies and it's in that greatness that you'll be changed forever, probably for the better. But also, starting from nothing gave me the freedom to take risks because, honestly, what did I have to lose? It's hard putting yourself out there, but you know, if you've got nothing to lose, what do you do? That mindset has carried me through every step of this journey, from building my photography business to becoming an educator, author and now podcaster. What have I got to lose? So what if no one listens to this podcast? As long as I'm having fun and learning, then I'll keep at it. And y'all, this is probably the most fun I've had recording these podcast episodes, not kidding.
Jama Pantel:So the story behind the hustle isn't just about overcoming obstacles. It's about finding purpose in the process. It's about connecting with your why, staying true to your voice and believing in your ability to create something meaningful. No matter where you start and no matter how much you think the odds are stacked against you. You have to dig deep and you have to find that determination to survive.
Jama Pantel:So take a moment today to reflect on your own journey, the setbacks, the triumphs and the lessons that have shaped you. Write them down, own them, let them guide you as you chase your dreams and, for the love of everything, don't let what anyone else say throw you off track or make you second guess, following your own dreams. Their experiences aren't yours and not everyone will understand you and what you're doing and guess what. That's totally okay. You are you and no one else can replace that.
Jama Pantel:Thank you so much for tuning in today into today's episode of Living the Whole Picture. If this episode resonated with you in any way, please consider subscribing, leaving me a review or sharing it with someone who you might think might want to hear this. Those are the little things that help me reach more people who just maybe might find something of value in any of my own life experiences. You can find me online on YouTube or Instagram @jamap antel, and visit my website and subscribe there at the bottom, jamapantel. com, where you'll get more tips, resources and updates on anything that I have coming up. Until the next time, keep chasing your dreams and living the whole picture.
