Tell me about yourself, I can't wait for the audience to get to know you!
Hello, beauty queens. First off, I am so honored and excited about being here and thank Michelle for being such an inspiration.
My name is Jenn Davis, and I live in a beach community called Carlsbad, located about 30 miles north of San Diego. I am married to a wonderful man named Brad and have two fur babies, Bob and Sashi. Y'all I am one of those crazy cat ladies, and I'm ok with that. Out of 12,000 pictures on my phone, probably 1/2 of the pictures are of my cats. Everyone tells me I need kids, and we are working on that. Not only am I the owner and buyer of Wild at Heart Boutique, but I am also the accountant, social media marketer, ads manager, customer service rep and so on. We are a two-man show right now and we will definitely be bringing on more people in the upcoming months. It's crazy how much our boutique has grown in less than 6 months of being in business. On the side, I am in real estate and we just bought a pizza shop. We thrive off of chaos so we couldn't turn down the pizza shop opportunity plus that means free pizza for life.
What do you like to do in your free time and what is one of your hobbies?
What's this thing you call free time, just kidding. In my free time, I try and spend as much time with my family without driving each other crazy. We are extremely close and they have been my biggest supporters through this season of my life. Plus, my niece and nephew are almost to that 13 going on 21 age when they aren't going to want to hang out with their Auntie anymore so I am soaking up as much time as I can now. Oh, and I may be a little obsessed with the Hallmark Channel this time of the year so you will find me on the couch watching all the hunky guys, I mean Christmas movies.
Hobbies include reading inspirational books, crafting, and baking.
What are the three things that are most important to you?
Family
Health
Self Development
I have about 50 more but I will keep it to 3.
Do you think it's important to set goals and dream a big dream?
I think it's absolutely important to set goals because setting goals keeps me focused, accountable, and motivated to push through those tough days when I feel like I have no more to give. But here is the thing about goals, I'm not much for setting long-term goals. Such as, in 10 years I want to live in Hawaii and frolick all day with the turtles. Ok, yes that is a great goal but a lot can happen in 10 years and for me personally, setting short-term goals within a year keep me motivated and on track. For my distant future, I created a vision board to allow me to visually see what I want my life to look like in 5 years, even 10 years if I follow my heart and reach my goals. One day at a time, one step at a time.
Dreaming big is the only way to dream. Dreaming big and setting goals go hand in hand because your dreams are what's going to keep you on track to hitting your goals and keep you in the right mindset. There is a saying (don't quote me) that your thoughts are things, what you think, you become. For me personally, I don't know how successful I would have become without dreaming big. From time to time I hear people say that the boutique business is oversaturated or there's no way I can compete with the big retailers or boutiques in this industry. This is the thing, yes sometimes my critics may have a valid point and I take the criticism with grain assault because most of them care about me but no one gets to tell me that my dreams are unrealistic or unattainable. There is no one on this planet, even my husband that believes in my dream more than I do so as long as I have these big dreams and goals in my head, I know one day I will be frolicking with the turtles in Hawaii.
What is your vision for your future?
My vision for my future personally is becoming a mommy through fertility treatments, learn to live in the moment, and to be an influential person in this tough world right now.
Professionally, I would love to start designing my own clothing and home accessories line. Starting this boutique and being the buyer has truly opened my eyes to how small the market is for plus size clothing. Just because I am a size 18, doesn't mean I don't like to look fashionable and go shopping.
I'm going to admit it that I have this thing with buying pillows. As of right now, I think it would be safe to say that we have over 30+ pillows scattered throughout the house. I love interior design and being a realtor has made me realize that I want to expand our brand to incorporate home accessories.
When did you know you were called to do this?
Growing up I was constantly made fun of because of my height, I'm 5'11". I remember the constant name calling, I thought I was born Jennifer Davis, not Big Bird. I can laugh at it now but growing up this was rough and finding a date to prom was a disaster.
So, when I meet a woman that may be struggling with anxiety or depression and she finds a blouse or dress and comes out of that dressing room like Beyonce, I know that she feels good and that is what keeps me going. Even if she is smiling for 5 minutes, I know that I made a positive impact in her life for that day and you never know what someone may be going through. As someone, who deals with anxiety every single day I am driven to help women find their smile, uplift their spirit and to let them know that I care. We have a saying here and that is, 'we don't just sell clothing, we sell confidence.'
When you look good, you feel good and no one can stop you in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire when you are on fire!
What were the defining moments in your life that helped you realize you're calling? What steps did you take to make it to where you are today?
Before I opened up this boutique I was with another clothing company for 4+ years. During this time I became depressed, I completely let myself go, I was hypercritical of my body, and my marriage was failing because I was miserable. I'm not going to cherry coat this, I was miserable to be around and so negative. I knew I needed to leave and branch out on my own but I was so scared of leaving that financial stability behind and also failing. While in Utah for a branding class we took a minute to close our eyes and we started saying, 'I love my life' over and over again out loud and we were asked to think about all the people in our lives who we love. At that defining moment I felt a presence, my guardian angel, whatever it was, was letting me know that I was going to be ok and I received that "sign" I had been longing for. As soon as I got home, I messaged a few of our friends/customers and told them that I was leaving my old company. Of course, they were so excited for me but they all said that they are thankful we weren't closing down our tribe on Facebook because I have helped them feel beautiful. I have helped them get back their confidence, and they love having women to talk to on a daily basis.
Since that day, my life has completely done a 360. I went on Zoloft to get my anxiety under control and I started talking to other women about my struggles and it has given me such a piece of mind to know that I am not alone. My husband and I have never been better and we took the steps to start our family. After many months of testing, we will be starting our fertility journey at the beginning of December. We cannot wait to be parents whether we conceive or we adopt, God has a plan for us and we are ready for this ride. I finally understand that if I'm not happy, nothing else positive is going to happen in my life. Being thankful for what I have and what I don't have has also been a huge forward step in my life.
Who has influenced you the most and what is the greatest lesson you learned from them?
Without a doubt, my mom. Throughout my entire life, she has been there every step of the way, cheering me on. Whether I had made a bad decision (I made a lot, I was a terror growing up) she never judged me. Instead, she showed me that my bad decisions were just the stepping stones to something better. When I tell her my dreams and goals, she's just as ecstatic and ready to help me in any way she can to help me achieve them. My mom is also there to talk me down when I have had a rough day, and I feel like I am failing. There's something about her voice that always calms me down and brings me back to reality.
One of the greatest lessons she has taught me is to be kind. You never know what someone else may be going through so just be kind.
Ok, don't judge me, I honestly do not have a huge ego but I am going to say myself. I saw this quote and hopefully, it will help you see why I said myself.
'The most influential person in your life is you. When you start to realize that you have the most influence over everything in your life, good and bad, it's a game changer.' - Girl on Top of The World
What does being a beauty queen mean to you?
A beauty queen is someone who has a beautiful heart, kind soul, she's selfless and fearless. Being a beauty queen doesn't mean you are a size 2, it means you inspire others to be the best version of themselves and you are a bad a$$!
What inspires you to live with passion every single day?
Knowing that I have the ability each and every day to reach women and make a positive impact on their lives. It's a tough world right now and I just want to spread love and confidence to one woman, one day at a time. And of course, my family and my future family. I think about our child running around naked in the backyard and giggling, it fuels that fire to keep going and keep moving forward.
How did you use that passion to make your dreams come true?
I never gave up. When things got tough, I pushed forward and tried to find the silver lining. I have a word document with messages that our friends and customers have sent us about feeling beautiful, or just saying they can relate with my story helps me keep that passion going. I wouldn't be where I am without the love and support we receive. I am eternally grateful that they a part of my life and supporting us. They keep that passion burning inside of me.
What is a quote or saying that you live by?
"I always get to where I'm going by walking away from where I've been." Winnie-the-Pooh
Through the ups and downs of your life, what is the greatest lesson that you have learned?
That we only get this one go around at life and we have to make the best of each and every day. Be thankful for what we have and love your family and friends hard and most importantly be yourself. You will attract those people that were meant to be in your life so you do you, and don't let anyone rain on your parade.
What advice would you give the beauty queens reading this interview about following their dreams?
Girlfriend, you go for it. There is a light that shines inside of you that this world needs. You may stumble, you may cry (believe me), you might second-guess every decision you have made until now but know that your dream will come true, you just have to want it bad enough. Do not let anyone tell you that your dream is impossible, you don't need that negativity in your life. You hold the key to opening that door and you just have to believe that you were made for more. (thank you, Rachel Hollis, for that last one)
Social Media Links-
Website: www.wildatheartboutique.com
Facebook Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewildatheartboutique/
Facebook Tribe: www.wahtribe.com
