Hey! So nice to speak with you! Can you tell our readers a little bit more about yourself? Where are you originally from and where do you live now?

I'm Jama. Born in Austin, raised in rural south Texas where the cows outnumber the people. I moved back to Austin for college and never left. Austinites born here are called unicorns because it's that rare. Most people are transplants. I still claim that title proudly. It's on my birth certificate after all. Growing up with the best of both worlds — small town and big city — shaped me in ways I'm still discovering. I can speak both languages. I understand both sides. And I'm a Texas girl through and through.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now?

The opportunity. Austin has gotten almost too big for this born-here girl and don't even get me started on the traffic. But the opportunity that comes with a city like this? I can't argue with that. Also the bluebonnets every spring. I am obsessed with them. The New York Times interviewed me and published my bluebonnet photography and honestly that still doesn't feel real. I'm not apologizing for any of it.

Tell us a little bit more about what your company does and how it started? How does it help your customers?

I'm a portrait photographer, speaker, and podcast host operating under one roof: Jama Pantel Photography. It started because I needed to survive. I know what homeless looks like from the inside, and photography became the thing I could build from nothing. What started as hustle became a business, and what became a business eventually became a brand. Now I help people show up authentically, in photos, in business, and in life. My podcast, Jama Pantel: Unfiltered, exists for women who are done performing and ready to figure out what actually comes next.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice will help them?

Stop waiting until you feel ready. You never will. Start before you're ready, stay honest about where you are, and build something real instead of something that just looks good on the internet. The women I've watched build the most meaningful businesses didn't have perfect plans. They just kept showing up, when it's hard and even when nobody is watching.

What was one feedback from a happy customer/client that you won't forget about?

I had a woman who was so nervous about her session that she started driving to the studio, turned around, and went back home. Her son had to convince her to come back — and actually locked her outside the house so she'd just do it. She ended up loving every single image. She couldn't believe how comfortable she felt throughout the whole experience. That one makes me smile every time I think about it. That's the work. Making someone feel safe enough to show up.

Where do you see your company in the future?

Expanding into speaking. Bringing the honest conversations I have on my podcast to stages where entrepreneurs and women leaders need to hear them most. I want to grow Jama Pantel: Unfiltered into a platform that gives women permission to stop performing and start living. And I want to keep doing portrait work that makes people feel seen. The through line in everything I do is the same, show up real or don't show up at all.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

In photography: that we just push a button. A lot of people don't see the value in what we do. The camera is honestly the least important part. What makes a portrait powerful is making someone feel safe enough to be themselves in front of a lens. That's not a technical skill. That's a human one. In podcasting: that you need a big audience to matter. You need the right audience. One person pulling over their car because something you said finally put words to what they've been feeling... that's worth more than a million passive downloads.

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business and how did you deal with it?

For most of my adult life I have had to work two jobs. The biggest struggle wasn't building the business. It was building it while also just trying to survive. I dealt with it the only way I knew how: I kept going. What I know now that I didn't know then is that survival mode is not a sustainable business strategy. Learning the difference between hustling because you have to and hustling because you're afraid to stop... that's the work I'm doing now. Publicly, on my podcast.

What was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

I grew up in rural south Texas before the internet existed so my world was a little sheltered. Music wise it was George Strait and Bon Jovi, and honestly that combination tells you everything you need to know about me. As for a favorite athlete, I watched football and baseball but never had one person I idolized. I grew up wishing we had entrepreneur role models the way we had celebrity ones. Wanting that probably shaped me more than any athlete ever could have.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

To every woman who has ever kept going when keeping going felt impossible. You know who you are.

Where can our readers follow your work or learn more about your upcoming projects?

jamapantel.com and listen to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you get your podcasts.