Conversations with Jess Mok

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess Mok.

Hi Jess, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I actually think it all started at a very young age because I have always loved the idea of being in the spotlight and center stage. Growing up watching TV shows and movies on Disney Channel like Hannah Montana, Camp Rock, and High School Musical really inspired me. I love the idea of being famous and wanting to be on stage. I did do a lot of my singing and dancing in my living room even though I was never the best singer or dancer.

When plays or musicals would come up, I never wanted to be the main character. When I was in 6th grade, I remember my mom bought me a camera, I did little videos with my best friend but I never uploaded them anywhere because I hated how I sounded and I didn’t know how to upload them or even where to start. My dad would always say how scary social media can be, but I still used it anyway only adding my friends.

I just never really posted anything. When I was going to school, I was always the shy one and I never really liked to talk. High school really changed my life, I started dating a guy and I was still super shy and I got pregnant at 15. Being a teen mom was difficult, but I am grateful for our family stepping up to help us. I tried to avoid anyone and everyone who would try to talk to me or even asks me about my baby at the time, I was even voted “the quietest” my senior year in high school.

After graduating high school, it was a scary change for me I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and what career path I wanted to choose. I wanted to major in something in the performing arts because I was always involved with performing arts, but my dad always told me that it will never get me anywhere so I didn’t pick a major until my second year of college.

My mom lost her battle with breast cancer that summer before my second year of college, and I just felt numb going through the motions of trying to make my family proud. A year and a half later, my best friend introduced me to YouTube, I knew a little bit about YouTube but my dad would always tell me not to go on because of the data plan we had. After filming one video, it felt awkward but at the same time, it was something different that made me feel a certain way.

It felt like I was able to have a voice and find myself, it made me feel like I was the star of the show, which I’ve always dreamt of but remembered this is reality. Since starting my YouTube channel, it was something I have always loved doing, I wanted to keep filming all the time because I felt so proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and it kept my mind busy. I was focusing on filming and editing for YouTube and being a full-time student.

After graduating from Arizona State, I got my first part-time job, where I met my mindset coach. I didn’t know much about him but I knew that he was a cool guy and I wanted to get to know him because I looked forward to his positive energy every time, I dreaded going to work because I had to start at 4 am meaning I had to wake up at 3:30 am. We were talking and I told him about my YouTube channel and that was the day he told me to follow him on Instagram and that’s where everything started to change.

He became my mindset coach. I was always the person to worry about what people would think or say about me which made me feel really insecure and scared of how I presented myself on social media. Then the pandemic happened and I was let go from my job. I started taking my Instagram a little more seriously, but I still felt a little insecure about posing in public over time. Luckily, my mindset coach helped me overcome those fears and I was able to grow my Instagram account.

Then I found out that a new platform, Tiktok, was blowing up small creators so I told myself I had to teach myself how to dance. After a while, I wasn’t really happy because it wasn’t really me, but I am proud and grateful that it taught me how to dance. Since it wasn’t something I loved nor was passionate about I stopped and focused on YouTube and building my Instagram.

Towards the end of 2021 into the beginning of 2022, I wanted to get back into TikTok again. Now I am using TikTok and Instagram Reels for self-love. I am hoping to motivate more people to keep doing what they love and encourage others not to let other people’s opinions control them from pursuing their dreams.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This journey has not always been the easiest as I said before. It has taken me about 4 years to get to where I am now, and I still have so much to learn. I would always let other people’s negative opinions get the best of me. I used to be very timid, especially around my family (sometimes I still am so I just don’t talk).

I never wanted to tell my family anything because I would be afraid of how they would view me. They’ve always believed in the typical “social standards” like going to school, going to college, getting a good job, getting married, and then having kids. This obviously did not apply to me since I had a baby when I was 16. I think this is what made me start hating the idea of “social standards.”

I always thought about how I hated seeing my parents at work all the time that’s when I knew there would be something more in life. I would just have to figure it out. Growing up, I was always insecure because I didn’t want to hear any negative comments. A lot of these changes have a lot to do with my boyfriend’s personality, he is always the outgoing/extroverted one.

Which has helped me a little with my confidence, but I always thought people would make fun of me for posting. After I lost my mom back in 2016, I was not motivated to do anything which was another obstacle I had to overcome. It took a few years to gain my confidence to where I am now.

I feel like I still have a lot to learn in my journey and this is only the beginning.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a micro-influencer based here in Scottsdale, Arizona. I say “micro” because I don’t have millions of followers or subscribers. Being an influencer means I am on social media all the time. I guess you can say I am a social media specialist.

I am using my platforms (TikTok and Instagram Reels) to encourage people to do what they love and motivate them to believe in themselves no matter what obstacles get in the way, and I am trying to inspire more women to uplift each other. I feel like a lot of girls have hatred or jealousy toward one another and we shouldn’t be bringing each other down.

Instead, we should be building each other up. On top of that, I am also a lifestyle blogger. This is self-explanatory, I post about my life and style on my YouTube channel. I am the proudest of how my social media platforms growing each and every single day. Also, how they are connecting me to other girls out there who are also wanting to achieve the same goals.

What sets me apart from others is that I am very approachable, and when someone asks for advice I will answer as soon as possible. I am very transparent with my audience to show them that we all go through struggles in life. This is to show that no one is ever alone.

What do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy is creating content that is relatable to everyone.

I want to show people that we are all human and everything you see online, is not always perfect. No one in this world is perfect. Even though you make mistakes, you will learn and grow from them. It is all a part of life. I have seen a lot of people want to give up on their dreams because they are either seeing no progress or very little progress.

I have noticed throughout my own journey that even if I don’t see any growth, I should keep going. That’s all a part of life. When you think things are going downhill, you can’t just give up because it’s hard. You have to get back on your feet and keep pushing forward. At the end of the day, it’s really up to you whether or not you want to make your dreams a reality.

These are what make me happy. Just being able to create content that is not only relatable, but so many people out there can come to a realization that they are not alone. There are others who are bigger “social media influencers” also going through the same experiences. Most of the time, big social media influencers don’t talk about or even mention the struggles of having these setbacks through their story. Not talking about these conflicts, gives the audience the impression of how life is “perfect”.

We should be able to normalize that even well-known influencers, go through so much behind closed doors. I want to be able to spread awareness and show what we experience behind the scenes. That we all have to face these problems at some point in our lifetime. I like to be the kind of person who can help encourage each other, boost each other’s confidence, and make this platform feel like a safe space to be themselves.

Contact Info:

• Email: jessmok.business@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess.mokk
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/_jessmok
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jessmok
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@_jessmok

Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/_kevinwier