We had the good fortune of connecting with Jodie Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jodie, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

Every single magical accomplishment I have made in my life, both business and personal; has always been on the other side of taking a huge risk. At a very young age I was climbing the corporate ladder to what I believed was true success in the beauty industry and over time I realized that it wasn’t success, it was a cage. II felt trapped in a industry full of people that didn’t give a damn about me as a human, a black woman, or how I felt. I felt expendable. So one I had enough day I threw it all away, left my toxic marriage, left the world of Capitalism and became a yoga teacher. All of which has led to the magic that is my life now, Yoga entrepreneur, Herbalist, Content Creator, Fiancé & Mother. I’ve created 2 businesses in that time Magic Melanin Mama & Melanin Body Soul (Melaninbodysoul.com) and I would have never reached this ever ascending peak I call life, had I not take a leap of faith in the Universe & in myself. I believe in Divine Alignment and if there are things in your environment that do not serve you and your highest good then those things are only getting in the way of what is truly meant for you. We HAVE to take risks to make space for those things and roles in life we were truly meant to have & be. Risk is defined as “a situation involving exposure to danger’; simply because you are exposed does not mean you will be damaged.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My name is Jodie Smith and I am the Owner and Founder of both Melanin Body Soul (Melaninbodysoul.com) & Magic Melanin Mama! Melanin Body Soul is Wellness for the Culture, a safe space for people of color to gather practice yoga all while exploring their own souls a bit deeper, all classes are based to high vibrational Neo-Soul Music including (Sade, Erykah Badu, D’angelo & more! It was created for and by people of color as our trauma is typically the least addressed, understood & empathized with, especially within the caucasian spiritual community. Melanin Body Soul is here to make space for those of us who haven’t been heard. We bring together Melanin, The Body & The Soul. Magic Melanin Mama is an Urban Apothecary based in the traditions of our ancestors, bringing natural healing herbs, teas, skin & hair oils, soaks, lotions & potions to replace the chemical laced so-called “natural” products advertised for our people by companies with Eurocentric beauty standards and agendas. We cater to all but with special focus on People and Mamas of Color.

I believe these companies are changing the way our people, meaning black people; see the way we get to show up in the world. Unapologetic, Healthy, Wealthy, and in Alignment with self. Much of our generational trauma holds us back from showing up as our 100% authentic selves because we are too busy worrying about the daily stresses of being Black. Taking the time to do yoga, nourish our bodies and care for ourselves wholly unlocks magic within us that is unstoppable. I was able to step into both of these businesses organically, each stemming from my own experience as a black woman in the world that just needed a bit of selfcare to unlock my true potential. They were an automatic response to what I felt was lacking not only within my community but the world, was it easy? Definitely not but only because I lacked the confidence of knowing that no matter what I was doing good and that was enough. Now that I’m a mom and have so many other things on top of the businesses I’ve realized that I truly to practice what I preach and in that authenticity I Will Not fail.

Comparison is the thief of Joy, my biggest lesson in all of this is to not be envious of someone else’s magic if you haven’t even bothered to start creating your own. The more time you spend worrying about how everyone else business compares to yours the less time you have to perfect your own. Period. It’s literally that simple.

I want and need the world to know that my story was a long road, full of mental health challenges, generational & childhood trauma, self sabotage, rock bottoms & procrastination but after taking care of myself it allowed me to see what other things I needed to take care of without a debilitating fear of the “What If’, it allowed me to stop feeling like the victim of my own life and start co collaborating with the universe. Point being we all start somewhere and my rock bottom looks different from yours but rock bottoms hold the best lessons. When you start again you take those lessons with you and this time you know how the game works. USE YOUR VOICE, TELL YOUR STORY, MAKE YOUR OWN MAGIC. Someone, somewhere needs to hear it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being a Black, Los Angeles born and raised Yoga teacher the first stop would definitely have to be Lemeirt Park Village which is a dope gathering and marketplace showcasing & celebrating black owned businesses, pop-ups, food etc. Next I’d have to stop at Alaiyo Waistbeads owned by Jasai Madden who makes insanely beautiful waistband strands that have adorned both Beyonce (as worn in her IVY PARK 2020 Collection) and myself as a spiritual practice. She is reminding women they can be confident especially after giving life, that we are beautiful, naturally. Her Waistbeads are a co-creation with spirit. Next to be honest I would take one of two of my favorite trails in the Valley which are the Fern Dell in Griffith Park and the Rainforest trail located by Willacre Park/Fryman Canyon, they aren’t extremely long not a very long trails but its definitely not an influencer trap like Runyon Canyon so if your looking to ACTUALLY get a good hike these are the ones! Lastly I would throw my friend in the car and drive up HWY 395 to take them to 3 of my favorite natural Hot Springs I would give out the info but I’d love to also protect and preserve native land from culture vultures haha. I am planning a camping retreat soon featuring these hot springs so head to my website for more info! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this shout out to my Fiance Travon White, someone who is too humble to ever brag on himself and his accomplishments. He is a dedicated Basketball Coach, Mentor and Trainer that has served the community specifically inspiring young men & boys of all ages to be great and see more in themselves & their potential futures. He was the assistant Coach at Roybal High School and responsible for taking them to the Championship 19-0 while our Beloved Coach Danny O Fallon battled stage 4 Colon Cancer, Trey looked up to Coach O Fallon as his father before him had worked with O’Fallon in his early career. Unfortunately Coach O’Fallon lost his battle to cancer January 9 2020 which hit everyone including Trey very hard. He has continued to uplift coach and mentor and recently acquired his postition at Village Christian Private School as the Head JV Coach. As I’ve said Trey is a very humble person and tried to make sure the focus was never on him through all of this and he definitely deserves a bit of recognition!

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2020-01-09/la-sp-danny-ofallon-death

Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Website: Melaninbodysoul.com

Instagram: Main @magicmelaninmama Business @Melaninbodysoul

Facebook: Melaninbodysoul

Yelp: Melanin Body Soul

Youtube: Magic Melanin Mama

Image Credits
Jasai Madden Jodie Smith

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.