Meet Jamie Zayac | Actress, model, entrepreneur, registered nurse

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

Hi Jamie, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk taking is everything. I would say the most successful people are the ones who take risks on themselves. And the people you surround yourself with play a huge part as well. Theres a quote that is something like “you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” If your goals are lofty enough, you’ll notice something funny about the people around you. They’ll do one of two things: either they will encourage and support you, or they will scoff at your goals, plant small seeds of doubt, or get jealous. Those are people not meant to be in your life. If you’re a risk-taker, you’re going to have to be okay with losing people, places, and things. I call myself a “calculated risk taker.” I never agree to do something blindly or without research on pros and cons, but risk-taking could be the key to your future. Or it could be the place your thoughts stay in the grey, what-if area. The choice is yours.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Acting is art. It is visual storytelling. It is creative, emotive, expressive, and raw. That is where I feel like I shine in my acting. In the raw emotions; telling a story that is gut-wrenching, and so real that the audience can cry with you. You make them feel something with your performance. It is thought-evoking. Everything besides the actual acting is the hard part. The auditions, the deadlines and administrative things, but there is no other feeling in the world than the one I get when being on set. And that is when it no longer feels like work. All the hard work comes before then. You come to set prepared and off-book and be adaptable with the director and its like a dream.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LA has the best food and there’s tons of museums to choose from. Walk down the beach in Santa Monica and visit the pier just to say you went. And obviously you have to do the Hollywood Hills hike! LA traffic is what everyone says it is, so don’t plan your itinerary to do multiple things per day. You’ll do like one, maybe two things so don’t overbook yourself. And if you’re tired of the city and the traffic on the 405, go to the Joshua Tree National Park.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shoutout to my business owner mentor, John Kepplinger. Not only is he brilliant, he cares about what he does and is so passionate about helping people. There are only a few people you will remember in your life that made a huge impact on you, and I will say his support, guidance, and knowledge will always stick with me. He’s one of those people I described earlier that you want in your corner, someone who believes in you, especially in times you feel like you can’t believe in yourself.

Instagram: @jamie.zayac

Facebook: Jamie Zayac

Image Credits
Alias Atelier
Tim Wilson