Meet Jocelynn Only | Actress, Model, Certified Personal Trainer and So Much More

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

Hi Jocelynn, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
Keep going despite rejection and it’s okay to focus on more than one goal at a time; find ways to feel a sense of progress everyday.

Many times rejection comes in the form of never hearing back from the opportunity that you applied for/submitted to so staying busy with other goals keeps me from dwelling on waiting/hoping for a response. To be focused on one goal might cause you to feel like you are not making any progress when things slow down for you (i.e. a period of time when less opportunities (or none at all) come your way). My daily routine involves striving towards a couple of different goals, so I constantly feel a sense of progress even when one aspect of my professional life slows down or seemingly comes to a halt. To some, this might come across as being all over the place but for me, pursuing different goals adds variety to my life and keeps me ready for the unexpected while also having fun at the same time.

Among other goals, I have goals with foreign languages and physical fitness that keep me busy in between projects. I never know what type of acting or modeling projects will come my way so I stay ready by focusing on foreign languages and physical fitness on a daily basis. With both foreign languages and physical exercise, if you don’t keep up with it on a regular basis, it will be harder for you to apply those skills at a moment’s notice. For example, a couple of years ago, I did a trail running commercial that involved multiple takes of running uphill and on uneven terrain while making it look effortless. Prior to that shoot, I was very active with running so I didn’t have concerns about being out of shape and needing to train; I was ready. The same goes for foreign languages, I’ve had projects with lines or improvised lines in another language. Since I kept up with studying and using them on a daily basis, I didn’t have concerns about feeling rusty; I was ready.

Despite my busy schedule, I use my downtime wisely so I can keep up with my goals on a daily basis. For example, when driving to and from work, I listen to podcasts or music in my target languages to practice listening; being stuck in heavy traffic turns into extra time to practice listening. To put a positive spin on long commutes and/or heavy traffic, I call it my “me time”. If you pass by me on the freeway while stuck in traffic, you might even see me practicing different signs in American Sign Language; I do my best to make traffic enjoyably productive. Another example of me using downtime wisely is during the extended wait times for an appointment (doctor’s office, car servicing, etc.). I use that time to review vocabulary, read books/articles in my target languages or watch a foreign series on my phone to pass the time. Furthermore, when I have breaks from work, I take walks and listen to foreign podcasts or documentaries so I am getting mental and physical exercise throughout the day in addition to the time I put in before and after work. I’m honestly never bored or feel that sense of not making progress because I use downtime to my advantage. I feel like I honed in on this skill during the 2020 lockdown. That extended career downtime became the perfect time for me to work on improving my foreign language skills on a daily basis. When things opened back up, my new normal daily routine involved language studies that still continues to this day.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
With acting or modeling, I can’t think of something that specifically sets me apart from others but I am most proud of the education that I have received outside of acting and modeling that has broadened my cultural awareness (i.e. my MBA in International Business Administration) and increased the skills that I can incorporate into my performances (my foreign language degrees/studies, my personal trainer training, etc.). It helps me to feel more well-rounded. During my adolescent years, it was always inspiring for me to read about performing artists that had degrees in subjects outside of the arts, so I knew early on that I wanted to do that as well.

It definitely wasn’t easy to get where I am today professionally and it’s honestly a never-ending effort to find ways to grow/improve. To overcome challenges such as facing rejection (which is common in both acting and modeling), I focused on factors that I could control such as continuing my education and finding new was to incorporate leisure into my life. When I was in college, I took acting classes in addition to courses for my non-theatrical majors. After college, while developing myself professionally in other areas, I continued to take acting classes here and there to keep those skills from getting rusty.

There are times when I face setbacks with improving my foreign language skills but I overcome that by, again, focusing on what is within my control. Friends to speak with may come and go but I always continue to pursue my target language goals by reading, writing, watching shows/movies, listening to podcasts, attending cultural events, working with tutors, etc. I’m driven by a lifelong language learner mentality and the desire to continue to educate myself about cultures outside of my own.

I know I touched on this in the prior section but now that I think about it, overcoming challenges and lessons learned seem to overlap. The biggest lesson that I learned along the way is to focus on what you have control over. I think this is something that I have always been aware of but it’s easier said than done so learning to embrace that mindset was the biggest challenge. Luckily I have always been self-sufficient and self-motivated so the desire to keep going towards my goals never faded despite not getting selected for opportunities or people coming and going in my life.

In regards to what I want the world to know about me, that’s a tough question. I think the best way to put it is that I enjoy working on a variety of acting and modeling projects so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or my agent for inquiries. Or if you need a personal trainer, please contact me for that as well. I enjoy exercising and living a healthy lifestyle so I enjoy helping others with that too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The best piece of advice if you come to visit me is to pack a pair of comfortable shoes and clothes you feel comfortable moving around in. I enjoy being active outdoors so the itinerary would be to first get breakfast or brunch, head to a coastal trail and then grab dinner afterwards. I would also find areas to walk around in other towns, not necessarily coastal trails; I think each day or almost each day would involve some amount of walking or jogging. It would also be fun to spend a day at the beach and then spend another day at an aquarium.

I am vegetarian yet I would come up with ideas for restaurants with menus that satisfy herbivores’ and omnivores’ taste buds alike. I don’t drink alcohol so I couldn’t recommend a winery or a brewery; I wouldn’t be very fun in that area.

If they came during the wintertime, I would want to take them up north to enjoy the snow and then also to different cities to see the holiday decorations.

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?
The group of people that I want to give a shoutout to would be my parents, sister, brother-in-law (whom I simply refer to as my brother) and my niblings. They have been consistently supportive and encouraging over the years through the ups and downs. I am also grateful for the support from my extended family and friends on social media who like and/or comment on my posts; it really means a lot!

I also want to send a big thank you to my agent, Tabitha Kit of KIT International Talent. She has helped me to grow my acting and modeling career in ways that I never thought would happen; I feel very fortunate to have someone like her on my team.

Lastly, I want to thank my team of foreign language tutors/teachers for their patience and continuous support as I continue to improve my skills with them; I like to joke around and say that they give me a break from speaking English.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ojocelynn/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jocelynn.only?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Other: Agency representation: Kit International Talent https://www.kitinternationaltalent.com/

Image Credits
Amy Wenzel Photography and Mollee Montano Photography