Conversations with the Inspiring Jessica Malone

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Malone.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story actually begins with another brand I created titled, Tex-Mex with Jess. In my mid-20’s, I had a quarter-life crisis. After years of working as a successful seller for a global corporation, I began to feel like something was missing. I had traveled the world with friends and family (sometimes footing the bill), bought whatever I wanted when I wanted, splurged on luxury items for my parents and I had a decent amount of money in the bank. I was doing all the things that qualify someone to say they’re living their best life and yet I was miserable. The hours I worked to afford these things left me stressed and overweight. To cope, I was often drinking, binge eating, binge-watching television, and managing mild anxiety attacks prior to work. I knew I needed to find happiness, so I created a hobby dedicated to my first love – food. Tex-Mex with Jess, which showcased Tex-Mex cuisine around the globe, allowed me to eat my way around the world to create content. Funny thing is I didn’t find contentment. After roughly a year of stuffing my face, my weight gain peaked at 35 pounds, my skin was torturing me, I was no longer looking at myself in the mirror, and if anyone asked I would tell them I didn’t love myself.

I hit what felt like rock bottom and that’s when I decided to change. Tex-Mex with Jess, much like the other activities I participated in, was just a distraction. Something to keep me from thinking about my deepest desires and current frustrations. In disbelief over who I had to become, I started searching for “the answer”. That was the beginning of Nacho Average Fro and my journey into minimalism. Initially, the goal was to blog about my quarter-life comeback in hopes of inspiring others. Now, it has grown into a resource-rich platform that helps people simplify their lives for the sake of curating their dreams. Within the Nacho Average Fro message, I focus specifically on how 9-to-5ers and side-hustlers can re-purpose their time, money, and energy into creating the life they want instead of just dreaming about it.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish that I could say it’s been smooth. The biggest struggle has been (and still is sometimes) believing in myself. Nacho Average Fro is multifaceted a company that writes a blog, hosts a conference, and provides coaching. All of these endeavors are things that I had little experience with prior to creating this brand. With that being the case, it was easy for me to feel like an imposter and lose momentum at the first sign of failure. Deep down, I haven’t always felt that I was capable of. Earlier this year I hired a business-minded life coach, Ashton Cantu of Intrinsic Motivation, who assisted with doing some soul searching thus building the confidence I need to feel up to the task.

My advice to young women is to celebrate the wins AND losses. Taking time to celebrate your wins re-enforces the importance of what you’ve accomplished and provides a reminder of your capabilities. When I say celebrate your losses, I don’t mean, even if you’re not doing well, just act as if everything is fine. To me, this is about reflection and awareness. Rather than beating yourself up about each “loss”, find the lesson and decide how you can improve moving forward. Your losses are not an indication of inability, but rather, an opportunity to continue honing your craft.

what should we know about Nacho Average Fro? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a simplicity coach, blogger, and conference creator. Everything is targeted at helping people live the life of their dreams. As a coaching client, people are guided on how to declutter their lives. That is achieved by cutting the fluff from their budget, getting rid of physical clutter in their homes, and eliminating wasted time. Each of us has the time, money, and energy to execute on our goals, but many of us are misapplying those resources. Through simplicity, we regain the power to design our lives and achieve our goals.

As a blogger, stories about the minimalism journey and how people can begin the powerful process of decluttering their own lives are shared. Additionally, I have also created a conference called Visionary which focuses on helping urban professionals and entrepreneurs create the blueprint for accomplishing their goals. We focus on health, both physical and mental, as well as financial and relationship wealth. This year’s conference will be hosted in Houston, TX from Dec. 27-29th. I can’t disclose next year’s location just yet, but we may just host it again in Texas in 2020 ☺.

I am equally proud of the coaching and the conference. Through coaching, I’ve supported 9-to-5ers as they build a budget to launch their entrepreneurial endeavors, which is extremely rewarding. I also love the conference because it forces me to grow and learn new skills. Stepping out on faith has created something tangible for our participants to utilize as they go on their individual dream-following journeys. I’m the kind of person that cries watching Shark Tank and The Voice because I’m so excited to see someone actualize their dreams. Through coaching and hosting the Visionary conference, I get to be a part of someone’s journey to greatness. That fills me up in ways that nothing else ever has.

What sets me apart in each endeavor is that I try to move past inspiration and incite action. Through minimalism, I was able to lose those 35 pounds, land my dream corporate job, start a business, and fund 98% of the debut Visionary conference. All of those changes happened in just ONE year and I love sharing that story, but this brand isn’t meant to be about me. It’s meant to show others what they can accomplish and give them the tools to have amazing results in their own lives.

For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
Absolutely! Honestly, I have a different outlook on the media coverage of today’s businesswomen. I would attribute that to minimalism which prompts me to make selective choices about what outlets I read and listen to. We should all limit or stop consuming media that doesn’t encourage or uplift us. There’s quite a bit of media coverage that discusses the successes of women and what we bring to corporate and entrepreneurial worlds. Furthermore, I believe that our feminine traits are often what set us apart and prime us to be leaders and change-makers wherever we are. As women, we are nurturers, caretakers, empaths, and storytellers. We are uniquely positioned for opportunities related to coaching, leadership, personal development as well as roles that build community. The more that we lean into our nature, become self-aware and find confidence in these traits, the more we will find success and likely inspire others along the way.

Pricing:

• Visionary Pricing Tiers – $187, $250, $312
• De-cluttering Guide & Workbook – $10
• For custom coaching packages email: jess@nachoaveragefro.com

Contact Info:

• Website: nachoaveragefro.com
• Email: jess@nachoaveragefro.com
• Instagram: @nachoaveragefro
• Facebook: facebook.com/nachoaveragefro

Image Credit:
Personal photo taken by Reese Bland

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