Meet Jasmin Pettaway

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmin Pettaway.

Hi Jasmin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I always knew I was going to be in media. When I was younger I thought I would mainly stay within the broadcasting arena and wanted to be an Entertainment Correspondent. Somehow I was blessed and favored enough to actually embark on that path. In college, I had an internship at a smaller entertainment website called Uinterview, and later an internship at E! News.

From there I’d move over to Good Morning America for my first real job, where I started as a Booker. While at GMA I was lucky enough to find a mentor who helped me begin to hone my talents on-air and he helped me out together a reel. I was solely interested in being on-air at that point, but for whatever reasons things just never seemed to come together, and the opportunity to be on-air never truly presented itself.

Due to a mix of insecurity, loneliness, and some naïveté I moved back to hometown of Cleveland where I got a job at the local ABC affiliate and felt convinced that I could finally get on-air and begin that chapter of my career. Sadly, that didn’t happen. In fact, it was the darkest period of my life thus far. The toxic work environment really damaged my self-esteem and caused me to think that this industry wasn’t for me after all.

The anxiety and trauma made me leave that job, and it was in doing so that I became inspired to create Lemon-Love. A digital lifestyle brand for women anchored by our website where we delve into vulnerable, thought provoking conversations, have interviews with inspiring women, and embark on the journey of being authentic and inspired women.

Alright, 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?
Not. At. All. I don’t think pursuing your passions is ever easy. Especially if you’re branching out on your own, or building something new. I know now though that the biggest obstacle I’ve faced is my own self doubt and insecurities. Once I left my producing job at the local ABC affiliate, I realized how much I tied my identity to my job. Once I quit, I totally hit rock bottom and had to train myself to understand that I’m not what I do.

I never imagined being a founder or creating my own media brand, and though I’m a skilled and award-winning journalist, I just couldn’t see beyond my perceived failures. I still struggle with that, but I trust that this is what I’m meant to do. Every place I’ve worked, everything I’ve learned, has all led up to this.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an Emmy Award-Winning Journalist and I’ve worked both in local and network news. I’ve covered everything from National breaking news, entertainment stories, red carpet events, and New York Fashion Week.

I’m now the founder of Lemon-Love, which is a digital women’s lifestyle brand focused on vulnerable and purposeful content, inspired interviews, and thoughtful products.

I created Lemon-Love to be an inclusive place for women to consume purposeful media. It’s a place where you can explore, question, and learn free of judgment and harmful influence.

I’m proud of my brand overall, and the slow but steady growth it’s had. But I think I’m most proud, or at least consistently excited about our book club. We read books exclusively by female authors, and we’ve explored so many genres and have had such amazing conversations.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Because we’re a digital brand I would say that being based in Cleveland hasn’t been a huge aspect of the brand. The things I write or talk about aren’t location focused, but I will say that Cleveland has a lot of inspiring female talent, businesswomen and leaders, and it’s been great to meet them and learn more about their stories.

Contact Info:

• Email: Hello@lemon-love.com
• Website: Lemon-love.com
• Instagram: @lemonlovelifestyle
• Facebook: Lemon-love