Episode 89: Visiting with Jackie “JP” Phillips of St. Clair County, Illinois and her story, “Still Swagged Out”

                                    SSPP ep. 89 JACKIE “JP” PHILLIPS

Jackie "JP" Phillips appeared in the inaugural production of "That's What She Said" in St. Clair County in October, 2023. In this first ever take over collaboration between The She Said Project Podcast and Podcast PUSH, JP discusses the vulnerability and empowerment experienced by sharing elements of her personal life on stage for the first time. 

ANNOUNCER  00:00  Raising women's voices one story at a time. Welcome to The She Said Project Podcast.
 [Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]

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JENETTE JURCZYK  00:26  This is the most exciting episode of The She Said Project Podcast. I am Jenette Jurczyk, your host, National Director of That's What She Said, The She Said Project. In the studio with me...
 
KERRY ROSSOW  00:38  Kerry Rossow, I feel like we're just like saying the intro so fast, because we’re so excited.
 
JENETTE  00:38  I know, I just want people to know – this is us. 

KERRY   Yep yep. Here we are. Takeover. Takeover. Sorry.

JENETTE   But also… also on the line is an incredible entrepreneur, business woman, and She Said speaker sister 

KERRY   and snazzy dresser. 

JENETTE   I mean, she is all swagged out. Please join us in welcoming JP Phillips. JP, we are all here. What's up?
 
JP PHILLIPS  01:01  Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I'm ecstatic. I love this. I had a great experience. I'm smiling, big smile right now, because That's What She Said is, it's the bomb, man. If you aren't familiar, get familiar. 

JENETTE   Ooh, and like that. 

JP PHILLIPS  If you are familiar, stay familiar. Get more people familiar. Bring a friend and to everything. Get involved. Get involved.
 
JENETTE  01:26  Yeah, show up. Spread the word about That's what she said, a platform for empowering women to share personal stories and really, really connect. But today is a special episode, because JP is a speaker from a That's What She Said show that took place in St Clair County, Illinois, but she is also a producer, a podcast producer and a podcast host. And today's episode is kind of a crossover takeover. We're going to take over her podcast and she's going to show up on ours. So this is a blend of The She Said Project Podcast and the Podcast PUSH. So hello and welcome to our Podcast PUSH listeners! 

JP  02:05  Yes, yes, yes. I love it.
 
JENETTE  02:06  So what would you normally talk about on an episode of The Podcast PUSH? Get us up to speed.
 
JP  02:10  Okay, so on The Podcast PUSH we talk about all things podcasting. So a lot of the times it is feedback that I've gotten from social or emails, questions, concerns that people have, you know, sometimes it's, you know, I started my podcast, I got overwhelmed and I stopped. What are your top 10 tips to get back going? Sometimes it's things like that. Sometimes I have people take over, like what we're doing, and share their experiences. Some of them have podcasts. Some of them are starting up podcast. I've even had some folks on that teach people how to launch podcasts. So often podcasts, but most of the time it's educating. You know, sharing. There are so many new podcasts you always have to share what you're listening to. It's really about educating, enlightening people, and also kind of just cross promotions, because a lot of people outside of podcasting have other things going on, so highlighting businesses and the community and organizations. So it's a good jambalaya of info and feel good stuff.
 
KERRY  02:11  I can't believe those words came out of your mouth because as you were talking, it made me think of the phrase that we repeat all the time: the rising tide lifts all boats. And it would be easy. You are such a character and such an easy person to listen to and be inspired by, and it would be understandable for you to just sort of bask in the glow of your awesomeness, but there you are sharing and building other people up and giving feedback and being self reflective. I love that about you. Have you always been that person?
 
JP  03:49  Oh, yeah! You know what? I make it a point to be the person that I needed, right? So I've been an entrepreneur. It'll be 19 years in a few months, and back then, there weren't as many people willing to help and mentorships and programs, and you know just how you can pretty much learn anything you want to learn with a little grit, and Google a little grit and Google, you could go a long way. I had fantastic mentors when I first started out, but everyone wasn't at Bliss. So my goal is to be what I needed, and that's my goal across the board, that's my goal in business, that is my goal in partnership, that is my goal with my family, is to be what I need, and then everybody becomes a sponge, right? Because, with some exceptions, most of the time, people give you back exactly what you need. So that's my goal.
 
KERRY  04:48  Okay, so I feel like the She Said bible sort of of matches all the things that you're saying. How did you get connected? Who looped you in? Was Jenette the person?How did this all come to be?
 
JP  04:59  So I have a unique story about even how I got hooked up with Jenette. Tammy Bush Hamilton is the producer for The She Said Project and, you know, I got selected. We're doing rehearsals. And we were doing all things St Clair, and then maybe into maybe the third rehearsal tango. So there's an opportunity for you to go and speak at this conference, which was the week before the St Clair show. And I think he would do great. I think he should go. And, you know, I'm going to connect you to Jenette and that. And I said, Yes, I was nervous as heck, because as a leader, I was always used to teaching something right about podcasting, government contracts, things like that, but I had never shared my story. It was a blessing to be able to honor my parents, tell my story, and at the same time honor some of the things that I've been able to accomplish. It was a really cool experience. And then me being looped into the conference, first, I got to connect with all of these amazing women who I met with the day before the performance. And so just within that small amount of time, people still keep in touch. They're sharing your stuff on social media. They're just checking in and saying, Hey, how you doing? How's The Chief? (I call my dad The ch, you know. How's The Chief? How's everything going? It's like an instant sisterhood, no competition, work, hyping each other up, high fiving, doing a robot backstage, doing whatever. You know, get the nerves together, because again, for me, that was the first time I had revealed quite a few things, even in that the seven minute span, it was good stuff.
 
JENETTE  06:53  Oh my goodness, I love so much of what you just shared. I kind of want to unpack it all, but I think it would be helpful if we played the performance of your story for our audience, like JP said she had a unique opportunity. A week before her show in St Clair County, Illinois, we held our very first Power of Storytelling Women's Conference to celebrate our 10 year anniversary of The She Said Project and JP was one of eight women who came from the eight different cities that hosted That's What She Said shows in 2023. I love what you said. Even with the short 48 hours of knowing each other, there was still a connection, and that speaks so highly to the power of our stories. You all said yes to this vulnerable experience, and even though you didn't go through the months of rehearsals together, you found a connection through your story. And so we're going to share JP story right now with our podcast listeners and our friends at the Podcast PUSH, because it's important for you guys to hear some of JP's beginnings and where she owes her gratitude to then we're going to come back and learn some more, because she is one incredible human. so enjoy the story from JP's performance on stage at That's What She Said St Clair County, "Still Swagged Out." Here we go. 

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JP PHILLIPS  08:16  My name is Jackie Phillips, but I'm affectionately known as JP. This evening, I'm going to share how being my authentic self shaped my life. So welcome to Still Swagged Out.
 
08:31  I'll start with my family. I have 10 siblings. Y'all heard that right: 10 siblings. I've lost four of them, and both of my parents, well, they grew up on plantations. My father, The Chief, in 1930 and my mother, The Queen, in 1936. We lost the queen in 2016 but we are more than blessed to still have The Chief with us. He's 93 with dementia.
 
09:00  Yes, I miss my siblings and the Queen, and I hope I make them proud. With very little education between them, my parents made sure that the lessons of love, faith, family and being yourself danced around our home often. They did the very best that they could, and I believe that with my whole heart.
 
09:24  I spent a great deal of my childhood in a place called the Cochrane Gardens. It was built in 1953 and demolished in 2006. the Cochrane wasn't seen as an ideal place for a family, but the Cochrane is what I call a junkyard jewel. See, it's a little rough around the edges, not much to look at at first, but once you start to dig in, you start to see the beauty in value in the Cochrane. You had every personality imaginable. So it would be easy to get lost. Lost. This was in the 80s. So y'all know that there was plenty of other madness to go along with that jambalaya of personalities. However, I got the privilege of a village that poured into me, both men and women of all ages.
 
10:15  I heard how smart, talented and unique I was at an early age, this would impact how I viewed myself and how I responded to how the world viewed me. If someone had an issue with me, playing the drums, playing basketball or wearing what felt good to me, that was their problem, not mine, with my praying parents, protected siblings and the Cochrane they let me know that being me was not only okay, it was what they expected of me.
 
10:47  So fast forward with me to 2005 when I got the God nudge to become an entrepreneur. I know madness, right? Shout out to my original mentors, Rick and Steve. I miss you both, but I carried the message you both gave to me lead with God's love and be you. That's your most valuable asset.
 
11:09  When I started consulting, we would bid on contracts in person, so the competitive energy was high. I didn't realize at the time that me showing up with my locks, my tinted glasses, and, by the way, this isn't to look cool, I need these joints to see! And clean, I might add, I show up sharp. I would upset folks. Plus, I'll be honest, I know my shit, and so when I would walk in full of confidence, I would offend you.
 
11:39  See, being a black woman and a lesbian made people make me a target, even without knowing my skill set, I dealt with the comments, the crazy looks and even physical threats. I had one guy throw a chair at me, a whole grown man threw a chair at me because I won a contract over him, but that never caused me to waver from showing up as JP, even when I was scared, frustrated, unsure and alone, they still got JP, the swagged out geek.
 
12:11  Now, don't get me wrong, there are still times, and there were times where there were plenty of tears yelling, punch in the air. And y'all, I love God, but I cuss a little bit, but I just kept showing up as JP, and that authenticity won.
 
12:31  So fast forward to the present, and showing up as JP has taken my brand and businesses to heights only God saw for me, this swag dive geek has served in the US Army with sickle cell. Volunteered over 500 hours coaching the youth on entrepreneurship and leadership. I built a recruiting firm from a $1,500 investment and sold it for over $3 million I became the director of Team operations for the men's semi pro basketball team. They've been champions five of the last eight years. I launched a television network with a small team. We have over 3 million views and counting. And those shows are also podcasts with over 300,000 listeners. I serve 2000 meals weekly with some of my business partners. We've done that for the last three years, I've coached several small businesses to win government contracts totaling over $16 million and counting 2023. Isn't done yet. I've coached over 200 people to launch their podcast globally. I've collaborated with Roku, Microsoft, Lenovo, Spotify, VH one, ABC 30, Amazon Fire and more. Thank you. Thank you so much. And and I built the client portfolio that touches all seven continents.
 
13:58  I'm grateful to God, my family, my lady and my team, without them, I'd be walking around lost, but still swagged out, though.
 
14:00  As I prepare to close out, I want to share how I center myself and pull the strength to always be authentic. JP, and I pray it resonates with you. So I close my eyes, and I take a deep breath, and I do a quick scan from head to toe, or should I say, from silver to toe, and I thank God for every inch of me. And then I say this affirmation today. I decide and declare to be me, full of enthusiasm and full of faith, I am an unstoppable conqueror, protected by God. More of you, Father, less of me. Thank you all. With my whole heart for listening. Enjoy the rest of the evening. Many blessings. 

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JENETTE  14:55  Every time you say still swagged out, I just chuckle. It's so good.
 
KERRY  15:00  Okay, so I'm now getting on the bandwagon of people who choose two word statements or one word for your year, but 'authenticity,' right? That's what I love about each of the casts. Everyone is so unique and honors that in each other and celebrates that in each other. And so I think, you know, I could say that word about all of our speakers, but you kind of took it to the next level.
 
JENETTE  15:21  You made it kind of your theme. When you choose to be your authentic self, incredible things can happen. And then you got to show us what that looks like. And honor, you know, The Chief and The Queen. How's it feel, listening and reflecting back on that night on stage?
 
JP  15:39  It feels excellent. It feels good for a few reasons. The St. Clair County show was special because everything was new to everyone, from the producer to the director to every single speaker, the videographer. Everyone was new to the experience. So it was special because we all got to experience it, but then we spent a lot of time sharing how we saw it from our view, right? Because we're all so different, we saw different things.
 
JP  16:10  Oh, yeah and behind the scenes, I think most of the women were, you know, needing something in some way, as you all know, as women, we shy away from shining a light on ourselves because we don't want to be seen as arrogant or extra, or, you know, cockpit, or any of those things. And we don't always take that spotlight and say, You know what? I did that. And I think through telling our stories and rehearsing, we would hold one another's hands and say, Hey, let me help you hold your light until you can hold it yourself. And by the time we walked out on that stage, everyone was holding their own light.
 
KERRY  16:10  That's one of the things I love about just the way this show is visually. Because I feel like even though each person gets up and braves the microphone by themselves, it really was a journey with all of those women that are sitting behind you. And I always just love that visual of there's one person telling their story, but there's this sea of sisters behind them, supporting them and your cast. It seemed to be just a beautiful chemistry between you all.
 
JENETTE  17:16  Ooh, I like it, and I'm gonna use it because I mean, that really expresses it. The process is a bunch of amazing, incredible women uncomfortable talking about how amazing and incredible they are, until they come into a safe space and everyone else is reflecting back to them that we love your story and we want your story and we need your story. And then you make it okay for them to share their story. And you went through the same process, like you said, you had never revealed some of your early beginnings, you know, to your clients, to your fans, you have built a following, and right, you have to put on some sort of presentation of you know who you are, to be a leader, but we don't always get opportunities to be vulnerable. But I love what you said, by the end, we're off holding and shining our own lights, because that is the end result of giving ourselves permission to be seen and to be heard. Now my question for you is, you produce television and podcast and social media, but this was a live performance was being live on stage in front of a live audience, different for you.
 
JP  18:24  Oh yeah, yeah, you get to see the body language, the smiles, the laugh, then, you know, clutching their pearls.
 
KERRY  18:34  And I don't know why, Jenette just looked at me when you said that. I did not clutch!
 
JP  18:40  Yeah, you get to see that live. The other beautiful thing, and I don't know if Jenette realizes she did this by design, but by you, having all of your co stars on the stage and the audience in front of you, you're literally surrounded by love and appreciation the entire time.
 
JENETTE  18:59  And you know who we're going to give all that credit to, Kerry and Jill and Casey, who were the original creators of That's What She Said. The stage has been set like that from the beginning. That was always the environment they wanted to create, and we've certainly kept that going forward, because it is part of what makes That's What She Said so unique and also so magical.
 
JP  19:20  Yes, you get done, and you say, here, thank you, right? And so the audience is cheering you on and all of that. And then you turn around, and here are your sisters, all the extra high fives and the super tight looks. So you really are surrounded by love and encouragement in that moment. And so even for somebody like me who had never done that before, it was just like I could do this. This is awesome. You're literally surrounded by love no matter which way you look. It's amazing.
 
JENETTE  19:50  And that is very different than the world of podcasting or any type of production, because right, we're here in a studio. We cannot see the people who are going to listen to this episode, but we are bringing our best, creating conversation, bringing our thoughts and our gifts to the studio, and then there's going to be editing and post production, and then it's going to get released. And it's a very different process than than live performance, live theater, but for all your friends in the podcast, especially like there's so much opportunity in podcasting right now that if you have something to say, maybe not everybody has a live show where they've been asked to share a story yet.
 
KERRY  20:26  Yes, call me
 
JENETTE  20:27  because we're coming for you. I think there's a reason podcasting has really taken off because it is so accessible and easy for everyone to create and man, oh man, people have stuff to say. People have stories people want to share. It's part of our human nature, and podcasting has created space for more and more people to do that. And so just following up on the rising tide lifts all boats. Friends who are listening, if you're thinking about starting a podcast, do it. Do it. Raise your voice. Raise the voices of others who you admire and respect, and let's make the world a better place. I love that that's perfect. There was a time not that long ago where Kerry and I had never, had never produced an episode of a podcast. It starts with an idea, and then we built some really amazing support here in our community of Champaign Urbana, we built a partnership with Illinois public media, which is an NPR affiliate. So now we get to say that we are supported by npr.org There are ways to build partnerships. JP, you are the master. You just don't stop. You knock on doors, you build relationships, you build partnerships, and you make magic happen. Because what people don't know is that there are radio stations, websites, production companies and networks that need content. Dun, dun, dun. They need content. And if you are a content creator, you can find a beautiful opportunity there.
 
JP  21:53  That is correct. I call them purpose partnerships. I need you. You need me. We're solving problems for one another, we are creating opportunities together for other people that you have to get out there, you have to get out there, and you have to network, and you have to talk, and you can't be afraid tell your story
 
KERRY  22:12  Or you're afraid and you do it anyway. It all comes down to connection, and whatever that is, and all of these things are the common thread, a podcast, a show, building other people up, teaching people how to podcast, telling people seek out radio stations. All of it comes down to the one simple thing of we're all looking for connection. We all need it. Yep, and you're over there, choreographing it and connecting so many different people. Thank you so much for sharing your big bright light with us.
 
JP  22:40  Oh it's my absolute pleasure.
 
JENETTE  22:42  I do hope we get to see you again in person very, very soon. Your lessons, they stick with us, and I know they got to stick with the women who were in the audience that night of your show and at our conference, and who can watch our performances on YouTube, and now who can listen to us here on the podcast. But if there was one takeaway from JP Phillips for me, it's 'Be your authentic self,' because that is enough to create amazing things, and nobody else can do it. Nobody else can be authentically you. JP, you have shine your light so bright that we are just basking in the glow and being inspired.
 
JP  23:15  I appreciate that. That is amazing. You guys are great. The platform is, I'm almost lost for words.
 
JENETTE  23:21  You lost the words. What?
 
JP  23:24  Yeah, even if you aren't a speaker, my goal is to announce it in the audience of some shows, to get the other side, because the process and all the work that goes into it, I admire, because it is not easy and it is not a fly by night deal. It is months and months and months of preparation, coordination, prayer, frustration and all the things in between, because to put on a production like that, you're dealing with not only different schedules, different backgrounds, different personalities, different learning styles. And so I applaud any and everyone who is willing to take their talents onto other people and to produce something great here.
 
JENETTE  24:13  Here you said it, and I do highly recommend that everyone listening should sit in an audience of a That What She Said show in the very near future. And JP, you're not wrong. Sitting in the audience is just as amazing and electric as being on the stage. We get incredible feedback from women in our community and every community that we're in, just by creating space and listening to stories, listening to other women bear their hearts and souls, whether it's on a podcast, whether it's on a stage. The She Said Project is dedicated to creating safe space for women's stories to be heard. Like Kerry said, we're just running around, sticking a microphone in front of some really incredible women and empowering them to say what they have to say. The She Said Project is growing, and the podcast is just one piece of it. So we're just grateful that our friends said yes to showing up every single time. And our partners in crime over here at Illinois Public Media and now at The Podcast PUSH, we're so grateful, and all of you at Unheard TV and Unheard Media somewhere, yeah. JP, what you have built is pretty darn extraordinary, and we are grateful to to now be, you know, adjacent to all the things,
 
JP  24:15  I appreciate that and we are looking forward to doing more excellent never know what the future holds.
 
JENETTE  25:27  All right, so where can our listeners learn more about your podcast and your programs?
 
JP  25:35  Just log on to unheardtv.com you'll learn about the shows, about events we have coming up. We host the monthly gift back in the community. We do all kinds of stuff, and we are always looking to collaborate. So unheardtv.com -- connect with us. There's a way to connect with us. If you have a idea, question, comment, shoot it. Shoot it to me, and typically, I'm the person who will actually answer. So I love to be involved. I love to make sure people know that we're grateful for the connection one way or the other. We don't care if it's just an email to say we want you to change a hair color. We're grateful for it.
 
JENETTE  26:19  So we're so grateful for this special episode because it is a takeover of The Podcast PUSH and a crossover with us here at The She Said Project Podcast, so we're going to share JP's story loud and proud. You can learn more at shesaidproject.com if you want to learn more about our live shows and what cities we're coming to next, our podcast, our teen program, our book and all things She Said. So friends, thanks for joining us. This was an exceptional opportunity for us to connect with JP and for me to see Kerry Rossow live in the studio. Always makes me happy.
 
KERRY  26:53  It's so good to see you. I would listen to you read the phone book.
 
JENETTE  26:57  Be careful what you wish for. I'm going to show up on your doorstep with a very big book. All right, friends. I mean, we could not do this without you guys and all your love and support. Just keep it going. Share your stories and uplift women. That's what we're here for at The She Said Project Podcast.
 
KERRY  27:14  Over and out.
 
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[Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]
ANNOUNCER  27:18  Thank you for listening to The She Said Project Podcast in partnership with Illinois Public Media. All materials contained in the podcast for the exclusive property of The She Said Project and That’s What She Said, LLC. For more information on our live shows go to [url=https://shesaidproject.com]https://shesaidproject.com[/url]
 
This podcast was made possible with support from Carle and Health Alliance and presented by Sterling Wealth Management, empowering women to live their best lives.




NICOLE  37:16  That was fun!