BrighterDaze with Sara
BrighterDaze is a space where we get lost in gratitude instead of drowning in despair. We talk to real people. We celebrate victories. We have honest conversations about gratitude, resilience, and the motivation it takes to keep showing up every day.
BrighterDaze with Sara
Ep. 6: Elom “The Peaceful Believer” Jackie | Faith, Peace & Trusting God Through Every Season
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Content Note: This episode includes a brief mention of losing a parent at a young age.
This week on BrighterDaze with Sara, I sit down with Elom “The Peaceful Believer” Jackie, owner of Elom African Braids, for a peaceful and faith filled conversation about growth, gratitude, balance, and becoming.
Elom shares how her faith was strengthened through early loss, life challenges, and learning that God is her foundation through every season. We talk about what it means to protect your peace, release the pressure to have everything figured out, and stay grounded when life feels heavy.
In this episode, Elom opens up about practicing gratitude, giving herself grace, accepting people as they are, and finding joy in the small moments, quiet mornings, family, health, meaningful conversations, and the gift of simply being alive.
Her message is simple but powerful: never give up on yourself, trust God through every season, and remember that your brighter day is still coming
Elom African Braiding: 3607 E Hillsborough Ave, Tampa, FL 33610
https://elomafricainbraids.com/
Email: Ask4BrighterDaze@gmail.com
IG: @brighterdazepodcast
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Welcome to BrighterDaze with Sara. This is a space where we get lost in gratitude instead of drowning in despair. I'm your host, Sara Dorris, and here we talk to people. We celebrate their victories, and we talk about resilience, gratitude, and daily life motivators. And today I am, as usual, very excited because we have a wonderful guest. This individual is the most joyous hair braider I've ever met. Every time I go into the salon, it's a peaceful, it's a peaceful spirit in there. Every time I talk to her, it's always about something uplifting, never any mess. It's just a wonderful experience. So when I was thinking about who I wanted to talk to this week, I, of course, thought of her because I wanted to get her perspective on life and how things go. So This week's guest is Elom Jackie.
Elom Jackie:Thank you, Sara.
Sara D.:Welcome, Elom. How are you doing today?
Elom Jackie:I'm doing good. How about you?
Sara D.:I am doing great. I feel like today is a Sunday morning, I'm, or afternoon at this point, but I'm just really looking forward to the day. I don't know. I have so much I don't know, joy. And I'm also, um, planning to go to a Haitian heritage festival or something like that today. So I thought that would be a cool thing to experience, learn more about the culture.
Elom Jackie:That's great. Your Sunday, you plan it well.
Sara D.:Uh, the, the, the… You mean where's the festival?
Elom Jackie:Yes.
Sara D.:Oh, it's, um, it's in Seffner.
Elom Jackie:That's good.
Sara D.:Yeah. So, hmm. Do you have any interesting plans for the day yourself?
Elom Jackie:After the podcast, I think I might take the kids to the park. Um, that's all. Mm-hmm.
Sara D.:That's nice. It's always nice to watch children frolic and play. Yeah. Thats cool. Well, I do wanna say that I'm really glad that you're here. And before we get into your story, I would like for people to meet you in a real way, not just by what you do or necessarily the roles that you carry. So for people meeting you for the first time, how would you describe who you are beyond things like your titles or your jobs or the roles that you take on?
Elom Jackie:Thank you, Sara. Uh, my name is Elom Jackie, and I'm the owner of Elom African Braids. I'm very happy to be here today. Yeah, I'm mom-- uh, a wife and mom. Yeah, if I can say that.
Sara D.:Yeah. Yeah. But how would you describe yourself as a person, as an individual?
Elom Jackie:I would describe myself as, a hardworking person and faith-driven. Everything I do based on God, It's God first in my life, and my family. And, creating positive impact around me, loving people, everybody around me, loving them. Yeah, that's who I am.
Sara D.:So I do notice that while I talk to you and my interactions with you, I do know for a fact that, like, God is a huge part of your life. What season did you get to that made you have this such a strong relationship with God where you were just like, "You know what? Like, I'm locked in and this is where my strength comes from"?
Elom Jackie:How we say? Uh, being raised by African parents and, uh, all my family are Christian. My mom is Christian, so she raised me from the… Yeah, I was raised in church, basically, if I can say. So growing up and, uh, seeing my life, what I went through, and if not God, I would not, I will not be anybody. So my situation make my faith strong, uh, my faith strong.
Sara D.:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So how did you become this strong, so how did you become, this strong person with such a deep faith and reverence for the Lord? Was there a turning point where, like, maybe you were younger and you weren't all the way into it? 'Cause I can give you my personal experience. I know that when I was younger, I had questions and, uh, you know, I wondered about things. So did you ever go through that or has your faith always just been, "This is what it is and this is what I trust"?
Elom Jackie:Uh, no, it wasn't like that. By early age, losing my, uh, losing my dad and not having the right people there for you, and you have your mom, uh, raised, raised by your mom and going through some stuff, um, you realize that the only person who can help you is God. A lot of people deceive you. They will, they will say they will help you, but at the end of the day, no, no, they are not there By, uh, by praying and asking God of things and God fulfill my prayers. So that make me more trust in Him.
Sara D.:Yeah, I could see that. That's, that's a huge thing to have to, to manage, especially as a child. Uh, it's always unfortunate when children or when people have to go through life and you learn, or especially when you're a child, when you learn that people aren't always dependable the way that you would like them to be.
Elom Jackie:Yeah.
Sara D.:So you're a faith-driven woman and a hard worker. What season of life do you feel like that you're in now?
Elom Jackie:Right now, I feel like I'm in a season of growth, uh, balance and becoming. I'm continuing building myself personally, myself, um, spiritually and professionally. Yeah, as a business owner, there are a lot of ambition and goals I still have, but I'm also learning that life is not only about constantly working or chasing success. Yeah, balance business, family, faith, and personal peace, yeah. Yeah, that's my season right now.
Sara D.:Yeah. So i hear you saying that you're growing Personally, You've realized that life isn't always… Or the main point of life is not to chase success and always going after the bag, as people like to say. So how, how did you get to that realization? What was that process of learning those things? Or what is the process of becoming?
Elom Jackie:The process come through experience, life responsibilities and different challenges teach me a lot about myself. There were moments where I was so focused on working, growing and handling everything. But I realized that just stress, all that doing, all that is making me stressed out, em-emotionally drained. Over time, I start understanding that success means more than just achievements or being busy all the time. I can say I learn the importance of protecting my peace, spending time with my family, taking care of myself, and staying always connect through every season to God.
Sara D.:Mm-hmm.
Elom Jackie:Yeah, I can say that….
Sara D.:So what are some things that you do when it's hard to actually maintain that peace?
Elom Jackie:I listen to music a lot. I listen to music. When it becomes hard to maintain peace, I try to slow myself down and reconnect with the things that ground me, like prayer. Need some time, quiet time to reflect, breathe, and step away from all the pressure. Going to the park and sit, just walk, seeing people walking around. Yeah, I can say that.
Sara D.:Yeah.
Elom Jackie:I hope I, I answered the question.
Sara D.:No, you did. Uh, so when I think about my own self-care tools and how I manage peace, it sounds similar. You know, having moments to breathe, stepping away, going outside. It's, I think that this podcast will be a repeated episode, or not episode, but a repeated, uh, moment of hearing that and of people saying that because so much of things that help us are the same. So I think that's, like, something that I've consistently heard that people do. They just step away, and sometimes it's kind of difficult to step away. How do you, how have you learned to s- quiet your mind in those moments where you are stepping away?
Elom Jackie:Oh, it's never easier, but, uh, I always try to quiet my mind by disconnecting from the noise for a moment. Whether that, away from work, spending time with myself, listen to gospel music or just sitting in silent and reflecting sometimes. Sometime I can stay in my room, closing door, just listen to music and just be there, not thinking about nothing.
Sara D.:Mm-hmm. Mm. Mm-hmm.
Elom Jackie:Um, that's-- I think it helped me reset my mentally and spiritually mind. like It remind me that I don't have everything to figure out immediately. Instead of trying to control everything myself, just let God or life, uh, how it goes, just let it be.
Sara D.:I like that. I think sometimes when things are going wrong, it can be kind of easy to feel like, "Oh, I need a solution for this. I need a solution for that. I have to figure this out now, now, now." And sometimes the best way to make a smart decision is to kind of pause and reevaluate as needed. Because you're rushing through things, mistakes are made, and sometimes you can end up in a really bad situation because you made a fast decision unnecessarily, because you didn't take the time to pause and think. What is the, uh, what is that scripture? Um- Oh, that's, that's not the right thing. I was gonna say be slow to anger, but that's not it. But pretty much like slow down when you're making decisions. I don't know. But like slow down when you're making decisions and when you're in a stressful situation, because sometimes that, that pause is that moment to where you can find that center of peace, or you can hear from the Lord or maybe someone calls you with just the answers to the question that you had. And yeah, I feel that.
Elom Jackie:Yeah. That's true.
Sara D.:Mm-hmm. So I'll ask you a question then. When someone asks who you are, what do you hope they see?
Elom Jackie:I hope people see someone… Wow, that's good question. Yeah, we need to ask ourself those type of question every day. Yeah. I hope people see me like a genuine person, resilient, lovable, kind, and grounded in faith. I'm not someone who claims to have everything figured out, but I just try to move through life with purpose, gratitude, and compassion, and be there with people if they need me. Yes.
Sara D.:Okay. I mean, I would think, I feel like that's how I see you. So yeah, I mean, the perspective I have, but you seem like a very loving and kind person and compassionate person. so I think you're doing a great job.
Elom Jackie:Thank you.
Sara D.:What's something that you're grateful now, grateful for? What's something that you're grateful for?
Elom Jackie:Right now we speaking, I'm grateful for life. Being alive and healthy, I'm grateful for that. grateful for my family, grateful for my business, and grateful for knowing all my genius client. I'm grateful for all that.
Sara D.:Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's really nice. That's… so much to be grateful for,
Elom Jackie:Yeah. Yes.
Sara D.:and I'm glad that you could just kind of run them off like that, like off the top of your head, 'cause sometimes I know that things don't always necessarily feel that way.
Elom Jackie:Yes.
Sara D.:Do you feel like gratitude comes easily to you, or has this been something that you've had to practice?
Elom Jackie:Let me say I have to practice it because, uh, I re- I remember sometime I used to stress out for tomorrow, like when I wake up this morning, "Oh, how my day's gonna be?" Especially you open a business and you don't know. No one book, so you ask yourself, "Oh, no one book. Oh, how it's gonna be?" So, and my-- One day my husband sent me, uh, someone, uh, video and where they say, if you have to be grateful for everything, it doesn't matter how things going, and you have to be grateful. When you wake up in the morning, be grateful, be alive, be grateful of every step, and be content. So from that moment… And I remember too, he bought me a book and they have like a daily, uh, daily word you have to be grateful for, and that helped me being grateful for everything. Yeah. I have to practice it even though I'm Christian and yes, but that part I have to practice it.
Sara D.:Mmmhh, so you're saying that you the, The Daily Word book is something that you read that helped you practice your gratitude? Hmm
Elom Jackie:It helped me and listen to preachers, the pastor preaching, listen to them. Yeah. Because growing up, we get kinda lost our situation sometime and trying to figure out things intentionally. And yeah, gratitude is everything.
Sara D.:It
Elom Jackie:I have… Yeah, it's everything. So yeah.
Sara D.:is.
Elom Jackie:Yeah
Sara D.:really is. So how has gratitude change the way that you love, or the way that you work or the way that you rest? Just how has gratitude changed you or changed the way that you look at life?
Elom Jackie:It really changed me the way I see everything. The way I love people, how I work, even how I rest. I, I went through some stuff in my life and, um, and being with some people who, you know, you have some type of friends, they are not open, like, or truthful to you, and you may think that, uh, you don't want them in your life anymore. You, you will want to cast them out. , Since I learn how to be grateful and think gratitude important. I understand that in my relationship, to appreciate everything, appreciate them. Appreciate every season, every situation. It push me, gratitude push me to stay consistent even on hard days, because I remind myself of how far I've already done. It made me more appreciate and appreciate myself, too. I don't overlook the people in my life. I value everybody, every step. I, I value everything. Did I answer your question?
Sara D.:Yeah, it did. What I got from what you said is that you've learned how to appreciate and be grateful for everything in your life, the good and the bad, because it sounds like me, well, I don't wanna paraphrase, paraphrase, paraphrase. But to me it sounds like you're saying that, you know, I'm gonna ask you, when you say that you're grateful for the good and the bad, why exactly would you say that you are grateful for the good and the bad?
Elom Jackie:I'm grateful for both because they both play a role in shaping who I am today. The good season gave me joy, confidence, encourage me, and they make me grow in blessing-- um, reminds me that, uh, grow and blessing are possible. Difficult season, even though they were not easy, taught me a lesson. I wouldn't have learned patience, patience, strength, humility and deeper faith. They push me more close to God. And I can say I understand more myself now and things around me. Yeah.
Sara D.:Yeah. Yeah, see you said that better than I would've said that, so I'm glad, I'm glad that I just asked you instead of paraphrasing my own way. That is, that's life. That's, that's what everything is about. It's about going through life and learning things and growing and developing and learning how to take the good with the bad so that you can develop as a person.
Elom Jackie:They are part of our, our growth, our life. So…
Sara D.:Yeah. I see you as this really faith-driven and joy-filled and grounded and centered woman, and ambitious and all of these things. How do you treat yourself when you fall short of, your expectations for yourself?
Elom Jackie:I have learned not to be hard on myself. I learned growth is a process, and not every day is going to look perfect. First, I give myself grace. I remind myself that I'm human being, and one moment or one day doesn't define my journey. Then I reflect on what I could learn from that moment Instead of staying disappointed or frustra-frustrated, I take some time to reset, whether that's through prayer or rest, sleepy or simply stepping out and walk with my kids or sometime by myself. I don't push myself with guilt anymore, so I just let everything flow. It is what it is. I usually say it is what it is, so.
Sara D.:Yeah, you sound like me. It is what it is. It's just, it's just what it is. I can't do nothing about it, so it just is, and I'ma have to be okay. How do you find light when things get heavy?
Elom Jackie:Do you mind you repeat for me, please?
Sara D.:How do you find light when things get heavy? So in other words, what helps you get through the hard days?
Elom Jackie:Sometimes… Hmm. Sometimes the light is just being grateful for what is still stable in my life. My health, my loved ones, my growth, and making through another day. I would say that make-- that helps me not get consumed by the heaviness, but instead move through it by faith and patience.
Sara D.:Moving through it by faith. How, how does your self-talk go when you're trying to push through with the faith? 'Cause I know that I've experienced, you know, negative self-talk or even trying to convince myself that things are going well. So what does your self-talk look like when you're moving by faith?
Elom Jackie:Telling myself, "Jackie, you don't have to change anything. Just let it be. It will work out." It will be okay.
Sara D.:How do you believe it when things don't seem like it?
Elom Jackie:Sometime it gets, uh, I would say sometime it get me like, uh, frustrate when you expecting something, it doesn't come the way you wanted it. But like I said before, I just say, I just let everything flow. I, I don't think a lot now because thinking a lot get me stuck. So I just say, "Oh, let it be. It is…" I said, "Welcome." Okay, I learn from it. Or if it's something I can change, I change. If not, I just let it be. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sara D.:Yeah. That's, that's life. Learning what to change what you can, accept what you can't, and knowing the difference. In this life of becoming this gratuitous and joyous and faith-driven woman that's ambitious, what beliefs did you have to unlearn about yourself?
Elom Jackie:One of the main things I had to lear- unlearn about myself is the idea that I always have to have everything figured out, be perfect, be successful and please people. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to always get things right. I don't wanna, um, get s- this person upset and like appease them when they want me to be there for them even it's gonna hurt myself. Even I don't… I, I can't do it. Uh, I have to be there. I always say, "Oh, I have to be there. I have to do it." Another thing is to understand my worth, my worth now, value myself, my quiet season when I'm not achieving something big. And not like, If I do something and the person didn't appreciate it, that's fine. Yeah, not expect people to do same thing I'm doing to them. Okay.
Sara D.:Mm-hmm. How did you learn to do that, to remove those expectations from people? 'Cause that, that can be difficult in itself
Elom Jackie:Another thing I have to learn, I had to learn… I learned that, uh, not everything is in my life, is in my control. Especially people action or outcomes, I can't control them. People are people. They are who they are. It's up to me to accept them how they are and move on. That has brought a lot of peace, peace to my life and plan things the way I, I want it.
Sara D.:Was it hard to, to get to that point to recognize that?
Elom Jackie:Yeah, it was hard for losing some people. And you know, sometime you have someone clo-- especially close to you, you think this person is your friend, your sister, and in, by the end you realize, no, the way you take this person, the person didn't take you the same way. So you have to remove yourself and lose that relationship. Yeah.
Sara D.:How do you manage a disappointment from something like that?
Elom Jackie:A person who doesn't get, uh, upset for a long time. I can be upset in a minute and next minute you see me, I let it go. So when that happen, I'll, I'll be hard on myself. "Oh, why did I let my guard down? Why, why did I not see this?" But then I just say, "Oh, that's fine." Everything the person, the person does, she did it for the reason. I just tell that to myself. She or he has, their own reason to do it, so that's fine.
Sara D.:Yeah. Would it be fair to say you found peace in acceptance?
Elom Jackie:Like, uh, you mean peace, acceptance?
Sara D.:So you found peace in learning how to accept people for what they do. Not necessarily that you agree with it, but you just learn how to accept that this is what it is and, yeah, this is what it is. Mm. Yeah.
Elom Jackie:Yes. I would say that.
Sara D.:We are wrapping it up 'cause we're towards the end. Oh, we may be a little early actually. Um, hmm. Well, I'll ask you this. What is a small but ordinary means a lot to you right now?
Elom Jackie:Mm. I'm gonna say my peace. Right now, my peace is so, so important to me. The small things that means a lot to me right now is peace. Become a moment of calm in my day. Life can be busy and full of responsibility, so I really appreciate simple moment like quiet time in the morning, sitting, reflecting without pressure or noise. A meaningful conversation can mean a lot to me right now too. Like, uh, right now I'm, we talking, yeah. That make me… Yeah. I'm learning through your questions, and I'm learning more about myself too, through all your questions. Yeah. So yeah, my peace. Yeah.
Sara D.:That's cool. That's cool. I like that. Um- It's, I hear you saying you like to, like, wake up and have that moment of stillness, and it makes me think in your life, like, you wake up and you get up and you do, like, the grand morning stretch.
Elom Jackie:Morning routine.
Sara D.:you go to the k- kitchen, you get your cup of coffee, and then you go and you get your coffee and you're sitting at the table and everyone's asleep and you're just kind of sitting there like, "Okay." Yeah. Yeah. But okay. I have enjoyed this conversation thoroughly.
Elom Jackie:Okay.
Sara D.:I wanna ask you some closing questions. What is one lesson that you wanna leave people with?
Elom Jackie:What I can say is to never give up on yourself. If you are a believer, trust God through every season of your life even things feel uncertain and difficult, there is still purpose in what you're going through. Growth takes time, and every season, the good and the hard one is shaping you in some way. So stay patient with yourself. Yeah, stay patient with yourself. Keep moving forward, and don't lose faith in who you are or what you're capable of becoming. And don't let anyone tell you you can do nothing. You can do everything you set your mind in. Thank you.
Sara D.:Okay. And one more thing, one more thing, and let me know if this sounds exactly like what I just asked you, but I think there might be a little difference. What would you tell someone who is waiting on their brighter day?
Elom Jackie:I would love to leave people with, um, is to never, to never give up on yourself and trust God through every season of your life. Stay patient, keep going, and hold on to faith because your brighter day is still coming, and it's around the corner.
Sara D.:All right, guys. Um, I think that that is the best way to end it right there. Your brighter day is coming. Uh, don't matter how long it take, don't matter if it's a day, a second, a minute, a hour, a day, a week, month, two months, three months, keep going because it'll get better.
Elom Jackie:Yes.
Sara D.:And I think this was a wonderful conversation with Elom Jackie. Uh, thank you so much for talking to me. I thank you for being authentic and open with me and sharing with me your perspective, your experiences, and I just thank you so much. I do wanna ask, you know, you I do
Elom Jackie:again,
Sara D.:you if you would like to promote your business or anything else that you wanna promote, this is the space to highlight it.
Elom Jackie:Thank you again Sara, for having me. Okay. I'm Elom African Braiding. You can find me on Hillsborough. It's Hillsborough. I love to connect and continue spreading positivity and confidence through my work. You need to get your hair done, call your girl. Thank you.
Sara D.:Yeah, yeah, call her. She does great work and she's, it's just a wonderful experience. I'll put her information in the description of the episode. It's been a great conversation, and if you guys have any comments, any suggestions, any, I don't know, anything to say to help with the, with the podcast or anything to say to give your feedback on it, I would greatly appreciate it. I have a Instagram and a Twitter, brighterdazepodcast, and I have a Facebook page, BrighterDaze With Sara, also have my email address, ask4brighterdaze@gmail.com, and that's brighter, D-A-Z-E, @gmail.com. So if you wanna find me, I'm easily found, and I just would love to speak to you, love to hear from you. Tell me what you're grateful for. Tell me how you manage disappointment when you're, when you're letting go of people that haven't necessarily been the best to you. How do you push through life? How do you find your joy? How do you find your gratitude? Talk to me. I wanna hear from you, and just thank you guys. So I'll be around, and I hope you will be, too. Have a nice day, everybody.