Isabella Keren

“Stay committed to whatever you're going to do. Even when you fail in the process, your commitment will take you to the opportunities.”

(Excerpt from an interview with Jamilia De Bique, Creator/Business Owner of Uppoint Technologies and Jamilia Cosmetics)
Trinidad & Tobago

My mom is such a wise woman who loves people. She loves being part of people’s development especially young ones. Anywhere she goes, there’s always a young person who wants to adopt my mom. They gravitate naturally to her. As a child, I remember being protective of my mommy. I wanted all others to know that she is MY mom. As an adult now I can understand why so many kids wanted to be around my mom, she’s direct in her communication and very nurturing at the same time. A rare combination. She communicates with so much love and there’s a softness in her approach that young people feel comfortable, safe and supported. That’s how I always felt with her.

My mom is a quintessential mother hen. She always had my back and she created a safe environment for us. While she cultivated the ability to take care of myself and be independent, I know (even today) when I’m in trouble or being taken advantage of in any way, my mom is right there to swoop in and support me. I remember her doing this in school when I was younger. She was there to set the teachers straight if I was unfairly treated. And if it were the reverse, and I did something wrong, she was there to make sure I was set straight too and always told me to “Do better”.

In keeping my sister and I safe, mom was brilliant in teaching and giving us boundaries. For others, boundaries might feel like being limited or confined but for us, it gave us freedom. That space we had between here and the boundaries, we had freedom to play and experience. My mom was so intentional in communicating the context of boundaries, and explaining the lessons we had to learn and I am proud to say we definitely did learn the lessons. It’s interesting how much all of that has set us up powerfully in life. She supported us in a way that we learned from her how to support ourselves, and at the same time maintain a beautiful bond with each other.

One of my Mom’s best advice would have to be when she said, “Stay committed to whatever you're going to do. Even when you fail in the process, your commitment will take you to the opportunities.” I was in my typing class and back then we were using a typewriter. I hated that class. My mom encouraged me to keep going and not to give up on it.  I even failed this class but I followed my mom’s advice and kept going. Fast forward, I am excellent at typing now and that makes me fast and efficient with office work.  But more importantly, I learned the value of commitment from that experience and this has served me very well in many areas of my life.  Commitment truly has led me to many opportunities. It is because I am committed that a creative dreamer like me has established the two businesses, Uppoint Technologies which is a digital platform for creators and Jamilia Cosmetics. My tenacity is a function of being committed.  I am at heart a creative and a dreamer and it is my commitment that has allowed me to fulfill on my dreams.

As I work towards my goals, my mom often reminded me to “Keep your blinders on, baby girl” especially when I have a deadline to meet. This advice is very useful in dealing with overwhelming tasks and distractions around me.  It’s a very effective reminder to set my eyes on the finish line,  and not be distracted by looking at the sidelines, or the stands and this really helped me accomplish huge undertakings.

She’s brilliant in giving advice that impacts all areas of my life. Another big one was about integrity. Mom spoke to me many times about maintaining integrity and walking uprightly. Aside from honesty, and truthfulness, she created that having integrity is about creating workability. Learning this has been a north star for me. When I am challenged in business, when there is breakdown and emotions are running high (myself and my team)— I have the ability to sift through all those emotions and focus on bringing integrity to the situation. It makes problem solving a lot easier. And no matter who or what is being said, like my mom said I get to keep myself upright, structured and supported by maintaining my integrity, or focusing on the integrity of the situation.

Last but not the least — in my marriage, she encouraged me to always lead with love. She never encouraged me to be antagonistic or say negative things. She always reminded me that the things I say creates life. With my mom being a christian woman, she always reminded me that “Life and death is in the power of my tongue” so she made sure I come from love in my speaking.

I am where I am because of my Mom. Where I’m going to be is also because of my mom.