INTUNE with Jas - Founder of Babes on Waves
Jasmine is the founder of Babes on Waves, a membership club & agency connecting Black, Brown, Asian & other underrepresented creatives. Jasmine is on a mission to replace transactional networking with genuine connection within & across marginalised communities. She’s since won Innovate UK’s 2020 Young Innovator Award, Unltd’s Social Entrepreneurship Award and has worked with organisations like Lost Village Festival, Soho House & Ethel’s Club.
BABES ON WAVES VISION
"We wanna live in a world where all women can make their dreams a reality. No exceptions, no excuses. We want every babe to be confidently and fearlessly themselves, and most importantly we want other women to back them all the way."
How did Babes on Waves come about? When did you know you were creating this community?
Founding BOW was a happy accident - about halfway through uni I went through some personal stuff and I got really depressed, which was also made worse by the fact I really didn’t know what career I wanted to go into. Really what I wanted was to do my own thing, but I had no idea how to start and none of my friends at the time felt like that, so it was really lonely. I started looking for a space to meet other creative women, to exchange ideas and learn to make them sustainable, but the groups I found didn’t have any people who looked like me in them, and also they felt quite dry and corporately which was exactly what I was trying to break free of in the first place.
I connected with a group of 10 women online and asked if they wanted to meet up once a month to chat through our ideas & from there BOW was born, and more and more people started messaging asking to join the group! It was through business first as a hobby that I started to self-actualise and really learn what kind of person I am, and although it’s so hard at times, it’s definitely been one of the best things to help build my confidence, which has translated into other areas of my life.
Now Babes on Waves has become a place for any babe who doesn’t fit the traditional script of what ‘success’ looks like in business to come together, grow together & create wealth together. We want to change what it means to be in a members’ club & be a space for people sick of transactional networking to make genuine friendships.
BOW is a vital space for underrepresented babes to feel seen - although Black & Brown women are at the forefront of what we do, for us genuine representation doesn’t just mean women from diverse racial backgrounds, but also sexuality, gender & economic backgrounds as well. We’re creating the next generation of babes & changing the face of business!
What advice would you give anyone doubting themselves?
Identify the smallest task you can do towards furthering your career, wellness, mindset, etc. and do that first. Very often people focus on the end goal (which is necessary sometimes) but aren’t able to visualise how they’ll get there, which very often leads to feeling unmotivated and down about yourself. Once you’ve managed one or two of the smaller tasks, your confidence grows which will help push you to keep going!
What have you learnt about yourself on the Babes on Waves journey?
Although it’s a bit of a cringe expression I genuinely do “thrive in fast-paced environments”! As stressful as it can get to be working on several projects at once, nothing beats the satisfaction when you get loads done and the projects come to life - I definitely used to underestimate what I was capable of!
What has been the most exciting experience to date?
In terms of business, the Babes on Waves ‘We Bloom Together’ event in partnership with Beats by Dre was quite surreal, this was BOW’s first major campaign and I don’t think it could have gone better. It was amazing to not only see the event come together after a year of planning, but also raise money for the Hackney-based charity ‘Sistah Space’ and receive feedback from attendees saying they felt empowered and learnt a lot after the panel talk which was amazing. Having a positive impact on people’s lives and making positive change is all you can really hope for as a founder!
How do you unwind after the chaos of being a founder?
I find it really difficult to relax but I’ve discovered that alternative therapies work really well for me. I’ve tried floatation therapy, sensory-deprivation tanks, and hot yoga pretty great too - I find my mind still races if I do regular yoga, but the heat really channels your thoughts and forces you to be in the moment, it’s incredible. 
3 words to describe the ultimate ‘Babe’?
Creative, Genuine and Determined!
Best bar you have been to?
OTHERWORLD - it’s a VR bar in Shoreditch, as someone who’s very used to being busy I hate can’t stand sitting still and am always super fidgety - I feel my hands always need to be doing something. At OTHERWORLD you can have a few drinks then hop into these VR rooms, you can play with your friends, it’s really cool! Very futuristic and fun.
Favourite INTUNE flavour?
Definitely Grapefruit & Mint!! It reminds me of home, having grown up drinking Ting in the Caribbean.