Shantel Jackson is a woman of many talents, and her beauty captivates audiences all around the world. Best known as @missjackson on Instagram, the Miami, Florida native has come a long way since her music video vixen days, and she probably won’t tell you what music videos she’s actually been in.
But now, Shantel is especially proud of being her own boss and entrepreneur, starting multiple companies including her passion project Shoe Gummi, which are designed to go on the bottom of your high heels to help you walk more comfortably. With Shantel’s own addiction to high heels, it was only right for her to start and create her own insole — one that arrives after years of hard work, passion, and research.
Aside from her businesses, Shantel is a model, actress, and fashion guru, who’s recently been taking over the social media game across Instagram and TikTok.
Shantel Jackson stopped by Shirley’s Temple to discuss her roots in Miami, hiring a trainer 3 days a week, dating Floyd Mayweather, mental health, starting her company Shoe Gummi, advice for entrepreneurs, growing apart from Nelly, and more.
AllHipHop: What was Shantel Jackson like in Miami?
Shantel Jackson: You know what? I wasn’t even Miss Jackson yet.
AllHipHop: Mama Jackson: In the making.
Shantel Jackson: Thanks Mama Jackson. I’d say in the making, young, figuring myself out and all that good stuff. I moved away from home, I moved to Vegas, then from Vegas I moved to LA. But I’m pretty much back and forth. LA’s more work for me. Going back to Miami, of course my family is there. I go back to Miami to spend and enjoy the money that I’ve made everywhere else.
AllHipHop: Do you miss Miami then?
Shantel Jackson: For sure, of course. I’m sorry, but there’s no other place like Miami. Miami has the good food, great clubs, great beaches.
AllHipHop: I know you love beaches!
Shantel Jackson: I love beaches for sure, and the amazing weather. I love the humidity. Humidity is amazing for your skin. It’s great for your skin, it’s great for your hair. Miami is the s###. Everybody’s moving there too. I looked at houses to buy another place, where did these outrageous prices come from? Damn, everybody’s moving to Miami.
AllHipHop: Are prices still affordable?
Shantel Jackson: Girl, they’re starting to have LA type prices in Miami. It’s getting crazy.
AllHipHop: Do you go out to beaches out here in LA?
Shantel Jackson: I do. If anything, Malibu. I love to go to Nobu right there, or Malibu Cafe.
AllHipHop: Do you need a reservation when you go?
Shantel Jackson: I just walk up. [laughs]
AllHipHop: What’s your order at Nobu Malibu?
Shantel Jackson: I wouldn’t even say I get anything good that they’re really known for. I don’t eat fish, crab, or shrimp. I’m a vegetarian. When I go there, it’s more for the ambience. It’s by the water of course, but I get the vegan cut sushi rolls. They have a mushroom plate, they have salads. Boring stuff.
AllHipHop: Do you workout?
Shantel Jackson: Now I have a trainer 3 days a week, just trying to get the body right for the summer. The pressure to look good, oh my gosh. In between those days, I do my own cardio.
AllHipHop: What does cardio look like?
Shantel Jackson: Either the Stairmaster.
AllHipHop: I hate the StairMaster.
Shantel Jackson: Yeah girl. Sometimes we got to do stuff that we hate, but we gotta do it. Either the StairMaster or I walk at an incline on the treadmill. Or you know what a really good cheat code is? Doing some really fast sets of either squats, an ab workout, calf raises in the sauna.
I’m the type of person that I hate to work out, I’m not going to lie. But when I see those results: yeah, I gotta be in here. This is what I need to be doing. That’s why I got a trainer. One, the trainer knows what they’re doing and targeting what I think my problem areas are, but to make me do it.
AllHipHop: Obviously, you dated Floyd Mayweather, who’s an incredible athlete. Someone told me he would jump rope for 30 minutes, then go run.
Shantel Jackson: I can’t take anything from him as an athlete. Just from what I’ve seen: amazing work ethic, amazing gym ethic. Control control control, when it comes down to that training.
AllHipHop: Did that motivate you to work out?
Shantel Jackson: Yeah, in a sense. When you’re with someone, what they’re doing can bounce onto you. You want to get more into fitness, dibble and double into what they’re doing.
AllHipHop: A huge part of the show is mental health. I know you went through a lot, what helped you get through your relationship?
Shantel Jackson: Just in general, from whatever situation: you live in and you learn. Whatever I’ve been through, I’m the person I am today from it. Sometimes it can be hard going through certain things, but you have to stay positive. I know some people think of that and they’re like “well how can I stay positive if this and that is going on?” It’s normal and it’s human to think of negativity, but don’t dwell on it. You can be in it and you gotta snap out of it if you want to move forward. That’s what is important, you have to move forward if you want to one, either grow, or see the different direction into whatever situation is pulling you into.
AllHipHop: How difficult was it to move forward?
Shantel Jackson: It’s something I had to do in general to continue to be me. To thrive, to grow my brand, grow myself, continue my business. If you stay stagnant, that’s where you’re going to stay.
AllHipHop: When did you start Shoe Gummi?
Shantel Jackson: Shoe Gummi was an idea in 2009. For those of you who don’t know, Shoe Gummi is an outer sole pad. It matches the bottom of my shoe, it’s a nude. I can honestly say I’m obsessed with heels. I can wear flats, sneakers, all that good stuff, but I prefer to be in heels. I feel good in heels. I look good in heels. I’m confident in heels. It’s a thing when we put on heels and you’re like yeah, my body’s sitting right. My ass.
AllHipHop: Rubi Rose was saying the same thing to me.
Shantel Jackson: I don’t know what it is, but it is a thing. It makes me feel sexy, confident. With putting on heels, my ass goes from “oh that’s cute,” to “damn, where’d I get all that from?” It’s really a thing, I’m just saying.
AllHipHop: What are your favorite heels to wear Shoe Gummi’s with?
Shantel Jackson: Any shoes that’s going to hurt my feet. If anything, it’s a pointed pump. That’s out of the question right there. Our toes are crammed in this point. It is sexy, but the Shoe Gummi is going to help with the pressure on the balls of your feet. So you either get one out of the two, I’ma help one out of the two.
I’m definitely a professional at walking in heels. I’ve been wearing heels on a constant basis ever since I could remember, but your feet never get used to that crazy arch or being in this uncomfortable position. Any shoe that allows me to put a Gummi on the bottom, I am. I want to be comfortable, I don’t want to worry about my feet.
AllHipHop: What was the reality of starting your own company?
Shantel Jackson: That’s how a lot of companies start, in general. I had an issue. I did not find a solution to my problem, so I fixed it.
AllHipHop: Are you that hands-on?
Shantel Jackson: I am. I am a little smart. [laughs]
AllHipHop: Being an entrepreneur, girls look up to you. Do you have any advice for aspiring businesses?
Shantel Jackson: What I always like to say to fellow entrepreneurs or anyone who wants to start a business or create their brand is do your research. Research is so important. Because even if you want to start a lip gloss, there are hundreds of thousands of lip glosses at this point. Do your research. If that’s what you’re so passionate about, do your research. How can your lip gloss be different? How can your packaging be different? What can you have on top of someone else that’s already been there and done that with the lip gloss?
There’s so many avenues to change something up. Is there a different formula for the lip gloss? Is it something going to make yours stay once you go underwater? Research is important, period.
AllHipHop: That means you spent a lot of time researching.
Shantel Jackson: Yes. It was times where, just personally, I didn’t research something that had to do with moving forward with my own products. I had to go back to the drawing board because if I would’ve done my research, I wouldn’t have to go back to the drawing board. That’s my #1 thing.
AllHipHop: I know you said you were on the road a lot. Was it hard dating a rapper?
Shantel Jackson: When we were together, I did travel with him a lot. Most of my work was through emails or phone calls. Once I launched my product, I was at home more. I had to be more hands-on, I was less on the road. I’d honestly say we grew apart. Not to say it was in a bad way and all this other stuff, sometimes when people are together, it’s natural to grow apart and that’s okay.
AllHipHop: Was it like almost falling out of love?
Shantel Jackson: I wouldn’t say falling out of love. I’m going this direction, he’s going this direction and it’s not a direction for both of us. Life just happens.
AllHipHop: What are you most excited for next?
Shantel Jackson: With my brand Shoe Gummi, we started off with black as a color for the product. Now, we moved into tan, as you guys can see on the bottom of my shoes. I don’t want to just say ladies because men wear high heels too. If you love your red bottoms, we got red as well for the Louboutins. We dropped colors, we have round and pointed style. I’m trying to figure out this thing with acting and getting back into that.