BIOGRAPHY
I can’t tell you the exact moment I first tapped into my creative side, but watching my mother, Blia, sew is my earliest memory of it. As a small child, I would accompany her to swap meets to pick out the brightest, prettiest fabrics, which she would later transform into dresses for my sisters and me. Watching her skill and artistry at the sewing machine is a memory that will never leave me.
Creativity weaves through my family like thread through paj ntaub. My paternal grandmother, my grandfather’s third wife, was also a seamstress, and I spent countless afternoons by her side, helping her sell her handmade clothes door to door. Her spirit of hustle and grit has been stitched into the very fabric of who I am, of my own story cloth. My maternal grandmother also passed down her craft to me in a more intimate way: my mother, older sisters, and I would gather around her to learn Hmong embroidery. It was in those moments that she taught me how to properly tie a starting knot—each time I tie a knot while sewing, I think of her.
Raised within a lineage of creators, I taught myself to sew at ten, and by fourteen, I was styling and sewing for a production company that recreated respected stories like Cinderella, West Side Story, and The King and I. Soon after, I channeled my creativity into writing, driven to create community, where I advocated for conscious fashion by celebrating the beauty of secondhand finds.
Over the years, I’ve had the fortune to partner with leading agencies like Stars Management and work with Los Angeles’ Trick Shot Productions and JINS Eyewear as a wardrobe stylist. My work has appeared in publications like Glamour, NEET, Elegant, and Lucky Magazine, where I contributed as a community voice. I also interned at the Hollywood startup Colaborator.com, where my writing focused on film and entertainment.
As an ex-techie, joining startups like Pinterest, becoming an early employee at Substack, and serving as COO at an AI startup, I specialized in operations and strategy. But, eventually, my craving for imagination and creativity called me back to my roots, and I’m now rediscovering that joy—like the thrill of sewing my first pair of bellbottoms when I was ten years old.
My name is Jamie Xiong, but I go by Jamie B. Goode in honor of my late brother, Johnny. An empath (Enneagram 2) and vintage collector, I stay inspired by writing prose and poetry, diving into books, studying languages, and exploring the wonders of physics. Like a true Jack of all trades (and master of some), I’m an emerging novelist and I’m currently working on my first art exhibit, exploring themes close to my heart, and telling stories that heal the soul and resonate with the Hmong community. Alongside these projects, I’m passionate about sharing my story as a first-generation American finding my identity, speaking at events to inspire students. As I grow closer to my true self, I’m leaning into my spiritual side, honoring my paternal grandfather’s legacy as a shaman. I’m excited to share this journey, merging my professional experience in the digital world with my creative spirit to craft projects that celebrate resilience and community.