Jackie grew up in a strict traditional Croatian family setting in Newcastle, Jackie grew up with a lot of love surrounding her however she also learned the meaning of hard work from her father - “My father arrived in Australia from Croatia with $5 in his pocket and I watched him make a life for himself,” reveals Jackie. “It was hard work and he overcame many challenges. It showed me that we are capable of changing our destiny if we want to. Consequently, as a child I used to create vision boards of the things I wanted to achieve in life, much to my family’s amusement. But to this day, I have completed every single one of those goals I mapped on those boards. And it’s no coincidence. I made it happen.”
“When I was 17, I packed my bags and went overseas. I wanted to spread my wings and start my coming of age. My eyes were opened. So when I returned to Australia, I moved to Sydney and began a career in corporate banking. I was one of the youngest in the team at 18 years old, but it didn’t scare me. I lapped up the exposure to the big city and the corporate world, and grew up in a major way. I was naïve for my age, and so it was a much-needed stepping stone in my life at that time.”
Jackie opens up about how she realized she had a gift and her early beginnings as a psychic.
“One day, I sat with my head in my hands and yelled to the universe, asking it to show me what my path was. And it was then I saw an angel for the first time. Such was the beginning of my realisation of my psychic ability. The next day, I started seeing visions connected to people and situations, and I was blown away. Looking back, I had had this gift all my life, I just hadn’t recognised it. I now knew what I had to do.”
With growing confidence in the power of her spiritual intuition, Jackie soon began doing readings for friends and word quickly got around of Jackie’s unique ability. Before long, she was booked out for months in advance, her clients amazed by they way she could tap into their pasts and futures, innately knowing what would guide them to be a better tomorrow. And so marked the beginning of her professional psychic career.
“If you had told me I was going to become a psychic when I was younger, I would have laughed,” smiles Jackie. “I’m not your typical hippy clairvoyant. But it turns out both my mum and dad have the gift too. In fact, I believe everyone has a psychic ability – it is intuition in an intense form. But you have to be open in order to release it and harness it. I knew this was what I was put here to do.”
And in this way, Jackie left the corporate banking world in furtherance of what she understood to be her true calling. It was a risk, but one which paid off as Jackie felt at peace with herself for the first time in ages. It was to be nearly a decade before TV came calling.
“I was sitting at home watching The Real Housewives of New York with Ben, when I suddenly felt a connection to the show. I turned to Ben and told him, ‘I’m going to be on a show like this’. He smirked. A few days later, I received a phone call out of the blue from my dear friend Henry Roth (star of Project Runway Australia on Foxtel), who told me he had put me forward to the executive producer of a new show, Real Housewives of Melbourne. I knew it was meant to be. I had always wanted to inspire others to be themselves, and being on such a platform was going to let me do this.”
The Real Housewives of Melbourne premiered on 23 February 2014 on Arena and became Foxtel’s highest rating reality production ever and the second biggest local series launch to date. Jackie hasn’t looked back.
“What you see is what is happening on Real Housewives. We are all actually like that! Janet [Roach] and I have become firm friends and we have each other’s backs.”
But it hasn’t always been a bed of roses for Jackie, who has encountered moments of being judged and ridiculed on the show. However, in true Jackie-style, it’s water off a duck’s back.
“I will always remain true to myself and I refuse to change,” confirms Jackie. “In life, we come up against people and obstacles, and it is up to us how we deal with them. Our perception is everything. If we choose to believe in ourselves and be strong, then that is all that matters.”
And Jackie hasn’t stopped there, launching her own much-loved business in the form of her ready-to-serve cocktail line, La Mascara, in 2013, which is now in every Dan Murphy’s in the country.
“I always wanted to create a brand and alcohol beverage, and so it is incredible that now I have! I am lucky that I have had such amazing support in doing so.
“There was initially some debate as to the type of drink I was going to produce, as Ben wanted to go with tequila (he’s such a typical rock star!), but I knew that if I was going to start my own venture, it had to be true to who I was and authentic to my personality. I like drinking cocktails and dancing, so it was natural for me to base my business on this. I think doing something you know and love is the key to any business idea. And anyone can do it. Oprah Winfrey came from nothing, but invested in herself. It’s not about making money. It’s about doing what feels right for you and your journey.”
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Source/Photo Credit: Australian Content Magazine
