Singer-songwriter Jax (aka Jaclyn Cole Miskanic, @jaxwritessongs on TikTok, where she has nearly 15 million followers) is navigating one of life’s most transformative chapters with grace, humor and a whole lot of heart.
The new mom recently partnered with StarKist and Feed the Children for their "Put Child Hunger to Bed" campaign, using her platform to raise awareness around a sobering statistic: one in five children in the U.S. doesn’t know where their next meal will come from.
Between launching her new podcast Bad Ass Mother Friends, working on upcoming music including a postpartum diary album titled Confessions of a Newborn Mother and writing her first children's book, the American Idol alumna is proving that motherhood doesn't mean slowing down—it means finding new purpose.
We caught up with her to talk about the campaign, her simplified beauty routine and the beautiful chaos of first-time motherhood.
Congratulations on so much happening at once. You have a new baby, a new podcast, new music and this campaign. How would you describe this season in your life?
"It's peaceful and chaotic all at once because there's never a dull moment with a baby. But I've also been learning recently that to avoid burnout, I should take deep breaths and move at a slower pace so I can show up for my family. And be patient with my body and my mind. But it's awesome. I'm finally feeling a little bit like myself again. Not entirely—I don't know if I'll ever fully feel like myself again, but I feel really great. And I feel like I'm kind of back in action and able to work, and I got a new spurt of energy."
What made you want to partner with StarKist and Feed the Children for the ‘Put Child Hunger to Bed’ campaign?
"First of all, it's been such a blast. My daughter got to meet Charlie the Tuna, which is basically Santa Claus for her. StarKist has always been a staple in my family, so I was already pretty familiar with them. It's been really cool to partner with them and Feed the Children on the Put Child Hunger to Bed campaign because, as a new mom, it took me completely by surprise when I learned that one in five children in the US has no idea where their next meal is coming from. So it was something I really wanted to be part of. It's really easy to get involved, and we had a blast filming fun songs, doing videos together, and eating all the tuna."
Has being a mom changed the way you think about food insecurity?
"Even just feeding your child in general changed the way I think about food insecurity. Having breastfed Charlie from day one, I'm already always panicking that she might not be getting enough nutrients through what I'm giving her, and she might not be getting enough food from what we're feeding her in solids. And then when you think about what's going on in the world, you're like, ‘oh my gosh,’ if that's what's causing me my daily anxiety, can you imagine that there are children out there who have no idea if they're going to eat a meal next? So like many other things in motherhood, it's definitely heartbreaking to know that that exists. I can't imagine panicking about food and basic resources for your child as a mom. It really puts it into perspective."
For people who want to help but don't know where to start, do you have any easy ways they can get involved or make an impact?
“Yeah, it’s really easy to get involved. Right now through September, if you buy a StarKist Tuna pouch, they will match your purchase up to 100,000 pouches. And financially, they’ll match donations up to $100,000, which is awesome.”
I know firsthand that motherhood can shift everything from your schedule to your sense of self. What surprised you most about becoming a first-time mom?
"As a first-time mom—I'm sure it'll be different with my second or third child—I was so scared and stressed when I was pregnant that I would have no idea what to do. I still kind of am, but I didn't realize how much of it was going to come naturally. How much would be innate and just kind of built into my bones.
I was afraid I wasn't going to have the emotional—what if I was going through postpartum depression so hard that I wouldn't be able to show up for her emotionally? What if I was neglecting her needs? What if I'm not emotionally regulating her? What if I can't breastfeed her? All these things, these fears go through your mind because you just don't want to traumatize this little perfect life that you made. And I didn't realize that motherhood would come so naturally to me. It's a pretty beautiful thing to experience.
I'd also say I saw a post the other day on TikTok that motherhood is the most tragic love story ever, like between mom and child, and I'm experiencing that now. No one in the world could have prepared me for how painful it is to watch your baby get older. It was visceral pain. I'm just crying every day. My perfectly healthy, amazing, gorgeous child, but it physically hurts my stomach and my heart."
Would you say your wellness routine has changed since becoming a mom, whether that's sleep, movement, meals or just finding time to rest and reset?
"It’s changed in so many ways. Especially being a girl mom. All the things that made me insecure when I looked in the mirror, all my rigid routines before I got pregnant—now I look at my daughter, and she looks like me, and I want her to know she’s beautiful. The way I look at myself in the mirror is a lot different. I used to be insecure about my ears, my chin, things like that. And now I look at my daughter, and I’m like, ‘How can I be insecure about that when she has my ears and my chin?’
So I’ve kind of been doing a very basic makeup routine—maybe a little foundation and mascara to feel good. But overall, I’ve definitely taken a more natural approach to everything. I’ve been on a castor oil kick, I love beef tallow and ever since I was pregnant, I stopped using fragrances and chemical-heavy products. So I’m a little more natural than I was before. And every time I can get a quiet, peaceful, non-stressful shower in, I’m taking that chance."
Between upcoming music and your new podcast, what are you most excited about next?
"I'm just getting started on Bad Ass Mother Friends. My husband and I moved to Nashville from LA and built a studio in our basement so we could work on our own terms. It's been really fun—we've had some awesome moms come in, and I love picking their brains about motherhood, work and life.
My friend, who is also going through postpartum around the same time—she's a producer—and we basically made an album full of songs, a postpartum diary called Confessions of a Newborn Mother. That's coming out pretty soon, within the next few weeks. It's really goofy and captures all the things you feel in postpartum—the awkward, beautiful, deep, heavy, painful and amazing. I just wanted to get it all off my chest. And I also recently finished my first children's book, which will be out within the next year."
