Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jackie Jones, Founder of Flourish Momentum, located in Bolingbrook, IL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business is called Flourish Momentum: integrative health and wellness for mind, body, soul, and space. I work with people holistically to help them heal, grow, and thrive, utilizing an integrative approach that addresses them individually and on all levels: mind, body, soul, and space. I incorporate a variety of healing modalities, including art therapy, yoga and meditation, integrative nutrition health coaching, energy healing, and feng shui. Through these modalities, clients gain insight into what is truly underlying symptoms they are having a tough time diagnosing or gaining control over, gain experience feeling into and embodying their healthier, happier selves, become empowered and equipped to improve symptoms or circumstances, navigate through challenging times in ways that support their greatest health and well-being, and learn to work with their inner and outer worlds so they can maintain their gains and thrive moving forward. My customers are individuals who work with me one on one for deep and personalized work together or organizations that contract me to provide workshops or series of classes or services for particular populations. I work with veterans, first responders, active duty military, inner-city youth, people with chronic pain, people with chronic symptoms like pelvic pain or migraines, people struggling with anxiety or post-traumatic stress, oncology patients, and survivors, people feeling stuck, unhappy, or unfulfilled, exhausted or burnt out caregivers or healthcare workers, people navigating through challenging times such as transitions, grief and loss, divorce, guilt, shame, and more.

Tell us about yourself

Early on, I discovered how healing it was to personally engage in art making. I have been an artist my entire life, but as I grew up, I realized the healing power of art, which led me down a career path to first share my passion for art with others as an art teacher and then to learn to share it therapeutically as a clinical art therapist. Over the years, I worked with a variety of populations, from children to adults, with different physical or psychological health conditions and life circumstances, as well as holistically healing through my own chronic and conditional symptoms and life events. It became more and more clear how we are interconnected mind, body, soul, and space, and even when we heal one area, if we do so in an isolated way, other aspects suffer, and that we need to truly view ourselves and clients holistically for true healing to occur and for greater well-being to be achieved and maintained.

I worked as a clinical art therapist for military hospitals for almost a decade, and I created my own business so that I would be able to offer all of the tools in my toolbox when I work with clients. I am motivated each day to manage my business and show up for my clients because so many people feel like they have to accept that they are "broken" or "stuck" or feel unheard by medical providers or feel isolated and alone with their current conditions, or feel like there is nothing they can do when they are not receiving a helpful diagnosis or when medications they try don't work.

People have been taught to hand over the power of their health to others, and I love the modalities I offer because they leave clients feeling empowered and back in the driver's seat of their body, mind, emotions, health, and well-being. Especially in the military community where suicide is so pervasive, each time a client has told me they don't think they'd be here if it weren't for the work we did together, these words are etched in my mind and motivate me to wholeheartedly continue on with what I'm able to offer.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is pushing past my own hurdles to be able to put myself out there and show up consistently. Pushing past my own anxieties, limiting beliefs and fears, and others' judgments, opinions, and naysaying, again and again as I push new boundaries in my business. It is truly a spiritual journey to start and run a business, and it pushes one to dig deep and personally develop more and more each day. I am proud that I have taken the leap to take a chance on myself, and I see it as a blessing to experience owning a business.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Again, it's a spiritual journey to be a business owner. Every single step forward is up to me and starts and ends with me. I've had to learn to balance masculine and feminine energies within me in order to push and grow while also honoring my own health and wellness. People expect you to light your candle on all ends while starting a business, but a big reason I wanted to start a business was to be able to have a work-life balance, to be able to show up for others from a nourished cup as opposed to a depleted one. I've had to learn to embrace showing up as imperfectly perfect and not allowing my perfectionistic tendencies to stall me out.

Right now, I'm still early enough in my business that I'm piecing together work with many different people and organizations, which means I'm on many others' schedules. I know I work best when I chunk like tasks, so I'm working on gaining more say over when I'm available to do what. Running a business where you're the only face of the business and with the use of technology means people expect you to always be available. Working from home and mainly online has many benefits, but the lack of separation between work and home can also be draining if not managed appropriately, and this is a constant area of intentional navigation.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Take imperfect action. It is paralyzing to see the never-ending to-do list, and nothing gets done if everything needs to be perfect, especially since there is no definition of perfect and every new thing brings with it so many new things to troubleshoot. It's better to get going and to adjust and make improvements as you go, know better, and are able to do better more efficiently.
  2. Show up consistently. People need to feel that they know, like, and trust you before they'll hire you. So start showing up with your face on camera, and be yourself consistently.
  3. There is a gap between your current vision and making it a reality. Be patient with yourself and know you can't automatically be at your vision without going through the process to get there. The process is trying, but it forms us, so practice gratitude so you can find peace with the process when times get tough.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Your dream is your magic, and the world is a better place when we're all in our unique magic. If you're looking to start a business, there are gifts in working through whatever is holding you back or whatever hurdles you find along the way. If you are currently struggling with any blocks, physical or emotional challenges, or navigating through challenging times and would like to work with a practitioner who addresses you holistically as you heal and then reach and maintain your goals, please contact me! I'd love to work with you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.flourishmomentum.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082515434696
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourish_momentum/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-jones-75b65066/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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