Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jewelle Zehr, Founder of The Art of Onward, located in Fort Wayne, ID, USA.

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

Hi, my name is Jewelle; I help people heal and rebuild their life after trauma. Complex PTSD caused by Narcissistic abuse (as well as other types of abuse) often includes debilitating symptoms like depression, anxiety, and frequently, a loss of truth. Caught in a trauma bond with the abuser along with the mental torture of toxic thought structures, the victim often gets stuck. This does not need to be a life sentence; my program has proven itself repeatedly to break the trauma bond, massively decrease depression and anxiety to nearly non-existent, and create an intentionally renewed sense of self. My clients have consistently reported all these results while also achieving the goals they hardly dared to voice prior to our work together.

Tell us about yourself

The strategies I use to help my clients are the very same that have saved my own life and continue to aid my layers of recovery. Yes, I am a domestic violence survivor myself, and I nearly died during my immediate recovery after emergency surgery had me unwilling to continue this life. For years, I felt I had a strong understanding of the mind/body connection until I had a cyst the size of a melon grow almost overnight (within four weeks) in my belly three months after my own trauma came to its peak.

About a year after this incident, I decided to become a certified life coach; since then, took a myriad of other courses and am now following my newly defined soul purpose of helping as many others as I can to recover from their traumas.

I’ve always believed the power of the story would heal the world with increased awareness and compassion; I never thought it would be my own story of survival and recovery that would make the impact I am here to facilitate.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My initial response to this question is the new, healthy lives my clients are living. I continue to check in with them months and years after they’ve completed my program. The successes of my clients are my primary source of inspiration.

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

The most difficult thing about my coaching work is making sure I carve time out for my own needs and maintain a healthy work/life balance for both myself and my family.

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

  1. The first thing I suggest, if you are looking to build your own business, is to define and have a deep understanding of your why. This is the only thing that will carry you through the tough days when you know why you continue to receive inspiration as to your how.
  2. The second thing I suggest has a coach or mentor who has walked in your shoes and can guide you to and through all the things you don’t know you don’t know, and who will be your biggest cheerleader as you take one step after the other toward your future.
  3. The third thing would be to really establish a strong mindset routine you use daily. Write yourself a letter of commitment. A promissory note, if you will outlining your why and filled with inspiring visions of your future. Read this letter as a part of your mindset work every day. I’ve been there, so this is pure experience speaking: without mindset work and keeping a healthy mental state, the rest will fall apart.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

During these times, depression is at an all-time high. If you know anyone suffering, please check in with them on a regular basis. Keep the conversation portal open, so if they are ready to speak, they know there is someone ready to listen - and truly hear.

Almost every one of my clients has had strong suicidal ideations, if not attempts, in their past. You can help by providing a safe place and an open heart. If you are interested in reading more advice or even more about my story, feel free to visit my blog.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.theartofonward.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JewelleZehr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewelle_zehr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jewellezehr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachjewellezehr/

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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