Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shawnti Refuge, Owner of Shawnti Refuge Journals, located in Houston, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Shawnti Refuge Journals has a series of guided journals to help you to help yourself heal from emotional and mental health issues and traumas.
Tell us about yourself
Before I started using guided journals, I was living life, but not the life I wanted. I was busy taking care of family & work, but not myself. I was mentally & physically tired all the time but felt I had to keep pushing because that’s what a wife & mother was supposed to do, right?
In the meantime, while “living life”, my inner child started acting out. She was demanding attention, but at the time, I didn’t know that. All the issues that I buried needed to be addressed, and I couldn’t hold them in any longer. I became sad, angry, mean, irritable, and cried continuously.
I eventually sought professional help but was provided with drugs. I didn’t want to be medicated; I wanted to heal. My therapist encouraged me to start journaling to deal with the issues I had buried and forgotten about that had started to resurface. I tried regular journaling, where I would just write in a notebook, but that didn’t work for me.
I needed guidance in my writing to stick to the issues and work through them one at a time. This is where I found guided journaling. Guided journaling helps you commit to mindfulness and can help you improve mental health through structured, reflective writing prompts, guided questions, and affirmations.
Since guided journaling helped me, I had to bring mental health awareness to the forefront and encourage others to begin their healing process through guided journaling.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is showing the world that they are not alone when it comes to past and recurring issues and that it is definitely possible to work through them without the need for prescribed medications. I give people hope for a better future if they do the work.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For me being in the Health & Wellness field, the hardest thing is to get people to face the within (mental & emotional) and not so much on the outside (physical). I advocate for healing from the inside out, and sometimes it's hard to compete with cosmetics, clothing, etc., because people want instant gratification, and healing from the inside out is not instant. It takes dedication and work to heal from emotional and mental traumas/issues.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find your niche and make sure that you're passionate about it.
- Do your research and keep researching to cultivate your business and your clients.
- Never give up, even during the times when it seems like it's all in vain. It's not! You are here to serve a purpose!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://shawntirefugejournals.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawntirefugejournals
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawntirefugejournals/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/srefugejournals
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawntirefuge/
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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