We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Jayne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I recently quit my day job to focus on Manduh’s Reiki Bakery. I was working for a regional utility company. I didn’t love the job but the steady stream of income helped me feel secure. Although this job provided everything I needed – stability, flexible schedule, and it was part time. I still felt this constant push to leave this job behind. Each day upon waking up to my alarm clock, my spirit guides would give me gentle reminders that I didn’t have to wake up to an alarm. That instead I could put all of my energy and focus into my business. I could do this by creating custom cakes, learning new recipes, finding local events in which I could have a “pop up shop”, focusing on my spiritual education at Camp Chesterfield, and spending time healing my nervous system and inner child. After about 2 months of debating this with spirit, I gave in. I picked at date in January of 2024 and submitted my resignation. The following week, I was unable to log into this company’s system. I took this as a sign that it was time to go ahead and leave the company. I immediately felt a huge relief as I turned in the equipment. I have since then been focused on myself and my business. It has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences in my lifetime. Overcoming the daily challenges and reaching my small business goals have shown me so much. I have learned that as long as I put in the work, the universe will meet me half way. Sometimes even more. I have grown and developed my mediumship skills in ways I had never thought possible. I now feel like I’ve accomplished something when I lay my head down at night. This is my purpose. I’m so grateful to have that realization.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As a child, I loved to be in the kitchen. I would help my elders create delcious foods. When I was about 10 years old, I was allowed to follow recipes in my grandma’s kitchen. She helped teach me the importance of measuring correctly and making sure the oven was set at the correct temp. As I got older, I focused on other things and put baking to the side. When my daughter was turning 14, I decided to try to make her birthday cake. I had grown tired of grocery store cakes. Between the basic designs and lack of flavor, I didn’t want to support these bakeries any longer. While, I wasn’t sure that I could master cake decoration, I knew I could bake. I had this inner knowing that I could successfully decorate a Hello Kitty cake for my precious daughter. So, I went to Walmart and purchased everything I needed to create the cake. It was a hit! Not only was the flavor amazing, I was able to make the cutest little Hello Kitty cake. After this, I started getting requests from friends and family to make their celebration cakes. I am a self taught baker. Which means, I have watched a lot of tutorials on YouTube. I then purchase the tools and attempt the techniques. This all started in 2015. We are almost 10 years in and I’m just now feeling like I’m truly succeeding.

The spiritual journey came a bit later. In 2019, I was really struggling in life. Emotional, physical, and spiritually. I was having what some would call a tower moment. Everything was crumbling around me. During this turmoil, I was given the opportunity to attend a women’s retreat in Massachusetts. The event was the Glowing Goddess Getaway. I was asked to sign up as a volunteer, which provided me a ticket to the event at no cost. I drove overnight and much of the next day with a group of women that I now call my sisters. When we finally made it to the campground, we were greeted by women from all different parts of the country. I met some of my dearest friends on this day. During this retreat, I was having visions of my ancestors that had passed away decades prior. I was seeing and hearing my Mamaw Janice and her mother Virginia tell me that I was a witch! Telling me that they were witches as well but couldn’t live it out loud. They told me that I didn’t go through my trauma to just lay down and die. I went through this trauma so that I could help others overcome their trauma. They were encouraging me to live a life I am proud of. To just follow the nudges from spirit and they will lead me to my best life. I could also hear, see and feel the presence of my brother, PJ, who was also in spirit. He was telling me that he didn’t want me to be sad about his passing any longer. He would much prefer it if I dropped the guilt and sadness that surrounded his passing and replace those feelings with gratitude. He reminded me that he was my first friend. He reminded me how much we laughed and played as children. I leaned into that. I left that retreat feeling like a new person. Not really knowing how I would accomplish the things the spirits suggested but knowing they must be done. The first couple of years were challenging. I was couch surfing as I searched to find my purpose. This lead me to Chesterfield, IN.

During 2020, the world was at a stand still. My dear friend Janae, was having difficulties finding proper child care for her daugher. She had posted on social media repeatedly that she needed a babysitter. I felt this knowing that it was supposed to be me. I reached out to Janae and eventually moved to Chesterfield to help her with her daughter. During my time there, Janae took me to a place called Camp Chesterfield. Camp Chesterfield is a beautiful property owned and maintained by the Indiana Association of Spiritualists. Upon entering this property, I felt like I have been here before. I felt like I was home. Growing up with no security, this feeling was new to me. I leaned into my curiosity. I learned that there are mediums who live on the grounds of Camp Chesterfield. These mediums teach others how to become mediums, spiritual healers and metaphysicians. I learned that they were not doing in person church services during covid, but were hosting online services via Zoom. When I attended my first service, I was amazed! The services are led by Camp Chesterfield certified mediums, as well as guest mediums. The services include a meditation, a sermon and then messages from loved ones and guides in spirit. The mediums give gallery style messages to the attendees. My mind was blown! Going to online services at Camp Chesterfield became a Sunday ritual. While I wasn’t confident enough to attend any classes or services in person, I had a knowing that there was something extremely special about Camp Chesterfield and the connection I felt to this place.

In 2021, I moved back to Indianapolis. During this time, I decided to become certified as a reiki practitioner. I attended a certification weekend, hosted by Reiki Master, Christine Eartheart. I had no idea why I was being lead to recieve this certification but I knew it was an important step. After becoming a a certified reiki practioner, I was called back to Chesterfield. My friend Janae had moved from her home and purchased a home in another city. Her home was sitting empty and she was looking for a buyer. Spirit was nudging me once again to make a move. They were suggesting that I talk to Janae about buying the home on contract. I actually went to Camp Chesterfield to meditate on this. I found my favorite spot by the Native American statue and took my shoes off. I placed the soles of my feet on a tree and asked, Should I do this move back to Chesterfield? I could feel the energy of the tree making waves within my body. I heard a soft and loving voice tell me, yes – this is a part of your destiny. A few weeks later, I was moving into the home. After getting settled in a bit, I started attending in person events at Camp Chesterfield. I was a vendor at their festivals, May Fest and Spirit Fest. I started joining in person services on Sunday. I started taking classes through Chesterfield Spiritualist College. One of my teachers, Rev Meg Wolsiffer, approached me so lovingly and invited me to her mediumship development classes. Since then, I have grown so much as a spiritualist and medium. I have actually been given the blessing of being a message bearer at a couple of Camp Chesterfield services.

I have officially named my business Manduh’s Reiki Bakery. Reiki is infused into every product I create. While I started with creating custom cakes, I have expanded to offering more baked goods such as cinnamon rolls, kolaczki cookies, and brownies. I offer mediumship readings, intuitive reiki sessions as well as baked goods. I now do “pop ups” at special events and festivals. I am a proud volunteer for Icing Smiles, a non profit that provides celebration cakes at no cost for children with medical issues. I truly belive that my past and the way I’ve grown through it sets me apart from other businesses. I have the empathetic ability to relate to people in ways that others cannot. I infuse reiki into my baked goods and that helps to heal the souls of my clients. My baked goods are so delicous and filling because of the extra energy and love that I put into all of it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I lesson I had to unlearn was people pleasing. In the past, I would focus more on making other happy than I would on making myself happy. I eventually realized that I was pouring from an empty cup. While my loved ones felt supported and loved, I was feeling drained and resentful. Spirit lead me to the realization that it’s ok to say no. That I should only say yes if I feel a fire inside that excites me. I learned it was ok to not respond immediately to any request. Taking this time to not only fill up my cup but to use my discernment to discover what is truly best for me, has helped me so much. I feel less anxiety and tension. I have less resentments and regrets. I learned that the best thing to do is take care of myself first and anything else can come after.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I could go back, I would definitely choose the same profession. Actually I would have started this journey much sooner. Although my trauma led me here, I often daydream about how successful I would be now had I started this spiritual journey right out of high school.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sites.google.com/view/manduhsreikibakery/home?authuser=0
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manduhsreikibakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CakesByManduh