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

Hi Jaclyn, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

nurturing my audience (sometimes they follow a long time before they trust you) sending gifts and notes
connecting with people (going the extra mile)

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jaclyn, I am 40 . I am very active and love to hike, workout and walk with my dog Luna. I used to be a hairstylist for 12 years. I was always sick as a baby into teen years and then having a career in such a toxic work environment was not helping their issue. I started to become so sick that I could barely get out of bed most days. I was having pains attacks, chronic coughing and my digestive issues were next level. I decided after 12 years of doing what I thought I loved, that I needed to quit. It took 2 solid years for me to figure out my next path. Worked in retail and became certified as a trainer but as I started to heal, I realized it was the food that was making the real change. After years of trying to figure out the root of my gut and anxiety issues, it turns out, all I had to do was focus on food as my medicine and lifestyle changes. I knew there had to be more and it became my mission to help people feel this good in their bodies too. The biggest thing that sets me apart from any other coach out there is that I know exactly what it feels like to be completely overwhelmed and frustrated with your body. I have seen and felt the depths of chronic illness to the point where I thought I was going to die. I know that many people feel ;ike that on a daily basis. Knowing what I know now, it feels like I hold a secret to beating illness yet all it really is, is going back to your roots. I am proud of pulling myself out of that and being of service to over 100 women helping them heal their bodies too. When I look at my business, I cannot believe how far I’ve co0me and that I was able to build something this solid after barely getting out of bed. My most important message for the people who struggle out there is that you are not alone. Millions of people are struggling with chronic illness but it can be brushed off by modern medicine and not hacked properly. You CAN feel normal; again. If I can do it you can too, you just have to be willing to make small changes to get there.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Years ago, I was married. Being married with a chronic illness is hard because it’s almost impossible for the other person to help you since they have no idea what you are going through. It makes the sick one feel alone and the healthy one feel helpless. On one particular day, I was feeling pretty sluggish but we had plans to go to a friend’s house and hang out for her birthday. My ex husband was going to meet me there after work. I showered reluctantly and then stood in my closet trying to put together something to wear that didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. As I tried to figure something out, my anxiety started building. I became light headed and stumbled to the floor. I tried a few times to get up out my body was stuck, I felt 500 pounds lying there. I felt the panic arise. My heart pounded and I started sweating. I kept trying to calm myself down and say “just get up,” but I couldn’t. For about another 20 minutes, I had to endure the pain. The attack finally passed and that was the m,oment when I knew I had to make a major change. This was not how I was going to let my days go anymore, I could no longer live like this. I pushed through and made it out. Even though that was probably the 30th time that happened to me, I knew it was the last.Something shifted, I was no longer willing to accept this as my life. From that day forward I never had a panic attack again.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

After years of feeling good in my body and building my business, I hit a wall. I could feel my body starting to hurt again. Digestive issues coming back, fatigue setting in.I tried to ignore it knowing that I was eating the right foods, exercising properly and taking supplements to keep it at bay but the symptoms persisted and eventually swung me into a 2 week flare up that took me down. I kept racking my brain at what was going on trying to make sense of how I had been healthy for so long and would’ve gotten this sick. I went to my naturopath to get some support and she ran some tests. Low and behold, I had adrenal fatigue. After years of being healthy, I had pushed myself into this flare up because I was hustling in my business so hard I stressed every part of my endocrine system and my body shut down. This is when I learned balance. I am so passionate about what I do for others that I ignored myself. Working on the computer all hours, skipping sleep to finish a program, stressing out about clients’ health. I did it again the same way I did it when I was doing hair. I put everyone else in front of me. Unlearning this, setting boundaries and having balance, was one of the hardest habits I had to change. I grew up thinking you always did for others but never learned it could not be at the expense of your own health. Now, in my business, I have set those boundaries and know my limits to keep me well in the process. What’s the point of it if you can’t enjoy it?

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jaclynreneewellness.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jaclynreneewellness.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaclynreneewellness
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com

Image Credits
Megan @ The Culinary Nest