We were lucky to catch up with Jeanice Durrah recently and have shared our conversation below.

In 2019, I lived in Charlotte, NC, teaching at a studio weekly. At the end of 2019, the studio announced they were closing. During this time, my company announced that my entire team at work would be let go, and a nonprofit I was partnering with decided to shift gears and begin a new program for the following year. That was a massive time of change and shifts for me, without even being aware of what would come in the following year.

I was honestly devastated, but in that, an idea was born. I started working on my first-ever private group community class, Gratitude Sunday.

The studio that closed offered event room bookings, so I stepped out on faith and rented a room for the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I ignored my fears and began to advertise on my social media accounts about the upcoming class.

The class sold out within a few days and provided me with my first-ever clients and pivoted the way I would do business from that point forward.

In the years 2017/2018, I began to experience anxiety without genuinely understanding why or what anxiety was at the time. Once I gained an understanding of what I was dealing with, I researched methods that I could incorporate into my life to help me fight against what I was battling.

My journey with anxiety led me to take yoga and to embody the practice truly. Learning the power of meditation and yoga was so beneficial and life-changing that I wanted to share this practice with others. I not only wanted to share it with others, but I also wanted to incorporate my faith into my training, so I searched for schools that would teach me a Christian style of yoga. Once certified, I began teaching at a studio and eventually began teaching private group community classes under my business.

My classes are a yin style of yoga, and they are all slow, meditative flows that help my clients to be still and truly hear what God is speaking to them this season. My goal is to help my clients work through the uncomfortable areas of their lives and learn how to process in a healthy manner what they are facing.

Jeanice Sherai, LLC’s mission is to promote whole minds and present moments in every life we encounter. Our vision is to see a world free from anxiety.

We offer privately booked group and 1:1 yoga, meditation, and silent retreat classes. We also offer workshops on meditation and mindset for organizations. We provide a donation-based 5 am silent retreat session for our clients on Wednesday mornings.

The one thing I am most proud of concerning my business is that when my clients complete a class, they instantly can feel the difference. They become more excited about their mental wellness and the practices that will help them take it seriously. I honestly can see the difference in the lives of my clients, and it is both rewarding and fulfilling.

Our goal is to continue to offer services that help our clients to be present and see the beauty in the moments before them. We live in a digital world, so offering a space that will allow our clients to disconnect and connect within is paramount for our business and the lives of the clients we encounter.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is to hustle and promote like everyone else is doing to be successful. There is so much about how to market yourself and use the algorithm on social media, and although this is great wisdom and absolutely a great tool. I had to unlearn this lesson for my business.

I realized that if I wanted to help my clients learn the power of disconnecting to connect within and train and teach them the power of meditation and yoga, I had to embody this behavior in my personal life. I began to sit still and disconnect to understand the best direction to take when operating in my business. Taking time to implement what I was teaching and promoting in my business on a personal level led me on a different route. It led me to take a route of less hustle and more intentional work on what I am building and creating.

The best source of new clients for me has been through personal connections and word of mouth. Your brand and reputation will carry you a long way. I have been recommended numerous times by individuals who’ve used my services previously and wanted to share with others what they experienced.