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

Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. 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?

‘No Risks, No Rewards.’ Early on in my adult life I recognized that what most people settle for as a safe, comfortable life just didn’t do it for me. I had checked all the boxes, but I was bored, unfulfilled and lacked purpose. I remember moving offices at my job at the school district and I was assigned the desk by the second story window. I had a view and natural light. My co-worker looked over at me and said, ‘You are so lucky that you get this view for the next 25 years.’ I felt as though she handed over a life sentence. Thankfully at this time I had already started building my doTERRA business on the side and was beginning to see a light at the end of tunnel. Two years after starting my business I took the biggest risk of my life. I left the job that everyone around me labeled as safe. A stable income, great health benefits, a pension and retirement, summers and holidays off. Very few people understood it. But, I knew in my heart I was made for more. I knew I could help more people outside of that office and I believed in myself and my dream.
That was almost six years ago and I have not looked back. I have continued to grow my business, help 1,000’s of people and make an impact. Your dreams are worth chasing and if someone doesn’t understand your dream, don’t waste your time defending your dream, find a circle who not only gets your dream but fully supports you in chasing your dream.
Nothing kills a dream faster than talking to people who never took the risk to chase their own dreams.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been fascinated with the physical body, how it functions, how to heal it and optimize since a young age. This passion has only grown throughout my life.

It led me down the road to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a certified yoga instructor. We are the most powerful asset when it comes to our health and wellness.

My passion for learning turn a sharp turn toward natural health and wellness after I was in a very severe accident in the summer of 2009. I was given solutions many of us are familiar with, narcotics, injections, disability…..and I wanted more, so I went out and found my own!

I spent 5 1/2 years in a level of aches and pains that limited every aspect of my life. In my late 20’s I had to decide if I was going to cook dinner, or do laundry, I was unable to do both. It was a very humbling time.

After 5 1/2 years I was “very reluctantly” introduced to doTERRA essential oils. I can honestly say I thought they were snake oils. But, I was willing to try anything! So I dove in and gave them a try. Much to my amazement I started to feel better day after day. I was amazed, grateful, humbled and I couldn’t stop telling people about them.

Fast forward to 2018, I found myself in an extremely toxic marriage, drinking large amounts of wine to make it through my days.

On the outside I looked happy, but on the inside I was lost, scared and didn’t know how to turn my life around.
I finally gained the courage and community I needed to leave my marriage and start over. A year later in the summer of 2019 I was officially divorced, cut alcohol out of my life, got off birth control after 19 years and began the journey of loving myself again. I began to truly heal.

My focus was on letting go of habits that were not working for me and welcoming in new habits that helped me to feel good in my skin both physically and emotionally.

The following summer Dr. Owen and I began our incredible love story spending almost as much time upside down as right side up.

We are excited for the journey ahead of marriage and children and have been working together to prepare our bodies and minds for conception, pregnancy and child birth.

My biggest passion now is to help women crate clarity around simple daily habits to help them start prioritizing their health while still being the best wife, mother and friend to those they love.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I always remind myself that a boss tells people what to do, and a leader does it with them. One of the amazing things I get to do with my business is link arms with other amazing people and help them chase their dreams and build their businesses. I have not been perfect at this, and have learned a lot along the way. However, the biggest lesson I have learned is authenticity and delegation are key. Let your team know what you are dealing with in life, normalize the conversations around the ups and downs and let people know it is ok to come to your for help. When I first started my business I was in survival mode in an abusive marriage and I tried to hide that from everyone around me. What ended up happening is I pushed my team away and it severely impacted my business. When I let the walls down and shared my journey with them we became more of a support for one another. Now when people are struggling and/or doing really well, we come together as a team to help and celebrate.
When you have this community feel to your team it becomes easier to delegate. I use to do everything myself because it was easier that way, but the power is in training yourself out of a job. I want my weekly calls and community to run without me and the more I delegate, the more it does. People feel empowered and take more ownership in the mission. It is a beautiful thing!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

My favorite part of my home is the floor to ceiling book shelves on either side of the fireplace in the living room. There are so many books that have impacted my life and business, but if I have to narrow it down here are two.

The Compound Effect – Darren Hardy
The Go Giver – Bob Burg and John David Mann

In summary, the little things we do each and every day and the amount we serve others are the keys to our success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.drjennifershaw.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturalwellnesstips/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/naturalwellnesstips/?sub_confirmation=1

Image Credits
The photos of Owen and I: Moon Crest Media https://mooncrestmedia.com/