We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Marinos recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Man this one always makes me tear up…..When I became pregnant with my son it was the shock of a lifetime! His dad and I did not work out romantically very early on, but he’s stayed a wonderfully solid fixture in our sons life. After we parted ways I was struggling significantly mentally and financially. I wasn’t able to work the 12-14 hours days anymore like I was used to to make ends meet, and was suffering from what I now understand was postpartum depression.

One Tuesday evening when my son was 2 years old, I was feeling an upswing and wanted to take him out on a little mommy/son dinner date. We both love sushi…I know what you’re thinking “A 2 year old who likes sushi?!”…but he’s obsessed still at 7 years old! I needed to make sure we went during happy happy to save on the bill, and had to calculate each roll in my head to make sure I didn’t go over my $35 dinner budget. About half way through dinner 2 women sitting next to us started to chat my kiddo up; giggling, making funny faces, him playing hide and seek – all the cute kid things! I didn’t think anything of it at the time, just some nice people paying attention to my son and appreciating how sweet he was.

That was until I asked our server for the bill and she told me it was already taken care of! No words can describe properly what I was feeling in that moment. Even as I write this I am fighting off the tears. Our interaction was swift and would seem uneventful to most. They wanted to offer a sweet gesture and buy our dinner, but what they didn’t know was the struggle it took me to get dressed to get to that restaurant, the worry I felt every time I wanted to order more food and it going over what I could afford, and the guilt I felt for not being able to take care of my son mentally and financially the way I thought a “good” mom would.

I never got to thank those women as they left before I found out they paid for our dinner, but I will forever be grateful to them for offering me a bright moment in time when things felt so very dark.

Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a certified postnatal doula and holistic baby/toddler nutritionist. I offer placenta encapsulation services as well. My support is very parent centered, making sure the feel seen and heard at all times and get whatever is needed in their day-to-day. I started my doula journey with an agency, but went out on my own almost a year ago to make sure I could provide the absolute best support that I align with for my clients. I have felt so very honored to have been a part of all my families postpartum stories, and look forward to so many more to come!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start?

I am completely self funded, which is why I am still small but that’s okay!! I created my own website, marketing, content etc and am mostly self taught in those avenues. Being that I am not a large agency I can start small with just a website and some social media handles. Eventually I added scheduling and integration systems, cannot recommend Honeybook enough!!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sacredhandscenter.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sacredhandscenter
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sacredhandscenter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sacred-hands/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sacred-hands-phoenix