We were lucky to catch up with Jordiana Chevalier recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jordiana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Naming my business took me a few weeks, because I didn’t have a name before the dream. The name of my business actually came from the movie Moana, which is wild to think about now. There is something about that movie that deeply resonates with me and my own journey of healing.

I was in a coaching session seeking guidance on how to label my business. I kept coming back to the scene where baby Moana wanted to go to the ocean, but instead stopped to help a little turtle by holding a leaf over it to keep the birds at bay, so it could have a fighting chance of reaching the sea.

My entire mission is to help all the “Little Jordi’s of the world” as I call the women I serve, because in my heart I see my clients as their inner child version. I have experienced a lot of traumas in the past, and healing has led me to my true purpose and calling in life of serving these women so powerfully each day. I see us all as strong and capable of reaching the next level of healing, and freedom, (as the turtle reaches the ocean) and sometimes, we just need a little help along the way.

I envisioned myself as their cheerleader, holding my light to help them see their shadows, so they could retrace the steps back to themselves. The name of my business is “Journey Thru the Darkness” and every time I share with people where it came from and what it means to me, they are always shocked that a kid’s movie had such an impact in my life. In my heart we are all wounded inner children in grown up bodies, and we all deserve to heal.

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?

Absolutely. I am a Spiritual Life Coach, Business Mentor, Human Design Practitioner and Reiki Level 2 Practitioner. I used to lead a life like most people: working a 9-5 in corporate America, having the home, the marriage, the boat, but having lost myself along the way.

I think my healing journey began after my divorce in 2016. I had been married for about 4 years, deeply unhappy, in that relationship since I was 21. I recall people asking me “Jordi, what are you going to do with your life” and me having no idea who I was, what I liked, or where the future was leading me. I spent 2 years running from an abusive ex-husband who just wouldn’t allow me to move on. It seemed wherever I went, he always followed, and this lack of safety turned into depression, PTSD, drinking, running from my emotions, and so much more. In 2018, it all came to a head when the police lieutenant who had been working with me during those 2 awful years said, “you have 2 options: buy a gun, or leave Texas.”

So later that year, I was able to transfer with my job to Florida, and it seems like I was led here to finally find myself. It started with dating the wrong person, and realizing I needed help. This led me to therapy, then spirituality, and shortly after coaching. As I was healing, all my childhood memories flooded back, and I finally understood why I had married my trauma; why I was deeply unhappy, and why I chose to self-destruct and settle for a life that looked good on the outside, but felt empty and unfulfilling on the inside.

Once I started healing everything changed. I started finding meaning in my life, and in who I am here to serve. I know first-hand the pain of not knowing who you are, of being limited by your circumstances and upbringing, and how you can be imprisoned within your own mind as it tries to keep you safe. I realized that growth is in the things that scare you, and that someone had to be willing to walk with you in those dark moments to help you find your light. I became the woman I needed, and I serve the women whose inner child is crying out for help, the way mine did.

The “little Jordi’s” (as I call my clients) are the children I am helping and saving by helping women confront their pain and trauma as they raise them, or before they have them. I remember what it was like to be a child who was pure joy and was taught to fit into a perfectly sized box to make other people comfortable. I was the external blueprint of success, but I had lost the young girl inside of me who found joy in the little things. I watch women be “too busy” to see their kids, or to know what’s going on in their lives. Sometimes they are in the room and still miss a lot. I know that pain firsthand as physical abuse, sexual abuse, and the pressure to be perfect so as not to upset anyone where placed on me from a very young age (5 years old).

My reason for being alive are those kids who can’t speak for themselves, whether that kid is the child of my client, or the child within my client that needs support. I am here for them. I use the tool of Human Design to help women understand who they really are at a core level, how they were designed, and to show them based on our conversation where they may be experiencing conditioning. We then work through coaching, EFT tapping, inner work assignments and energy healing to help them release anything that is standing in the way of their potential, and who they came to be.

Once a woman knows who she is, she is unstoppable. My mission is to give your essence back to you!

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

When I first started taking clients, I found myself giving unsolicited advice, and overstepping when it came to how they could approach their problems. I realized that this behavior created co-dependency instead of empowering someone to be able to develop the critical skills to do for themselves. A lot of the time we assume our clients know less than us, and in some ways, they do, but what they don’t know they are in the process of learning and it’s our job to help them experience it and learn from it as it goes.
Some of my clients are now some of my greatest teachers, as I see them overcome and reach their goals, they expand what I even thought was possible for me. It is magical to see someone step in their power when your brain may have underestimated them. I learned that we are all made of the same thing and capable of so much more than we can imagine.

Sometimes we judge people’s lives and what they are going through, and want to step in and save them, and fix the situation. If you check in with yourself you will realize that who you are is because of what you have been through; the people who change the world are the people who go through the hardships and overcome them.

The lesson for me was major, and I see people as capable, and no one that is at the top didn’t go through any hardships. So instead of judging or comparing, I celebrate them and thank them for showing me what is possible for me.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The moment that came to mind was when I realized I could no longer do the corporate lifestyle. I started my business in 2020 and was working a full-time job at the same time. The idea of the American dream I had attained, but although it looked great on the surface, deep down my soul was yearning for something more. I was chasing true happiness, not just “good enough.” Having to work 12–14-hour days, was just not cutting it.

The decision to pivot from the corporate world to starting my own business did not come easy, but once my mind was made up, I leapt into the unknown. I had a few months of savings, and truly had given myself 3 months, and a coach to make it work. Looking back, I don’t know what came over me, because I was unprepared in so many ways, but once you have decided the timing is right, the decision unlocks the reward.

Stepping into entrepreneurship full time meant I had to give up my safety net and venture into uncharted territory. I am, however, the kind of person who learns through experience. You could tell me about fire, or I could touch it—I will always choose to touch it, even if I get burned.

In the early days a lot of doubt and uncertainty would creep into my mind. I had moments when I questioned my decision, as it felt like an uphill battle. But, amidst the challenges I refused to entertain the thought of going back. Deep within my heart, I knew this was the path I was meant to follow. I knew that the desire to create something meaningful is what kept me going. I was determined to make this pivot work, to build something that resonated with my soul and allowed me to make a difference in the world.

I hit a low point 6 months in where I felt the urge to give up on myself. Doubt and insecurities were plaguing my mind, so I decided to be brave and vulnerable, and ask for the help I needed. I wrote a post in a Facebook group sharing how hard it is to be an entrepreneur and asking to connect with anyone who could provide guidance or advice. Within hours, over 400 ladies responded, and I went from not having any movement to hosting a networking event via zoom. I ended up inviting the owner of the group to join us after sending her a heartfelt thank you for allowing me to post, and now that event brings together over 500 women weekly.

Learning to put myself out there, and being open and willing to try new things provided a sense of clarity and purpose. Now two years later, I am still standing strong and doing better than ever.

As I reflect on my experience of venturing into the unknown that is entrepreneurship, not only am I grateful for the journey, but I would not change a single part of my experience for anything. The puzzle slowly started to fall into place, and I am now a business mentor, helping new businesses rise, so they do not have to experience the low points I did before reaching success.

I stand on the other side of that transition now, and while the road was rocky, I found my footing. The decision to pivot was a defining moment that allowed me to align my passion with my profession. It has been an incredible journey of growth, learning and self-discovery.

My advice to anyone contemplating a similar life transition is to trust yourself, embrace the unknown, and surround yourself with a supportive network. The path may be challenging, but the rewards are immeasurable. And remember, sometimes the best experiences in life come from taking a leap of faith and believing in your own potential to create something truly remarkable

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.journeythruthedarkness.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeythruthedarkness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordii.chevalier
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCadt3QF9b7r1a2AleFSNdrQ

Image Credits
Tina Smith Photography