Don’t wait until the “perfect time” to do what you love. There is never a perfect time. Do it now!
Jeannie James is a Clinical Herbalist and the founder of HerbalJeannie.com. She is a member of the AHG (American Herbalists Guild) and has over 20 years of experience studying herbs and recommending protocols to friends and family. Jeannie has a passion for holistic health, and assisting clients to heal themselves with the help of herbs and supplements, lifestyle changes, movement, and connecting to a higher power.
Her journey began when her step-son was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer and given 20% chance to survive. Along with lots of prayer, She spent endless hours researching and coming up with an herbal protocol to support him. Several supplements, two surgeries, and a few rounds of chemotherapy later and that 20% became 100%!
Seeing the evidence of herbs working in the most chaotic of circumstances should inspire us to remember that people (and animals) have been using them for thousands of years! Jeannie personally has suffered from chronic pain, which has, in turn, caused anxiety and depression. She believes that herbs, dietary changes, and mindful movement have allowed her to live a more fulfilling life without all the side effects of pharmaceuticals.
Jeannie’s formal Herbal Education includes:
*Global College of Natural Medicine – Master Herbalist program
*Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine – taught by Paul Bergner, a well-known herbalist and educator who has many projects, including starting a still successful school here in Boulder, CO. His feedback for her included: “Your formulas knocked me out, they are all three great…all professional level. You have done really good work on the course, I would put you in the top 10% of the more than 400 people who have taken it, I am sending you a certificate ‘with honors.’”
*The Herbal Academy – Clinical Herbalist program
HerbalJeannie’s clinical philosophy is to work on the root causes of the things that are preventing us from living our best lives. The goal is to support the body to heal itself.
Thank you for being a part of this journey!
Where did the idea for your company come from?
I wanted an online platform that allowed people to reach out as their schedule allowed, and allowed me to help people in all areas that may not have the time or resources to travel to me in an office.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I am a morning person, so I am on warp speed in the morning. Along with my calendar, I keep running task lists on post-its. I usually start my day between 6am and 7am reviewing and updating social media, and checking emails. Then, by 8am I am working through emails and drafting recommendations for clients. Throughout the day, I am also checking my post-its and working on those. I am task oriented so it’s really satisfying to check things off my list.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I am a big idea person, but I usually need to bounce ideas off of someone I trust to help me come up with a plan of action.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The societal shift back to natural medicine. It’s so exciting to watch the light bulb come on. Modern medicine is in the business of sickness. That’s how they make money. They tend to give you a pill for a symptom, then another pill to treat the side effects of the first pill. Before you know it, you’re on many medications that are most times just making you sicker! Herbal Medicine is holistic, getting to the root of the issues, and moving you towards health, not just giving you a pill for a symptom. It’s also about all areas of your life working synergistically. If you hate your job, it will affect your health, and so on.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
My calendar, with alarms…and my post-its! Also, knowing that I am a morning person and working my time management around that. I’m not going to start something that requires a lot of energy and thought late in the day.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t wait until the “perfect time” to do what you love. There is never a perfect time. Do it now!
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
A cup of herbal tea can change your day. Though I would say many of us “Herbies” believe that!
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I was a corporate accountant before starting Herbal Jeannie. Working in that environment taught me to prioritize, then reprioritize, and constantly look for ways to improve and learn and streamline processes. “Work smarter, not harder!”
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Working with people who know what you don’t! Don’t expect to know it all and do it all. I hire people smarter than me in the areas of Media, Marketing, Web Design, etc.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
My launch was a complete failure…not one client! I allowed myself to mourn that, then got back up and worked on figuring out why it happened and what I needed to do differently.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I would love a natural pharmacy that would drop ship herbal products and custom blends for me to order and direct ship to my clients.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Master Media System – Marketing and Media 12-week course.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Evernote. I have all my herbal monographs, personal notes, protocols and recipes in there, and I can search on them to find what I am looking for.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
The Clan of the Cave Bear. It’s about the crux of caveman evolving into modern man, but the parts I especially enjoy involve the Medicine Woman and all of her herbs and natural remedies. It’s fiction, but has a lot of real life information on herbs in it, and reminds us that we’ve been relying on herbs for thousands of years!
What is your favorite quote?
“The person who takes medicine must recover twice, once from the disease and once from the medicine.” ~William Osler, MD
Key learnings:
• People and animals have been using herbs for thousands of years
• Herbalism works synergistically at the root of the problem, not on symptoms themselves.
• A holistic protocol may include diet, lifestyle, and movement along with herbal medicine. They all work together!
• Work with your strengths when honing your time management skills
Connect:
www.herbaljeannie.com
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.