Jaclyn Francis experienced the healing powers of Reiki when she was in her twenties and found it to be nothing short of life changing. The anxiety she was experiencing around what her future should look like, was impacting her both mentally and physically. But after her first Reiki session she felt her entire energy shift. Francis wanted to help more people find access to Reiki healers and thus her business Sesh was born. Her site connects users to a highly vetted network of Southern California Reiki healers, making the process of finding a practitioner that much easier. Today the Los Angeles-based solopreneur is figuring out how to balance her day job in advertising sales alongside managing her budding business that was launched mid-pandemic.
Francis’ story, as told to The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project:
What was your reason for starting your business?
I started Sesh because Reiki changed my life. It’s one of those things you don’t fully understand until you try it for yourself, and my experience was so life changing I found myself telling everyone about it. I even went on to become a certified Reiki Healer, which opened up the door to create what is now Sesh.
Reiki showed me just how important our personal energy is for our overall well-being, and by simply healing it so much can change within yourself and the life you’re creating. Like most people in their mid 20’s, I was dealing with a ton of anxiety and uncertainty about my life. I was never satisfied or fully happy, and was always overanalyzing my decisions and the future. I could not find a way to heal how I was feeling, both physically and emotionally, until I had my first Reiki Healing.
It made me begin to look at how society focuses so much on our physical health when it comes to self-care and why we aren’t encouraged to take care of our personal energy. Especially, if we already discovered through Quantum Physics that everything is energy. So, it has become my mission to bring energy healing to the forefront of our self-care routines by giving you a platform and brand that confidently inspires you to heal your energy.
How do you define success?
To me, success is financial freedom and to be free to live my life how I choose while not having to be tied to a certain routine or way of doing things. Peace is also included in my definition of success. I don’t think I would consider myself successful if I did not feel at peace with what I created once I step away, knowing I achieved my mission, and fulfilled my purpose.
Tell us about your biggest success to date
My biggest success to date is launching my business, Sesh. Looking back at last year, when I was originally supposed to launch in March of 2020 right when the pandemic hit and seeing how far I have come and grown as a person is truly remarkable. I have a ways to go to achieve success as I define it, but the launch of my business is just the beginning and by far the thing I am most proud of accomplishing in my life so far.
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
Our top challenge is awareness of energy healing. Either, not many people know what Reiki healing is or they know what it is, but have never tried it. Because Sesh’s mission is to bring energy healing to the forefront of one’s self-care routine, generating awareness on what the healing modality actually is, is crucial for our success. We’ve created awareness driven videos to use for marketing purposes with the goal to capture the attention of our audience. So far, from the performance metrics it is working. People are clicking and interested in what we are doing.
Have you experienced any significant personal situations that have affected your business decisions?
I’m currently self-funding my business which comes from my full time job in Advertising Sales. The balance between Sesh and my day job is manageable most of the time, but at times it is overwhelming. I need to be aware of my personal well-being and take extra time for myself. I actually book a Sesh once every other week to keep myself balanced and remove anything that is blocking me from my best self.
What is your biggest tip for other startup entrepreneurs?
Find a mentor or a coach who has created a business from the ground up before. The best way to learn is just by doing it, but you will make mistakes. So it is very important to be able to lean on someone to run decisions and questions by, especially as a solo founder.
How do you find inspiration on your darkest days?
Energy healing and meditation. If I’m ever in a rut where I feel depressed, negative, and unmotivated to the point I don’t think I’m meant to run a business (and yes there have been plenty of those days) I turn to my own business for help. Seriously. Reiki healing helps relax you into a meditate state so any ideas or downloads can come trough. It also helps remove the negative feelings so you come out much happier, positive, and inspired. If I don’t have the time to take an hour or so for healing, I will mediate for thirty minutes and then journal. Meditation isn’t as effective, but it helps! I use the Youtube channel “Meditations by Rasa” or if I want to go pretty deep I use Lacy Phillips’ “To Be Magnetic” courses.
Who is your most important role model?
Oprah, always. I remember writing a paper about her in 6th grade and my view has never changed. She is the most inspiring, humbling, generous, and successful person in my eyes. The thing I admire most about Oprah, is her voice. She knows how to speak her mind and create an impact with such grace and ease that just resonates in such a powerful way.
Check out our Advice + Tips for entrepreneurs starting-up
Watch our latest videos
Subscribe to our podcast