“Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us.”
~Susan L. Taylor
What do you believe about yourself? Do you believe that you can do anything? Do you believe that you can make an impact in the world we live in? Well, I sure hope so because like the quote above what we believe is what usually comes true! Mindset is everything and I truly do believe that everything begins with our mind…how we think and what we believe! I want to encourage you today to set your mind on the right intentions everyday! Fill it up with positive thoughts! When we do this we are able to continue on our journeys with a belief knowing that we can do anything we put our minds to, no matter what comes our way!
In celebration of Women’s History month, I wanted to share with you the 8 best superfoods proven to support women’s energy levels and add nourishment to the body! Adding these superfoods will allow you to feel more energetic and empowered, allowing you to successfully take on everything you need to accomplish for the day! It’s true, women wear many hats and oftentimes we put others’ needs before our own. With this being said, it is vital to our overall health and wellbeing that we be intentional about eating the right foods to nourish our body so we can show up as our best selves and accomplish all of our “to-do’s in a healthy way! If we don’t it can lead to burnout and no one wants to travel down that path.
Here are the best superfoods for women’s health:
#1 Pumpkin Seeds – Best for PMS Symptoms
#2 Avocado – Best for Healthy Weight
#3 Dark Leafy Greens – Best for Prenatal Health
#4 Salmon – Best for Bone Health
#5 Beans & Legumes – Best for Energy
#6 Ginger – Best for Bloating
#7 Oats – Best for Milk Supply
#8 Dark Chocolate – Best for Stress and Mood
There you have it! All of these foods are super beneficial to women’s health packed with powerful nutrients to support your overall health! Try to add some to your diet! Small changes will lead to great impact! Let’s eat healthy together!
I took action and now my business plan along with my financial projections are complete. This took some months but we all know great things take time. So, here we are, it was fall of 2021 and the next step was to begin searching for a location. There were several factors that were highly evaluated and considered to ensure the success of the spa. Those factors were:
The size of the space needed to be big enough to fit my overall vision (at or around 3500 sq. ft.)
Convenient location with easy access
High traffic area near busy streets and visible
Adequate parking for employees and guests
Not too close in proximity to competition
Near businesses that promote a healthy lifestyle (i.e. gym, cafe, workout studio, juice bar, etc.)
I searched, and searched, and searched! I looked online, visited many sites and even started to pursue one particular location. It was a brand new building, nothing inside (known as a white shell) meaning this would require a full buildout. Not my first choice but you never know if it’s the right one or not unless you try!
In the midst of pursuing that new space requiring complete buildout I received a call from a realtor that a pre-existing spa space I inquired about in November 2021 had become available. It’s important for me to point out that although I did reach out to her about this space it was never at the top of my list. And, to make it even more interesting, when I initially contacted her she said “this space is set to go under lease next week.” So, to be honest I moved on and never thought about it again after our conversation.
Eventually, I responded and said I would like to see the space. My family and I met her up there that same weekend on February 26, 2022. The very first thing I immediately noticed once I stepped foot in the door was a fixture behind the desk that had “Woodhouse Day Spa” engraved on it. Of ALL the things for me to see!!!! Now, if you’ve been keeping up you would understand the significance of this! But, just in case you haven’t, here’s a quick explanation as to why this sign stopped me dead in my tracks. For years (from 2011-2020) my dream and goal was to open a Woodhouse Spa. However, in 2020 God unexpectedly redirected my route and gave me specific instructions to start my own from the ground up! Yes, all me with no home office to call, no support, no proven business model. It was scary but I was obedient.
The fixture I saw hanging on the wall. If you look closely you can see the engraving.
Seeing this “sign” was truly a full circle moment that I felt only a few would understand. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why the spa that was there previously never removed it. For years it hung behind the reception desk, you couldn’t miss it & I just couldn’t understand why they kept it hanging!! Maybe it was left there for me, for that very moment that God already knew would happen!
Needless to say, we moved forward. We had the business plan, the financial projections, and the space. I applied for an SBA loan to secure funding & it was quite stressful (just being honest)! After about a month-long process and after making it all the way to the underwriters desk my application was REJECTED!!! CRUSHED, DEVASTATED, DISAPPOINTED, DEFEATED, & CONFUSED…I felt all the feels! Just like that my dream was over, well, at least that’s how I felt in that moment and everything in me wanted to give up! To say I cried is an understatement and the thought of losing “my” location was heartbreaking! As a result of all of this, I felt like I needed to take a pause and that’s just what I did…
Come back next week and I’ll tell you just what happened next, during the pause and shortly thereafter! You won’t believe it!!!
Boy, did my journey take a turn in 2020…one I didn’t see coming at all! But like I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to do it His way, not my own! There was no question as to what my next step should be. I knew the next step was to begin writing a plan, yes, a real business plan. It’s one thing to have a dream in your head for all those years but it’s another thing to have to put it all on paper! I got to work and started writing my business plan from nothing but an outline I saved years prior! It’s important to note that I was doing this mainly on weekends and during late nights. Why? Because we were in the middle of a pandemic and decided it would be best to switch to virtual learning for our boys which meant I was teaching Monday through Friday from 8-3! I didn’t have the energy nor the time to work on my business plan during the day so I had no choice but to get it done on the off hours! Nevertheless, I was dedicated & diligent! I set goals for myself and I made sure I stayed committed to them as best as I could!
Fun fact: My business name was initially called Dreams Day Spa & Wellness Lounge but I changed it to Intentional Moments Spa & Wellness Lounge!
Then, the year 2021 rolled around. I thought it was a good time to expand my network and get connected to someone with experience; someone who could help lead and guide me to my end goal of becoming a spa owner. How did I go about seeking out this individual? I’m glad you asked. Of course, I started searching the internet but more importantly as I began to search I paid close attention to their character as I watched the videos and read reviews. I wanted to reach out to someone who I felt I could trust, who was easy to talk to, had great energy, and one that made me feel we would work well together! Yes, experience is important but more importantly I need to make sure we would be a good fit for one another! Turns out, I found a great coach/mentor and we’ve been working together since January of 2021! That’s not even the best part! Once I connected to her, I was then introduced to another great leader who became a mentor. She, then, introduced me to an amazing financial consultant who I desperately needed at the time.
There you have it! I built my community by reaching out to make one connection and that connection led to others, allowing it to grow organically! I knew I couldn’t do this alone and no one should feel the need to do so! Today, my community consists of a spa coach, mentor, financial consultant, business lawyer, spa organizations in which I’m a member, and a SpaHive community consisting of mostly spa owners I get to learn and grow from everyday! One great advantage that comes with having a mentor and/or coach, in my opinion, is they help you avoid any unforeseen circumstances that could occur down the road saving you tons of money and time! This is due to their wealth of knowledge and experience! And, I can’t stress enough the importance of having a financial consultant! My financial consultant is THEE numbers man and there’s no way my business plan would be complete without him as we all know how important numbers are for any aspiring business owner, no matter the industry!
My encouragement for you today, build your tribe! Get connected to individuals that inspire, encourage, motivate, & help guide you! Your tribe may look slightly different than mine but staying connected to a community of like minded individuals will help add value to your overall success in so many ways! We are better when we work together!!
Stick around because next week I’ll tell you about how I began looking for a spa location once my business plan was complete and how yet another unexpected turn, our should I say halt, took me by surprise on this journey! See you next week!
