The Inner Reset – An interview with Jessica Sepel, founder of wellness empire JSHealth

WORDS: AMY SESSIONS

The Inner Reset

Jessica Sepel is Founder of wellness empire JSHealth. We discuss drive, going global and what it takes to reset from the inside out for optimal health

What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine? I love my morning routine as it ensures I’m really set up for a wonderful, positive day. It took me some time to perfect but now I can’t go a day without it! I first begin with a meditation and workout from the JSHealth app – 20 minutes is truly all you need! I sit on my balcony to do some manifestation, breathe in good energy and push away the bad energy and situations that no longer serve me. I visualise my highest self, at her healthiest and happiest. A must-have every morning for me is of course coffee! A strong oat cappuccino is my go-to, and I stick to the JSH rule which is one cup before 11am. And then it’s time for a cold shower – my grandmother taught me this from a young age, it stimulates blood flow and clears the energy. I also make it non-negotiable to keep my social media apps off my phone (I actually delete them the night before, it takes literally two minutes!). When I arrive at work for the day, I feel energised and ready for a great day. What were the steps to launching JS Health and do you remember the day you decided to take the leap of faith to launch? JSHealth was born out of my pure passion for vitamins, which I’ve had from a young age. I actually worked at a pharmacy part time during my schooling years and would stroll the aisles reading all the labels and learning everything I could about different formulas! My sisters used to make fun of me for having so many vitamins in the bathroom cupboard.

Like many women, I was pulled into the difficult cycle of fad dieting during my teen years. You name the diet – I tried it. I ended up being so addicted to the number on the scale and was actually doing the opposite of the JSHealth way – restricting myself and giving my body the bare nutrients to thrive just in order to be skinnier. It’s so sad to look back at this time now but it’s my truth!

Things finally fell into place for me when I decided to study nutrition. I have an amazingly supportive partner and family who encouraged me to nurture myself back to health. I started a blog sharing my struggles (way before being an Influencer was ‘cool’!) and my husband (boyfriend at the time) encouraged me to share it with the world. Pretty quickly I had landed my first book deal, launched a programme and released an app all about the JSHealth way. At the same time, I was working as a nutritionist with women in a clinic every day. Listening to the community, hearing their struggles and prescribing root-cause protocols was fuelling me with so much passion – so vitamins was the natural next step. And so, Hair + Energy was born! When you launched were you surprised by how quickly it scaled? I was very fortunate that I had spent years connecting with the community though my blog and online platforms! I have always said that JSHealth is a community not a company, which led to the success of the brand. I think truly listening to our customers, which we still do to this day allows for the products to be formulated in direct response to consumer needs. Hair + Energy was the first formulation because this is what so many were struggling with! Which have been the most popular supplements to date? We have our global bestsellers Hair + Energy, Detox + Debloat and Skin + Digestion, all full of incredible researchbacked ingredients at the highest quality we can source. What has been the scariest moment to date and what enabled you to move through that fear and continue to scale and grow both professionally and personally? Something I am now starting to open up more about is my mental health crisis that I experienced a few years ago, after losing my best friend to mental health. It was during a time of immense growth for the company but unfortunately, I just didn’t care about any of it. It was a really scary time personally having never experienced mental ill-health before, I wasn’t sure how to navigate it. Most days I wasn’t even able to leave bed.

Now looking back I’m so grateful for what it taught me – the resilience I learned through that time is what I needed, to be able to continue to face the daily struggles that still come with growing a business! I’m incredibly fortunate to see one of the best therapists in the field, and I still see her weekly to this day. It’s so important to have strategies and tools in place to support your mental health, and to never suffer in silence. Reach out to friends, to family or to a trusted professional if you’re needing help – a problem shared is a problem solved. How do you balance the creative and commercial sides of the business and do you feel more drawn to one than the other? My strength lies in product development, and it’s what I’m most passionate about! I’ve always been stronger in the creative side of the business, with so many ideas that come to me and exciting projects I want to see come to fruition! I’m now lucky that we have an amazing team who assist with all other aspects, including my husband Dean who is the CEO and the true people manager in our office. What would be your advice to others wanting to launch a wellness brand? My Dad always says, ‘Keep boxing!’ and it’s so true. You can’t even imagine or foresee some of the hurdles that will arise when starting any business, so all you can do is show up each day with a smile on your face and be kind to those around you. I truly believe karma rewards kindness and you get back what you give in this life! What drives you when times are tough? From day one, JSHealth and JSHealth Vitamins has always come from pure care for the community and that will never change. Every day I receive the most amazing messages on email, through my DM’s, and through our Customer Support channels from people around the world. I feel so connected to each and every person in the community. I always remember that the ‘why’ is for them when days are hard – so sometimes I will pick up the phone to speak with community members or send them a DM and it makes all the

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struggle worth it. When times are particularly tough, I’m fortunate to have an incredible family and relationship, plus true friends who always check in and make me laugh. What have been the biggest challenges to date and how did you overcome them? It can be really challenging for women in this industry to be taken seriously, or at least that has been my experience where this sort of business is dominated by males in the industry. Luckily, this is changing with the power of social media. Female founders can now get together and celebrate and support one another! I always think that there is room for everyone at the table. How have you found social media in terms of supporting brand growth? Social media has been imperative for the growth of JSHealth – we really did start out as a social media brand! As our community was already fostered online, social media really allowed us to share the power of the formulas on a global scale. So many customers took to social media (and still do!) to share their stories, be vulnerable with their struggles and connect with one another. I really do see us as the most powerful brand community. Social media also allowed us to organise meetups so I could meet our customers face to face. And, of course, we really utilised the power of influencers to spread the organic message behind the brand – something that is still so important. How do you approach scaling without compromising on quality? Quality will always be my number one priority. My customers and their health come first so quality is always going to be number one – I will never settle on anything less than the best quality even if it means higher sourcing prices. We source from around the world. Our sustainably sourced Marine Collagen comes from deep sea cod from the pristine waters of Norway and our Certified Organic matcha powder comes from green tea that is grown and harvested in the renowned region of Kyoto, Japan. Our fish oil is produced from sustainable fisheries in Peru, Chile, Morocco and Turkey, and the Kelp in our Hair+Energy is exclusive to us, harvested in the waters of Nova Scotia and Brittany. What advice would you give to your younger self? My gran Dolly is amazing, she’s 99 and has lived the most extraordinary life and worked so hard. She always says, ‘Don’t ever look to your left or your right, just keep looking forward and wake up every day and appreciate the gift of life and keep working hard.’ I think it’s so true – if you work hard and are a good person with kindness in your heart – the success and the results will come. So, I guess I would just remind my younger self to have faith and be kind, that life is going to be an amazing journey and to just be grateful for each and every day. When you travel, how do you stay consistent in your morning routine and what essentials do you need to take with you? When I travel, I aim to keep my morning routine as close to routine as possible. Consistency really is the key to success! I always try to get my 20-minute app meditation and workouts in, even if that means setting up a towel on the hotel room floor. When it comes to travel essentials, I can’t go anywhere without a silk sleep mask and cosy slippers. Everyone in our office will tell you I wear slippers daily; it really is the best hack to feeling good wherever you go! And of course, our PM+ Sleep formula, which is packed with amazing herbs and vitamins like Lavender to ensure a deep and restful night’s sleep. If you could recommend a game changer (or three) of a book that truly helped you change your life what would it be? I don’t think you can go past ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ by Louise L Hay. This book is one I continue to come back to time and time again, it’s charged with such amazing manifestations, affirmations and mantras. I sometimes even flick to a page intuitively to see any messages that stick out to me! Louise writes with such honesty and clarity that you can really feel the power of her words through the pages. I totally believe that the power of your life is in your hands, so I will always hold this book close to my heart. A MUST read. This is The Reset Issue – what is the best way to reset? One of my favourite ways to reset after a busy day is to go on a night walk with my husband Dean. We love walking by the ocean and breathing in the fresh air and make it a rule to leave our phones at home so we can really connect with one another and the environment. There is something really magical about the stars being out and the clear sky of a nighttime to really ground you and wash off the energy of the day. It helps us sleep so soundly too, a true gamechanger for the entire week!