Starting a new business at any time is a challenge but launching one during a global pandemic is quite another matter.
But that's how it all happened for Jodie Greene who started her new venture Sage Greene Holistic Therapy almost two years ago.
She turned the conservatory in her Newtownabbey home from a dining room into a quirky little sacred space for clients to enjoy professional treatments.
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Like many during the pandemic, Jodie was furloughed from her job in the beauty industry and left uncertain about whether or not she'd have a job to return to at all.
But rather than wait and see, the 27-year-old decided to make a long time dream to branch out on her own a reality.
Jodie began her journey as a beauty spa and holistic therapist back in 2012 at the age of 16.
"I was always a hands-on therapist but a bit more heavy handed and stronger than the other girls so I went straight into the senior therapist's room doing massages, which I loved," she told Belfast Live.
"I worked in a range of beautiful clinics and spas but then decided to return to higher education and gain my qualification in Spa Management, Aromatherapy and Reflexology. I worked for a few years and then decided I wanted to go travelling. I went backpacking with my partner around many parts of Asia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and also the east coast of America.
"I was away for over five months and that's when I fell in love with the many different cultures and a much simpler and natural way of life."
After arriving home, Jodie decided to study again and focus more on what she had learned to grow physically, mentally and spiritually.
"I wondered why we didn't have that slower pace of life here and I felt that especially in the industry I was in, it was just constant with back-to-back clients," Jodie explained.
"You never had the time to work with the whole person, which is what holistic means in terms of the mind, body and spirit. I felt that I was cheating every single client I was doing a treatment with and learning about other cultures and their holistic methods to daily life had really intrigued me."
Jodie was still working in a popular beauty salon in Belfast when Covid hit and she was faced with being furloughed - not knowing if her job was safe or not.
"I panicked at the thought of not having that job security so my partner told me that I should use my furlough money to set up my own treatment room. I paid the bills and then what was left over went towards the business because like everyone, I wasn't going anywhere!" she added.
Sage Greene Holistic Therapy was born on August 3 2020 during the midst of Covid to offer treatments for mind, body and soul. When she wasn't able to offer treatments over lockdown, Jodie used her social media platforms to promote self care and positive energies.
"I even made some handmade aromatherapy products including shower dust, which is just like a bath bomb for your shower. That has been lots of fun and kept me engaged in my overall mission - to offer holistic treatments through massage, natural skincare, reflexology and reiki energy healing.
"The aim is to help heal mentally and physically and promote overall health and wellness to all," she added.
"I went back to my salon job but the business just took off and I soon realised that I could do this full time and still pay my bills. I always knew that I was never going to work for somebody else. I would get to a certain point in any job I had where I knew everything there was to learn and was doing the best I could in it but it wasn't enough."
Jodie describes her treatment room as a safe space that's free from any negative or unwanted energy.
"I tell every client who comes in that this is their unique sacred space to unwind and it's cleansed energetically after each treatment. I want to offer something different for clients and for them to know that they're been offered their treatments wholeheartedly.
"I always ask them at the start of their treatment how they feel in terms of their stress level and again at the end. We will then take an in depth look at what can be done to keep it low in terms of implementing lifestyle changes so that the benefits of the treatment lasts longer."
Reflecting on almost two years since she took the plunge and ventured out on her own, Jodie said: "Now I have all the freedom to do whatever I want, and can still learn and incorporate new things in terms of treatments instead of feeling uniformed and restricted.
"I didn't feel that people knew the real me before as I wasn't able to express myself but now I feel much more comfortable.
"This is the best thing I've ever done and I've no idea why it took me so long. It took a pandemic to get me here but now I feel really good and free. I'm a lot better in myself emotionally and spiritually too so I hope other people who want to do something different realise that yes they can do it."
You can find more about Jodie's business here.
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