Small business Sunday is a chance for me to help small businesses, many of which are local. It is an opportunity to help highlight and feature their incredible services and products to our Modern Mama audience. Many of these businesses are fellow parents starting out and with the pandemic, could use the extra boost! Please take a moment to learn more about one of these amazing businesses below.
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This month I am focusing on mindfulness for the whole family. This week I am featuring a local mom who has her own practice in Fort Langley, KGJ Counselling. Kathryn Jacobson is a Registered Theraputic Counsellor and Clinical Hypnotherapist.
Kathryn is committed to helping people who are experiencing feelings of loss, loneliness, disconnection, and anxiety. She believes that if you leaned into these feelings, they can lead to understanding, growth, and acceptance and you can find feelings of love, independence, peace, and freedom on the other side. She offers counselling to individucals, couples and families with a therapeutic approach that is a combination of transpersonal, client centered, and family systems theory. Click here to learn more about these approaches.
In addition Kathryn is a Clinical Hypnotherapist. A Hypnosis session is where the physical body and conscious mind are in a relaxed state while the subconscious mind remains in a heightened state of suggestibility. Hypnosis is an education-communication process to a person’s mind that allows the conscious and subconscious minds to agree.
Kathryn provides counselling services to clients in the Lower Mainland. You can find KGJ Counselling on Instagram, Youtube and the web.
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Contents
- 1 What made you choose this type of business?
- 2 What is your favourite small business (aside from your own)?
- 3 .
- 4 If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
- 5
- 6 .
- 7 If applicable, has your business been affected by covid19? if so, how?
- 8 .
- 9 What are your long term business goals?
What made you choose this type of business?
I have always had a passion for learning about the mind and diving deep into the self.
8 years ago, I had hit a turning point in my life. I was unfilled at my 9 – 5 secretarial job, and searching for something more, I wanted to make a difference, to have a positive impact in people’s lives. A friend mentioned hypnotherapy. I was immediately fascinated and excited at the thought that we can change our minds on the subconscious level, and I was inspired by stories of growth and change. After trying it myself and discovering how impactful this form of therapy can be, I then began my educational journey through counselling school and hypnotherapy certification.
So, now, I am a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor and Certified Hypnotherapist. I am trained in group therapy and have 6 years of experience in leading mindfulness and meditation groups. ⠀ ⠀
As a busy mom of 3, I understand how easy it is to lose ourselves in the ups and downs of life and so I rely on my own daily mindfulness practice to stay centered, connect with myself, and live my life from a place of awareness rather than just reacting to life’s challenges. ⠀ ⠀
I was born with a deep connection to spirit, a love of nature, and a wild soul. As a little girl I was mischievous, carefree, and fiercely independent. ⠀ ⠀
As I got older, I often felt lost in a world where I thought I was supposed to be a ‘certain way’ and didn’t understand why that way didn’t feel right to me. I lived my life from a place of “should be’s” and “have to’s”. The box I had put myself in became so tight, constricted and suffocating. One night, I found myself in a puddle of tears, crying “Who am I?? “. A people pleaser, good girl, yes woman; I had gotten so caught up in being who I thought I was supposed to be for everyone else that I had forgotten who I really was.⠀ ⠀
It is through my own healing work that I came to find myself again, to reclaim my disowned aspects, and realize my own vastness. From this place my relationships are solid, my children are flourishing, and I feel ALIVE. ⠀ ⠀
My aim here is to help others connect with and reclaim their selves so that they may expand and live their lives from an empowered, and more authentic place. ⠀
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What is your favourite small business (aside from your own)?
I would have to say my dear friend Jennie Abbott and her yoga and mindfulness business for kids, Harmony Kids Yoga. Check out last weeks small business Sunday on Harmony Kids Yoga and Mindfulness!
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If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
Let go of your attachment to outcome. Sometimes what we think we need, or should be doing, doesn’t look exactly as we had planned. Write out your goals, intentions, aspirations, everyday take small steps towards your dreams, and let life help you. Trust in the process of life.
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If applicable, has your business been affected by covid19? if so, how?
With the pandemic there has been a rise in mental health issues. It’s also highlighted a lot of relational struggles in peoples lives. I’m seeing more and more people struggling with loneliness, isolation, grief, loss, fear, and anxiety. My practice has become very busy this past year. I am currently offering socially distanced sessions in office, and video sessions over Zoom.
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What are your long term business goals?
I have recently recreated my website. It includes a resources tab which takes you to my YouTube channel, where I offer guided meditations and also offers free resources for dealing with stress, anxiety, and life’s challenges. Ultimately, I would like to have a non-profit Retreat Centre, where people can come to slow down and heal. To grow their own food, meditate, and learn tools and techniques for dealing with everyday stressors. A place where healers and therapists, each with their unique gifts can come together to help others in a supportive, holistic environment.
Thank you to Kathryn Jacobson for taking the time to answer my questions and share her practice with us today. Below is a guided meditiation that Kathryn has on her Youtube Channel.
