Hiii guys!
Welcome or welcome back to the blog. It’s Ib!
Most of you guys know that I’m a sucker for journaling and affirmations. I mentioned that it’s one of the exercises that had a huge impact on my health in 2023. Planning my day or week ahead has improved my mental health and helps in managing my time effectively.
Read also:- Actions/Habits to take into 2024
I don’t think I can write enough about the benefits of journaling and planning. So I thought, who is better suited to talk to you guys about it than someone extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the subject? I hope that this interview inspires you in one way or the other.
Today’s blog guest is Juliet Opara, CEO of Hedge Wellness Ng.
Juliet Opara is a purpose driven and faith-inspired entrepreneur and customer success/relations professional with an educational background in Business Administration from the University of Lagos.
As the founder of Hedge Wellness, she is on her journey to establishing a renowned brand in the wellness industry through thoughtful creating products such as self-help journals, planners, affirmation cards, and wellness services. The brand is in the business of cultivating intentional living, fostering positivity and inspiring personal growth.
Juliet’s passion for personal growth and mental wellness led her to creating a community of like minded women called Hedge Haven, a safe place for women to share life experiences, advice, and support each other’s journey into personal growth and wellness.
When she is not creating self-help tools or ways to improve wellness, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and journaling.
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Welcome Juliet! I’m so excited to have you on the blog! For months, I was struggling with finding the perfect planner for my 2024 till I stumbled on your page weeks ago and in less than 10 minutes, I was in your dm. I fell in love with your brand and everything it stands for.
I’m sure your customers, just like me, are curious to know what inspired you to start creating self-help journals and positive affirmation cards?
Life experiences.
So, I was at a point in my life where I wasn’t satisfied with the trajectory of my life. I felt like I should have gone farther than where I currently was at the time, and this gave me anxiety and panic attacks, and I was filled with so many negative thoughts. I had the worst thoughts about myself and my life. And guess what, instead of being pushed or motivated by my situation, because, of course, if you are not satisfied with the current state of your life, you are supposed to be motivated enough to take steps to come out of that state, right? The opposite was the case. I was too tired to do anything. I just wasn’t in the right mental space to put in the work. I was tired, depressed, anxious, scared, and whatever negative emotions you could think of. I knew what I was supposed to do, but I was too tired to do anything. Then, I started therapy because my workplace offered free therapy, so I took advantage of the opportunity. The therapist walked me through my emotions, helped me to understand how to handle them, and taught me how to utilise affirmations, visualisation, and meditations for mental wellness. That was when I realised that it is not enough to know what to do; having the right mindset and being mentally well is the first key to success. If your mind is not in the right space, it will become difficult to see what is right in front of you. So, I thought about making self-help tools to help others in that state of mind or mental state to come out of it. Positive affirmations were the one tool I used in challenging those negative thoughts and emotions, and I did a lot of journaling and reflections as well. That was basically where the inspiration came from.
Can you share some key principles or philosophies that guide your approach to health and wellness?
The key principle that guides my approach to health and wellness is from the Bible in 3 John 1:2. This verse of the Bible tells us that the prosperity of your health is dependent on to that of your soul. You prosper in your health and other areas of your life just as your soul prospers, so I try to take care of my soul, my mind and not let any situation affect or get into it.
Everything we do is a reflection of who we are so if we take the time to constantly nurture our mind and soul, it will reflect in other areas of our lives.
Speaking of nurturing our minds and souls, how do you incorporate positive affirmations into your daily routine, and how has it impacted your life?
Most of my affirmations are gotten from the Bible, and I confess and affirm the words during my daily prayer times. Aside from affirmations from the Bible, I have affirmations that I have written on sticky notes and affirmation cards for different emotions or challenges that I have encountered, and I have them pasted in places that are easily visible to me to remind myself as I go about my daily activities constantly. I also meditate on the affirmations and journal about them.
What specific aspects of health and wellness do your journals and cards aim to address?
My tools are targeted towards mental and emotional wellness. As I mentioned earlier, the mind is the first key to success, and if we can get it right, if we can develop a positive mindset and be in the right mental space, every other thing aligns. And it’s not just about success; it also shows how we relate to people around us and how we can accommodate and show kindness and love to others. Imagine a world where everyone is in the right mental space and has the right mindset; it will be so beautiful just being alive and existing amongst others. So, our tools focus on mental wellbeing and developing the right mindset.
How do you ensure that your products resonate with a diverse audience and address various wellness needs?
We understand that different people have different wellness needs, hence, we would be releasing products that best suit the needs and preferences of our diverse audience. We also work with feedbacks from our users to help us improve their experience with our products, as well as collaborations with other experts in different areas of wellness.
Can you share a success story or testimonial from someone who has benefited from your self-help journals or affirmation cards?
We recently released a yearly planner journal and the reviews on the journal have been amazing. The year is just starting and our users have been able to draw up SMART goals and strategies to achieve their goals. Our affirmation cards have helped people deal with negative self-talk and self-sabotaging thoughts. I met a lady at an event and she talked about being confused in the area of her business. I advised to her on how proper planning can help you gain clarity on the steps to take, so she got our planner and she was able to break down her goals using the goal setting pages, and now she is clearer on what steps to take and where she is supposed to put in her energy to make 2024 a good year for her.
How do you stay informed about the latest trends and research in the health and wellness industry to enhance your products?
I do lots of reading and research to help me stay on top of the recent happenings in the wellness industry. I also attend retreats that are organized by industry experts to help me learn new methods and approach to wellness.
For the people who also have big plans help others through their experiences and ideas, what challenges have you faced in building your brand, and how have you overcome them?
I think the major challenge I have faced will be creating awareness about the importance of mental wellness. Nigeria is such a stressful place, and research has shown that the prevailing mental illness in Nigeria is depression and anxiety disorders, and rightfully so because the state of the country alone is enough to make a person depressed. However, many people do not seem to be aware of the need to tackle this issue, or maybe they are aware but just don’t see the need for it. I had spoken with someone who thinks visiting a therapist is not a male thing but was designed for females; when did therapy sessions become gender-based? Also, getting Nigerians to sit down and journal or reflect can be very challenging; they are too busy, and it takes a person who is intentional and focused on personal and mental development to understand how the self-help tools benefit them mentally.
How do you balance the creative aspect of designing journals and cards with the practical goal of promoting positive change?
Honestly, I have a creative team that is focused on designing the tools, all I need to do is determine if the designs are suitable and approve. I am more focused on the content of the journals because they come from a place of deep reflections and fellowship with God. Every prompt and affirmations in our tools were thoughtfully created in order to ensure that they achieve the purpose that they were meant for.
In what ways do you see your brand evolving in the future, and how do you plan to stay innovative in the health and wellness space?
Being Innovative is super important for a business that intends to exist for a long time, and we definitely intend to. With the increasing rise in tech and AI, we intend to incorporate them into our wellness practices, to help us improve our services and serve our users efficiently and effectively.
What’s the biggest misconception you’ve discovered that people have about self love?
That self-love is about themselves alone. I believe that self-love helps to you to love and nurture yourself enough to understand how you can love others more. We are supposed to love others as we love ourselves. You cannot pour from an empty cup, so self-love helps you to fill up yourself with love, kindness, discipline, etc, so that you can then pour them into others. So, self- love isn’t about us alone.
For the people who don’t really understand the point of journals and planners, why should they get your yearly planner?
Our journals and planners are unique, and this is not a cliché. If you really want to cause a shift in your mindset, if you are tired of letting life toss you around and you are ready to take charge of your life, your time, your mind, you should get our journals. You can only grow to the extent your mind has grown, and how do you grow your mind? Our planners and journals have been equipped to help you achieve that level of growth.
Thank you Juliet! To end this interview on a light note, what is your favorite affirmation right now?
I take bold and audacious steps towards achieving my goals.
Okay, can we all agree that that needs to be our mantra for 2024?
I personally am so in love with the newly launched yearly planner. It is designed to ensure that you actually plan effectively. There are spaces to set goals for every area of your life; spiritual, financial, health, personal etc. There are monthly schedule pages, weekly planning pages, pages to track your budget and spendings, you can also write notes to yourself and it’s designed for 365 days so you don’t even have to get multiple planners! That was a huge selling point for me cause there are brands that sell 3-6 month planners for literally the same price and they’re not even as structured as this.
If you’re still looking for where to get your planners or journals, it’s not too late. February just began darling! Check out her page and get your planner so you can begin to take bold and audacious steps towards your 2024 goals!
Instagram: @hedge.ng
Facebook: @hedge.ng
Thank you so much for reading guys! Don’t forget to like this post if you enjoyed it, subscribe if you aren’t already. To stay up to date on all our posts by following the blog socials (links are embedded below). Share your thoughts on this interview in the comments cause I’d love to read them.
Are you also a lover of journaling or planning? How has it impacted you?
It's IB!! 