Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Harris.
Jessica, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I always laugh when I get to tell my story because never in a million years would I have thought I would have creating a innovative niche to empower women to have self-love breakthroughs as the Beauti Therapist. My passion began while I at North Carolina A&T University where I changed my life by following my heart to study Sociology instead of pursuing Computer Engineering. I wasn’t sure at the time but all I knew was that I wanted to do something more to bring emotional, mental and relational healing in others lives as well as my own. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I knew that pursuing my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University would be perfect for me. Little that I knew I had much healing to do of my own.
As makeup began to be the buzz on YouTube my interest started to bud in undergrad after needing makeup for a project. It was so funny because I remember being so scared of looking like a clown I would put on so little you couldn’t even see that I had on makeup! Moving forward, while in graduate school I began to learn more about skin care and makeup as a way of self-care. After completing my Master’s I got married and moved to Georgia where I then was able to grow my craft as a makeup and henna artist.
What sparked my passion to combining beauty and mental health was when studied and worked more in-depth with women dealing with various issues of depression, anxiety, self-image, body image, shame and eating disorders. This gave me insight to understanding the root of self-love and beauty which helped me to come to some truths and healing of my own. I began to understand how the lack of self-love affects every aspect of our lives and how it can prevent us from aligning to the life we crave to live.
I coined the name “The Beauti Therapist” due to combining my passions together to show that I am not just your average mental health counselor nor your average makeup artist but I help women transform and visualize the woman they are becoming.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, the road has not been easy by far! If you asked me five years ago if I loved myself you would have gotten a bold yes but clearly, with the decisions I made in live, I didn’t. While in my Master’s program I began to reflect on myself, who I am becoming, who I would be as a counselor, my life aspirations and in the midst of that I had a full-blown quarter-life crisis! I felt stuck. The beauty was that I knew I didn’t have to stay there. I had to reflect, forgive, let go, deal with shame from the past, heal and rediscover my own beauty identity. I began my own self-love journey to understand who Jessica was, make peace with my past and create the woman that I believe I could be. I started to take my own steps in my healing process (kicking and screaming, I might add), I began to see how to overcome comparing myself to others and silence the self-doubt I had, that changed my life forever.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Beauti Framed story. Tell us more about the business.
Beauti Framed began in 2018 and I specialize in helping women have self-love breakthroughs on the therapy couch and in the makeup chair. Beauti therapy is simply counseling and coaching women through their own self-love journey along with utilizing makeup and henna artistry. I feel proud of my creativity and innovative approach the most because I believe that my approach is of the future. The world has finally begun to acknowledge the beauty in diversity, body positivity and self-love where I believe I am a pioneer to something great that women need. With over five years of mental health experience, counseling women through life issues paired with understanding the beauty of various facial features, skin types, and makeup techniques I am able to help women highlight their own beauty which I feel is nothing short of amazing. With my business, I love that I support in a way of drawing out women’s beauty which takes “soul werk” and without that awareness, we hide behind filters, figurately and literally.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Honestly, I don’t feel that luck has played a part in my life and business at all but prayer, determination and the heart to impact women beyond myself.
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@thebeautitherapist.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thebeautitherapist
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