Meet Jess Pfeffer of Real Connections

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess Pfeffer.

Hi Jess, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A few years ago as I was closing the juice bar and conscious boutique market that I co-owned with my sister I began to brainstorm on what my next chapter would look like. My romantic partner and I were preparing to go our separate ways and I found myself at a crossroads. I was contemplating if I should go back to teaching elementary school or pursue my master’s degree and become a mental health therapist. As I brainstormed these ideas with friends and family it came to me, it was time for me to start my own business and I would continue the journey of connecting people to each other and through the lens of health and wellness. I had already started hosting health and wellness workshops at our market and through that, I met so many amazing holistic practitioners. I had completed my 200 hour yoga teaching training and deep dove into reading about ways to improve my and others’ mental and physical health. Luckily my friends were also in the health and wellness industry and the idea of representing them and booking them gigs seemed like an easy fit. For the most part, it was, but it was also hard to corral and what someone called ” herd cats”. Real Connections was born and I coined the term holistic talent agency.

From there I signed around 25 holistic experts and I began my job to connect them to the community by hosting and planning wellness workshops and events and referring them to people looking for practitioners to book privately. About three months after launching my business, and building it from scratch including me creating the website and branding, the pandemic began and the basis of my business, events, was shut down. Quickly I pivoted by creating an online membership where the experts would teach weekly classes and we would continue to offer tips, tools, and techniques to now a larger virtual community. Fast forward a few years and the business(and myself) relocated to Atlanta Georgia to live with my long-distance boyfriend. And here I am continuing to connect people to health and wellness experts in both cities. I have also re-entered the yoga scene by offering classes at gardens and parks. And continue to host and plan events including festivals like the Atlanta Green Market Fair and Serviceberry Festival. As I navigate myself both personally and professionally in a new city I am eager to learn and grow in all the ways. As a nonlinear individual, each day is different and I love that! I love meeting new people and creating new relationships that are fostered under the umbrella of health and wellness, including nourishment, nature, mindfulness, and movement, which are the 4 pillars of Real Connections.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Overall sure, it’s been smooth. Why, because I think my positive attitude and the support from my family and friends have allowed it to be. Having an event-based company during the pandemic was definitely not ideal but fortunately, with virtual offerings, I was able to keep my mission in place. I also found it difficult to work with people who were more the creative type and less business-oriented. I really had a vision and desire to support them and my persistence at times was aggressive for them. As a sensitive person, it was hard for me to separate business and pleasure and it continues to be a lesson for me, especially when it comes to boundaries. Moving to a new city just when my business was flourishing also had a challenge. I finally felt secure with what I was offering and the community I was a part of was growing. I wouldn’t say I have to start completely over as I have been visiting Atlanta over the last couple of years and already started to foster personal and professional relationships. The community here is so inviting and supportive. Regardless of that, it is definitely humbling to be a small fish in a big pond. I do have to practice what I preach though, and that is “everything is temporary”, and we need the darkness to appreciate the lightness.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Real Connections?
Real Connections offers a full gamut of health and wellness experiences. The business and the brand represent me! I am here to serve the community in any way that I can, either something I can offer from my education and experience or refer out to experts that can. Real connections are categorized in three ways: wellth advisement, holistic consulting, and conscious event planning. As a wellth advisor, I work one on one with individuals. We start with an assessment to bring awareness to the person’s life and how balanced they are living it, through 6 containers. Romantic, Social Relationships, Work, Self, Family, and Community. We use this assessment to create a life plan and go on field trips to begin the process of practicing healthy habits that include mindfulness, movement, nourishment, and nature. As a holistic consultant, I have relationships with HR and other team members of companies such as Office Depot and Fontainebleau Hotel and create wellness programming in person and virtually for their team, this includes yoga, cooking, and other holistic approaches. And as a conscious evening planner, I help my clients achieve their goals for having an event that varies from a small 3-hour experience or a festival for thousands of people.

I am most proud of the relationships I have built over the last few years and continue to grow in Atlanta. I am fully a believer in love and if we put love into anything, it will grow. I have connected with hundreds of people who are all searching for the same thing, to be seen, to be heard, to be loved, to be happy, and to be healthy. I can only hope that everything I do and say contributes to the community and their desires to achieve those things.

I am currently revisiting and revising the wellth advisement offering. This service really focuses on the individual and I am able to share my love and passion of wellness in a more specific and interactive way. An example would be if my client would like to eat more consciously and locally, our field trip would be to the local farmer’s markets. Here we would chat with the farmers and I would support important questions and be an accountability partner.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is my bat mitzvah. I remember having all my friends and family around. I loved seeing my parents so happy and excited. My theme was Reggae and the high-energy vibes were everywhere! People were loving it and danced the whole time. It was also special to have my relatives from Florida there since we lived in New Jersey. This memory is ingrained in my head, especially from the photos and the video I watch randomly.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.realconnections.events
• Instagram: @hellorealconnections
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/6I2e2uSkFpu3DwQJ9IMhr2

Image Credits
Jenna Shea Maria Mor