Interview with Jessica Rose

Interview by: Belinda McCall, Editor-In-Chief

Jessica Rose is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Television Health & Beauty Expert, Licensed Cosmetologist, Certified Face Yoga Instructor, and Published Writer. She believes that nourishing our beauty from within with delicious foods, reducing our exposure to harmful chemicals, face yoga, and daily wellness practices are the most effective ways to look and feel our best. She shares her inspirational story with us here!

BELINDA: For our readers that are unfamiliar,tell me how do you support women's wellness?

JESSICA: My greatest passion is teaching women how to naturally achieve whole-body health and radiant beauty. In my private nutrition practice, I work with clients 1:1 to help them meet their health goals. I provide consultations, customized meals plans, supplement protocols, and non-toxic beauty and lifestyle education.

I focus on balance in all areas of life and don't believe in restrictive eating or an all-or-nothing mindset. I want women to feel empowered, and education is essential. I guide my clients through a 16-week program designed to teach them how to create a healthy and sustainable lifestyle that encourages overall wellness and more vibrancy.

A lot of what I do is teach women how to minimize their exposure to daily lifestyle factors that can decrease their quality of life. Eating well and exercising are often thought to be the primary ways to achieve health but minimizing our exposure to toxins is equally important.

Many of us are exposed to toxins every day from our beauty products, processed foods, toxins in cookware, drinking water, shower water, cleaning products, and more. Daily exposure to toxins can contribute to a wide variety of health issues.

The body has a greater capacity for healing and overall wellness when we reduce our toxic load. My mission is to teach women to be their own health advocates and look and feel their best with a holistic approach. I believe every woman deserves to look and feel their best. Knowledge is power, and when we know better, we can do better.

I TEACH WORKSHOPS, GIVE HEALTH AND BEAUTY LECTURES, AND LEAD WELLNESS RETREATS. I ALSO WORK IN TELEVISION AS AN ON-AIR HEALTH AND BEAUTY EXPERT.

A spark lit inside me, and I went out that day and bought my first organic produce and meat. It was my first step into healthy living. I became so enamored with learning about health and wellness that I researched everything I could. I started changing my lifestyle little by little and could feel a significant difference. I felt energized, focused, happier, and peaceful. It was as if my brain had been half asleep for most of my life, and now that I was nourishing my body with nutrient-dense foods, my body was responding very positively. I knew that other people were misinformed like myself and could have a better quality of life with the proper knowledge, and I wanted to help them.

B: YES! I had no idea how similar our stories are, that's amazing! You just discovered the nutrition-to-well-being connection much earlier than I did, ha!

J: Yes! I started taking nutrition classes at my local junior college, but I quickly realized how unhealthy the content was. The curriculum focused on the food pyramid, counting calories, low-fat foods, and general guidelines. It was not what I had come to know as true health. I knew in my heart that this was not the model of health I wanted to teach my future clients. I decided to look for a different school that aligned more with my values.

While doing my research, I found a holistic nutrition school that met all my values. It seemed perfect, but the only problem was that they did not take financial aid, and I could not afford the tuition. I felt defeated, I knew I had this strong desire to help people live a healthier and happier life, but I couldn't afford to get the education at the time. So I decided to start saving up money and continue researching health and wellness in the evening after coming home from working two jobs. One was at a health food store, and the other was a salon. I was working as a licensed cosmetologist in a fancy salon and loved making women feel beautiful every day.

One day, my brother asked me if I had ever considered the health effects of my products in the beauty salon. Like many people, I assumed what was on the shelves was safe and regulated, so I didn't think twice about it. After doing extensive research about the ingredients in beauty products, I was shocked. I discovered how unregulated the beauty industry is, and the majority of beauty products on the shelves can cause serious health issues. I could no longer walk into work every day and knowingly apply harmful chemicals on my clients. I care about women too much. I continued saving my money and working towards attending a holistic nutrition school. Years later, that dream became a reality, and I graduated with honors at the top of my class from Bauman College. I couldn't have been more proud.

Women are beautiful at every stage in life. It is essential that we honor ourselves and not fixate on how we think we should look. By increasing our healthy lifestyle practices, we create self-love and acceptance. Selflove is the most beautiful love of all.

At first, it was a bit challenging to take a differentpath than most traditional nutrition practitioners,but I am pleased I listened to my intuition.

I truly believe that amazing things can happen when we show up authentically and allow the universe to guide us. We have to believe in ourselves and our vision. The moment I showed up in the world authentically and helped women in the way I knew I could be of service to them, the opportunities started presenting themselves.

I started getting requests to be on television, interviewed on podcasts, writing jobs for health and wellness magazines, and brand collaborations. I genuinely believe that we all have a divine purpose in life and when we slow down, tune in, and honor our unique gifts, that is where the real magic happens.

B: Wow, what an amazing story you have! You're clearly an independent thinker, highly intuitive, and even have a spiritual side to you. No wonder you and I got connected, you're an inspiration!

Can you tell me more about your interest in beauty products? Was it something that just started in your teens when you started working at the beauty shop or have you always had an interest?

J: Growing up, I always had a passion for herbs and creating my own DIY beauty recipes. My favorite memories are with my father, who practiced herbalism. We would go to different wellness shops and stock up on herbs on the weekends. I always felt so peaceful and connected to this way of life. I would explore all the different remedies and soak up as much knowledge as possible. Nothing made me happier. I would use the herbs to create DIY beauty treatments at home. I was constantly whipping up concoctions and experimenting with different natural remedies. It gave me the confidence to become self-reliant with my beauty routine. To this day, I have only ever had one professional facial, and I do all my hair and nail treatments myself. I much prefer doing it myself in the comfort of my home with simple and natural ingredients.

I started exploring mainstream beauty products in my teens without realizing how unhealthy they were. I spent the next decade using a wide variety of toxic beauty products. After I learned about the harmful effects of conventional beauty, I went back to my roots and started using more naturally-based products. I realized the beauty industry is not pretty. It is pretty toxic.

After I graduated, I realized there was a need for non-toxic lifestyle and beauty education in the health and wellness space. There was a significant focus on eating for health and exercise and minimal discussion about toxins and their role in health.

Most people never even consider that their beauty products, drinking and shower water, cookware, cleaning products, and everyday lifestyle products can harm their health. Also, an excess of toxins can accelerate the biological aging process, turning many women towards unhealthy products and procedures. I knew there had to be a better solution.

Beauty is often approached with creams and topical applications, but it is more than that. Since combining my nutrition and cosmetology education into my practice, I teach women the foundations of health and beauty. A healthy outside starts from the inside. Nutrient-dense foods, minimizing toxin exposure, and self-care are the foundation for beauty at any age.

I teach women every day how to achieve whole-body health and create a healthy lifestyle that encourages vibrant beauty naturally. It also helps them feel more selfreliant and empowered because they don't need to rely on expensive products or services. When a woman is healthy, she exudes a natural glow with which no cosmetic could ever compete.

B: You are a Certified Face Yoga Instructor, which I find so interesting! Can you tell me the concept behind face yoga and the benefits of practicing it?

J: I love being a certified face yoga instructor and teaching women a holistic approach to looking and feeling their best at every stage in life. Think of face yoga as exercise for your face. We all know that exercise is good for the body and it helps keep our muscles toned and healthy, but we tend to neglect the muscles in the face. There are fifty-seven muscles that make up the face, neck, tongue, and ears, and with continued practice, you can strengthen them to achieve a more radiant and youthful appearance.

Face yoga uses massage techniques, acupressure, face exercise, and relaxation to support a healthy appearance. Face yoga can tighten, tone, lift, sculpt, and encourage a healthy glow with continued practice. It also supports the lymphatic system, which is involved in detoxification and immune health.

Face yoga is something I look forward to doing every day. Besides encouraging a healthier and more vibrant appearance, it also is a great self-care practice. There is something so special about it. It is soothing, loving, and can increase your connection with yourself. It washes away all the stress from the day and leaves you feeling gorgeous and renewed.

B: Why is it important to you to supportother women on their wellness paths?

J: It is important to me to support other women on their wellness paths because we all deserve to be healthy and happy. When we support one another, we light a path for other women to become healthy and successful. It starts with learning to love ourselves, and in doing so, we can give that love out more freely to others. I love seeing women shine their beautiful light out into the world and being a part of their wellness journey.

B: OK, let's have some fun! If you and I were going to happy hour together (which I would totally do if we ever had the chance!) what would be your beverage of choice?

J: I love fruit-infused sparkling water. I have a sparkling water machine at home and like to get creative by muddling fresh fruits in the water and pouring it in a fancy glass for an extra special touch. My all-time favorite is fresh grapefruit juice mixed with sparkling water.

B: What's your favorite form of movement?

J: My body much prefers light exercise, so I jump on my rebounder four times a week and go for walks after dinner. I also like to go on leisurely hikes beneath the redwood trees on the weekends. They are so magical.

B: What is one part of your own wellness routine that you would recommend for other women to try, and why?

I would recommend getting outside every day and getting sunshine, especially in the morning. There is so much fear-mongering around the sun. Many people avoid it at all costs or wear sunscreen from head to toe every day, even indoors. The sun is essential for optimal health and beauty.

When our skin is exposed to the sun, the body creates vitamin D, essential for immune health, balanced hormones, mood, energy, and overall wellness. Getting sun exposure is so important, and supplements are not a replacement.

I make safe sun exposure part of my everyday wellness routine, even during the winter. I don't let my skin burn. I spend about 15-20 minutes each morning in the sun. I know many people worry about the aging effects of the sun, but I would like to offer another perspective.

Health issues and aging can increase when you are deficient in one of the most important vitamins, such as vitamin D. It is always important to practice safe sun exposure and do what you feel is right for you.

B: Thank you so much, Jessica! I have loved getting to know you and I thank you for following your intuition to help women feel their absolute best at any age.