We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shaquana Mccrae a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shaquana, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Over the last three years, I have faced my anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and depression head-on. I am now completely free from both depression and suicidal thoughts. I started my walk with God five years ago, which helped me see that I was enough. If you want to overcome any mental health illness you must first believe that you are worthy of being healthy. I believe that it was important for me to conquer my battles so that I could help others do the same. I had to get to the root of the struggle and create a new belief system and therapy played a huge role as well. I then designed my entire business around helping others eat better, exercise, and take the proper herbs that will assist with their overall healing. Mental health is a chemical imbalance in our brain and I feel it’s important to educate my peers on ways to get healthy and stay healthy. The biggest thing that helped me overcome the challenges was grace. Being gentle with my humanity and allowing my spirit to heal, accept and relearn.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Junior High focuses on the natural healing of the mind, body, and soul. We offer herbal teas that are specifically designed to help with anxiety, quality of sleep, and overall sickness. We also have our “Eat Like A Prince” meal plans that include a scheduled meal plan, grocery list, and herbs & supplement list. Lastly, we have natural full-body oils as well as natural foot scrubs. Our business cares about the needs of our consumers and we don’t just want to sell you a product, we want to be a continuous part of your healing journey.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I would say consistency, purpose, and education. I started my business four years ago and you have to have a lot of patience and be consistent if you want to grow and build your brand. My business is connected to my purpose so even when times got hard or sales were not consistent I never quit because I know it serves a bigger purpose. My advice would be to educate yourself on how to market your product as well as know who your target audience is. Having a social media presence is a great tool but doing events and festivals and physically connecting with people will also help you build your brand. When people can connect to you and feel your energy it makes them want to try your product more. Remember you are your brand so you are selling YOU!
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I have created what I call a “trigger jar”. In this jar, I have sticky notes that are folded up, and written on them are things that I love to do that calm me down. So anytime I am feeling overwhelmed or triggered or anxious I pull something from this jar and it helps to relax my mind. Some of the things in my jar include taking a walk, going to see a movie, calling a family member, etc. I try not to make any moves or decisions from a place of chaos but rather from a place of peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.juniorhigh.co
- Instagram: @juniorhigh.co
