I gotta say that I love my circle of friends! I continue to meet new ones of like-minds and my newest buddy from California is Jemitra Hairston, founder of The Green Doorway for the last seven years. She’s all about helping her clients maintain balance by focusing on wellness and lifestyle design. I love her blog and we’ll be featuring lots more of her content on Own Your Power, since I know you all can use her insight. Now its time to find out why Jemitra loves what she does!

What does your business do? The Green Doorway is a holistic lifestyle design business that assists individuals in creating optimal well-being by balancing various areas of their life. The tools I use are: yoga, body work, cooking classes, health food stores, and on-on-one wellness and lifstyle coaching.

Any interesting fact(s) you can share about your industry?
My work uses principles of alternative consciousness. Among those in the field of alternative consciousness, it is understood that if you are not creating your life, then someone else is doing it for you. It is also understood that you are the pinball and that you construct the game around yourself. You are not the pinball that has been inserted into an already existing game to be driven crazy by the flashing lights and noise.

Most popular problem you help people solve?
I help people find a way of eating healthfully that fits their needs and lifestyle. My philosophy is that you’re only as good as what’s on your plate or an entrepreneur’s business is only as good as what’s on their plate.

What year did you kiss Corporate America goodbye and why do you hope to never go back? I kissed Corporate America good bye in 2009. The main reason I’m not going back is because, I realize that working a 9-5 job is a domestication process, a breeding ground for inauthenticity and unnatural social interactions, and it is an annihilator of soul-level creativity. And I am distinctly uninterested.

How do you stay motivated?
Every week, I hit the re-set button. The re-set button is the way I re-charge, re-calibrate, and re-align with my purpose. My re-set button is a ritual 2 hours spent luxuriating at the Japanese bathhouse here in San Francisco. I go there for a shower, sauna, steam, hot, and cold water dip bookended by a final shower. Once I’ve done that, the motivation flows, my personal energy field has been purified, and I am more aware of synchronicities that benefit me and my business.

Biggest pet peeve in business?
I have a very low disorganization threshhold. Disorganization makes my skin crawl.

What’s your favorite area on www.ownyourpower.ning.com?
The Barter exchange.

What’s a unique talent that you have that might surprise us?
I can put my foot behind my head.

Last time you laughed until you cried?
I laugh several times throughout the day though. It has been perhaps a month since I laughed until I cried. It’s been a few years since I laughed until I peed myself. Too long if you ask me!

It’s sadly time for your last meal on earth…what would it be?
I would have an open- faced sandwich with roasted rosemary herbed duck, homemade cranberry sauce, and dressing on sprouted grain bread. I’d wash it down with a really nice Belgian beer—something made by monks who’ve been celibate for 50 years. Then, just for kicks and giggles and pure nostalgia, I’d sweeten my palate with an ‘apple’ Now -N- Later.

If you could do it all over again, what is the biggest mistake you’d avoid next time around?
Over planning and under doing. I was not very confident when I first started out and would plan, plan, plan, but never do. I’ve shifted the ratio of planning versus doing in favor of more doing. It’s made a world of difference.

Most exciting moment that you got your time to shine?
I did a living sculpture performance in honor of Fela Kuti’s birthday. There were 7 of us dressed as Fela’s wives and we were gorgeous in our face paint, funky natural hair styles, and itty bitty outfits. Toward the end of the show, we took to the stage and I mesmerized the crowd with a gyrating Congolese dance solo.

What’s in your cd player/ipod right now?
Currently on rotation are: Jill Scott, Incubus, Erykah Badu, Daft Punk, David Guetta, Audioslave, Nina Simone, and Fela Kuti. I have been known to, on occasion, secretly rock out to Lil’ Wayne, but please don’t tell anyone else though.

If you could have superpowers, what would you want?
Teleportation and regeneration.

Find out more about this one interesting lady in our community! Add her as a friend here…


Contact her:
thegreendoorway@gmail.com
415.202.3455

For more information, please visit www.thegreendoorway.blogspot.com.