Finding your center and making the leap
Where do you draw your confidence from? It’s easy to fall into the imposter syndrome trap. “I’ll start charging more after I learn this final technique.” “I charge a fraction of standard market price because I’m just starting.” Sound familiar? For Uakea Egami, being a student was her crutch from taking that leap.
“I didn’t feel ready to start practicing on my own even though my mentor urged me to just get out there,” she explained. “Although I had been an entrepreneur for 10 years, I was scared to be in a different industry and starting over at 35 years old.”
Learn how she moved past the debilitating fear of starting a new business in this week's blog interview.
Michelle: Share a challenging moment during your entrepreneurial journey thus far.
Uakea: When I completed my acupressure certification in 2019, I was so immersed in being a student that I didn’t feel ready to start practicing on my own even though my mentor urged me to just get out there. Although I had been an entrepreneur for 10 years, I was scared to be in a different industry and starting over at 35 years old.
As a service-based business, there’s no better practice than being in the field so I booked a month of free, back-to-back sessions until I felt confident enough to start my practice and charge the price that I felt honored my work and experience.
Michelle: Knowing what you’ve learned now, how do you center yourself?
Uakea: Ooo, I love this question! Here’s the list of items that really center me. My goal is simply to accomplish 50% of them daily.
Sleep at least 7 hours (midday naps included in the total)
Thank God as soon as my eyes open in the morning
No scrolling through IG or emails for the first 30 minutes of the day
Eat at least 1 colorful meal
Say grace before each meal
Walk, yoga or qigong before 9a
Choose an essential oil to assist me, emotionally, throughout the day
Text, surf, call, or cook with a friend
Create 1 piece of art, garden, or pet care
Ask myself “What is one thing I can let go of today?” physically, emotionally, or mentally then meditate on releasing that item.
Chart the daily mahina (moon) phase and what I can focus on that day
Eat dinner at 5p
Take a no-work break between 4p-6p OR close the work day at 7p
Do 1 family activity in the evening: swim, surf, board game, watch a show, cook together, or discuss a personal growth topic
Put my phone on airplane mode when I go to bed
Plan something with my husband
Michelle: What tools do you use to support your mind, body and soul?
Uakea: This is my list of my MUST-HAVES in my toolbox
At the least, my Magnolia, Frankincense, Lemon, and AromaTouch essential oils
The Essential Emotions book
Meditation through sitting, art, or gardening (I’m currently caring for 20 monarch caterpillars)
Yoga with Adriene and Yoqi with Marisa on YouTube
Weekly visits to Unity Wellness for chiropractic and acupuncture care
Soul check-ins with my Oneness Group (www.jessicadelmar.mn.co)
My mahina cards from homaikapono.org
Being in nature
Michelle: What is your Golden Belly blend and how can it help others?
Uakea: This artisan blend of essential oils combines flowers, tree resins, herbs and Hawaiian sea salt to assist the digestive harmony and energetic balancing of its user. It’s grounding, restorative, and clarifying properties are also beneficial for regenerating a sense of warmth in the body and focus for the mind. To achieve this, rub this sweet and citrusy mixture all over your abdomen twice a day, then use the excess oils to massage your scalp all while taking deep restorative breaths.
Michelle: Where do you plan on taking your business in the next 5 years?
Uakea: Entrepreneurship has been a way for me to balance my time with my family while building a platform for me to share my gifts and in the next 5 years, I’ll be sending my firstborn off to college. So I look forward to exploring the opportunities for my son’s future while I create more opportunities for my clients to embrace their wellbeing. I hope to incorporate more conservation and mālama ‘āina projects for our clients and have guest artists who provide us with therapeutic practices to supplement our self-care regimens.
Entrepreneurship is an honest teacher. You develop boundaries, tools, and clarity on the journey. If you’re looking to surround yourself with like-minded female entrepreneurs like Uakea, then consider joining us as an Oak + Pine Society Member. Click here to see if our membership doors are open.