Episode 063: From Early Learning to Essential Oils with Jen Alonso

May 10, 2020

  In this episode, Sara chats with Jen Alonso about her journey from the hospitality industry to early learning to essential oils. Jen shares how her oils business gave her a way to contribute to her family and have her own identity outside that of stay-at-home mom; she gives the inside scoop on what it's actually like to do direct sales; and she talks about how she stepped up as primary breadwinner and her husband jumped in to take on the bulk of the household and childcare duties when his chef position was eliminated due to the coronavirus pandemic. Today, Jen owns a business called Lavender Branches, where she offers group classes and individual support for making healthy lifestyle changes through the use of doTERRA essential oils.

 

Want to make your own career change?

Download Sara's Seven Cs of Successful Career Change Chart.

 

Sara and Jen Discuss:

• How Sara knows Jen
• Jen always knowing she wanted to be a mom
• Jen studying broadcast journalism and quickly realizing it wasn't her thing
• Growing up as a "military brat"
• Working in Yellowstone National Park
• Working at hotels and restaurants
• Working in early learning
• Meeting her husband and starting a family
• Going back-and-forth between working and being a stay-at-home mom
• Needing more identity than just being "mom"
• Looking into home businesses
• Starting to pay more attention to ingredients in products
• Discovering doTERRA through an ER nurse
• Realizing quickly that doTERRA was the direction that she wanted to move in
• Learning through direct experience
• Her doTERRA business supporting her values of family, continuous learning, travel, contribution, etc.
• What it's like to teach adults vs. preschoolers
• How she knows she's now doing "her thing"
• Her husband getting laid off from his chef position
• Becoming the breadwinner while her husband took over to care for the home and the kids
• How she got her business started, financially
• What she loves about doTERRA as a company
• Stepping up the number of classes she's teaching, reaching out to more people, ramping up
• What it's like to do direct sales with friends and family
• How she got comfortable with selling
• The ways that doTERRA gives back to the community
• Her support system
• What she learned about "career" from her military family
• How Jen lives life on her own terms
• How her life has changed since she changed careers
• Putting up positive, visual reminders around you to keep you on track
• What the day-to-day of Jen's work looks like
• The large network of support in doTERRA
• The Gallup Strengths Finder Clifton Strengths: store.gallup.com/p/en-us/10108/top-5-cliftonstrengths
• Two of Jen's favorite oils: Balance (tree blend) and Adaptiv (emotions blend)
• Sara's love for lavender
• Jen's advice for anyone who wants to become a doTERRA Wellness Advocate
• The low financial investment of getting started
• The pros of using natural products
• ...and more!

Jen's Full Bio:

Jen Alonso spent a decade in the hospitality industry and then a decade in early learning before becoming an essential oils wellness advocate.

 

Jen's interest in natural health began after the birth of her first son. She was suddenly very aware of the things he was exposed to and felt a responsibility to make better choices. She began reading product labels and looking for non-toxic, natural options⁠—not just in the foods she and her family were eating, but in the household products they were using.

 

In 2014, Jen started using essential oils as a teacher in her preschool classroom, and then she began diffusing at home. She immediately dove head-first into learning all she could about using them safely on her kids, her husband, herself.

 

When Jen left her position as a preschool teacher to stay at home with her kids, her husband worked as a chef. Still, Jen found that she wanted to contribute financially in a meaningful way. So, she became a doTERRA wellness advocate. When the restaurant that her husband worked for closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jen's and her husband's roles quickly reversed. Jen immediately stepped in, ramped up her business, and became the breadwinner while her husband jumped in to take on the bulk of the household and childcare duties.

 

Through her business, Lavender Branches, Jen offers group essential oils classes that cover the basic uses, safety, and many how-to’s. She takes individual appointments to focus on specific health goals, as well. She also hosts free monthly events that cover various health and wellness topics, and make-and-take events where attendees make everything from hand sanitizer to bug spray and take them home to start enjoying the benefits. Jen has a passion for working with people to find natural solutions for everyday situations.

 

Connect with Jen Alonso and Lavender Branches:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/jetaoils

Website: my.doterra.com/jetaoils

 

Connect with Sara McArdle and Women Who Went for It:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/womenwhowentforit 

Website: www.womenwhowentforit.com 

Nominate a Podcast Guest (we do not take nominations over email): www.saramcardle.com/podcast-guest 

Email (see link above to nominate a podcast guest): [e-mail] 

Phone: [phone]

 

Want to make your own career change?

Download Sara's Seven Cs of Successful Career Change Chart.