Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Danielle Jai Watson, Founder of Freakuency Fit, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Freakuency Fit services Millennial and Gen Z moms and offers online birth courses, books, audiobooks, guided meditations, and articles designed to empower moms through pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and postpartum healing. Freakuency Fit helps women overcome fear, anxiety, stress, and the overwhelm of having a baby, have trauma-free labors and birth (surviving in an industry that makes money off our trauma and is losing more women to maternal death every year). Immensely better transitions into postpartum and an overwhelming sense of peace and confidence in themselves (to do and be all they dream of in this thing we call motherhood). We offer information and education that birthing institutions fail to teach. To ensure that women aren't coerced or manipulated into medical practices that cause more harm (physical or psychological) than good.

Tell us about yourself

My story started at 12 years old (22 years ago) when I first saw Debbie Allen perform a one-woman show at the Kennedy Center in DC. Six years later, I moved from DC to LA to attend Pepperdine University and study under the legendary Debbie Allen herself. After graduating from college and completing my dance training, I began working professionally as a dancer, working with artists like Usher, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, and more. At the height of my career, my husband and I launched a non-profit arts program in Compton, CA, called Discover.YOU (www.discoverYOUcompton). We offered arts programs taught by our friends in the industry to students (95% were on full scholarship). And then two years later, I became pregnant with my son! This is where my motivation started. 15 months later, my daughter was born. This is when I realized I had to make my motivation into something that could tangibly make a difference. Why? Because when I became pregnant, I knew NOTHING. I needed to figure out where to start, where to go, and what to do to ensure I was in control. Out of these pregnancies, having two home births, and learning just how dangerous the birth system is, I started coaching and mentoring my friends. And then their friends. And soon, I started working as a birth and postpartum doula on a mission to empower women to make conscious choices for their bodies and babies.

I couldn’t stand to hear any more stories of childbirth and trauma. And as a woman of color, I didn’t want to hear how the system didn’t protect us anymore. So I decided to educate moms. In 2020 I launched an online support group which grew from 0 to 3,600 women in the first four months. I then became a virtual doula. From here, my passion expanded. Freakuency Fit currently offers seven books, seven audiobooks, four guided meditations, and five online courses that have blossomed from over seven years of work and research in the world of maternal health (including neuroscience, quantum physics, and heart coherence). My journey into creating my business was born out of my desire to no longer hear about healthy women dying while or post giving birth due to a system that cares more about making money than women having safe labor. Rather than attacking the system, I chose to empower the woman. On my social media pages, I offer educational tools daily. On my website, I offer in-depth courses, books, and meditations. And overall, I am a true advocate for offering information birthing institutions fail to provide. I’m on a mission to save lives. And I am honored to have been chosen to do this work.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I am proud to say that I have built every part of my business from the ground up with my own work. From every book published, to every course edited, to the website, to the content on my social media page - I have done it ALL. And all while homeschooling my two children (a six year old in the 2nd/3rd grade and a 5 year old in 1st/2nd grade) and still working as a freelance writer. I have experienced first hand the difference in treatment, the perceived biases, and have been in the position of not having a clue of what to do or where to do as a new mom.

During my first pregnancy, in the midst of having hyperemesis gravidarum, I decided to start researching. My topics covered not only the medical ins and outs, but Quantum Physics, Neurology, Astromycology, Heart Coherence, and a range of topics from Liver impacts on postpartum depression to the impact of the chakras during childbirth. Rather than the typical birth courses, I am literally transforming women from the inside out. Not only do more women have better births, but couples are staying together, women are finding themselves, and most importantly, I have them moving their bodies and tapping into their sensuality. Through information, truth, and empathy, I am SO proud of Freakuency Fit. And I cannot wait to get her in the hands of more women who not only need it, but deserve it!

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things I’ve personally experienced is capital. Turning a passion into a service-based business requires time and the financial means to get your message out to your target market. As a woman of color, not only is it hard to find funding, but with approximately 1% of that funding going to people like me, my chances have always been slim. I continue to press on because my work is healing and saving lives. So this work is important. But finding the capital makes it harder because it makes your reach smaller. With a smaller reach, your pool of consumers decreases. And thus, so do your sales. So when doing this entrepreneurial work, I find that if the passion isn’t deep inside your bones, it may cause discord or an overall sense of overwhelm. To press on, you have to be on a mission and make a choice that no matter what, you won’t stop.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Find your support right away. In business, there are so many ups and downs, especially when starting out. If you are isolated from some community supporting you authentically, it can be hard to continue the work. I encourage everyone in business to find a strong network. One that can help you in your business (making connections, aligning you with grants and funding, helping you with your marketing/ planning etc.)
    But also a network that helps you emotionally. Business is not all business. An emotional side to it needs tending to (especially as a small business entrepreneur). Without this emotional pruning, you could potentially burn out. Find support that aligns with your purpose and mission. And when you feel burnt out, lean on that support to better align your next steps in the most efficient direction.
  2. Focus on your journey. If you spend more time looking at the lives of other business owners, brands, etc., you will miss how beautiful yours is. Culturally we spend too much time scrolling and marveling at everyone else’s life. It’s important to recognize that everything in your journey is yours. It’s not necessarily good or bad. Sometimes it just is. And if you can exist in your journey, stay in your lane, run your own race, and realize that things don’t have to look how you think they should, this opens you up to infinite possibilities. And it gives you more energy to play with. Honor and respect your journey. Be easy with yourself. Be ok with messing up. And remember why you do the work in the first place.
  3. Mind your energy surrounding your business. What you think is what you feel. What you feel impacts how you act and the choices you make. And as you can imagine, your choices impact the reality that actualizes. Thus, keep in mind you are in a feedback loop that never ends. What you think and feel is a strong indicator of where your energy is. If you feel heavy, your energy is there, and that will let you know what you are likely attracting to your business. It doesn’t mean you never feel down. And it doesn’t mean that feeling down is a bad thing. It’s a nice indicator that lets you know where you are residing energetically within your business. When it gets hard, recognize that the event doesn’t produce your emotions, it’s your reaction to it. Thus, how you feel within and about your business is your responsibility. Don’t put your happiness in anyone else’s hands. It’s your responsibility (your ability to respond) that will help with longevity. Mind your thoughts, take note of your emotions, and ease your way into feeling better. Don’t give up on your dream. Keep going with inspired action. By law, your dreams must manifest.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.freakuencyfit.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreakuencyFit/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/freakuencyfit/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellejaiwatson/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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