Jerilee Claydon is an integrative psychotherapist matching therapies to meet the needs of clients
I am an integrative psychotherapist matching therapies to meet the needs of clients. I work holistically and clinically, considering diet, lifestyle and social supports. My interest in anxiety led me to my work with Mothers as many parenting decisions are driven by future orientated fears - anxiety. After an initial session I am able to tailor a programme to the couple, providing skills to protect the relationship, learn what type of parent you’ll be and equip the parent with tools to follow intuition. I am currently developing a mindfulness therapeutic diary to reduce anxiety and induce a positive bond, together with bespoke blended essential oil candles to support the 3 phases of becoming a parent. Both launching early 2017. I am able to work with Skype as well as face to face, currently my furthest client is based in Bejing!
Do you have hobbies? What are they? Is it important to take “time off” and focus on other things such as friends, family, hobbies etc.?
Having down time is necessary for the brain to rejuvenate and gain clarity, we take for granted the idea that stress is bad for us, we don't really consider why, and how it impacts our brain, it isn't just that stress makes us hold extra weight on the tummy or more seriously cause death, taking time out can increase creativity and clarity, making us more efficient. I love to walk my shih-tsu in the country, practice yoga, and attempt to bake vegan cakes.
What does it mean to have competition/competitors? Do you compete/collaborate or just observe? What is the best practice to approach your competition?
This is a great question, if you feel the need to compete, why? ask yourself what is going on, usually its about fears of failure rather than an inability to collaborate so I now always put myself out there and say I'm open and available to ideas of collaboration, so far it has benefited me.
What is the scariest thing that happened to you while being an entrepreneur (that you can share)? How did you overcome it? What did you learn?
As the saying goes..burning the boat to get to the island, I had always kept my hand in other things, roles that provided steady income but once I truly focused and believed in my ideas , it shifted my focus and energy towards making a success of it- you have to do what you love.
Is there one “rookie mistake” that new entrepreneurs keep on making? What is it? Did it happen to you?
Giving up. There is a difference between going with the flow, allowing things to happen organically and quitting when it becomes tough. Having your own business is of course hard work and requires focus and grit but you cant force things, as the children's song row row your boat suggests, row your boat gently down the stream, rowing is hard work, but go with the flow don't try and swim against the current, you’ll only waste your energy
What is failure?
Not believing in yourself, I cannot expect others to invest in me if I lack self belief. Think of everyone you admire trust or respect, I bet they all present confidence or content with what they do or who they are.
What is one thing you find to be true that most people would disagree with?
Yikes…. please hear me out with an open mind!, We need to break the patterns of past parenting, its outdated and was based on opinion rather than the science we have available to us today. Ideally a mother or primary care giver should be solely caring for a baby until at least age 3, this means flexible working hours for mothers. Bed sharing, and breastfeeding until natural term need to become a universal priority. Meeting the needs of a baby can prevent a future of adults suffering with identity crisis, low confidence social anxiety, stress, low emotional intelligence. For our future to have any chance of progress we need to make the changes now, each mother has this power.
What are some pros and cons of having (OR not having) entrepreneurial parents?
Not having entrepreneurial parents means, they saw me as bonkers when ever I came up with something new, it was never taken seriously. Even as I approach 40 i think they are waiting for me to get a ‘real’ job. But their hard working ethic has encouraged me to earn and find ways to earn money since I was 13, this in itself taught me i didn't want a 9-5 working for someone else.