Women In Wellness: Jewelia Orlick On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
You don’t need to be hustling 24/7 — It’s not about forcing things to happen; it’s about letting them unfold naturally. Some of my highest impact days, whether that be sales or connecting with new meditators, have been when I’m on vacation, out surfing, or chilling on my days off.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jewelia Orlick.
Jewelia Orlick is a certified meditation teacher and integrative nutrition health coach. She has guided thousands of people through simple, healing, and relatable practices to bring more calm into their lives. An advocate for brain health with a natural ability to make others feel at ease, she is a highly sought-after instructor having contributed meditation expertise across a variety of media outlets.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
I was 16 when I sat in my first meditation class. Drawn to it as a way to enhance focus in my competitive sport background, it was a practice that I instantly fell in love with. I knew from the first moment I tried it that it was something I wanted to share with others. I had this feeling that it was somehow going to play a big part in my life. At the time, I didn’t know how or why. I was simply met with a strong gut feeling.
Flash forward a few years later, 19 years old at the time, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. From that point on everything shifted. An alarm went off in my mind and it became imperative to me then, the importance of taking care of your brain. It’s your biggest organ, it governs everything…and yet we don’t place attention on it the same way we do our physical bodies.
Meditation became my lifeline. It was a catalyst for wellness in my own life, whilst I navigated loss and change. It kept me going, helping me confront reality in a gentle way.
Since then, I’ve studied meditation under world renowned teachers and have been leading guided meditations to help others bring more calm into their lives. The rest is history!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
Before I became a certified meditation teacher, there was this one studio in California that I really wanted to study at. At the time, they had no teacher training program. It didn’t exist. Despite this, I kept my hopes up that they would eventually start one. Little did I know, the owner was doing the same thing. As fate would have it, I was the first person they accepted into the program when it eventually came to life! I feel like it was collectively willed into existence.
We all have this intrinsic ability to see things before they happen, using our imagination as a kind of manifestation. It makes you realize how strong your thoughts are. I always try to be careful about the things I say and think. You never know when the Universe is listening.
From a teaching perspective, any story of long lasting change from my clients really impacts me as well. I’ve had people come to me saying they were able to cure their insomnia and majorly improve their mental health after consistently doing my meditations. It’s cool to see the impact meditation has on a physiological and neurological level.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh gosh! So many. Truth be told, I still feel like I’m just starting out. I don’t know if I’ll ever not feel that way. With every level, comes new tasks you’ve never done before. I’d say the biggest mistake I’ve made (and continue to make at times) is thinking that everything has to be perfect. There’s always, always something that could have been done better in any project. I think the key is to do it anyway, knowing that it will never be 100% perfect.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
I’m in the game of getting people’s nervous systems back into a place of rest. Meditation, from my perspective, is all about creating space. Space between where you currently are and where you’d like to be. Space between stimulus and response. Space between your habitual thoughts and what the kinder version of yourself knows to be true. I’m guiding people towards this sense of steadiness that always lives within them. From that steady place, you are better able to make decisions that not only nurture you, but the people around you and the planet.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
- Meditate — The practice in itself is so simple. That is what makes it attainable. Here’s an easy way to incorporate meditation into your daily routine: set a timer on your phone for 1 minute, sit or lie down (your positioning doesn’t have to be fancy) and focus on your breath. Anytime your mind starts to drift to thoughts, refocus. Find your breath again. Do this over & over. Once you get the hang of meditating for 1 minute, start to build your way up to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and so on. Guided meditations are also a great way to get you in the habit of meditating frequently! A little support goes a long way.
- Cold Water Exposure — While this sounds like a physical experience, it is totally a mental game. It trains you to become calm when your first instinct is to freak out. Not only that, but it encourages you to relax in the face of mental challenges. You can implement daily cold water exposure by turning your shower head as cold as it goes for the first 30 seconds of your shower or by jumping in the lake/ocean nearest you. Be sure to follow advice from experts in the field such as Wim Hof or your own trusted physician.
- Try Doing a ‘Judgment Detox’ — A term coined by Gabby Bernstein. Try to not speak badly about anyone for a day, then a week, then a month. We tend to gossip out of habit or boredom. It doesn’t matter what they did to you or your opinion about their latest mishap. Choose silence instead. Take a deep breath to interrupt the pattern of judgment. Keep your conversations focused on you and the person you’re talking to. Nothing else. This is the quickest way to release the drama in your life and get back to a baseline of positivity.
- Mantra — Regular use of mantra and affirmation can shift your internal dialogue to hum a more confident and supportive tune. My personal favorites are mantras for trust. Simple ones like ‘Everything is going to be okay’ or ‘I let go of worry’. With regular repetition, you learn how to self soothe and bring reassurance in the times you need it most.
- Nature — Not only does this help us recharge, but it’s a great way to disconnect from all the to-dos on your list. Swim in natural bodies of water, go for walks, or take your workout outdoors to breathe the fresh air. It will help you feel refreshed and energized!
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Guided group meditations! I spoke a bit about energy earlier in this interview, but collective intention is powerful. This is especially true with meditation when you have a big group of people coming together to release stress. I’m currently working on this within my modern meditation membership — SPACE. A carefully curated collection of modern day meditations — designed to support you on the good days, and the bad. Because life brings both.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- You don’t need to be hustling 24/7 — It’s not about forcing things to happen; it’s about letting them unfold naturally. Some of my highest impact days, whether that be sales or connecting with new meditators, have been when I’m on vacation, out surfing, or chilling on my days off.
- Behind every ‘Overnight Success’ is years in the making — It takes more time than you think. Where there is love for the craft, there can be longevity.
- Imperfect action is better than no action at all — Something that I try to remind myself of often. It will likely always feel scary and big putting yourself out there. Taking action despite imperfection is key.
- No one is as far off as you think — You have every connection you need. While influential people may feel far away, they are never out of reach.
- No doesn’t mean never, it just means no for right now — Taught to me by my mentor, Selena Soo. No doesn’t mean never, so (even though it’s challenging) try to hold out hope when you’re met with a disappointing answer. It may not be the right timing now, but it may be that way so that something even more impactful can happen down the line.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Definitely mental health. There is a lot of uncertainty in our world. Uncertainty breeds anxiousness and, if not properly supported, can lead to health issues. In addition to this, there is a lot of pressure to constantly be moving & operating at 100% all the time. Gentleness, I believe, is the way through. What if we operated from a calm place rather than rushing through life all the time? If we accepted where we were, as opposed to always wanting to be somewhere else? Vision and planning are important. Of course they are, but life is happening now. Practice presence.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
My newsletter on my website is where I send out free guided meditations, mantras, & other supportive resources. I also hang out on Instagram @jeweliaorlickmeditation
Thank you for these fantastic insights!
Thank you so much for having me. This was great!
Women In Wellness: Jewelia Orlick On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.