My name is: Jia-Jia Zhu.

I’m known as: Founder & creative director of Jia Jia.

My expertise is in: Crystal jewelry design. 

I stay physically healthy with: I’m currently six months pregnant, so I’ve been experiencing a shift in my body and what it is asking for. I’ve slowed down a lot recently and I am welcoming it with more sleep, online prenatal and restorative yoga classes, lots of hydration, intuitively eating and daily walks around our neighborhood with my dog, McKenzie. I’ve been going to see Dr. Erin and Dr. James twice a week at Flower of Life Chiropractic through the duration of this pregnancy and they’ve really supported me and the changes happening around my body. 

I keep my emotions balanced with: Starting my mornings with a ritual of at least 20 minutes, whether it is mantra-based meditation and/or writing, has supported me in clearing my mind in the mornings and getting back to myself.  

I love taking Epson salt baths with lavender. I was never a bath person prior to pregnancy, but I’ve been taking baths daily. It feels great ! 

My friends have been incredible. I love staying connected and checking in with them.  Even though we are more distanced than we usually are, the love, laughter, and support continues to be expansive.

I’ve continued to do FaceTime sessions with my therapist, Sherri Brown, every other week. It’s great to stay connected and check in. There is always emotional work and clearing to do, even when everything is going great. I also do personal development group work, where we learn modalities stemming from Core Energetics, Radical Aliveness and other contemporary mindfulness practices.

I’m intellectually stimulated by: Oh, I have really gotten into podcasts, especially in the bath. I enjoy listening to Practice You with Elena Brower, and The Rich Roll. Also, since the pandemic, my partner and I have started watching travel channels on Youtube. It’s been a great way to service that travel bug we both have in us. 

I was recently transformed by: My relationship with my partner has really transformed and blossomed in the last few months. We are bringing a small being into the world soon, and we want to create a conscious environment around her. We were drawn to each other through our interest in personal development work and, through the pandemic and pregnancy, we decided to dive in deeply to really work on ourselves as individuals and that has nicely created a lot of space for us to grow together as we prepare for this momentous change in our lives!

In the last six months, the ritual that has become so important for me is: Hydration—drinking water. Five points of gratitude daily and I send it to a friend. Sleeping with no alarms (unless I have a very early meeting). It feels good to be able to wake up to when my body is ready to wake up. Mantra-based meditation in the mornings. Daily prayer—sharing my gratitude, fears and whatever may come to mind with a higher power.    

Here’s how you can do it too: Taking a few minutes out of the day for yourself. Having a support system/buddy to check in with. Checking in with yourself (my form is prayer and meditation) at whatever time in the day. It helps me at the start of my day and also in the shower/bath because that’s a time that’s really meant for me to relax.

It helps me live my process because: I am taking care of myself, so I can show up for others with love and connection.

Take a moment to learn more about Jia-Jia Zhu’s journey here.

Image via Alexis Christodoulou