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About Juicy Jenna

Written by Jenna Checkley

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Posted on November 20 2022

 

Hello Goddesses,

I welcome you here to this space with all of my heart. As I hope our new name makes clear, The Juicy Goddesses is not just me; it is all of you Divine Queens as well! Here I wish to share with you the true depth and purpose of this creation, birthed from my passion, pain, persistence and pleasure. 

From the core of my being, I believe that All women are beautiful, All women are sensual, and All women deserve to find and express these aspects of themselves; and so much more! At the same time, as it is part of my journey too, I know that most women often have challenges finding and expressing these aspects of themselves or even believing that they exist. These challenges that most women face are a significant part of the reason I began this journey with The Juicy Goddesses. One of my main goals is to help women unleash their Inner Elegance and Juicy Joy. And I am just beginning! Speaking of beginnings, let's start there. : )

Very few people know some of the things I am about to share with you, with the world. However, an essential part of my journey, of all our journeys', is to accept and embrace all parts of ourselves. So while this is very difficult for me to do, it is essential for me and perhaps for some of you as well.

Everything we experience in life helps make us what we are. As a child, one of my main escapes and entertainment was my imagination. From as early as I can remember, I engaged in colourful flights of fancy, creating whole worlds, especially wardrobes for all my imaginary friends. As I grew, this evolved into an intense passion for fashion. One of the best presents my mom ever gave me was my first sewing machine. I had zero idea how to use it and got no help or instruction with it, but I figured it out on my own and haven't looked back. I have been designing clothes and outfits ever since. I had a significant setback in high school though as one of my art teachers constantly derided me. They often told me that I had no talent and would never get anywhere with my creations. To this day, I have no idea how or why a teacher could do such a thing. But I do my best to forgive them. I did dabble in fashion school for a bit; however at that time in my life, I had zero taste or desire for the business side of fashion, so I struck out on my own once again.

Over the next few years, many things happened relatively quickly. I met my current partner, became pregnant with our oldest child, grew a deep and abiding passion for all things menstrual, feminine, womb and woman related and experienced birth for the first time. I also then experienced severe postpartum depression, began to have my previously repressed childhood traumas released, and, on top of all of that, suffered from a terrible condition called D-Mer. In brief, it flips the powerfully positive feelings women usually have while breastfeeding into just as powerful horrible opposites. I had no idea such a thing even existed, let alone what it was. I suffered terribly alone with it, as most women who have it do, for eight months until I finally, brokenly, told my partner about it. Telling my partner and us finding out together that there even is a condition such as this that other women also suffer from, knowing that it wasn't my fault, having support, all these things helped immensely. If any women reading this can relate to any of these experiences, I beg you to reach out to loved ones, (or to me!) educate yourself about D-Mer and begin the healing process. It's not your fault!

Along with the many usual joys and challenges of parenthood, the next few years also brought significantly more pain and suffering. My depression never seemed to go away and was greatly increased by one of the most difficult decisions my partner and I have ever had to make.

For at least the next two years, it was very dark times.

Over time I gradually, small step by small step, began to make my way back toward the light. Many things helped. Some wonderful healings, all of our many travels, my family, my friends and the surprising amount of things I studied, learned, often mastered and loved along the way. And, of course, throughout all of those times, I never lost nor stopped my passion for fashion. In fact, many of the seeds for the things I'm growing now were planted during those shitty times.

Fast forward a few years, and things were getting better. We had just come off almost three years of travelling all around North and Central America. The first version of my fashion business, selling mostly handmade jewelry, crochet tops and one-of-a-kind outfits, was beginning to sprout. At this time, we decided that we definitely did want a sibling for our firstborn, so we chose the right moment and consciously conceived our second-born child. I was deeply determined to make everything perfect with this pregnancy and birth. So I dove deeper even than I had the first time into everything birth, womb, baby, fabrics, food, and more.

As with our first pregnancy, we chose to once again go with a midwife and a home water birth. I was also blessed to have a doula this time, which made an enormous difference.

About a month after our second daughter was born, covid-19 landed on the world. We all know what an indescribably insane time that was. Eight months later, we made the fantastic choice to leave the city for a small farm outside the small town I grew up near. This is still currently our home base. I planted a huge organic garden, we had ducks, chickens, truly free-range and organic eggs and we still have bees. We are so very grateful that we had that opportunity and made that choice. Being near family, having clean air, space and quiet, not to mention acres for our children to run and play on, made a powerful difference during those challenging times. 

On the farm, an entirely new chapter of my life and business began. I began hosting monthly Women's Red Tent Circles in our 17-foot Geodome. This was such a powerful, rewarding and educational experience for me. I moved through insecurity and barely valuing my offerings to complete confidence in my abilities to lead as I began to value my worth fully. During this time, I also began to invest in myself and uplevel myself and my business. 

In April of 2022, The Juicy Goddesses was born (at first being called The Juicy Goddess). I dabbled in selling at festivals and worked my ass off designing and creating my Juicy Goddess line by hand. I learned how to make and market my website and put up the first version of it. I dove deep into social media and made my first Juicy online sales. I took courses and made connections with women I admired, which inspired me. And I Grew! All of this while being a mom, homeschooling my oldest, taking care of my garden, pickling our produce, tending our bees, making maple syrup and even learning to make my own delicious cheese.

Please believe me that there is no bragging here; if I could do it, anybody could, and I assure you that I made so many mistakes along the way. I stumbled, I fell, I broke. More than once. I doubted, I wailed, I almost gave up, also more than once. But I held on, grew, never stopped creating, and always kept my goals in mind. I kept walking toward my dreams, even if I sometimes felt like I was walking backwards, which brings us, more or less, to where we are here and now.

If you've made it this far, I thank you so very much, dear one. Putting this out there for the world to see, possibly judge, laugh at or criticize has been an enormous lesson in facing many of my fears. But I wanted you to Know Me, to understand why I'm here, why I'm doing this and what The Juicy Goddesses mean to me. And as I've said before, this is just the beginning! There is SO much more I have and want to offer!! From Women's Circles to Fertility Education to Juicy Couture to Ceremonial Shopping Experiences and more! 

I deeply desire The Juicy Goddesses to be an international Hub of Fabulous, Powerful Women from all over the world who can and will join together to help each other, Support each other, and Lift Each Other Up! I want Every woman, whether she's the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or hip-deep in snotty tissues and shitty diapers, whether a Third World Entrepreneur or an LA Starlet, to feel Connected and Empowered and Beautiful and Sensual. THIS is what The Juicy Goddesses is, This Is What WE Are!

I couldn't be happier having you here with me on this journey.

Thank you. Bless You. I Love You.

With All My Heart,

 

Jenna

@thejuicygoddesses